Pomona’s Police Department says it made 56 juvenile arrests through October 5. It also says seven young people were referred to diversion, including three who received “pre-arrest diversion.”
The figures appear in a presentation scheduled for Tuesday’s Police Oversight Commission meeting.
One slide reports 56 juvenile arrests in 2026: 29 for misdemeanors, 23 for felonies, two involving warrants and two for infractions. Forty of those arrested had Pomona addresses. Their average age was 15.
The same slide says seven young people were referred to diversion. Three received pre-arrest diversion and four received post-arrest diversion.
A later slide says seven juveniles “were arrested for crimes that qualified for diversion.” It then says three of those arrests were pre-arrest diversions.
But under Pomona’s policy, pre-arrest diversion occurs instead of an arrest or citation. The presentation does not explain whether the three young people were included in the reported total of 56 arrests, whether police are using the word “arrest” broadly or whether the cases were classified incorrectly.
The presentation also does not show how many of the remaining cases were reviewed for diversion or why they did not qualify. It would be inaccurate to conclude that all 56 cases were eligible. The city has not provided enough information to determine how many were eligible.
Pomona adopted its pre-arrest youth-diversion policy in 2023. It allows officers to refer eligible young people to services rather than arresting or citing them.
The eligible offenses are not limited to minor cannabis violations. The policy lists theft, vandalism, drug offenses, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, some weapons violations and certain robberies without a weapon or great bodily injury among its examples.
The policy says no admission of guilt is required. It also says a young person’s attitude, lack of cooperation, gang affiliation, economic status, immigration status or mental-health condition cannot be the sole reason for denying diversion.
The department reported similarly low diversion numbers last year. In 2025, police recorded 68 juvenile arrests and two diversion referrals: one before arrest and one after arrest.
The city’s resolution requires the Police Department to prepare statistical reports on diversion activity. Those reports must be available to the Police Oversight Commission and the public as allowed by law. It also requires annual training for police personnel.
Tuesday’s presentation does not provide the number of young people screened for diversion, reasons for rejection, completion rates or outcomes after referral.
It does include much larger numbers from Project Fresh Start, a school-based early-intervention program operated by PCS Family Services. During the 2025-26 school year, Pomona schools referred 53 students. Fifty were served, and the program reported an 88 percent completion rate.
Those figures are separate from the seven police diversion referrals. A referral from a school before police involvement is not the same as an officer choosing diversion instead of arrest. The presentation does not clearly explain whether the school program and police diversion system overlap.
A separate $4.5 million Proposition 64 grant agreement budgets $3.5 million for public-safety and cannabis-enforcement expenses. It includes $500,000 for four part-time PCS diversion specialists and sets a target of at least 15 diversion referrals annually for eligible participants under age 21.
The Police Oversight Commission now has several numbers but not enough information to evaluate whether Pomona’s policy is working as intended.
The commission meets Tuesday, October 13, at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 505 S. Garey Ave.
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