Orange County Sheriff's Department - Mission Viejo Station

If a loved one, a family member or you have been arrested by or are being investigated by the Mission Viejo station of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, it can cause a lot of apprehension, mostly just from fear of the unknown.  Moreover, one is dependent upon the honesty and competence of a police officer, who may or may not be experienced or have the same sense of urgency as you.

  
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 ease one’s apprehension.  It is also good 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 smart to know a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement.  It can be good 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 these goals in mind.

The Mission Viejo station of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department is a large station with thirty-nine deputies and thirteen civilian support personnel assigned to it.  It is responsible for patrolling the City of Mission Viejo, which is 18.03 square miles and has a population of 93,653 as of the 2020 census.

Mission Viejo is a “planned community.” It is considered one of the largest master-planned communities ever built under a single project in the United States and is rivaled only by Highlands Ranch, Colorado in size.  

The city is noted for its tree-lined neighborhoods, receiving recognition from the National Arbor Day Foundation.  The houses and shopping centers in the city are almost uniformly designed in a Spanish mission style, with "adobe"-like stucco walls and barrel-tile roofs.  Mission Viejo has a major youth athletic facility, Mission Viejo Youth Athletic Park.  The park consists of eight baseball fields and five soccer fields.

The Mission Viejo Nadadores Swimming and Mission Viejo Nadadores Diving Team won a string of national championships and produced a number of Olympians and world record holders in the 1970s and 1980s. Olympians included Shirley Babashoff, Brian Goodell, Larson Jenson, Dara Torres and Greg Louganis.  

Mission Viejo hosted the Road Cycling Events during the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles.

For arrests along the freeways crossing Mission Viejo (the I-5 (the “Golden State Freeway) and State Route 241 (a toll road)), the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will normally handle this work, although one may be thereafter transported to the Mission Viejo station for processing, a breath test (if a DUI) and booking.  The person may also be held at the Mission Viejo station jail until bail is posted or the person is transferred to the Orange County Jail in Santa Ana.

As of 2020, the city’s population was 61.71% non-Hispanic white, 11.56% Asian, 1.21% African American and 19.20% Hispanic.  According to the 2010 United States Census, Mission Viejo had a median household income of $96,088, with 5.3% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Crime does exist within Mission Viejo, but it is at a far lower rate than the state average.

Most cases arising out of the Mission Viejo Sheriff’s Department’s areas of responsibility are brought at the Harbor Justice Center (Newport Beach Courthouse), but some are also brought at the Central Justice Center at 700 Civic Center Driver West in downtown Santa Ana.  Cases that may be filed at the Central Justice Center instead of at the Harbor Justice Center would be very serious cases needing specialized prosecutors trained in handling such cases.

Over the last 25 years, our office has handled perhaps five cases arising out the Mission Viejo Sheriff’s Station and brought in the Newport Beach Courthouse.  Such cases included a shoplifting case and a very serious sexual assault case involving a minor.  

Below is the Google Map to the OCSD Mission Viejo Station.