Montclair Police Department

If a loved one, a family member or you have been arrested by or are being investigated by the Montclair Police Department / San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department operating in Montclair, it can cause insomnia for some of our clients, mostly just from uncertainty of what will happen or can happen.  Moreover, one is dependent upon the competence, honesty and accuracy of a police officer, who may or may not be experienced or have the same sense of urgency as you in having the police report properly written.  

Facing such a situation, knowing the bail amount (if any) associated with the offense or offenses at issue if police deny an own recognizance (OR) release may help one get some sleep.   It is also beneficial to know what evidence is needed to convict one for the crime or crimes that allegedly took place, the defenses possible and the sentence a judge can impose if one is convicted of the crime or crimes.  

We at Greg Hill & Associates believe it is prudent 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, a bit of history about the town, city or area, and the most common types of crimes the department investigates 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 and makes assumptions that may be wrong.

This article is presented with these goals in mind.

The Montclair Police Department is located at 4870 Arrow Highway in Montclair.  It is a medium-sized station with sixty sworn police officers and, we estimate, 20 to 25 civilian support personnel assigned to it.  

The City of Montclair is just 5.53 square miles and has a population of 37,865 as of the 2020 census.

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the settlement was largely devoted to citrus orchards.  The Monte Vista tract experienced growth in residential development after the Second World War, and the tract was incorporated as the city of Monte Vista on April 25, 1956.  Due to conflict with the Post Office, which refused to open an office in Monte Vista due to a name conflict with a community in Northern California, the city was renamed Montclair on April 8, 1958.

For arrests along Interstate 10 crossing Montclair, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will normally handle this work, although one may be thereafter transported to the Montclair Police Department for processing, a breath test (if a DUI) and booking.  The person may also be held at the Montclair jail until bail is posted or the person is transferred to the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga or the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.

As of 2010, Montclair’s population was 14.4% non-Hispanic white, 9.3% Asian, 5.2% African American and 70.2% Hispanic.
In 2000, the median household income was $30,797 and about 34.2% of families and 27.4% of individuals were below the poverty line.  

Most cases arising out of the Montclair Police Department’s areas of responsibility are brought at the Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse, but some are also brought at the San Bernardino Hall of Justice at 4100 Main Street in downtown San Bernardino.  

Over the last 25 years, our office has handled perhaps twenty cases arising out of Montclair and prosecuted in the Rancho Cucamonga Courthouse.  These have included DUI, shoplifting, violation of a protective order, unlawful possession of a firearm and violation of a protective order, as well as many post-conviction cases.  

We have also received phone calls from people in Montclair asking about hiring a criminal defense attorney.  We find that locals to the Montclair often distrust local criminal defense attorneys as being social friends with prosecutors and judges, so they are unwilling to fight too hard to preserve their friendships, so we are considered as counsel instead because we are not located in Montclair and presumably have no such ties or loyalties.

Areas Served:  City of Montclair

Below is the Google Map to the Montclair Police Department.