For the first 40 years of Altadena's history, the community didn't have a law enforcement agency of its own. All law enforcement was handled by the County Marshall, located in Pasadena. Los Angeles County, in 1927, planned to lease the building at 940 East Foothill Boulevard (now 924 East Altadena Drive). This building was adjacent to what was then our Fire Station No. 11 of three years. The station was designated no. 7, and was to become the headquarters for the Northern Division with substations at Temple, San Dimas and Newhall.

Altadena Sheriff's Station No. 7 opened with a staff of eight deputies, two per each eight-hour shift and two in reserve. The deputies, in 1930, moved to a more adequate facility at the northeast corner of Lake and Mariposa. By 1932, the policy required all Deputy Sheriffs to provide themselves with uniforms.
As early as 1928 the Altadena Station was wire-linked to all county and state agency by teletype. A National Criminal Advisory Network was made possible with this modern system.

In 1933, The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department provided one-way radio patrol cars for all stations countywide. All Altadena patrols were broadcast from the Pasadena Police Department. A proposal was made in 1936 to spend $14,275 on two-way patrol cars for the county. Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz decided, wisely, to spend only $4,000 on a test system. Two portable transmitting units, located at Altadena and Montrose, and six cars were added to the county patrol. The test proved successful and in 1938, $1.8 million was allocated for equipping Altadena and five other stations with two-way radio cars.

Ground clearing was under way, in July of 1948, for the new Altadena Civic Center at Foothill Boulevard (Altadena drive) and El Molino. This corner would become the location of the new Altadena Sheriff's Station. The new County Fire Station No. 11, built in 1955, would finish Civic Center at the corner south of the Sheriff Station. A lot was reserved between the two corners for a town hall, a proposed building was moved there in 1991. The station received its first black-and-white patrol cars in 1957.

Throughout the 1970's the Altadena Sheriff's Station witnessed a community that was undergoing a dramatic change in demographics. Altadena Sheriff's were initiating a neighborhood improvement plan (nip), which was widely accepted by neighborhood groups. The intent of this valid plan was to fight neighborhood crime, such as burglaries, thefts, and vandalism. The Sheriff's Department entered the computer age by early 1987, graduating from teletypes to radio cars, with some of its earliest onboard computer systems. This early model "lapcop" system assisted patrol officers in writing reports by eliminating excessive paper work.

By summer 1987, the Altadena and Crescenta Valley (CV) stations merged, through a plan of consolidation. The captain worked from the CV "Substation" and Altadena became a local station under a Lieutenant. Altadenans raised some concern over a perceived reduction in services to Altadena. The Altadena Station became threatened with closure due to the oncoming of the 90's and continued budget cuts. Friends of the Altadena Sheriff's Station (FASS), a citizen's group, was organized to create community awareness of the need to keep the station open. The program develped into a heavy membership drive to raise funds. These funds could then be rallied into a media blitz, if needed. By keeping the community vocal, FASS hoped to bring to the attention of county and state officials their determination to keep the Altadena Sheriff's Station open.

In October of 1999, the Altadena Station received its full-service status. Commander Ronnie Williams was promoted to captain and lead Altadena Station into the new millennium. In 2000, plans have been considered to come up with a budget proposal for a renewed Altadena Sheriff's Station. By July 2001, the Altadena Station had separated from the partnership of Crescenta Valley Station and became a station unto itself, the Altadena Sheriff's Station.

Questions still persisted in the building of a new station. Plans were looked considered - whether to remodel or rebuild. The fact that remodeling the existing station would cost nearly a million dollars more than leveling it and rebuilding was a definite factor. The estimate is pushing the $20 million mark and constraints facing the 2003 budget year made it appear difficult to determine when the actual money could be allocated.

Captain Ronnie Williams, after six years at Altadena Station, was
succeeded by Captain Joe L. Gutierrez in April of 2002. Captain Gutierrez currently remains as the Altadena Station Commander