San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department - Victor Valley Station (Adelanto)

If a loved one, a family member or you have been arrested by or are being investigated by the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department from the city-operated Adelanto / Victor Valley station, it can cause a lot of anxiety, mostly just from the uncertainty of what will happen or can happen.  Moreover, one is dependent upon the competence, honesty and accuracy 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 ease 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 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 Adelanto / Victor Valley station for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is operated by the cities of Adelanto and Victor Valley.  The main station is located in Adelanto on Bartlett Avenue.  There are two smaller stations located on Verdugo Street in Lucerne Valley and one on Phelan Road in Phelan.  

It is a medium sized station with one captain, one lieutenant, eight sergeants, seven detectives, fifty-eight patrol deputies, three sheriff's service specialists, seven office specialists, two office assistants, one secretary and one automotive officer.  They have both a motorcycle and a bicycle enforcement team.  They rely greatly on their eleven volunteer units which include two search and rescue teams, two mounted posse units, one line reserve unit and six citizens on patrol units.

The deputies are responsible for law enforcement and public safety in Adelanto, Helendale, Oro Grande, Silver Lakes, El Mirage, Spring Valley Lake, Oak Hills, Wrightwood and the unincorporated areas of the Victor Valley area not serviced by the cities of Hesperia, Victorville and the Town of Apple Valley.  These areas include a wide range of mountainous and remote desert terrain, with heavy to sparsely populated rural and urban regions that also contain commercial and industrial areas with a population over 56,000 in the unincorporated areas and over 35,000 in the City of Adelanto.

Adelanto is Spanish for “Advance.”  It is a city approximately nine miles north of Victorville and at the southern border of the Mojave Desert.  Its average elevation is 3.400 feet.  It is a city with less expensive home prices than nearby San Bernardino, so for those interested in owning a home, Adelanto and the Victor Valley area is a good alternative, although one may have to commute quite a long way for work.  

Adelanto was founded in 1915 by E. H. Richardson, the inventor of what became the Hotpoint electric iron.  He sold his patent and purchased land for $75,000.  He had planned to develop one of the first planned communities in Southern California.

For arrests along Interstate 15 and State Routes 18 and 395 crossing Adelanto / Victor Valley, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will normally handle this work, although one may be thereafter transported to one of the three Adelanto / Victor Valley stations for processing, a breath test (if a DUI) and booking.  The person may also be held at the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto, the Glen Helen Detention Center in Devore, or the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.

As of 2010, Adelanto’s population was 17.0% non-Hispanic white, 1.9% Asian, 20.5% African American and 58.3% Hispanic.

Most cases arising out of the Adelanto / Victor Valley station areas of responsibility are brought at the Victorville 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 not handled a single case arising out of Adelanto / Victor Valley.  However, we would expect such cases to include, but not be limited to DUI, 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 Adelanto / Victor Valley asking about hiring a criminal defense attorney.  We find that locals to this area 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 Adelanto / Victor Valley and presumably have no such ties or loyalties.

Areas Served:  Adelanto, Helendale, Oro Grande, Silver Lakes, El Mirage, Spring Valley Lake, Oak Hills, Wrightwood and the unincorporated areas of the Victor Valley area not serviced by the cities of Hesperia, Victorville and the Town of Apple Valley.

For more information about being arrested and possibly facing a criminal case, please click on the following articles:

Below is the Google Map to the Victor Valley Station.