Bell Gardens Police Department

If you, a family member or a loved one is in custody or being investigated by the Bell Gardens Police Department, we at Greg Hill & Associates believe it is not enough to just know the bail amount associated with the charge, the requirements (“elements”) of the crime at issue, the possible defenses and the possible punishment that could be ordered if the case resulted in a conviction at the Downey Superior Court, Norwalk Superior Court or the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Courts (CCB) building in downtown Los Angeles.

In addition to knowing these things, it is wise to know a small amount of the history of Bell Gardens, the size of the Bell Gardens Police Department and the most common crimes investigated / handled, as well as a bit of the demographics of Bell Gardens to appreciate how one’s particular offense is regarded.

The Bell Gardens Police Department consists of forty-three sworn officers, twenty-six professional staff and ten part-time staff.  The police in Bell Gardens also have a K-9 unit.

This is a relatively small police force for a city of approximately 42,000 residents, according to the 2010 census, particularly since Bell Gardens is only one of six cities (out of 88) in Los Angeles County to allow casino gambling.  The “gardens” portion of its name is used to describe how the city used to be known for many Japanese gardens throughout the city.

The city is comprised of just 2.46 square miles, which may partially explain its small police force.  The city is bordered by Bell and Cudahy (and the 710 Freeway) to its west, Commerce to the north and northeast, Downey to the southeast and Southgate to the southwest (and the Rio Hondo flood control channel).  The city is mostly residential.

Like its neighboring cities, Bell Gardens has a predominantly Hispanic population (95.8%), with 3% Whites and one percent being other races such as African American, Asian and mixed races.  The median household income was $38,170 in 2010 ($53,935 in 2020, compared with a national average of approximately $75,000), with 27.6% of the city’s population living below the poverty line. 

 
Spanish is spoken in 90.1% of all households in Bell Gardens.  English is spoken in 9.2% of all Bell Gardens households.  41.2% of all residents in Bell Gardens were born outside the United States.

According to the Neighborhood Scout website, “[t]he chance that a person will become a victim of a violent crime in Bell Gardens; such as armed robbery, aggravated assault, rape or murder; is 1 in 258. This equates to a rate of four per one thousand inhabitants.” 

The website continues, “Significantly, based on the number of murders reported by the FBI and the number of residents living in the city, Neighborhood Scout's analysis shows that Bell Gardens experiences one of the higher murder rates in the nation when compared with cities and towns for all sizes of population, from the largest to the smallest.

Neighborhood Scout's analysis also reveals that Bell Gardens' rate for property crime is eleven per one thousand population. This makes Bell Gardens a place where there is an above average chance of becoming a victim of a property crime, when compared to all other communities in America of all population sizes. Property crimes are motor vehicle theft, arson, larceny, and burglary. Your chance of becoming a victim of any of these crimes in Bell Gardens is one in eighty-nine.”

Bell Gardens has one of the highest motor vehicle theft rates in the United States.  The most crime is committed in the eastern side of Bell Gardens, as well as in the southern portion of the city.

51.7% of the city is a high school graduate or higher and only six percent are college graduates.

The industry employing the most number of Bell Gardens residents is manufacturing (16.1%), followed by transportation (13.1%).  The only other industry employing more than ten percent of Bell Gardens residents is the retail industry.

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 Bell Gardens Police Department.