San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department - Needles & Colorado River Station

If a loved one, a family member, a friend or you have been arrested by or are being investigated by the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department from the city-operated Needles Station, it can cause a lot of apprehension, mostly just from uncertainty of what will happen or can happen.  Moreover, one is dependent upon the accuracy, honesty and competence of a sheriff’s deputy 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 lower one’s uncertainty.  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 well worth the time to know a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement.  It can be prudent 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 City of Needles operates the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department station located in Needles at 1111 Bailey Avenue.  It is a medium sized station, although the City of Needles itself is relatively small with a population of only 4,959 as of the 2020 census.  

However, every weekend, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors to Needles to enjoy the Colorado River to Needles’ east.  Needles is 31.08 square miles.  

The exact number of sworn deputies and staff assigned to this station is not published, but we would estimate there are 50 deputies and 15 civilian staff assigned to it. 

Needles was founded in May 1883 during the construction of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which originally crossed the Colorado River at Eastbridge, Arizona, three miles southeast of Needles.  The crossing was a poor site for a bridge, lacking firm banks and a solid bottom and eventually, the bridge was destroyed by the river.

The railway built Red Rock Bridge, a high cantilever bridge at a narrower point with solid rock footings, ten miles downstream near today's Topock.  The bridge was completed in May 1890, and the old bridge was dismantled.

Needles was named after “The Needles,” a group of pinnacles in the Mohave Mountains on the Arizona side of the Colorado River.

  
For arrests along Interstate 40 and State Route 95 crossing Needles, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will normally handle this work, although one may be thereafter transported to the Needles Police Department for processing, a breath test (if a DUI) and booking.  The person may also be held at the Needles jail until bail is posted or the person is transferred to the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.

As of 2010, Needles’s population was 65.4% non-Hispanic white, 0.7% Asian, 2.0% African American and 22.4% Hispanic.
Traffic cases arising out of the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department from the city-operated Needles Station areas of responsibility are brought at the Needles Courthouse, but all criminal cases are brought at the San Bernardino Hall of Justice at 4100 Main Street in downtown San Bernardino.  

Over the last 25 years, our office has not handled a single case arising out of Needles.  However, we would expect such cases to include, but not be limited to DUI (including DUI while boating), violation of a protective order, domestic violence, shoplifting and possession of and / or sales of a controlled substance.  

Nonetheless, we have received phone calls from people in Needles asking about hiring a criminal defense attorney.  We find that locals to the Needles 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 Needles and presumably have no such ties or loyalties.

Areas Served:  City of Needles, from the Nevada State line south to Riverside County line and from Arizona State line on the Colorado River to Kelbaker Road.  5200 square miles of unincorporated area and 90 miles of the Colorado River.

Below is the Google Map to the Needles Station.