Patrol

UNIFORMED PATROL

The patrol division is the largest division within the police department and provides around-the-clock law enforcement services. Patrol is the backbone of the police department and primarily focuses on patrolling city streets, answering calls for service, and identifying potential crime problems. The Montebello Police Department is dedicated to providing the highest quality of service to our community.

Staffing consists of patrol officers, field supervisors and is often augmented by community relations officers, traffic officers, cadets, and special problems unit (SPU) officers.


TRAFFIC

The Montebello Police Department Traffic Unit is responsible for investigating traffic collisions, all traffic related crimes, and strives to reduce traffic related deaths, injuries, and property damage through enforcement. We realize no one likes to receive a traffic citation, however; citations have been shown to greatly reduce traffic collisions, as well as a reminder to motorists their attention to the task of driving is mandatory.

Every traffic law is important, and many people think of speeding and stop sign violations when they think about getting a ticket.


K9 SERVICES

The Montebello Police Department was one of the "First Generation" K9 programs in the Southern California area. This program was started in the fall of 1981 through private donations. A local car dealer donated two police cars, and two K9s were purchased with donated money. Other civic organizations pitched in to get the program started.

The Montebello Police K9 Services Unit had an extremely successful beginning and continued to gain popularity and community support. Ultimately, the city funded the entire unit. Community support increased, and after seeing how K9s were indeed an officer/citizen safety factor, a crime reduction factor, and cost savings to the city, the city authorized two more K9 positions. The unit now totaled four fully operational K9 teams assigned to a centralized unit within the field services unit.

The Montebello Police K9 Services Unit was the "Flagship" of all K9 units in the San Gabriel Valley and southeast Los Angeles area, with many agencies attempting to replicate our program. This unit is currently supervised by a lieutenant who is an experienced former K9 handler. Currently, there are two police service dogs assigned to patrol.

The K9s are trained to protect the handler and other officers. The dogs often search buildings, fields, backyards, etc. for fleeing or hiding suspects who are often armed and dangerous. The dogs are also cross-trained in narcotics detection and article searches.


JAIL FACILITY

The jail facility has a 20-bed capacity. The Allied Universal Security Services, a private correctional firm which operates the jail facility under the oversight of a lieutenant. The facility is staffed by trained custody personnel and supervised by a G4S Jail Commander. The jail meets every requirement set forth by the board of corrections. The Montebello City Jail offers several programs to the community.

The Self-Pay Inmate Program is an alternative to serving a sentence in county jail. With the permission of the sentencing court, men may select to serve their sentence in the Montebello City Jail in two ways; to serve on consecutive days or weekends. Contact the jail supervisor at (323) 887-1200 ext. 230 for more information.

PRISON RAPE ELIMINATION ACT (PREA)

The Montebello Police Department will comply with the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) and have established standards to prevent, detect and respond to sexual abuse, harassment and retaliation against detainees or prisoners in the Montebello Police Department's Type I Jail Facility. If you would like to report sexual abuse and sexual harassment on behalf of a detainee or prisoner in the Montebello Police Department's jail facility, contact the Jail Commander at (323) 887-1200 ext. 230.

Click here to view our latest jail report.


SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM

The primary purpose of the Montebello Police Department's Special Response Team (SRT) is to save lives. This includes the lives of both law enforcement personnel and members of the community, whose security may be threatened by hazardous situations. This is accomplished through the deployment of selected personnel who are highly trained and equipped with appropriate resources.

The formation of the SRT has evolved from the premise that a team of highly motivated and well-conditioned individuals, specially equipped and trained to function as a tactical unit, can be more effective and safely employed to confront highly dangerous criminal activity and other critical events.

The presence of a highly trained, highly skilled police tactical unit has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of injury or loss of life to civilians, police officers, and suspects. In addition, it is recognized that a well-managed response by tactical units to critical incidents usually results in successful resolution of such events. It is the intent of the Montebello Police Department's SRT to provide a highly trained and skilled tactical team as a resource for the police department in the handling of critical incidents.

Although SRT is a highly specialized unit, its mission is to professionally represent the department and support the department's goals. SRT officers are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times. SRT officers understand they are role models and it is important to maintain a positive demeanor and have a cooperative spirit with all members of the department and community they serve.

To be a member of SRT requires a high level of commitment and is a voluntary assignment. All SRT members must train regularly as individuals and as a team. Members of SRT must regularly prove their physical fitness, firearms marksmanship and mental fortitude through rigorous training and qualifications. The SRT is available as an additional resource to be deployed, at the request of the patrol bureau, investigative bureau as well as mutual aid requests to assist in dealing with the following:

  • Barricaded suspects, where it is believed a serious crime has occurred, the subject is suicidal, or extenuating circumstances exist.
  • Hostage situations.
  • Arrest and/or search warrant situations, where the suspect has demonstrated, or there is information suggesting that the suspect has a propensity toward violence, is armed, or is in a location that has been fortified.
  • Executive and witness protection.
  • Criminal disturbances or other situations which require an immediate resource of tactical personnel.
  • Other unique critical situations.


SPECIAL PROBLEMS UNIT

The Montebello Police Department Special Problems Unit is responsible for identifying and impacting areas of recurring criminal activity or calls for service in the city. The team is also responsible for directed gang and narcotics enforcement as well as addressing quality of life issues within the city. The special problems unit monitors areas in the city for the possibility of future crimes. By identifying a problem and working to resolve it, the team works to prevent crime before it happens.


POLICE EXPLORERS

The Montebello Explorer Post was formed in 1972. The post is sponsored by the Montebello Police Department and is affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. A sworn coordinator oversees the post. The explorer post consists of 1 sworn advisor, numerous sworn and civilian associate advisors, 1 explorer captain, 2 explorer lieutenants, 1 staff sergeant and two sergeants.

Some of the duties of an explorer are:

  • Crowd and traffic control
  •  Assisting other police units when necessary
  •  Participate in the ride-along program, which allows explorers to ride with a police officer on patrol.

While on patrol with an officer, the explorer will see and experience some aspects of the law that he or she might not ordinarily experience.

QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants must be between the age of 14 and 21 years of age. Applicants who are 14 years of age must have completed one semester of the ninth grade in order to apply. You must have an interest in law enforcement, be of good moral character, maintain a "C" average or better in school (no D's or F's), have the ability to write clear and accurate reports and effectively use the English language. You must also be able to understand policies, rules, instructions and regulations and have the ability to deal with the public in a courteous and tactful manner.

APPLYING
Those interested in applying with the explorer program should come to the next meeting and find out more about the program. Please dress appropriately and arrive a few minutes early. Your parents are also welcomed to attend. The explorers and staff will be willing to answer any questions that you or your parents might have regarding the program. Meetings are on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm at the Montebello Police Department. For more information, please email Sergeant Fernando Valle at [email protected]. 

TRAINING
As a police explorer with the City of Montebello, you will be instructed in various types of training. One of which is enrollment in the explorer academy, which is known throughout the United States to be one of the finest training facilities for law enforcement exploring. Training at the explorer academy will consist of eighteen (18) Saturdays. This training includes, but is not limited to the following:

  •  Criminal Law
  •  Search and Seizure
  •  Crowd and Traffic Control
  •  Firearms
  •  Radio Procedures
  •  Discipline
  •  Booking Procedures
  •  Self Defense
  •  Physical Fitness

If you can pass an oral interview, pass a background investigation on your school records, criminal conduct, drug and alcohol use and driving record, you will be accepted into the program.


POLICE RESERVES

The Montebello Police Department's Reserve Corps includes sworn volunteers from throughout Southern California. The members come from a wide variety of backgrounds and professions. Their common bond is their commitment to volunteerism and their love for law enforcement.

Coordinated by a Lieutenant and a Sergeant, Reserve Officers serve in Patrol, Traffic, the Detective Bureau, the Narcotics Bureau, and Personnel & Training. In addition, Reserve Officers assist with tactical alert situations, National Night Out, and the Department's numerous holiday functions. Reserve Officers also volunteer their time in planning and staffing numerous other city events including the Department's DUI/CDL checkpoints.

Over the years the Reserve Corps has also been instrumental in preparing men and women to become full time police officers. Many of the full time police officers currently working for the department were once members of the Reserve Corps.


CHAPLAIN PROGRAM

The Chaplain program is designed to offer a professional religious and social ministry to department personnel and citizens of the Montebello. Chaplains are on-call 24 hours a day. They voluntarily provide counseling for a variety of issues, many of which are common to the law enforcement profession. If you are interested in the program, please email Lieutenant Marc Marty at [email protected].


CITIZENS ON PATROL

Citizens patrol is dedicated to supporting the Montebello Police Department and enhancing the quality of life for the residents of Montebello. Citizens patrol supports our community by providing our department with the following assistance:

  • Traffic Control
  • Crime Watch
  • DUI Checkpoint assistance
  • Community events
  • Crowd control
  • Crime scene assistance

If you are interested in becoming a Citizen on Patrol volunteer, please email Lt. Ray Camuy at [email protected] for more information.


DISTRICT POLICING

The City of Montebello approved districting with the Montebello Police Department. Montebello is split into five districts encompassing six patrol beats, which aids officers in engaging with residents, understanding local issues, and preventing crimes. Each district now has Montebello police lieutenants assigned.

Districting enables police officers to develop a strong familiarity with their specific neighborhoods. This strategy enhances effectiveness by tailoring services to community needs, building partnerships, and boosting safety throughout Montebello. View the districting map by clicking here:

Montebello Police Department - District Map and District Commanders