Orange County Sheriff's Department - San Clemente Station

If you, a loved one or a family member have been arrested by or are being investigated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, San Clemente Station, it can cause a lot of worries. mostly just from fear of the unknown.  Moreover, one is dependent upon the competence, honesty and accuracy in reporting 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 help.  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 by a jury 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 wise 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 Orange County Sheriff’s Department, San Clemente Station, is a medium-sized office with forty-four sworn police officers and six civilian support personnel assigned to it.  

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is responsible for patrolling the City of San Clemente, which is 19.11 square miles and has a population of 64,293 as of the 2020 census.

San Clemente is perhaps most well known for being the West Coast retreat of Richard Nixon.  In 1969, he bought part of the H. H. Cotton estate, one of the original homes of San Clemente. Nixon called it "La Casa Pacifica” and it was nicknamed the "Western White House," a term for a President's vacation home.  It sits above one of the West Coast's premier surfing spots, Trestles,  and just north of historic surfing beach San Onofre.  

Many world leaders visited the home during Nixon's tenure, including Soviet general secretary Leonid Brezhnev, Mexican President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, the Prime Minister of Japan Eisaku Sato and Henry Kissinger.

After his resignation, Nixon retired to San Clemente to write his memoirs.  He sold the home in 1980 and moved to New York City.  The property also has historical ties to the Democratic side of the aisle; prior to Nixon's tenure at the estate, as the prior owner was known to host Franklin D. Roosevelt, who would visit to play cards in a small outbuilding overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

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

As of 2010, the city’s population was 71.37% non-Hispanic white, 3.91% Asian, 0.59% African American and 18.17% Hispanic.
Most cases arising out of the Orange County 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 two cases arising out the Orange County Sheriff’s Station, San Clemente station, and brought in the Harbor Justice Center.  One was a serious DUI and one other one was a domestic violence case.

Below is the Google Map to the OCSD San Clemente Station.