The Police IndexStop data: 2024 · Pay and hiring checked Nov 2026
What the job looks like at Costa Mesa Police
10,057 people stopped in 2024Busiest hour 10am to 11amOrange County
Costa Mesa Police is the police department for the city of Costa Mesa, in Orange County. This page shows what its officers spend their time on, from the stops the department reported to the state for 2024.
People stopped
About 28 a day
10,057 people in 2024. A stop is a detention or search, so calls with no detention are not counted. Most common reason: phone use while driving, 18%.
The main reason recorded for each of 10,057 people stopped in 2024, grouped from the offense code.
When the work happens
11% of stops happen between 10pm and 5am.
Costa Mesa Police
Orange County average
12am3am6am9am12pm3pm6pm9pm
Darker means a larger share of stops in that hour.
How the work is done
Each dot is a department in Orange County. Costa Mesa Police is highlighted.
On foot30% 5th of 24 in Orange County
0%20%40%60%
For a traffic violation67% 20th of 24 in Orange County
0%20%40%60%80%100%
After a call for service20% 5th of 24 in Orange County
0%20%40%
Person perceived as unhoused6% 12th of 24 in Orange County
0%20%40%
How stops end
Verbal warning20% 19th of 24 in Orange County
0%20%40%60%
Citation57% 5th of 24 in Orange County
0%20%40%60%80%
Arrest21% 6th of 24 in Orange County
0%20%40%
Psychiatric hold0% 9th of 24 in Orange County
0%20%40%
One person can have more than one outcome, so these do not add to 100%.
Searches and handcuffs
Person searched18% 8th of 24 in Orange County
0%20%40%
Handcuffed11% 8th of 24 in Orange County
0%20%40%
This page covers the work only. Pay, hiring steps and test rules for this department are not on the site yet. Agencies differ in how consistently they record handcuffing and searches, so small gaps may not be real.