The following is a brief history of the Simi Valley Police Department.

From its modest beginning in 1971 as the Community Safety Agency for a newly incorporated city, the Simi Valley Police Department has grown into a full-service law enforcement agency serving more than 126,000 residents in one of the safest cities in the Nation.

The Simi Valley police officers that served as the Community Safety Agency in 1971 wore green blazers and black slacks instead of traditional uniforms, which covered their firearms in an effort to appear friendlier and less militaristic. In 1973, the first female officers were hired and wore white shirts and black skirts.

By the mid-70s officials realized that the officers were not taken seriously when they arrived at police incidents in white sedans and business attire. The department changed to a blue jacket and light blue shirt with the firearm and other service equipment exposed and female officers began wearing dark blue pants. In 1979, the City’s first Motorcycle Officer was deployed.

The 1980s marked a period of growth and change for the Simi Valley Police Department. Officers were now wearing dark blue uniforms and driving traditional black and white police cruisers.  In 1981, Gandhi, Simi Valley’s first K-9 went into service.  Spending on law enforcement increased nationwide due to concerns over increased gang violence and drug use. The department adopted the D.A.R.E. Program and began focusing even more on community outreach programs.

As the population of Simi Valley began growing rapidly during the 1990s, so did its reputation for being one of the safest small cities in the United States.  In 1997, the Los Angeles Times reported that the FBI had named Simi Valley the number one safest small city based on annual crime statistics.

There were several “big happenings” in Simi Valley during the 1990s that attracted national attention and the Police Department was heavily involved in each.  Of particular importance was the grand opening in 1991 of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, which included a simultaneous appearance by five living U.S. Presidents: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon for the dedication.

In January 1994, the 6.7 Northridge Earthquake created major damage throughout many parts of the City and the Police Station, which was located on Cochran Street, was nearly destroyed.  In 1998, the police department moved into its new home at 3901 Alamo St.

Sadly, in 1995, the department suffered its first, and only, in the line of duty death when Officer Michael Clark was killed in a confrontation with a suicidal subject.  Officer Clark left behind a widow and 9-month-old son.  A memorial is located in the courtyard entry to the Police Station and the street entrance to the station is named the Officer Michael Clark Memorial Lane.

The new millennium has brought with it better technology and equipment that Simi Valley Police Officers put into service on a daily basis.  The department went from traditional analog radio communications to an integrated computer system that included digital computer terminals inside all police cars.  Officers now have the ability to complete incident or crime reports in their units and a variety of electronic records checks without calling into dispatch. 

Members of the Simi Valley Police Department participated extensively in the planning and execution of two national events: Operation Serenade, the funeral for President Reagan in 2004; and the opening of the Air Force One Pavilion at the Presidential Library in 2005.  In September 2005, the Topanga/Simi Valley Wildfires rapidly engulfed the hills surrounding Simi Valley and police were challenged to help protect residents, their homes, and business.

Retired Police Chief Paul Miller proposed the idea of establishing a non-profit foundation to support the department after he was elected to the city council. In 1996 the City Council approved the creation of the Simi Valley Police Foundation and in 1997; the Foundation was recognized as a 501(c) (3) corporation by the federal government.

By its 10th anniversary in 2007, the Foundation had raised $1 million for Police Department programs and technology that would otherwise go unfunded.  A specific source of pride for the foundation is the fact that it has paid for the purchase of 11 dogs for the K-9 Program.

In 2008, a committee composed of current and former police department employees created a 23-foot history timeline documenting Simi Police's most memorable cases and milestones.  This timeline is in the Simi Valley Police Department and can be seen by appointment during a station tour.

Today, the Simi Valley Police Department is organized into three divisions: Operations Division which delivers frontline services such as patrol and traffic; Investigations Division which is composed of detectives, Special Operations Unit, CSI and Crime Analysis Unit; and the Administrative Unit which manages fiscal services and police records management.

In December 2009, when the City annexed the area surrounding the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, the Police Department assumed the responsibility for providing law enforcement services to this very special City attraction.  2011 marks the Centennial Celebration honoring what would have been the 100th birthday of President Reagan.

In November of 2010 the Simi Valley police department helped bring down a 14-person cocaine smuggling ring based in Chatsworth and Hollywood.  The ring is suspected of moving millions of dollars of cocaine from Los Angeles to Baltimore, and was investigate by a county narcotics taskforce of which SVPD is a part.