San Bernardino Police Department

If you, a loved one or a family member have been arrested by or are being investigated by the San Bernardino Police Department or the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department operating in San Bernardino, it can cause a lot of angst, mostly just from uncertainty of what will happen or can happen.  Moreover, one is dependent upon the honesty, accuracy and competence of a police officer, 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 lower one’s uncertainty.  It is also prudent 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 valuable 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, 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 San Bernardino Police Department is located at 710 North “D” Street in San Bernardino.

It is a large station with 225 sworn police officers and, we estimate, 80 additional civilian support personnel assigned to it.  

The City of San Bernardino is 62.45 square miles and has a population of 222,101 as of the 2020 census.  It is the eighteenth largest city in California.  

The city's University District serves as a college town as home to California State University, San Bernardino.  Many know of San Bernardino because of Norton Air Force Base, which was established there during World War II.  In 1994, Norton closed to become San Berardino International Airport. San Bernardino is also home to the first McDonalds, which opened in 1940. 

It is interesting to note the Spanish and Mexican origins of San Bernardino.  San Bernardino was named in 1810, when Spanish priest Francisco Dumetz led an expedition through the area.  In 1839, the Mexican government granted Californio ranchero Jose del Carmen Lugo the right to settle the area, which was formalized when he was granted Rancho San Bernardino in 1842. 

For arrests along Interstate 10 and 215, as well as along State Route 210 crossing the City of San Bernardino, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will normally handle this work, although one may be thereafter transported to the San Bernardino Police Department for processing, a breath test (if a DUI) and booking.  The person may also be held at the San Bernardino jail until bail is posted or the person is transferred to the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.

As of 2020, San Bernardino’s population was 12.90% non-Hispanic white, 3.93% Asian, 11.77% African American and 68.04% Hispanic.

Cases arising out of the San Bernardino Police Department’s areas of responsibility 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 handled perhaps 30 cases arising out of San Bernardino and prosecuted in the San Bernardino Hall of Justice, ranging from DUI, to shoplifting, to domestic violence, to many forms of post-conviction relief.  

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

Areas Served:  City of San Bernardino

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 San Bernardino Police Department.