The City of Rancho Mirage Sheriff’s Station provides 24-hour a day police protection service to the community.
The Patrol Section is the heart of the Rancho Mirage Sheriff’s Station. The basic law enforcement protection is provided to the City of Rancho Mirage 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 to the City of Rancho Mirage. As a result of this contract with the City, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department provides over sixteen (16) uniformed deputy sheriffs for patrol and traffic enforcement. 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 Section is comprised of two shifts; each is supervised by a sergeant. 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 patrol activities are supported by clerical, special enforcement team, crime prevention, and investigative personnel at the station level; and various support units from Aviation, K-9, Forensic and Special Investigations Bureau, such as Homicide, Narcotics, Bomb Squad and SWAT. They also receive additional support from the Rancho Mirage Citizens on Patrol.
The City of Rancho Sheriff’s Station provides 24-hour a day police protection service to the community. The department serves approximately 17,500 residents, patrolling approximately 25 square miles of City streets.
The Patrol Section provides continuous available units to:
- Respond to over 18,454 calls for service in 2019
- 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
Traffic Enforcement Team
The Rancho Mirage Traffic Enforcement Team is responsible for traffic safety throughout the city and the investigation of significant or fatal traffic collisions. This is accomplished through public education, enforcement, and engineering. The Traffic Team is dedicated to reducing injuries and fatalities caused by vehicle collisions. The Team participate in a variety of federal, state and local programs to enhance the overall effectiveness of their mission to raise awareness on the dangers of unsafe driving. This includes, but is not limited to impaired driving (drugs and alcohol), distracted driving, reckless driving, street racing, motorcycle safety, and seatbelt use.
- For traffic enforcement complaints such as parking violations, abandoned vehicles, and speeding complaints in your neighborhood, please call (760) 836-3215.
Collision Investigations & Reports
In 2021, the number one cause of vehicle collisions in Rancho Mirage was due to unsafe speed. The second leading cause was right of way violations.
In addition, the three most hazardous locations in the City for 2021 were:
- Dinah Shore Drive and Bob Hope Drive
- State Highway 111 and Bob Hope Drive
- Ramon Road and Bob Hope Drive
Vehicle Inspections
To request a vehicle inspection for business licensing requirements, call (760) 836-1600.
Commercial Vehicle Enforcement
In 1987, based on complaints from Rancho Mirages citizens along with complaints from Palm Desert and Indian Wells, the COVE Communities instituted a Commercial Vehicle program. This program is funded jointly by all three cities with primary enforcement in the areas of commercial traffic. Violations include overweight and oversize vehicles, equipment malfunctions, poorly maintained vehicles and the use of these vehicles on restricted roadways within the COVE Communities.
The Commercial Unit uses a Ford Expedition, which carries the latest state of the art commercial scales to weigh suspected overweight vehicles. This vehicle is also used for traffic accident reconstruction. The vehicle carries surveying equipment, cameras, radars, laser, and traffic control equipment to investigate major or fatal traffic collisions.
10.58.010 Unrestricted vehicle weight – Truck routes.
- No person shall be permitted to drive or operate on any street within the city any vehicle that, with its load, exceeds a maximum gross weight of twelve thousand pounds, unless otherwise permitted pursuant to this chapter and subject to any specific exemptions that may be set forth in the California Vehicle Code.
- Upon a showing of good cause, the public works director or designee may permit exceptions to the weight restrictions set forth in this section by issuing a permit that contains all necessary measures the public works director or designee determines will adequately mitigate any potential noise or traffic impacts that may otherwise result from such an exception.
10.58.020 Unrestricted vehicle weight – Truck routes.
Any vehicle, with its load, that exceeds a gross weight limit of twelve thousand pounds may be driven or operated on the following city streets, subject to any applicable time limitations:
- Ramon Road for its full length;
- Monterey Avenue for its full length;
- Highway 111 for its full length;
- Dinah Shore Drive for its full length; and
- Bob Hope Drive for its full length, except for between the hours of 9PM and 6AM
10.58.030 Commercial Vehicle – Residential Zones
No commercial vehicle, regardless of weight, shall be permitted to drive on any street within any residential zone, unless otherwise permitted pursuant to this chapter and subject to the specific exemptions that may be set forth in the California Vehicle Code.
This is enforceable with an administrative citation.
The Rancho Mirage Sheriff’s Department operates a Special Enforcement Team (S.E.T.) to serve as a compliment to the Patrol Division with an emphasis on providing enhanced patrol services to the residents of Rancho Mirage. The Rancho Mirage. S.E.T. actively investigate crimes such as burglaries, theft, vandalism, assault, fraud and other localized crimes. In addition to investigations, S.E.T. members utilize community oriented policing concepts in an effort to provide education and problem solving solutions to the citizens and businesspersons of Rancho Mirage. S.E.T. member activity allows uniformed patrol deputies to remain in the field and enhances their effectiveness as first responders.
S.E.T. members are committed to crime prevention and are available to homeowner associations, business owners, homeowners, and other community groups. S.E.T. members are trained to provide crime prevention information and suggestions in an effort to reduce unwanted conduct and thus diminish the potential of criminal activity. S.E.T. members are available to receive public input and information regarding issues that concern residents and businesspersons.
S.E.T. members also conduct issue specific enforcement programs to combat identified problems within the city and are also responsible for specialized enforcement and security for Rancho Mirage community events.
As with all community-oriented programs, a good working relationship with those who live and work in the community is essential for success.
Deputy Jacob Paull & Deputy Eric Earley are currently assigned to our Special Enforcement Team.
If you need assistance from either of the above deputies please contact, (760) 836-1600
Burglaries are one of the top crimes affecting Rancho Mirage and the surrounding areas. To help combat this problem, the Burglary Suppression Unit (BSU) was formed to focus solely on burglaries. BSU handles all burglaries; vehicle, residential and commercial. The team of four deputies, an investigator, and a sergeant work together to target the neighborhoods in the contract cities of Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert and the unincorporated area of Desert Hot Springs, Thousand Palms and Sky Valley. They have the expertise and ability to conduct burglary investigations from start-to-finish. BSU begins with the initial report or by conducting follow up and then follow through to the arrest of the suspect(s) involved and recovery of the stolen property. BSU will identify individual burglars and burglary groups and conduct surveillance to gain information on crime trends and patterns.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, under contract with the City of Rancho Mirage, 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.
Deputy Andres Alvarez
Their main objective of the School Resource Officer (“SRO”) is to act as a liaison between the district and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
The primary responsibility of the SRO is to provide a police resource to the assigned public schools. The SRO assists the school administration in maintaining a safe and secure environment. School administrators benefit from the SRO’s training, knowledge and experience in handling situations involving possible weapons violations or in the identification of controlled dangerous substances. The SRO provides a highly visible presence to deter or identify trespassers on campus. They investigate crimes occurring on or related to their assigned campus, interview suspects and witnesses, and file cases with the District Attorney’s Office.
SROs are also responsible for educating and mentoring our youth. Anti-gang and anti-drug awareness education is presented by the SROs, in keeping with the department’s Community Oriented Policing philosophy.
Communication between the students and the police is increased and respect is created. The SROs encourage students in their role of taking responsibility for their decisions. Mutual understanding and partnerships between students and the police are fostered. In addition, schools have an immediate police presence to assist with a safe education
al environment.
