Pasadena Police Department
Encyclopedia
The Pasadena Police Department is the police department serving Pasadena, California
. The headquarters of the Pasadena Police Department is located at 207 North Garfield Avenue in Pasadena, just a few blocks from the Pasadena City Hall and Paseo Colorado
. The department employs 241 sworn officers, 13 reserve officers, and 126 civilian employees. The police chief is Phillip L. Sanchez, who has held the position since 2010 and previously served as Deputy Chief of the Santa Monica Police Department.
, becoming Los Angeles County's first female municipal police chief.
In 2004, the Pasadena Unified School District
dismantled the Pasadena Unified School District Police Department, amidst budget cuts. As a result the Pasadena Police Department took over police services for the Pasadena Unified School District
and PPD's division on PUSD schools is known as the Safe Schools Team, which is made of eight sworn members—one sergeant and seven officers.
Currently the department patrols some notable events, such as the Rose Bowl
and the Tournament of Roses Parade
, which works jointly with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
.
The department usually steps up patrols by adding officers in areas of recent homicides. This is known as Operation Safe City.
The department utilizes primarily the Orange County Sheriff's Academy in Tustin for academy training. PPD also utilizes the Rio Hondo Regional Police Academy
in Whittier.
Since the establishment of the Pasadena Police Department, three officers have died in the line of duty.
s since mid-June 2004.
Three years after the deployment of Tasers, 36-year-old Richard Baisner of Arcadia
died after being Tasered once by a Pasadena Police Officer. Baisner was Tasered after resisting arrest against PPD officers. After using "soft restraints" on him while on a gurney, Baisner stopped breathing. An autopsy for the exact cause of death is pending.
In 1999, the department expanded its operations by creating the Foothill Air Support Team (FAST), working with nine nearby city police departments by providing air support to cities that could not afford it. Besides Pasadena, cities participating in FAST are Alhambra, Arcadia, Azusa, Covina, Monrovia, Glendora, San Marino, South Pasadena, and West Covina. Each of the nine cities provides a Tactical Flight Officer, whose duties include observing, monitoring radio frequency for all participating cities, navigating, and coordinating ground units.
The department maintains five helicopters, based at an area near Jet Propulsion Laboratory
and the Rose Bowl
.
Using a strategy developed by Sgt. Mike Ingram of the Pasadena Police Department, PPD Air Support and the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District use PPD helicopters to check swimming pools in 23 cities to ensure cleanliness and to prevent the West Nile Virus
.
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. The headquarters of the Pasadena Police Department is located at 207 North Garfield Avenue in Pasadena, just a few blocks from the Pasadena City Hall and Paseo Colorado
Paseo Colorado
Paseo Colorado, also called Paseo, is an upscale outdoor mall in Pasadena, California, covering three city blocks with office space, shops, restaurants, an upscale grocery store, a movie theater, and 400 loft-style condominiums above.It is located in downtown Pasadena between Colorado Boulevard to...
. The department employs 241 sworn officers, 13 reserve officers, and 126 civilian employees. The police chief is Phillip L. Sanchez, who has held the position since 2010 and previously served as Deputy Chief of the Santa Monica Police Department.
Overview
The Pasadena Police Department was founded in 1886. The department was one of the first police departments to have female police officers. In 2006, Commander Marilyn Diaz left PPD to become the police chief for Sierra Madre, CaliforniaSierra Madre, California
The city of Sierra Madre is a municipality in Los Angeles County, California whose population was 10,917 at the 2010 census, up from 10,580 at the time of the 2000 census. The city is located in the Foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains below the southern edge of the Angeles National Forest. ...
, becoming Los Angeles County's first female municipal police chief.
In 2004, the Pasadena Unified School District
Pasadena Unified School District
The Pasadena Unified School District is a unified school district that is responsible for the schools of Pasadena, California. , it has 4 high schools, 3 middle schools, 2 K-8 schools and 16 elementary schools...
dismantled the Pasadena Unified School District Police Department, amidst budget cuts. As a result the Pasadena Police Department took over police services for the Pasadena Unified School District
Pasadena Unified School District
The Pasadena Unified School District is a unified school district that is responsible for the schools of Pasadena, California. , it has 4 high schools, 3 middle schools, 2 K-8 schools and 16 elementary schools...
and PPD's division on PUSD schools is known as the Safe Schools Team, which is made of eight sworn members—one sergeant and seven officers.
Currently the department patrols some notable events, such as the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
and the Tournament of Roses Parade
Tournament of Roses Parade
The Tournament of Roses Parade, better known as the Rose Parade, is "America's New Year Celebration", a festival of flower-covered floats, marching bands, equestrians and a college football game on New Year's Day , produced by the non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.The annual...
, which works jointly with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
.
The department usually steps up patrols by adding officers in areas of recent homicides. This is known as Operation Safe City.
The department utilizes primarily the Orange County Sheriff's Academy in Tustin for academy training. PPD also utilizes the Rio Hondo Regional Police Academy
Rio Hondo College
Rio Hondo College is a community college located in the city of Whittier, California, United States, named after the Rio Hondo. It was founded in 1960 and mainly serves the cities of Whittier, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, El Monte, and South El Monte...
in Whittier.
Since the establishment of the Pasadena Police Department, three officers have died in the line of duty.
Tasers
PPD has been using TaserTaser
A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
s since mid-June 2004.
Three years after the deployment of Tasers, 36-year-old Richard Baisner of Arcadia
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
died after being Tasered once by a Pasadena Police Officer. Baisner was Tasered after resisting arrest against PPD officers. After using "soft restraints" on him while on a gurney, Baisner stopped breathing. An autopsy for the exact cause of death is pending.
Air support
The department began air operations in 1969 and was one of the first members of the Airborne Law Enforcement Association.In 1999, the department expanded its operations by creating the Foothill Air Support Team (FAST), working with nine nearby city police departments by providing air support to cities that could not afford it. Besides Pasadena, cities participating in FAST are Alhambra, Arcadia, Azusa, Covina, Monrovia, Glendora, San Marino, South Pasadena, and West Covina. Each of the nine cities provides a Tactical Flight Officer, whose duties include observing, monitoring radio frequency for all participating cities, navigating, and coordinating ground units.
The department maintains five helicopters, based at an area near Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
and the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl (stadium)
The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, U.S., in Los Angeles County. The stadium is the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day. In 1982, it became the home field of the UCLA Bruins college football team of the Pac-12...
.
Using a strategy developed by Sgt. Mike Ingram of the Pasadena Police Department, PPD Air Support and the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District use PPD helicopters to check swimming pools in 23 cities to ensure cleanliness and to prevent the West Nile Virus
West Nile virus
West Nile virus is a virus of the family Flaviviridae. Part of the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of viruses, it is found in both tropical and temperate regions. It mainly infects birds, but is known to infect humans, horses, dogs, cats, bats, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels, domestic...
.
Other departments
Some nearby departments rely on the Pasadena Police Department if any department lacks resources.- Pasadena City CollegePasadena City CollegePasadena City College is a community college in Pasadena, California, USA, located on Colorado Boulevard. PCC is the third largest community college campus in the United States. PCC was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. In 1954, Pasadena Junior College merged with another junior...
Police and Safety Services - Patrols property of the Pasadena Area Community College District with seven officers and 85 cadetCadetA cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
s. Officers are not armed, but have direct radio contact with the Pasadena Police Department. - South Pasadena Police Department - Jurisdiction in the city of South Pasadena with 35 officers. PPD provides air support for the city of South Pasadena. South Pasadena used the Pasadena City Jail and the Pasadena Courthouse until 2004 when switching to the city of Alhambra jail and Alhambra Courthouse, citing high costs, and to allow the cities of Monrovia and Arcadia to use the Pasadena City Jail to house their prisoners after the old Santa Anita Judicial District Courthouse in Monrovia closed down.
- Los Angeles County Sheriff's DepartmentLos Angeles County Sheriff's DepartmentThe Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is a local county law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. It is the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with the New York City Police Department being the first. The second largest is the Chicago Police...
- Has primary jurisdiction on MetroLos Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation AuthorityThe Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the California state-chartered regional transportation planning agency and public transportation operating agency for the County of Los Angeles formed in 1993 out of a merger of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the...
buses and trains running in Pasadena, the Pasadena courthouse, the unincorporated area addressed as "Pasadena, California" (including the Pasadena DMV office), Altadena, and assists the Pasadena Police Department in patrolling the Tournament of Roses ParadeTournament of Roses ParadeThe Tournament of Roses Parade, better known as the Rose Parade, is "America's New Year Celebration", a festival of flower-covered floats, marching bands, equestrians and a college football game on New Year's Day , produced by the non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.The annual...
.