Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department - Altadena Station

If a loved one, a family member or you have been arrested by or are being investigated by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LAPD), Altadena Station, it can create a lot of questions.  Facing such a situation, one may want to know the bail amount (if any) associated with the offense if police deny an own recognizance (OR) release.  It is also common to ask what evidence is needed to convict one for the crime that allegedly took place, the defenses possible and the sentence a judge can impose if one is convicted of the crime. 

We at Greg Hill & Associates believe it is good to know a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement.  It can be worthwhile to know the size of the police or sheriff’s department, the area’s demographics, the most common types of crimes the department investigates and just a bit about the area’s history to make one’s communication with law enforcement more meaningful, more savvy and perhaps, more respectful.  This can lead to a better outcome than if one lacks such perspective.

This article is presented with this goal in mind.

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Altadena station, has fifty-eight sworn police officers and twenty civilian support personnel assigned to it.  The station is tasked with patrolling the following areas: Altadena, Angeles National Forest Mount Wilson Area (Eaton Canyon), Chaney Trail, Kinneola Mesa, La Vina, Northeast Pasadena and Pasadena Glen.

Most cases arising out of the Altadena station’s area of responsibility are brought at the Pasadena Courthouse, but some are also brought at the Clara Shortridge Foltz criminal courts building (CCB) at 210 West Temple Street in downtown Los Angeles.  Cases that may be filed at CCB instead of at the Pasadena Courthouse would be very serious cases needing specialized prosecutors trained in handling such cases.
Altadena is a mostly residential neighborhood directly north from Pasadena.  Its norther border is the mountains.

While Altadena has long refused wholesale annexation by neighboring Pasadena, the larger community nibbled at its edges in several small annexations of neighborhoods through the 1940’s.  With early-1960s redevelopment in Pasadena, the routing of extensions of the 134 and 210 freeways, and lawsuits over the desegregation of Pasadena Unified School District, there was white flight and convulsive racial change in Altadena.

In 1960, Altadena’s Black population was under four percent.  However, over the next 15 years, half the white population left, and was replaced by people of color, many of whom settled on the west side of town after being displaced by Pasadena's redevelopment and freeway projects.

In Altadena, Christmas Tree Lane is a 0.7-mile (1.1 km) stretch of Santa Rosa Avenue from Woodbury Road to Altadena Drive.  It has been a holiday attraction since 1920, and it is the oldest large-scale outdoor Christmas lighting venue in the world.  Each December, members of the Christmas Tree Lane Association festoon the 110 still standing giant deodars that line the street with thousands of Christmas lights.  

Christmas Tree Lane was placed on the National Registrar of Historic Places in 1990 and is a California Historical Landmark.

In 2022, Altadena gained national media coverage, as it was the location where a single lottery ticket was sold to Edwin Castro, which would win a world record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot.

The 2020 United States Census reported that Altadena had a population of 42,846.  The racial makeup of Altadena was 53.2% white (41.2% non-Hispanic white), 19.7% African American, 5.2% Asian and 29.5% Hispanic or Latino.  The 2010 Census reported that 42,276 people (98.8% of the population) lived in households.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Altadena had a median household income of $82,895, with 10.7% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

As might be expected in such a residential neighborhood, crime is generally lower than in a mixed urban – residential neighborhood and property crimes such as burglaries, auto theft and vandalism is higher than in an urban area.

For more information about being arrested and possibly facing a criminal case, please click on the following articles: