Covina Police Department

If a family member, you or a loved one has been arrested or is under investigation by the Covina Police Department, it is common to want to know what bail amount is associated with the offense(s)) at issue, the factual and legal requirements to prove the crime(s) took place, the defenses that are possible and the potential punishment if convicted of the crime.  This angst in just not knowing can cause one to lose a lot of sleep.

We at Greg Hill & Associates believe that it is prudent, before speaking to law enforcement, to be aware of a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement.  It is good to know the size of the police department, the demographics of the city, the most frequent types of crime the Covina Police Department investigates / handles and just a bit about the city’s history to make one’s communication with the police more savvy, more meaningful and perhaps, more respectful.  This can lead to a better outcome than if one is not so informed.

This article is presented with this goal in mind.

The Covina Police Department has an undisclosed number of sworn police officers and also does not specify how many civilians are on its staff.  The Covina Police Department is responsible for enforcing the laws and public safety within Covina, although the CHP handles arrests along the I-10, which runs through Covina.

The population of Covina was 51,268 according to the 2020 census, up from 47,796 at the 2010 census.  The size of Covina is 7.5 square miles.  Covina is bordered by West Covina to its south and west, Irwindale is also to its west.  Baldwin Park, Azusa and Glendora are to its north, San Dimas is to its east and Pomona is to its southwest. 

For those of you who know freeways better, he only freeway that passes through the area is a very small stretch of I-10.  However, Covina is centered in the midst of Interstate 210 (the Foothill Freeway) to the north, Interstate 605 (the San Gabriel River Freeway) to the west, State Route 57 (the Orange Freeway) to the east and I-10 to the south.

Covina was an orange and grapefruit grove until the urban sprawl from Los Angeles changed its character to a more residential area.  By 1909, the city was the third-largest orange producer in the world, and it still claimed to have "the best oranges in the world" as late as the 1950’s. Since World War II, however, the orange groves have been largely replaced by single-family (houses) and multiple-family (apartments) dwellings.

Now it is known for the Covina AMC 30 movie theatre complex located at the corner of Arrow Highway and Azusa Avenue.  This is one of the busiest theatres in the United States.  The theatre was built in 1997 on the site of a former Sears building and claims to have the largest movie multiplex in Los Angeles County.

Covina is also unfortunately known for a tragedy that took place in 2008.  On December 24, 2008, Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, dressed in a Santa Claus costume, entered a Christmas party at his ex-wife's residence and opened fire.  After the shootings, Pardo unwrapped a Christmas package containing a homemade flamethrower and used it to set the home ablaze.

When he left, nine family members were dead and the house was engulfed in flames. After the massacre, Pardo drove his rental car to his brother's house in Sylmar, approximately thirty miles (48 km) away from the attack.  He was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  The slayings left fifteen children without one or both parents.

As of the 2010 census, 29.9% of Covina’s population was non-Hispanic or non-Latino white, 4.2% was African American, 11.9% was Asian and 52.4% was Hispanic or Latino.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Covina had a median household income of $66,726, with 11.3% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Most criminal cases arising in Covina are filed at the West Covina courthouse.  However, more serious cases are filed at the Clara Shortridge Foltz criminal courts building (CCB) at 210 West Temple Street in downtown Los Angeles.

Over the last 25 years of practice, we estimate we have handled seventy-five criminal cases at the West Covina Courthouse.  Greg’s most memorable case there involved a Vietnam veteran, age 70, who allegedly uttered criminal threats to a neighbor.  The case was filed as a felony and the District Attorney assigned to the case was determined to send our client to prison.  Greg, however, filed a motion for assignment of the case to Veteran’s Probation under Penal Code § 1170.9, which the judge granted and our client was referred to treatment, not prison, to get the mental health treatment he needed.  Our client ultimately completed the terms of probation and his plea was then withdrawn, vacating the conviction and the case was dismissed.  This was extremely helpful for our client to preserve his veteran’s benefits, which he financially depended upon with his wife.

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 Covina Police Department.