City of West Covina

[derniere]

Hi all!

I am applying for a CCW from the West Covina Police Department. I have written down in detail my experiences with the application process. You can find the document HERE. My hope is that the document will help someone who is considering a CCW application with WCPD.

My timeline is as follows:

January 14 2023: Started application process online. $398. Submitted documents.
January 16 2023: Submitted fingerprints via Live Scan vendor. $123
FBI portion completed 1/16/23
CA portion completed 1/17/23
Firearms portion completed 1/21/23
MPA: All "Fingerprints" stage completed 2/8/23
January 21-22 2023: CCW and Firearms Class and Qualifications $300 for class, $162 range and ammo fees.
January 24 2023: Initial Interview with MPA staff.
Feb 8 2023: Psychological Exam, written portion. $150
Feb 10 2023: Psychological Exam, oral interview portion.
Mar 2 2023: MPA: "Psychological" stage completed. All requirements are now met. The only thing left is a final review by WCPD. Next comes approval, and hopefully, issuance.
Apr 29 2023: The end of the process draws near! We have a pick-up date of Saturday May 6 2023!
May 6 2023: Finally picked up the CCW. Woohoo!

[EJ1987]

I applied at Covina pd. Completed everything as well. I am on the final stage. Just waiting on one last interview. Hopefully in a week or two I can get approved.

[Gnzrme]

WOW... And I was bitching about the cost of LA's permit... 30 to apply, about 120 for live scan, training about 150 and then final permit fee of 120.00....

[Rickybillegas]

Originally Posted by derniere

Hi all!

I am applying for a CCW from the West Covina Police Department. I have written down in detail my experiences with the application process. You can find the document HERE. My hope is that the document will help someone who is considering a CCW application with WCPD.

My timeline is as follows:

January 14 2023: Started application process online. $398. Submitted documents.
January 16 2023: Submitted fingerprints via Live Scan vendor. $123
FBI portion completed 1/16/23
CA portion completed 1/17/23
Firearms portion completed 1/21/23
MPA: All "Fingerprints" stage completed 2/8/23
January 21-22 2023: CCW and Firearms Class and Qualifications $300 for class, $162 range and ammo fees.
January 24 2023: Initial Interview with MPA staff.
Feb 8 2023: Psychological Exam, written portion. $150
Feb 10 2023: Psychological Exam, oral interview portion.
Mar 2 2023: MPA: "Psychological" stage completed. All requirements are now met. The only thing left is a final review by WCPD. Next comes approval, and hopefully, issuance.

Thats the fastest start to finish (soon?) I've ever seen on this board.
Good for WCPD.

[paintballdad]

Originally Posted by EJ1987

I applied at Covina pd. Completed everything as well. I am on the final stage. Just waiting on one last interview. Hopefully in a week or two I can get approved.

Hope you get yours soon. I submitted by application with Covina PD on 11/15/22, CCW license issued on 3/21/23.

[derniere]

Nice! A little over 4 months start to finish -- still a very good timeline when compared to the LASD.

Originally Posted by paintballdad

Hope you get yours soon. I submitted by application with Covina PD on 11/15/22, CCW license issued on 3/21/23.

[EJ1987]

Got mine issued as well 3/21

[derniere]

Most excellent! I'm glad Covina PD is keeping their promises.

Do you mind posting your application timelines? Thank you, my friend!

Originally Posted by EJ1987

Got mine issued as well 3/21

[EJ1987]

Covina ccw application dropped off 10/17/22
Livescan started 10/17/22
Fbi cleared 10/17
Ca cleared 10/18
Firearm cleared 10/21
Covina pd cashed checked 10/31
12/11 psych eval rescheduled
(due to me being sick)
01/19 pysch eval test
01/25 oral interview
2/6 Covina Pd. Interview
Approved picked up 3/21/23

[derniere]

Excellent news! I finally got to pick up the CCW card today! Happy day indeed! I was the sixth licensee to pick up this Saturday, the very FIRST civilians to get issued CCWs by West Covina PD in DECADES.

Time to celebrate!

[logix1229]

Does west covina police department allow you to qualify with a pistol with a red dot? or aftermarket trigger? the website say "customizations allowed" however to what extent?

[derniere]

Hiya Logix!

Throughout the application process, WCPD never once inspected in person the firearms to be listed on the CCW. The first and only time that takes place is during qualification, by your instructor, as part of your training and certification, and that's mostly to verify serial numbers, not to check customizations.

I think a red dot would be quite safe under the list of "allowed" customizations. Since there really is no definitive list of "disallowed" customizations, I would probably ask myself this when I'm considering changes to the guns:

"Should I find myself in that terrible spot and I have to deploy the firearm in self defense, would I feel comfortable defending those gun customizations to the judge and jury?"

And THAT, my friend, is a very personal question, and the answer varies from person to person. =)

[logix1229]

Originally Posted by derniere

Hiya Logix!

Throughout the application process, WCPD never once inspected in person the firearms to be listed on the CCW. The first and only time that takes place is during qualification, by your instructor, as part of your training and certification, and that's mostly to verify serial numbers, not to check customizations.

I think a red dot would be quite safe under the list of "allowed" customizations. Since there really is no definitive list of "disallowed" customizations, I would probably ask myself this when I'm considering changes to the guns:

"Should I find myself in that terrible spot and I have to deploy the firearm in self defense, would I feel comfortable defending those gun customizations to the judge and jury?"

And THAT, my friend, is a very personal question, and the answer varies from person to person. =)

Thank you for the response and info . I really appreciate it!

[guymenton]

I am an approved CCW trainer for West Covina and yes those customizations and any that are legal are permitted per their policy: "Customization of firearms is permitted as long as it does not violate any State or Federal regulation."

However, if we ever get into a defensive situation that goes to trial, think about how a prosecutor and non-gun-owning jurors might interpret those modifications.

There's different opinions among trainers: Some are conservative and say keep carry gun as stock as possible, some say external mods are ok (optics, sights, extended controls, WML), and some say as long as it's legal, go for it.

Imho as a trainer, I'm middle of the road...external mods ok, but definitely not going to put a lighter trigger in a defensive gun, or recoil spring or any other such internal parts, that not only might open me up to more scrutiny, especially in a civil suit (even if you're exonerated in criminal court, count on whoever's family you shot suing you) or makes the function of the gun less reliable (as a competition shooter, I can tell you how tinkering with the internals of the gun, if you don't know what you're doing can cause reliability/malfunction issues...which is the last thing you want to worry about when your life depends on it).

Originally Posted by logix1229

Does west covina police department allow you to qualify with a pistol with a red dot? or aftermarket trigger? the website say "customizations allowed" however to what extent?

[logix1229]

anyone in west covina issued lately?

[SDM44]

I'm currently in the process of applying through myccw for a WCPD permit. I also have a LASD app in since June 2022 and Livescan done, but still waiting on that initial interview phone call 18+ months later.

Here's my timeline so far:

12/20/23 - App submitted through myccw and $396 app fee paid
12/26/23 - Livescan completed and ATI number received, $122 fee paid
12/26/23 - FBI completed
12/27/23 - CA completed
01/03/24 - Firearms completed
01/03/24 - Paperwork and References with character letters uploaded
01/10/23 - Initial interview with myccw completed
02/27/24 - Psych eval scheduled (written & oral done in same day) - $150 fee


The myccw interviewer said everything looks good and I should proceed with the psych eval and qualifications.

I'm looking into 16 hr ccw courses offered through approved vendors listed on the myccw site that WCPD accepts. The ones I'm looking at say they're teaching in adherence to CA PC 26165. Classes range from $350 - $900 for the 2 day course (some offer a Zoom meeting for the classroom lecture part). Hopefully that will suffice in accordance to SB2.

I'm hoping my references holds some weight, as I had my long-time training partners at the gym submit character letters, one being a LASD detective and the other a LAPD patrolman.




I'll post any new updates to my timeline, probably in the next month or two. Even though my FBI, CA, and Firearms cleared almost a month ago, myccw still hasn't received it from DOJ.

[side2side]

I just made an appointment for psych test and interview in San Bernardino and it is $400 cash. Wtf? How did everyone else pay only $150?

[SDM44]

Originally Posted by side2side

I just made an appointment for psych test and interview in San Bernardino and it is $400 cash. Wtf? How did everyone else pay only $150?

I scheduled my psych eval back on Jan 9, and the next opening was 7 weeks later (Feb 27). The email confirmation I received after scheduling it says the following:

A $150 cash fee will be collected on the day of the exam, credit cards (Visa/Mastercard) are accepted, but will be subject to a $4.50 fee. Checks not accepted.

Not sure what could have changed in the last 10 days, but the person to talk to over there would be Gina Maldonado at 800-222-9691.

[side2side]

Originally Posted by SDM44

I scheduled my psych eval back on Jan 9, and the next opening was 7 weeks later (Feb 27). The email confirmation I received after scheduling it says the following:

A $150 cash fee will be collected on the day of the exam, credit cards (Visa/Mastercard) are accepted, but will be subject to a $4.50 fee. Checks not accepted.

Not sure what could have changed in the last 10 days, but the person to talk to over there would be Gina Maldonado at 800-222-9691.

That is the same person I spoke to. I called on 1/17/24 and got an appointment for 2/9/24. E-mail says $400 cash.

The CA Penal code said it should not exceed $150 on WCPD website. SB2 is a no go for now, so I don?t know why it would be so much. I?ll call back this week before I go In February

[muddfun]

Originally Posted by side2side

That is the same person I spoke to. I called on 1/17/24 and got an appointment for 2/9/24. E-mail says $400 cash.

The CA Penal code said it should not exceed $150 on WCPD website. SB2 is a no go for now, so I don?t know why it would be so much. I?ll call back this week before I go In February

hello everybody
I too just received the $400 bill! unfortunately, there is only 1 vendor. price gouging at its finest. my psyc zoom is on the 28th of feb. i had been trying to schedule an apt with them since early december.
my range qualifying date is feb 13.
everything else is already completed. i have spent close to $800 and still need $400 for psyc and $250 for the range qualifying.
pretty expensive process to enjoy a right guaranteed by the constitution!
unless i fail my psyc portion, i should be ccw card holder in a short time frame.

[muddfun]

Originally Posted by muddfun

hello everybody
I too just received the $400 bill! unfortunately, there is only 1 vendor. price gouging at its finest. my psyc zoom is on the 28th of feb. i had been trying to schedule an apt with them since early december.
my range qualifying date is feb 13.
everything else is already completed. i have spent close to $800 and still need $400 for psyc and $250 for the range qualifying.
pretty expensive process to enjoy a right guaranteed by the constitution!
unless i fail my psyc portion, i should be ccw card holder in a short time frame.

update:
extortion, or price gouging, makes no difference $400 when cpc 26190 calls for a $150 fee! i left a voice message with city attorney this morning about this unacceptable move by wc's ONLY psyc eval vendor. we'll see how long it takes him to get back to me! next move is to speak in open session at the city council meeting. i hate being taken for a ride!

[arob323]

Hey guys,
Unfortunately the $400 is real . I just took my psych eval today and the receptionist confirmed that it has changed from $150 to $400 due to SB2. According to her, before the state used to fund the psych evals partially hence the $150 charge, but now with SB2 it relies solely on the individual to cover costs which is $400. She mentioned that they were thinking of even delaying or postponing people for a while so they don't have people upset at the sudden upcharge. I guess it was a lose-lose situation either way. Sucks we have to pay even more for our constitutional right, but CA desperately trying hard to price people out of getting their CCW. This was the last part of my application process and hope it goes smoothly once the psychologists submits my information. Good luck all!

[SDM44]

So even though you have an email confirmation with the $150 price, that price is no longer valid and it's now $400? I guess I'll find out next month when I go for my psych eval, but that's going to suck since my email confirmation says $150.

Between the initial CCW app ($396), and 16 hrs of training ($395), and now the psych eval ($400), and then you add Live scan fees and any other misc processing fees, you're close to $1500 just to get a CCW in 2024

[arob323]

Yea it sucks. I got the email twice and a verbal confirmation (when I initially scheduled), and it was all $150 until the week before my psych test/eval and all of a sudden it was $400 without warning. Tried mentioning that to her, but fell under deaf ears as according to her SB2 made the psych test/eval bill fall solely on the individual. Like I mentioned, she did say they considered postponing all psych tests for CCW until they were able to notify everyone about the price change, but probably decided that would be more trouble than it's worth. If you're able to convince her to have you pay the $150 instead then I salute you for that , but a couple of people there were making the same arguments with no success. Sucks we gotta pay >$1200 for something that essentially should be free. Good luck though. Psych eval was super chill and easy unless your test pops up something weird. I took the test and got the eval in the same day.

[muddfun]

just curious as to HOW/WHY the residents are subject to this ridiculous psyc eval process when the county doesn't require it? i asked the city of west covina for the rationale behind it but nobody has called me back with that information. do we have a higher percentage of nut jobs in our city? i have the privilege of paying 13k for health insurance, if i need a certification from a shrink i should be able to see my own dr and pay my $20 copay and provide that certification. but no, the city leaders have deemed it a necessity that i get certified by the vendor of their choice and pay the exorbitant fees so that i can exercise my constitutional right that is basically free to the rest of the states!?? but i live in west covina so i can afford to CAPITULATE AND pay the $1500 that it will eventually cost me to get my ccw!

[muddfun]

FYI for all the curious types like me. I tried a FOIA request thru the city clerks office. i requested the minutes for the city council meeting where it was the ccw policy was agendized and approved when the city of west covina assume responsibility and establishes protocols for the ccw program from the county. Specifically, I wanted the rationale for requiring the psyc eval for the residents of west covina because the residents in the county of los angeles are not required to get a psyc eval. There must be data backing up the premise that a disproportionate percentage of crazies reside in west covina. I also requested the rationale for selecting only 1 vendor for this psyc evaluation and why I was not allowed to utilize my own health insurance to provide a certificate of clearance from a certified psychologist or psychiatrist.
Turns out there are no minutes because this policy just appeared with no public discussion or vote. The city clerks office passed my FOIA requests along to the police department so that they can provide these answers!
Since when does the police department create policy for the city?
this is NUTS!

[muddfun]

great news to report!
the city of west covina have give the boot to the extortionists at the psyc eval place! the $400 fee is now gone!
there is a NEW vendor and he is @$150

[muddfun]

almost done!
passed range qualifying with Greg Block and passed the psyc eval with Dr. Zandi. Now i just wait for approval of WCPD. Everything else is done!
process started last week of December 23. Hopefully i get my card SOON!

[arob323]

Originally Posted by muddfun

almost done!
passed range qualifying with Greg Block and passed the psyc eval with Dr. Zandi. Now i just wait for approval of WCPD. Everything else is done!
process started last week of December 23. Hopefully i get my card SOON!

That's awesome! Congrats! Wish I would have waited to take my psych eval instead of wasting my money at that overpriced ripoff company . BTW how long did it take for your live scan/fingerprints to clear on MyCCW? My status cleared on DOJ mid December but still hasn't updated on MyCCW.

[SDM44]

Originally Posted by arob323

BTW how long did it take for your live scan/fingerprints to clear on MyCCW? My status cleared on DOJ mid December but still hasn't updated on MyCCW.

My DOJ cleared status cleared on 12/29, but it wasn't until 2/6 when they finally sent everything over to myccw.us and it was updated there.

[SDM44]

Originally Posted by muddfun

almost done!
passed range qualifying with Greg Block and passed the psyc eval with Dr. Zandi. Now i just wait for approval of WCPD. Everything else is done!
process started last week of December 23. Hopefully i get my card SOON!

How long did it take to get your results from Dr. Zandi? I have my appt with him next Tuesday. I just made my appt with him last week after he became an approved psych vendor on the myccw.us site. Not only is he cheaper than the San Bernardino location, it's more convenient that he does it over video rather than wasting a day to drive out to his office or to SB.

I started my process back on 12/20 and did my quals last week. I just need to complete the psych eval and then I'm all done with the myccw.us requirements, so I'm right beside you on this application process by about a week. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes until WCPD calls us to do their final interview and issues the permit.

[arob323]

Originally Posted by SDM44

My DOJ cleared status cleared on 12/29, but it wasn't until 2/6 when they finally sent everything over to myccw.us and it was updated there.

That's wild... My DOJ cleared on 12/14/2023 and it's still hasnt been sent/updated to MyCCW. I emailed them last night and hope to get an actual update or reason instead of the automated one to check the DOJ website and allow up to "20 days."

[muddfun]

dr zandi informed me i wasn't crazy and a low risk and the following day it was cleared on myccw. however, my fingerprints have NOT cleared on myccw and i had my livescan on jan 10 i believe. i go on the doj website for the status and it states all three were cleared but it is showing as incomplete on myccw.
i tried get info from myccw people and i submitted the screenshot showing that All three were showing as completed but they keep returning a standard go to this website to check your status. a dog chasing its tail.
supposedly my expires within 30 days the email stated last week.
all i can do is wait! tic, tic, tic......

[arob323]

Originally Posted by muddfun

dr zandi informed me i wasn't crazy and a low risk and the following day it was cleared on myccw. however, my fingerprints have NOT cleared on myccw and i had my livescan on jan 10 i believe. i go on the doj website for the status and it states all three were cleared but it is showing as incomplete on myccw.
i tried get info from myccw people and i submit the screenshot showing that All three were showing as completed but they keep returning a standard go to this website to check your status. a dig chasing its tail.
supposedly my expires within 30 days the email stated last week.
all i can do is wait! tic, tic, tic......

The good thing is that MyCCW are the ones who determine the expiration so when I brought up this issue, they said if it?s the fingerprints that?s pending then the expiration doesn?t apply.

They got back to me yesterday saying they contacted Lt. Armas about my fingerprint delay and to be on ?standby? for an answer. It?s only been a day but I?m still?standing by?

[muddfun]

tic, tic, tic is the only sound out of the clock as i have NOT heard anything out of the city of west covina for a month. everything has been completed; well my fingerprints are still listed as incomplete even though they were completed in early january. tic, tic, tic goes thw clock as i wait....... and wait....🤷🏻*♂️👀

[SDM44]

Originally Posted by muddfun

tic, tic, tic is the only sound out of the clock as i have NOT heard anything out of the city of west covina for a month. everything has been completed; well my fingerprints are still listed as incomplete even though they were completed in early january. tic, tic, tic goes thw clock as i wait....... and wait....🤷🏻*♂️👀

Does it still show your fingerprints are still pending in your myccw.us profile? Does your profile say 100% or is it stuck around 80% on your profile page?

If everything has been completed, you should see your myccw.us profile at 100%, and you should've gotten this email:

[arob323]

Originally Posted by muddfun

tic, tic, tic is the only sound out of the clock as i have NOT heard anything out of the city of west covina for a month. everything has been completed; well my fingerprints are still listed as incomplete even though they were completed in early january. tic, tic, tic goes thw clock as i wait....... and wait....🤷🏻*♂️👀

Email MyCCW and see if they can contact WCPD for you regarding your fingerprints. Don't worry, your application won't expire. It's just frustrating playing the waiting game and not knowing the reason for the delay. Mine were received this past Monday (fingerprints cleared back on December) and they packaged everything and sent it to the department on Friday. Now, I just wait until WCPD either approves or denies me.

[muddfun]

i think myccw has me blocked because of the emails i have sent inquiring about the "PENDING" fingerprint results posted in my account dashboard. i don't want to bug sgt armas either but this is worse than watching paint dry!
i just wonder why the city has UNDERSTAFFED this administrative dept handling these applications! they are making a killing off the fees!
just my frustrated 2 centavos speaking here🤷🏻*♂️

[muddfun]

myccw finally responded to my email. they claim that the bottleneck is with PD but that my fingerprints have been cleared by doj and fbi and i just need to WAIT for pd to get back to me but my file will not expire!
just got an email this morning 3/21/24 90 days since my initial application.

[arob323]

Got the approval call! Life is good. Can't wait to pick up my CCW this week. Best of luck to those still waiting or still applying. You got this!