History and Chiefs | Riverside Police Department

The Riverside Police Department was founded in 1896 and has grown from a small frontier town police force to a large metropolitan police department with 373 sworn police employees and 147 non-sworn employees. Our agency is renowned nationally for its leadership in creating innovative approaches to critical law enforcement situations. Several tactics developed by the Riverside Police Department, such as the High-Risk or Felony Traffic Stop, have been adopted as the standard throughout the country.

The department is a team-oriented agency that combines a close partnership with the community and a policy of enforcement oriented police work to build a stronger, safer city. The Riverside Police Department strives to continue this tradition by looking for dedicated men and women to provide fresh ideas for the future.

Police Headquarters is located at 4102 Orange Street in downtown Riverside.

The headquarters building houses the Office of the Chief of Police, Administrative Division (Personnel and Training), Records Bureau, Finance and Community Services Bureau.

The Field Operations Division, General and Special Investigations, and Traffic Services are divided between our facilities at 8181 Lincoln Ave and 10540 Magnolia Avenue.