Placentia Police Department

If a loved one, a family member or you have been arrested by or are being investigated by the Placentia Police Department, it can cause a lot of anxiety, 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 help.  It is also good to understand 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 worth knowing 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 Placentia Police Department is a large station with forty-seven sworn police officers (as of 1987, so this certainly may be low) and an undisclosed number of civilian support personnel assigned to it. 

The Placentia Police Department is responsible for patrolling the City of Placentia, which is 6.63 square miles and has a population of 51,233 (as of 2020).  Placentia is located just north of the 91 Freeway and just east of the 57 Freeway (except for a small segment to the west of the fifty-seven near the 91) and south of Imperial Highway (I-90).  The 91, 57 and 90 freeways frame the city.

The city prides itself on being a primarily residential neighborhood.

For arrests along the freeways bordering Placentia, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will normally handle this work, although one may be thereafter transported to the Placentia Police Department for processing, a breath test (if a DUI) and booking.  The person may also be held at the Placentia 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 44.7% non-Hispanic white, 14.9% Asian, 1.8% African American and 36.4% Hispanic.  In 2010, The median household income was $75,693, with 12.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

In 2007, the city became the first city to implement a quiet zone for the cargo-carrying trains that pass through the city daily, using locomotive grade-crossing predictors and intercrossing ground-based radio communications to effect a corridor where crossing gate arms become actuated prior to the train's approach, enabling trains to not be required to announce their approach by sounding the Morse code letter "Q" on their whistles, which is otherwise mandated by the Federal Railroad Administration. 

This “quite zone” was implemented despite a rather serious train crash just five years earlier, in 2002, when a BNSF Railway freight train collided head-on with a Metrolink passenger train in Placentia, near the Atwood Junction, at the intersection of Orangethorpe Avenue and Van Buren Street.  Two people died in the crash and twenty-two were seriously injured.

The most famous Placentia resident is perhaps Michael Chang, the tennis player and French Open champion from 1989.

Most cases arising out of the Placentia Police Department’s areas of responsibility are brought at the Fullerton 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 Fullerton Courthouse would be very serious cases needing specialized prosecutors trained in handling such cases.

Over the last 25 years, our office has handled perhaps 50 cases arising out the Placentia Police Station and brought in the Fullerton Courthouse.  Such cases vary from DUI to domestic violence to shoplifting. 

Below is the Google Map to the Placentia Police Department.