NOTE: Calls for Service to the Sheriff's department are prioritized according to the information provided to dispatch at the time of the call. There are four (4) priority levels, each with varying response times.

Emergencies: 911

Use 9-1-1 for emergencies involving imminent danger to life and/or property. This is a 24-hour number.

Non-Emergencies: (760) 836-3215, ext. 5

This number will connect you to the Riverside County Sheriff Department Dispatch Center. Use this number to report a crime, suspicious activities, suspicious persons or suspicious vehicles. This is a 24-hour number. Please be patient as emergency calls are given priority.

Non-Emergencies, Toll-Free: (800) 950-2444

This NON-EMERGENCY phone number is available toll-free to callers from all 50 states & will take callers to the Riverside Sheriff Dispatch Center.

Poison Control Center: (800) 876-4766

Call poison control if you suspect a poisoning has occurred. Verifying with a certified professional is better than guessing; swift action could save a life.  Poison control assistance is available 24 hours a day providing free expert guidance that can help with your poison emergency.

For General Questions and Records: (760) 836-1600

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department (Palm Desert Station) is available to answer your general questions and record requests. Use this number to receive information, copies of past reports, inquire about lost/found property or share public comments and/or information. Available 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (Monday - Friday). If your call constitutes an emergency, please dial 911.

This form should be used to report non-emergency property. Do not use this form to report auto theft, traffic collisions, or assaults. If your incident is an emergency, please call 911 immediately.

If you have a residential or business security camera, the Riverside Sheriff’s Department would like your help to prevent and solve crime.

Security cameras can be a powerful tool in crime deterrence, your participation in this program will expand our investigative abilities and help identify potential witnesses or criminals.

Registering your cameras in this program does not give us free or unrestricted access to your cameras. Your video will allow our investigators to create a readily accessible list to aid them in locating crucial evidence to help them solve crimes.

When a crime is committed, we will refer to the Security Camera Registration list to identify any possible cameras that may have captured something of interest. We will then contact the camera’s owner and request they provide security video from the date and time of the crime. This process greatly expedites and enhances the investigation and may lead to the quick apprehension of the criminal.

Participation in the program does not alter your rights to privacy in any way and is completely voluntary. We will not have access to your footage unless you provide it. Registrant information is kept confidential and the registrant can withdraw at any time.

Register for the Security Camera Program here.

Click HERE to view the Indian Wells Public Safety Services Overview. 

June 2021 Shared Police Services MATRIX Study

Continued research and participation for shared Public Safety Services as outlined in the MATRIX Study linked above were discontinued at the recommendation of the Public Safety Committee at their July 6, 2021 Special Meeting due to the significant reduction in service levels, loss of control of our local public safety services, and minimal annual savings that would result from implementing the Study's recommendations to combined services with La Quinta and Palm Desert.

For more information, visit www.riversidesheriff.org/392/Recruiting

The Indian Wells Motorcycle Enforcement Officer performs several different functions. Their primary function is to enforce traffic laws as defined by the California Vehicle Code with a goal of making our roadways safe for all commuters. Secondly, they are tasked with investigating major traffic collisions that occur within the City of Indian Wells. On rare occasions, investigations include vehicular manslaughter and homicide cases. Finally, Traffic Services is responsible for developing traffic plans for all major events held in Indian Wells.

The City's motorcycle officers is the most visible part of this traffic enforcement function, but all marked Indian Wells Police cars do conduct traffic enforcement when possible.

Traffic Service Programs

Click It or Ticket

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration mobilization campaign aimed at increasing the use of seat belts among young people in the United States. The campaign relies heavily on targeted advertising aimed at teens and young adults.

Avoid the 30

The 30 local law enforcement agencies of Riverside County have joined together to get out the message: If you drink or take drugs and drive, you will be arrested for driving under the influence.

Avoid the 30 brings all Riverside County law enforcement agencies together for a countywide focus with the intention of making an impact on impaired drivers through enforcement, education, and media support.

The five regions in our county will be working together to deploy additional officers to increase DUI patrols and DUI checkpoints. In addition, Avoid the 30 intends to work with the media to raise awareness of the effects of drinking and driving, with the aim of reducing major holiday DUI traffic collisions.

The goals of the countywide attention are to reduce the number and severity of under the influence related traffic collisions, to increase DUI arrests, and to educate the public on the tragic costs of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Avoid the 30 will have a “zero” tolerance enforcement policy.

As of May 2008, more than 450 law enforcement agencies from 41 counties statewide have joined the Avoid program, bringing together officers from local Police departments, Sheriff, local CHP offices, Alcohol Beverage Control, and other special police districts.

Basic law enforcement protection is provided to the City of Indian Wells by contractual agreement with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. This agreement provides the City with a cost-effective way to provide police services to the residents, businesses, and visitors. The patrol deputies are the Department’s most visible element. They are the first to respond in emergency situations and all have training in basic life-saving measures.

The patrol sergeants are responsible for implementing patrol strategies and techniques that are decided upon by the patrol lieutenants and the Chief of Police.

The City of Indian Wells’ Station provides 24-hour a day police protection service to the community.

The Patrol Section provides continuous available units to:

• Deter crimes by visible patrol
• Recover and return lost or stolen property
• Ensure the safe movement of vehicular and pedestrian traffic
• Provide follow-up investigation of offenses when warranted by time or circumstances
• Reduce both immediate and potential hazards to the community

The Special Enforcement Team (SET) serves as an adjunct to patrol staff with an emphasis on providing enhanced patrol services in Indian Wells. Two SET Deputies are specifically assigned to serve in the City of Indian Wells.

The Special Enforcement Team actively investigates various crimes including burglaries, thefts, and other localized crimes. In addition to investigations, the Special Enforcement Team utilizes Community-Oriented Policing concepts in an effort to provide education and problem solving ideas to Indian Wells citizens. By functioning in these capacities, patrol officers are able to remain in the field and available for service calls.

The Special Enforcement Team also conducts specifically targeted enforcement programs to combat identified problems within the city. The Special Enforcement Team is also responsible for specialized enforcement and security for Indian Wells civic and community events, such as the tennis tournament and Desert Town Hall–Indian Wells lecture series.

As with all community-orientated programs, a good working relationship with those who live and work in these areas is essential for success. Please feel free to call Lieutenant David Wright at (760) 836-1600, who can arrange for you to meet with the deputies working in your area.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, under contract with the City of Indian Wells, provides the City with Community Service Officers (CSO’s). These officers are not sworn deputies and do not carry firearms or other defensive weapons other than pepper spray. Under general supervision, CSO’s perform the most responsible law enforcement support duties involving a variety of civil and criminal issues that do not require the authority of a sworn law enforcement officer. However, their duties have a high factor of responsibility, liability, and criticality. Their role is to provide services to the residents and visitors in the City directly or by assisting deputies. For example, CSO’s investigate and complete crime reports wherein the suspect is not known. They will also investigate and complete non-injury traffic accidents. CSO’s provide a cost-effective method to “free up” deputies who can then investigate, follow-up and complete more serious investigations and reports. CSO’s assist the deputies at crime scenes and traffic collisions by directing traffic, setting up flare patterns and coordinating vehicle towing. Also, if the deputies make an arrest, a CSO can transport the suspect to jail, which allows the deputy to concentrate on the criminal investigation and required reports. Basically, the role of the CSO’s is to assist the deputies and other department personnel in completing their assignments.

The following programs are available free of cost to community members:

Station Tours: Available upon request for local community groups.

Outreach: Our outreach efforts are aimed at creating opportunities for positive community engagement where personnel can interact with community members on an informal basis and foster ongoing relationships.

The Department participates in several community and City functions throughout the year. The most common outreach is Coffee with a Cop, no agenda or speeches, just a chance to ask questions, voice concerns, and get to know the deputies in your neighborhood.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED, is a crime prevention philosophy that attempts to apply physical design, citizen participation, and law enforcement strategies in a comprehensive way to protect neighborhoods and facilities.

The Indian Wells Police Department can provide a CPTED Security Survey for your home or business. The survey can help you protect your home or business by reducing the opportunities for crime to occur.

The survey is an evaluation of the interior and exterior of your residence or business. This is a free service provided by the Indian Wells Police Department.

The survey of your property will include all the advantages that are already incorporated as good CPTED strategies, the disadvantages of the facility that do not employ good CPTED strategies, all of the precautions for the facility, and recommendations to employ future CPTED strategies to help reduce the opportunity for crime to occur.

Alarm systems will also be discussed during the survey, however, the Indian Wells Police Department does not recommend a specific alarm system. 

What will be surveyed:

• Lighting
• Landscaping
• Windows and Doors
• Communication Systems
• Indoor and Outdoor Facilities and Activities
• Access and Control
• Security Systems
• Walls and Fences
• Signs
• Safe Paths and Common Areas
• Boundaries
• Public Spaces

Schedule your free CPTED Security Survey by calling Lieutenant Wright at 760-836-1613. Help us help you lower the opportunity for crime by designing it out of your neighborhood, home, facility, or business.

Indian Wells is dedicated to creating an unsurpassed quality of life for residents on many different levels. One of those levels is by providing superior public safety.

There are many different ways that you can remain safe with just a few changes to your existing lifestyle. View our Crime Prevention webpage.

 

Learn more and sign up to receive the Indian Wells Crime Blotter here.