[1] In the late 1980s and 1990s, Sierra Madre was praised as the safest city in Los Angeles County while the City of Los Angeles was experiencing a drug fueled crime wave.

As of 2014 it continues to be one of the safest cities in the county which crimes trend experts have attributed to inaccessibility and a primarily single-family population.

[2] In 2006 the Sierra Madre Police Department made history when their Mayor appointed Marilyn Diaz, the first ever female police chief for Los Angeles County.

[4][5] In June 2014 two men were caught by the Sierra Madre Police at a local Valero station while they were attempting to install a credit card skimming device.

[6] In March 2023, the SMPD swore in the new police chief, Gustavo Barrientos.