South Gate Police Department

If the South Gate Police Department has arrested or is investigating a family member, you or a loved one, it is common to need to know the bail amount (if any) associated with the offense (if an own recognizance (OR) release is denied), the evidence needed to convict one for the crime that allegedly took place, the defenses possible and the sentence a judge can impose if one is convicted of the crime.

We at Greg Hill & Associates believe it is also prudent to know a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement. It can be helpful to know the size of the police or sheriff’s department, the city’s demographics, the most common types of crime the department investigates and just a bit about the city’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 this goal in mind.

The South Gate Police Department is staffed by forty-two sworn officers and an undisclosed number of unsworn staff personnel. The department is responsible for enforcing the law and ensuring public safety in South Gate, a city of 92,726 residents as of the 2020 census, crammed into 7.35 square miles. It is the nineteenth largest city within Los Angeles County.

94.8% of the population of South Gate is of Hispanic or Latino origin. Mexican and Salvadoran are the common ancestries in South Gate. 0.9% of the population is African American and 0.8% is Asian. Non-Hipanic or Non-Latino Whites make up 3.4% of the population.
During 2015–2019, South Gate had a median household income of $52,321, with 17.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line. For people ages twenty-five and over, 56.7% had a high school degree or higher while 9.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher.

As of June 2009, California's EDD listed the unemployment rate in South Gate as 14.4%, with negative job growth. The median household income then was $41,064.

South Gate's recent political history has been characterized by political observers and editors as having elements of "Third World politics."
For example, from 2001 to 2003, then-city treasurer Albert Robles, along with three accomplices on the city council, accepted bribes and in turn gave taxpayer money to friends and relatives to perform city contracts. The three accomplices formed a majority of the five-member city council, so they could effectively run the city as they wanted. For example, in 2002, Robles was arrested on felony threat charges but was appointed by the city council to the deputy city manager position and had his legal bills covered by the city. The city council gave themselves a 2000% pay raise, and cut the pay of City Clerk Carmen Avalos by 90%, after she complained about corruption and election fraud in the city to the California Secretary of State.

On January 28, 2003, voters recalled Robles along with his political allies, former Mayor Xochitl Ruvalcaba, former Vice Mayor Raul Moriel, and former city councilwoman Maria Benavides.

Robles was convicted of bribery in July 2005. In November 2006, he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, ordered to pay the city of South Gate $639,000 in restitution, and was immediately put into custody.

In March 2006, Rudy Navarro, who was elected to replace Albert Robles as city treasurer, was caught making a false statement on his biography as posted on the city's official web site. He claimed that he earned a degree from San Diego State University, when he actually had not completed all the requirements.

According to Neighborhood Scout, South Gate has a crime rate of 38 per one thousand residents, marking South Gate as having one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in twenty-six. Within California, more than 92% of the communities have a lower crime rate than South Gate.

For South Gate, Neighborhood Scout found that the violent crime rate is one of the highest in the nation, across communities of all sizes (both large and small). Violent offenses tracked included rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, including assault with a deadly weapon. According to FBI reported crime data, one’s chance of becoming a victim of one of these crimes in South Gate is one in 183.

In addition, Neighborhood Scout found that a lot of the crime that takes place in South Gate is property crime. Property crimes that are tracked for this analysis are burglary, larceny over fifty dollars, motor vehicle theft, and arson. In South Gate, one’s chance of becoming a victim of a property crime is one in 31, which is a rate of 33 per one thousand population.

Importantly, Neighborhood Scout found that South Gate has one of the highest rates of motor vehicle theft in the nation according to our analysis of FBI crime data. This is compared to communities of all sizes, from the smallest to the largest. In fact, one’s chance of getting your car stolen if you live in South Gate is one in one hundred.