Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department - Crescenta Valley Station

If a family member, a loved one or you have been arrested by or are being investigated by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LAPD), Crescenta Valley Station, it can cause a lot of concerns. 

Facing such a situation, it can be comforting to know the bail amount (if any) associated with the offense if police deny an own recognizance (OR) release.  It is also valuable to know 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 valuable 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, Crescenta Valley station, has an undisclosed number of sworn police officers and unspecified number of civilian support personnel assigned to it.  Their website states that the station patrols an area with a population of approximately 45,000 residents, but much of the patrol duties includes doing so in rugged terrain.  We therefore estimate the station has approximately sixty sworn deputies and twenty support staff.

The Crescenta Valley Station is responsible for La Canada Flintridge, the unincorporated areas of La Crescenta, the unincorporated areas of Montrose, the unincorporated area of Lopez Canyon, the unincorporated areas of Kagel Canyon, the unincorporated area of Little Tujunga Canyon, the unincorporated sections of Big Tujunga Canyon, the unincorporated areas of Angeles National Forest (from State Route 2 - Angeles Crest Highway, Switzer Falls) and the unincorporated areas of Mount Wilson.

For traffic matters that arise on the freeways in this area, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) generally handles such matters, not the Crescenta Valley Station.

La Canada Flintridge is considered to be located in the western edge of the San Gabriel Valley.  The population was 20,573 at the 2020 census. 

It is the home of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a federally funded research facility started in 1936 by the California Institute of Technology, or “Cal-Tech,” in Pasadena.  The primary function of the laboratory is the construction and operation of planetary robotic spacecraft, although it also conducts Earth-orbit and astronomy missions.  It is also responsible for operating the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN).

There are approximately 6,000 full-time Caltech employees, and typically a few thousand additional contractors working on any given day. 

NASA also has a resident office at the facility staffed by federal managers who oversee JPL's activities and work for NASA. There are also some Caltech graduate students, college student interns and co-op students.

Crescenta Valley is considered a city that straddles both the far eastern edge of the San Fernando Valley and the far western edge of the San Gabriel Valley.  It has a population of approximately 20,000 residents as of the 2020 census. 

Both La Canada Flintridge and Crescenta Valley are predominantly white and Asian in population.  The racial makeup of La Crescenta-Montrose in 2020 was 65.2% white (57.9% Non-Hispanic White), 0.7% African American, 27.3% Asian and 11.4% Hispanic or Latino
Most cases arising out of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Crescenta Valley Station’s areas of responsibility are brought at the Glendale 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 Glendale Courthouse would be very serious cases needing specialized prosecutors trained in handling such cases.

Our office has handled many shoplifting, DUI and domestic violence cases arising out the La Canada Flintridge, Crescenta Valley and Glendale at the Glendale Courthouse, which is one of the smallest courthouses in Los Angeles County.