The Office of the Chief of Police includes the Administration Division, which provides policy and leadership direction. The Chief’s Office also includes the Professional Standards Bureau, Media Relations, Budget and Financial Management, Grant Administration, Records Management and the Personnel & Training unit which handles the hiring of all employees. The Training Unit is responsible for State POST and Federal mandated training, in-house training, certifications, personnel background investigations, and processing applicants and volunteers.

The Administration Division oversees the Department’s Citizens on Patrol Program, Crossing Guards, Cathedral City Police Explorer Program, Cathedral City Police Reserve Officer Association, and Police Cadet Program.

The Cathedral City Police Department’s Detective Bureau works in close partnership with Patrol Services to serve the community with professionalism, experience, and integrity, guided by federal, state, and local law enforcement standards. The Bureau is responsible for continuing unresolved field investigations and conducting specialized criminal investigations, with the mission of identifying, locating, and holding accountable those responsible for criminal activity—from serious violent crimes to property-related offenses.

Detectives investigate a wide range of cases, including homicides, officer-involved shootings, assaults, armed robberies, sexual assaults, domestic violence, child abuse, financial crimes, fraud, forgery, burglary, computer crimes, and identity theft. Investigations involve gathering and analyzing information, interviewing involved parties, and collecting and processing evidence using modern investigative techniques. All cases are handled in accordance with the standards required for successful prosecution throughout Riverside County and the State of California.

Cathedral City Detectives are experienced patrol officers selected based on their demonstrated performance and commitment to the investigative process. They receive extensive in-house training and specialized instruction provided by federal, state, and private law enforcement partners. Detectives also analyze crime trends and patterns and utilize advanced law enforcement technology, including forensic sciences, to support thorough and effective investigations.

The Detective Bureau consists of personnel assigned to general investigations involving crimes against persons and property, as well as specialized assignments such as financial crimes, sexual assault and crimes against children. Additional assignments include School Resource Officers, regional AB109 task force detectives, gang and violent crime task force officers, and narcotics investigators assigned to local and regional task forces. Current task force partnerships include the Coachella Valley Narcotics Task Force (CVNTF), the Riverside County Gang Impact Team (GIT), and the Post Release Community Supervision Accountability Team (PACT).

The Investigation Division also includes an Evidence Unit, which supports detectives by collecting, processing, and maintaining seized evidence from crime scenes. Through strong working relationships with other law enforcement agencies, social service organizations, local businesses, community groups, and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, the Detective Bureau routinely brings cases to resolution. In addition to crime suppression, the Bureau provides crime prevention and crime trend information to residents and merchants, helping to strengthen public safety, trust, and a sense of community.

The Cathedral City Detective Bureau can be reached Monday through Thursday, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at (760) 770-0300.

Crime Scene Unit / Property Room

The Cathedral City Police Department currently has one crime scene technician who also runs the property room. Crime Scene Technicians have been trained in the many areas of processing a crime scene, from photography to collecting and processing the collected evidence.

Crime Scene Technicians receive specialized training yearly to keep up with new techniques and procedures for collecting and processing evidence.

 scene 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This unit gets called out to process homicides, sexual assaults, significant burglaries, robberies, and other major incidents. All of our police officers are trained in fingerprint collection and the processing of crime scenes.

Property Room

The Crime Scene Unit for the Cathedral City Police Department is available to be called out to a scene 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This unit gets called out to process homicides, sexual assaults, significant burglaries, robberies, and other major incidents. All of our police officers are trained in fingerprint collection and the processing of crime scenes.

The property room at the police department is a secure facility in which all evidence, found property and property held for safekeeping are cataloged and stored. An excellent way to think of a property room is like a small warehouse with rows of shelves holding containers of evidence.

Property room technicians are responsible for ensuring all the evidence is appropriately stored on a shelf or in a refrigerator. These technicians are also responsible for providing all the evidence needed for the court is transferred to the court’s property room, and the chain of custody is kept. After adjudication of a case, the court authorizes the property to be released to the rightful owner. In some cases, the property must be destroyed. This duty falls on the property technician. Found property and property held for safekeeping are returned to the rightful owner when it can be returned.

If you have property in our property room that you are legally entitled to get back, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the property room at (760) 202-2441. When you call, please leave your name, contact phone number, case number, and a description of the property to be returned.

Emergency Communications answers all 9-1-1 calls in the city. All emergency requests for police, fire, and medical aid are routed through the Dispatch Center. Additional services include maintenance and administration of all radio systems infrastructure, emergency telephone communications equipment, and FCC radio licenses.

The Cathedral City Dispatch Center is staffed 24/7 and currently employs 1 Sergeant and 10 full-time dispatchers. Along with dispatching for the Cathedral City Police, they handle all communications for the Cathedral City Fire Department. Our dispatchers answer approximately 10,000 emergency and non-emergency calls each month.

It is the responsibility of the dispatcher to quickly and accurately identify the nature of each call. Dispatchers are the critical link between the citizen and the first responder in the field. They also track field units and assignments using a computer-aided dispatch system and a newly upgraded radio system – PSEC.

The dispatch center receives a variety of calls, from simple information requests to life-threatening emergencies. Dispatchers ask specific questions to accurately prioritize the call and assign the necessary personnel. In stressful situations, citizens may find these questions confusing, but dispatchers are trained to ensure the safety of the community and first responders.

When calling for non-emergency service, we ask for your patience, as emergency calls take priority. An officer will respond as soon as possible.

When calling, the dispatcher may ask for the following information:

• Is this a police, fire, or medical emergency?
• Location of the emergency
• Type of incident
• Is it in progress?
• Suspect description (name, date of birth if known, race, sex, height, weight, clothing)
• Suspect vehicle or bicycle description (color, year, make, model, license plate, direction of travel)
• If you wish an officer to contact you at home or business, let the dispatcher know
• Your name, address, and telephone number (anonymous accepted)
• DO NOT hang up until instructed
• ALLOW the dispatcher to ask necessary questions
• TRY TO REMAIN CALM

Field Services Operations Division, the largest division of the Police Department, is comprised of the Patrol Bureau, Traffic Bureau, and Homeless Liaison Unit.

 This division is responsible for the following:

• First police response to emergencies
• Preliminary and follow-up investigations on property, person, grand theft auto crimes
• Basic police patrol services

Watch Commanders are responsible for the daily operations of the Patrol Bureau and any collateral assignments. The Field Training Officer (FTO) program provides training to all new police recruits. The Traffic Bureau provides enforcement, education, parking, 30-day impounds, and accident Investigation follow-up.

The Cathedral City Police Department working “in partnership with the community” patrols approximately 22.7 square miles while providing service to over 54,000 residents. Cathedral City is expected to grow out to its sphere of influence, which encompasses 55 square miles, within the next 10 to 15 years. The projected population will be over 96,000.

The patrol division is comprised of 1 Commander, 4 Sergeants and 25 Patrol Officers.  On average, the patrol division responds to and handles 42,500 calls for service per year, with an average response time of about 4.8 minutes for priority-type calls.

Patrol sergeants are responsible for the supervision of the officers out in the community. The patrol sergeant who is on-duty is referred to as the shift supervisor. Sergeants are responsible for reviewing all the reports that the officers write and citations. They also handle questions from the citizens in the community and initiate an investigation of complaints against a police officer(s).

The uniformed officers are the first responders to emergency and crimes in progress calls for service. Patrol officers respond to all emergency calls and non-emergency calls. All officers serving the community are well trained and attend training on a yearly basis to keep up with the changes in the law and to learn new procedures/techniques for doing their work.

As a patrol officer with Cathedral City you have the opportunity to work a variety of assignments. Possible assignments include:

• Field Training Officer (FTO)
• Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)
• K-9Traffic Motors
• Homeless Liaison Officer
• Gang Unit
• Arson Investigator

The patrol vehicles the department currently uses are Ford Explorer PIU’s and Chevrolet Tahoe PPV’s for their patrol vehicles. Each vehicle is equipped with a laptop computer, which allows the officer to write reports, receive calls for service, locate addresses in the vehicle, check databases, and receive email. The department is continuing to keep up with technology as it changes. Some of the vehicles are equipped with the “lojack” system, which helps locate stolen vehicles.  The patrol vehicles are also equipped with “in-car” video systems to record contacts with the public.

The patrol division is what the public sees out on the streets in their everyday lives. These dedicated men and women are the first people that you encounter in person when you call the police department for assistance.

The Records Bureau is charged with the maintenance and security of police records.  Releasing information is a delicate balance between providing the public with information and individual privacy rights.  Records personnel must be aware of and apply the legal exemptions to the release of information to protect individual privacy, safety and on-going investigations.  Records Personnel also perform a variety of duties that range from administrative and clerical support to department staff and officers, to assisting the general public at the front counter and on the telephone.  Record keeping is a key component of law enforcement responsibility.  The records bureau is the keeper of all police reports that require photocopying, distributing and filing and are also responsible for preparing arrest and report packages for the District Attorney’s Office and processing citations for court, as well as distributing other paperwork to various local and state agencies.

Request for Police Report

Police Reports may be obtained from the Cathedral City Police Department Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.  Crime Reports are usually available five working days after they are reported.  Traffic Accident reports are usually available ten working days after the accident.  It is advisable to call ahead to make sure the report is complete.  Please make sure to bring a government-issued photo identification card with you.

You may inquire about obtaining a police report by contacting the Records Bureau at (760)770-0300 Voice Prompt 3

Desert Regional Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT)

The Cathedral City Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) was established

in 1997 after combining resources with Palm Springs Police Department SWAT to form a consolidated SWAT team.  After several years of successfully working together with Palm Springs Police Department the Indio Police Department joined the team to form Desert Regional SWAT.

Desert Regional SWAT provides specialized police services to the communities of Cathedral City, Palm Springs and Indio.  Desert Regional SWAT is available to respond and resolve various highly volatile incidents such as barricaded suspect(s), hostage situations, active shooter situations, dignitary/site protection, and numerous high-risk or hazardous situations.  The primary mission of the SWAT team is to save lives by resolving difficult police situations through the use of developed skills, tactics and specialized equipment/capabilities.

The SWAT team is comprised of highly trained police officers who have undergone intensive specialized training in the use of numerous specialized weapons systems and specialized equipment.  Each SWAT officer is highly trained to assume a variety of responsibilities within the team with a high degree of expertise and proficiency. Membership on the SWAT team is a collateral assignment and strictly voluntary. All SWAT Team members have primary duty  assignments in Patrol, Traffic, and Investigations.

Desert Regional SWAT is not only made up Tactical Team Members but also incorporates additional personnel assigned to Tactical Emergency Medical Services, Crisis Negotiators, and Tactical Dispatchers.

TRAFFIC CITATIONS

Traffic citations are usually processed and submitted to the traffic court within a week of issuance. All traffic citations are sent to the Riverside County Court in Indio. To pay your fine, ask for an extension, or contest the ticket you must contact the Court. The courthouse is open from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday, except court holidays.

Riverside County Court (Indio)
Larson Justice Center
46-200 Oasis Street
Indio, CA 92201-5933
(951) 222-0384
https://www.riverside.courts.ca.gov/location/larson-justice-center-indio-ca

PARKING CITATIONS

Cathedral City Police Department contracts with a data processing agency to process their parking citations. Parking Citations may be contested by written form to the processing agency and addressed to the Cathedral City Police Department or by going to https://pticket.com.

Please send fines or correspondence to the City of Cathedral City, P.O. Box 2081, Tustin, CA 92681-2081. For additional information regarding your parking citation, you may call 1-800-553-4412.

If you need further assistance, you may contact our traffic division:

Cathedral City Traffic Division
(760) 202-2476

The Cathedral City Police Department provides vehicle release services in accordance with California law. Please review the information below carefully before visiting the Police Department or an impound facility.

Vehicle Release Requirements

• Vehicles will only be released to the registered owner. The only exception is with a notarized letter or valid power of attorney.
• The requestor must have a valid driver’s license or be accompanied by a licensed driver.
• The vehicle must be currently registered, or a valid moving permit must be obtained from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

***YOU MUST OBTAIN A VEHICLE RELEASE FORM FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BEFORE GOING TO THE IMPOUND LOT.***

Vehicle Release Fees

Accepted Payment Methods

Cash or credit card are accepted:

• Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

After-hours, weekends, and holidays:

• Cash is preferred for ease of transaction
• Please bring exact change, as staff does not have access to a cash drawer

Impound Lot Locations