The Police IndexStop data: 2024 · Pay and hiring checked Nov 2026
What the job looks like at National City Police
92 swornStarts at $109,152Hiring new officers nowApplicant Score 61
Calls for service
At least 164 a day
Over 60,000 a year. Yearly average for patrol, undated department web page. Officers also stopped 5,119 people in 2024. Most common reason for a stop: red light, stop sign or traffic sign, 27%.
First assignment
Patrol, under a Field Training Officer
Busiest hour for stops
8pm to 9pm
22% of stops are overnight
4th of 11
Stops that came from a call
16%
The rest the officer started
7th of 11
Median stop length
9 min
What National City Police officers stop people for
Red light, stop sign or traffic sign27%
Lights, tint or equipment20%
Registration, plates or insurance17%
Speeding9%
Lane, turn or right-of-way violation8%
Phone use while driving6%
Disturbance or disorderly conduct1%
Weapons1%
Theft, burglary or stolen property1%
Consensual contact with a search0%
Everything else11%
The main reason recorded for each of 5,119 people stopped in 2024, grouped from the offense code. Service calls with no detention are not in this data.
When the work happens
22% of stops happen between 10pm and 5am, 4th of 11.
National City Police
Average of 11
12am3am6am9am12pm3pm6pm9pm
Darker means a larger share of stops in that hour.
How the work is done
Each dot is one of 11 departments. National City Police is highlighted.
On foot5% 11th of 11
0%20%40%
For a traffic violation93% 1st of 11
0%20%40%60%80%100%
After a call for service16% 7th of 11
0%20%40%
Person perceived as unhoused2% 10th of 11
0%20%40%
How stops end
Verbal warning20% 11th of 11
0%20%40%60%
Citation23% 9th of 11
0%20%40%
Arrest4% 10th of 11
0%20%40%
Psychiatric hold0% 11th of 11
0%20%40%
One person can have more than one outcome, so these do not add to 100%.
When a stop starts with a call
Ends in arrest12% 11th of 11
0%20%40%60%
Ends in a psychiatric hold1% 11th of 11
0%20%40%
Searches and handcuffs
Person searched5% 10th of 11
0%20%40%
Handcuffed15% 4th of 11
0%20%40%
Agencies differ in how consistently they record handcuffing and searches, so small gaps between departments may not be real.
Agency colors not applied yet. They are only used once pulled from the agency's own site.
Photo: The Sweetwater River, which divides National City from Chula Vista. National City Banner.jpg by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and tinted.
