Arcadia Police Department

If you, a close friend or a family member has been arrested or investigated by the Arcadia Police Department, it is important to know more than just the “usual” nuts and bolts: what is the bail associated with the offense; what are the requirements for finding a violation of the law or this crime; what are the defenses to the charge and what punishment is possible.

It can be valuable to know a bit about the specific police department involved, such as its size, the most common crimes it investigates, the demographics of the city and even a bit of history of the area.  This information can help one better understand how serious the crime is regarded and how the prosecuting agency, including the judge assigned, may handle the case if it is filed, either at the Pasadena Superior Court or in the downtown Los Angeles Superior Court (the Clara Shortridge Foltz courthouse).

The City of Arcadia, with a population of roughly 60,000, is a mostly residential city located about 15 miles east of downtown Los Angeles (measured at the Los Angeles Convention Center) and south of the I-210 Foothill Freeway, in the San Gabriel Valley. 

It is home to the Santa Anita horse racing track, as well as the Westfield Santa Anita Mall, and sits at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, although the City of Sierra Madre is located between the mountains and Arcadia. The City of Arcadia is 11.2 square miles.  The City of Arcadia is named after Arcadia, Greece.

The Arcadia Police Department has 68 police officers and employs another 35 civilians.  It is a relatively large police department for its city’s size and population.

The most common crimes investigated and reported to the Arcadia Police Department are various larcenies (shoplifting, check fraud, commercial burglary), followed by auto burglaries and residential burglaries.  There are also a fair number of assaults and robberies in Arcadia, as well as a small number of sex offenses. 

The demographics of Arcadia may explain the rates of crime and the incidence of certain crimes.  In the 1980s, the Asian population in Arcadia began to grow. The city had remained 99% white until the late 1970s, but in 1985, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Asian population had grown from 4% in 1980 to an estimated 9%, overtaking Latinos, who accounted for roughly 7% of the population.  By the 2010 census, Asians consisted of 59.2% of the population. 

The Asian population has continued to grow to the present and by the 2020 census, it was reported that 64.2% of Arcadia was of Asian descent, 20.1% was White, 7/3% were Hispanic and 1.3% were African American.  The remainder were of mixed races.

In 2016, Arcadia was ranked the fifth most expensive housing market in the United States by Business Insider, with an average listing price of $1,748,680 for a four-bedroom home.

In 2012, Arcadia was ranked seventh in the nation on CNN Money magazine's list of towns with highest median home costs.  Arcadia's Upper Rancho neighborhood was ranked the 23rd richest neighborhood in Southern California by Business Insider in 2014, with a mean household income of $310,779.

Arcadia's economy is driven by wholesale trade, retail trade, manufacturing, health care and social assistance, arts, entertainment, and recreation.  Revenue from the Santa Anita Racetrack has long supported capital improvements for the City of Arcadia, resulting in the city having very little bonded indebtedness.

The Westfield Santa Anita Mall (formerly the Santa Anita Fashion Park) is a major shopping center in the city.  In 2005, the Westfield Santa Anita completed its first phase of expansion, featuring a new food court, numerous smaller retailers, various full-service eateries in an area known as Restaurant Square, and a 16-screen AMC Theatres megaplex.  In 2008, expansion of the mall continued as the Promenade outdoor structure was completed, with new high-end retailers.

Macy’s West and Nordstrom, Inc., each employ about 400 people from Arcadia and are the top two employers in the city.

Below is the Google Map to the Arcadia Police Department.

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