FOR EMERGENCIES AND CRIMES IN PROGRESS

ALWAYS CALL 9-1-1.

Q: What are the hours of operation of the West Covina Police Department?

A: The West Covina Police Department is a 24-hour facility.

Q: What is the address and phone number?

A: The location is 1444 W. Garvey Avenue, West Covina, CA 91790. The non-emergency phone number is (626) 939-8500.

Q: How do I contact the Court?

A: The Superior Court located at the West Covina Citrus Courthouse is a separate government entity.  Please visit this website for more information.

Q: How can I report an issue in my neighborhood?

A: Email or call the Service Area Lieutenant that handles your area of the City. Contact information is listed here.

Q: Can I report information over the telephone without leaving my name?

A: Yes. The Police Department has a 24-hour Crime Hotline, at (626) 939-8688. The purpose of this Hotline is to allow community members to leave a message reporting crimes, suspicious activities, or neighborhood safety concerns, any time, discreetly and confidentially. This information is reviewed and investigated by a Detective, and callers can choose to remain anonymous or request to be contacted for follow-up.

Q: Can I report a tip via text message or online?

A: Yes.  To send an anonymous tip via text message to the West Covina Police Department, text TIPWCPD and your tip to 847411 (TIP411).  You can also submit the tip online here.

Q: How can I report graffiti?

A: If you witness someone actively marking graffiti, call 9-1-1 immediately, and you could be eligible for a $100 reward.  If you spot old graffiti anywhere in the City, please email graffiti@wcpd.org or call the graffiti hotline number at (626) 939-8800 for removal. Email is preferred for faster clean up response and tracking purposes.

Q: How do I get cash for reporting graffiti?

A: If you see someone in the process of marking graffiti, immediately call 9-1-1, report the information, and let the Police handle it from there (you can choose to remain anonymous, but you will have to call back 1 hour later to follow up).  If the graffiti vandals are arrested based on your call, you will be given a $100 cash reward which you receive in person at the Police Station.  Since this program began in 2007, dozens of rewards have been paid for arrests resulting from resident calls. 

Q: How do I pay for a traffic ticket or parking ticket?

A: The West Covina Police Department does NOT accept traffic (moving) ticket payments.  All payments and hearing dates for traffic (moving) tickets are handled by the Superior Court located at the West Covina Citrus Courthouse, which is a separate government entity.  Please visit this website for more information.

Payments for parking tickets are accepted online, via telephone, or at the City of West Covina Finance Department.  Tickets/citations must be paid by their due date to avoid late penalties.  

Parking ticket payments are accepted online here.

Parking ticket payments are accepted via telephone by calling (866) 450-2523.

Parking ticket payments may be mailed to or paid in person at the City of West Covina Finance Department, located at City Hall, 1444 W. Garvey Avenue, West Covina, CA 91790, 3rd Floor, Room 308.  The Finance payment telephone number is (626) 939-8462, and their hours are Mon-Thurs 8:00 am- 5:30 pm (Closed Fridays).  The following forms of payment are accepted in person at the City of West Covina Finance Department: Cash, Check, Money Order, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and debit cards with these credit card logos.  Credit card payments are accepted upon verification of valid identification.

You can also mail your parking payments to:  City of West Covina, Parking Citations, P.O. Box 1142, West Covina, CA 91793.  Please write citation number on your check or money order.  No extensions are given and there are no partial payments for citations.  Postmarks are accepted.  Please do not mail cash.

Q: What if I lost the citation?

A: If you need to retrieve information about a citation, such as the citation number, address to send payment, information about how to request a review or to check the status of a citation that has been paid or dismissed, you can reach the citation Parking Citation Service Center at 1-800-535-2421.  The Parking Citation Service Center phone number is an automated system and should provide you with selections on their menu to assist your particular needs.  If no option is available for your unique information, 0 may be dialed after the options are presented to connect you to an operator who can further assist you.  Personnel at the desk of the Police Department do not have access to detailed information about parking citations.

Q: What if I paid the citation but the DMV shows that it is still pending and won’t register my vehicle?

A: There are several things that can cause this situation.  The first is that the original citation payment was made after the maximum 21-day period and therefore increased due to additional penalties. The partial payment of the increased amount would have been received, but the citation would still be referred to DMV for collection because of the balance due. In this case, the total amount is still due to the DMV. It is advisable to pay the total fine amount to DMV so that the vehicle registration won’t be delayed, causing additional fees. The original payment can then be refunded if proof of that payment can be provided. To receive a refund of this nature, contact the City of West Covina Finance Department at (626) 939-8462.  The second possibility for this to occur is that an error was made when posting the original payment and it was not credited to the correct citation.  If you have proof of payment for a citation that the DMV is showing due on the vehicle’s registration, contact the City of West Covina Finance Department at (626) 939-8462. 

Q: How can I dispute my citation?

A: If you feel you have been issued a parking citation in error, or the violation should not have been issued because of a variance or some other extenuating circumstance, you can request a review of the citation by completing this form. If you already submitted the request for Parking Contest Review, you can track the status online here.

Or, you can send your request via mail to:  City of West Covina PD Admin Review, P.O. Box 1142, West Covina, CA  91793.  The review request should include the name address and phone number of the person requesting the review and a complete explanation including any evidence available of why you feel the citation was issued in error. It is important to include all information helpful to your position because there will not be an opportunity to add information for the reviewers consideration after the fact.  Forms are available 7 days a week at the West Covina Police Department, (626) 939-8500.   

Reviews must be requested in writing within 21 days of the violation and the request must be sent to the processing company that maintains the citation records. Requests received that are postmarked outside the 21-day period will not be reviewed.

Below are two examples.

Example #1

Handicapped Placard - You were issued a citation for being parked in a Handicapped Space but you do have a placard and just forgot to hang it up. Include in your request for review an explanation of what occurred, a copy of the issued placard (must not be expired), a copy of the DMV registration for your placard (this will prove that it was issued before the date of the violation), a signed letter from the registered owner of the placard. This may be a different person than the driver of the vehicle. The registered owner must state that he/she was in fact in the vehicle, at the location, on the date and time the citation was committed, and include a photocopy of the placard owners ID or driver’s license. Requests for dismissals received outside the 21-day period will not be reviewed.

Example #2

No Current Tabs - A citation for this violation is sometimes issued even when the vehicle is currently registered if the owner forgets to put the new tabs on the plate, or if the tabs are stolen without the owner realizing they are missing. In these cases, the violation can be reduced to a nominal administrative fee by making the correction and having the back of the citation signed by a law enforcement officer. If the vehicle was not currently registered, the violation can be signed off if proof of current registration is provided and the back of the citation is signed by a law enforcement officer within 21 days of the violation. Corrections can also be signed off at the business desk of the police department during business hours. Once the citation is signed off, the reduced fine amount indicated on the back of the citation can be sent to the processing company. This procedure is the same for any correctible equipment violation. Reduced fines will not apply to payments received outside the 21-day period.

Q: What happens when the citation is reviewed?

A: A review of the citation is made by an City of West Covina Police Department employee. Items considered during the review process included the information provided in the letter requesting the review, any notes or photographs that may have been taken by the issuing officer, computer records checks of DMV information, computer records of any parking variances granted by the City at the time of the violation and any other evidence available. The results of the review will be provided as either dismissed or upheld. If the violation is upheld, a brief explanation will be provided.

It should be noted that the findings of first level reviews are generally based on facts presented and do not show consideration to issues such as being late for appointments, being within sight of the illegally parked vehicle, or lack of other convenient parking.

Q: What if the citation is upheld and I still don’t agree?

A: There will be information on the letter explaining that a second level hearing may be requested if you do not agree with the results of the review. You may request the second level hearing by indicating either an In Person or an In Writing hearing on the form and returning it to the Parking Enforcement Center at the above address within 15 days of the mailing of the notification letter. Requests received outside the 15-day period will not be honored.

Q: Why can’t I get the results at the hearing?

A: The hearing examiner may need to conduct further research into the Vehicle Code, collect additional statements, or survey locations before ruling on some citations. For this reason, all results will be sent in writing.

Q: What if the hearing officer upholds the citation and I still don’t agree?

A: In this extreme case, you may file a civil case with the local court. You must file your case within 30 days of the Examiner's verdict and pay all fees required by the court. If the court decides in your favor, any and all penalties, including court fees, will be refunded to you when the City receives written judgment. If judgment is in favor of the City of West Covina, the action is ended and all penalties are forfeited.

If you have any questions regarding filing a civil case, please contact the West Covina Superior Court at (626) 813-3236.

Q: What if I can’t or don’t want to register a vehicle?

A: All vehicles on public roadways or roadways subject to California Vehicle Code enforcement must be currently registered. If you have moved the vehicle to private property, filed for a non-operational permit, or are donating the vehicle to charity, the full fine amount can be paid, and there is no need to have the citation signed off.

Q: What are the designated truck routes in the City of West Covina?

A: The City of West Covina's designated truck routes are available here.

Q: Are crime statistics for the City of West Covina published?

A: Yes.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation collects and publishes crime statistics nationwide in their Uniform Crime Report.  A table showing crime statistics for all California cities is available here.

Q: How much are copies of police reports?