Police in the New Menifee City

Law enforcement, or lack thereof, has been one of the biggest selling points on why us folks in the Menifee Valley should vote for cityhood....

Law enforcement, or lack thereof, has been one of the biggest selling points on why us folks in the Menifee Valley should vote for cityhood.

I received an e-mail today from a Menifee 24/7 reader who wanted to express his/her thoughts about contracting with the Sheriff versus building a homegrown police department. Here's what they said...

The latest article I read stated that the new city would initially "contract for services" with Riverside Sheriff. Nothing against them but I don't like that idea at all. Let me explain why.

We currently pay $1.5 million dollars for thier "services" now. $1 million to the Sheriff and $500K to CHP for "Traffic services." Now, that figure nets us (Menifee Residents) 1 Deputy Sheriff and ? CHP Officers (since I never see them providing traffic services). How exactly are we to benefit at all from cityhood and contracting unless we are willing to start our own police department?

Oh, and let me tell you this "it is not cheaper" to contract with Riverside Sheriff, just ask the City of San Jacinto how much they "saved" by contracting out to Riverside. Nothing, in fact they are paying a great deal more now than they ever did with their own police department. in fact I hear they are considering going back to thier own police department as a result (unconfirmed).

Folks we need to do this right from the start, lets' not make the same mistakes other cities have. No complaints against the Fire Department, they are doing a great job (plus at least I see them), but Law Enforcement isn't holding up their end of the bargain. Have you seen the graffitti, gang members, parolees, sex offenders, homeless, and basic thugs running around our soon to be city? Where are the guys in the uniforms being visible and running these folks out of our town (Except for the College Police)?

It's bad enough that there are over 300 forclosed homes in Menifee alone, but that is just the beginning. Next we will be a low rent district with little to no law enforcement until it's too late, can you say "City of Perris." Your Thoughts?
I think it's a foregone conclusion that the new city will contract with the Sheriff. I believe that the "feasibility study", that just barely shows us as being viable, was based on the expectation that we'd contract with the Sheriff.

The important thing to know about this, is that by having our own city, it makes it easier for us to hold our city council members responsible. It's alot easier to vote them out of office than it is for us vote a Sheriff out of office.

If the Sheriff doesn't provide the improvement that we're looking for under the new incorporated city, then we need to vote the city council members out. It's that simple.

To do this, we must have a short list of our top law enforcement improvements, and refer back to this list everytime we evaluate our city council. We also need a public forum to discuss the city council's effectiveness. And I'll be glad to host that discussion here.

One issue I would like the first city council to address, is to have a police officer arrive on the scene within 15 minutes of your call, on average. Right now, if you called the Sheriff's substation, it's likely a Deputy won't even visit you.

So here's a list of top three law enforcement improvements that we should hold our city council members to...

  1. Improve in-person response times to 15 minutes on average, every call

  2. .....

  3. .....
What should the other two law enforcement improvements be?

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  1. I think a higher visibility around the city would do wonders for the small problems that are occuring. I know I am tired of seeing the graffiti around the neighborhoods. The youth do it because they know a Deputy will not be coming around the corner at any minute. While I respect the Sheriffs Department and its men and women, there are just not enough of them to rovide an adequate service to the size of this "City."

    If you do call for service, please make sure you understand that it is not the Deputies fault for the slow response time. They are going to the calls in a priority system.

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  2. Menifee is not a city right now, so you cannot compare services offered now, compared to a city with a "police department" Look at Temecula, they contract with the sheriff for their "police department", and growing up in this area, I can say once they became a city and contracted with the Sheriff to have a police department, it was a tremendous improvement. Also, San Jacinto has had an improvement in servies since switching over to Sheriff. If we became a city and contracted with Sheriff, there would be a station in Menifee and response times would drastically decrease, and visibility would increase. I'm not saying Menifee should contract with the Sheriff's Department, Murrieta has a great Police Department and Menifee could have the same. Either way, services will improve.

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  3. Once Menifee becomes a city we need to sit down with the Sheriff's Dept. and create a plan. We will get limited resources from them, so we need to come up with a community base policing plan. Community watches and coordinated responses from the Sheriff when one of the groups calls in something. It's workable. It just takes community support and follow through.

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  4. Good Job on this topic!! No disrespect to Riverside Sheriff, they have great folks over there, but I have to agree, they just aren't cutting it. I almost never see a deputy in Menifee and response times when you do call are horrible. I spoke to a Deputy recently and he told me that Menifee "is just a response area" I asked him what he meant and he said "We don't come here unless we're called." I asked "Why?" he said "There's too much going on in Perris!" I get it now. We are just going to get the very minimum. It's really nice to know that the College gets more police coverage than our entire (City?). I think the original post hit the nail on the head. If what we get now costs us $1.5 Million, what will it cost us to get what we want and need? BIG BUCKS, which is exactly why this conversation went away months ago. The back door deals have begun, the payoffs have started, and let the contracting begin. No talk of "Our own Menifee Police" because Jeff Stone and the Sheriff made deals to let cityhood through with a back door deal to give the contracts to the Sheriff, in return the city would get more money, which will all go back to the County anyway under contracting. SO IT'S A BIG CIRCUS WHEEL. Come on people wake up! Here is the simple math you can do:

    1 Deputy (24/7) = $1 Million Dollars per year. How many deputies do you want? (the county will be happy to sell em' to ya).

    See they don't need to impress us much with their services since the deal is already done. They are just waiting for the new revenue to come in and expand thier influence to yet another city. We'll never have are own Police or Fire, that's the way it's done in this county. The person who commented on Temecula and thier services is right, but they are paying alot for that aren't they? I think that is the point. We can have more for less if we do it ourselves. I'll be happy to do the math. We do have choices, but it takes the communities voice to get it done. These new city counsel candidates need to know how we feel. Unless no one cares.

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  5. I live in the Heritage Lake development and everyone out here is voting for cityhood, Thanks for including us. We are also having a lot of graffiti at our parks and trails and I have seen maybe one or two police patrols in 2 years. We need more officers, no doubt! My neighbor is a riverside county sherriff and he tells me that there are more officers in this area than previously because of the growth.

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  6. There's two pieces of information that aren't being addressed in the blog post or the previous comments that I would like to bring up:

    1. The Menifee area has no political way to create a police department or fire department until it officially becomes a city. The easiest thing to do once the city incorporates is to sign a short-term contract with the existing safety departments until the new city can put something else into place. Almost all new cities do this with the existing safety departments, then they take time within the first year to establish new contracts or departments. This is no big deal.

    2. If a city contracts with the Sheriff's Department then the city gets what they pay for. Temecula has a wonderful police department and it is by contract with the Sheriff. The reason for this is because Temecula pays for the number of officers they want, the number of units on duty at any time, etc. So if the new city of Menifee wants more officers than what the Sheriff's Department is currently supplying then it can be negotiated and contracted and the City can pay for the better service; as an unincorporated area we have no capability to increase police presence without lobbying the County Supervisors. Most cities that contract with the Sheriff's Department also get a senior officer (usually a Captain) to act as that city's police chief and answer to the mayor and city council. The contracted deputies then become an entire police department for the city.

    I'm not necessarily advocating for a contract with the Sheriff's Department if Menifee becomes a city. I just want people to be aware that the contracting city gets whatever they want and are willing to pay for, regardless of what the Sheriff's Department or CHP do in unincorporated areas. Obviously any contract with any department has many things to consider, but the new Menifee City Council should seriously consider a contract with the Sheriff's Department as a viable option.

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  7. I agree that higher police visibility is and will be an asset to focus on once we incorporate. I believe forming a Menifee Police Department in conjunction with the County Sheriff and the college campus police will benefit the city greatly. I actually have a couple ideas where graffiti and other smaller crimes are concerned. 1. Make a non-emergency phone number easy to dial and remember. 2. If elected I will work close with the police department to keep response times as quick as possible. Make sure they have the resources they need to do the job to protect our communities and respond quickly to even non-emergency calls. 3. I would also work to bring the various homeowners associations to the table and speak directly with our police force, so we know what is working as well as what can be improved on, because who best can give input but citizens living in the areas. I believe that public services(police, fire, first responders) are the true measure of how local communities can be graded, so rest assured I will always do all I can to work with public service departments. As a city official I will work to get our city awarded federal, state, and county public safety funding grants, to keep the funding at adequate levels. We know if we get our public safety departments the resources, they will get the job done. Our public services are going to become even more vital as our city grows.

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  8. We need to do what ever it takes to get more of a presence from the sheriff in this area. I live in the Oak Hill homes near Ridgemoor Elementary and My home was broken into back in Sept and when I called to have someone come out they just wanted to take a report over the phone, the only way I could get them to come out was to tell them, I was scared to go back into my home because I was not sure if anyone was still in there. They didn' care one bit! Some help they were.

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  9. I understand having to wait for a police officer around here may take some time. Also having to wait for an ambulance for 15 min is horrific. There is no reason for anyone to have to wait for a ambulance that is responding from Perris, and trust me it happens. And who's to say that CDF has a paramedic on the fire engine arriving to your door to help your family member with a heart problem. What if your home catches fire and you find that CDF has pulled out the neighborhood fire engine to cover a different area in Riverside County? We do have good Firefighters and Paramedics now, but its the adminstration of Riverside County Sheriff, Cal Fire and AMR Ambulance that I question. Those problems could go away with a city having its own Police/Fire Department. Would it cost us more money? Sure, but Iam willing to pay it for better service and accountability. Taking the cheaper route when it comes to public saftey isnt the best way. If and when I call 911 I want to know that I'm getting the very best service I can for my family.

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  10. I'm not saying that we need to contract with the Sheriff's Dept., but you have to look at all the fiscal issues. With your own Police Dept, every time you book a prisoner there is a fee you have to pay. How long will it be before the "council" decides not to arrest and book people because it's too expensive.
    Once you hire officers, it's a risky job, who do you think will be paying if a couple get injured on duty and get medically retired? You'll be paying their retirement and paying for hiring more officers. Plus with the Sheriff you get the resources of a K-9, helicopter, etc much quicker than with your own police

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  11. In response to the Oak Hills Comment.I live on Ridgemoor and last friday night someone tried to break into my home and I have to say the Sheriffs department did an awesome job. The 911 dispatcher made sure I stayed calm and talked me through the entire situation and eventhough it felt like eternity they took maybe 10 min. There was a helicopter and 6 units setting up a peramiter around my home. They spent ample time surching my yard, my home and the surrounding area. They officers made me feel safe and comfortable.They did not skip a beat. As a wife of a former police officer I understand what these men sacrifice daily. I have lived in this community since I was a child and I am now raising my children here, I still feel safe in my home and I have seen plenty of Deputies around the area and one CHP officer who hangs out on Ridgemoor to control the speeding at least 2-3 times a week. I agree they are spread thin, but lets give credit where it is due. The officers are doing what they can for our community.

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  12. Well it looks like one of the candidates is already in the pockets of the developers taking $2,500 from one of them. It didn’t take long for that. It was nice to see that the candidate said the developer would be required to put roads and parks in along with the thousands of homes. Because there are so many of those developments out there that don’t have any roads?

    It is standard that developers donate land for parks and schools when they wish to build a large amount of homes. So it was good the candidate clarified that she would make them.

    Good luck Menifee.

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  13. To the one who lives near Ridgemoor. I'm glad that you had that kind of response and that you feel safe. The difference is that they did break into my home and cleaned me out and now I don't feel safe, and now I am always scared to leave my home but that wasn't good enough the sheriffs dept They will get the credit from me when I get that kind of response. The officer who finally did come to my home made me feel as though he had something better to do.
    So credit and respect are earned in my book.

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  14. Riverside County lacks the funds to hire enough Sheriffs to have a presence throughout the county. You have to understand, the criminal activity in our area is far less than other parts of the county. The hands of these Sheriffs are tied. They have to respond in order of importance. Felony calls have the higher response rate.

    However, we will see more of a presence here in Menifee. From what I understand, there is now a 2 man team that has been assigned parol just in our area. The response times should improve.

    Another thing to keep in mind: The DA is overwhelmed with cases. (This is what I have been told by a friend with the Sheriff's Dept.) Many cases are being thrown out because the DA feels they will not get a conviction. He is currently getting help from outside the county to get through the current cases but it is expected he will not be caught up for 6 months. Many cases that the Sheriffs work hard to bring to trial are being thrown out by the DA. HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL? I agree, I would like more of a presence here, but we need to look at the big picture. We need a DA THAT WILL GO TO TRIAL, and we need more money to be spent on additional officers. Until that happens, Im sorry, the patrolling Sheriffs can only do so much. They need to be in 3 places at once if they were to please everybody.

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  15. You know I really like what the College did. I live accross from the college and I have to tell you, they really made a huge difference over here. Years ago there was drugs, vandalism, burglaries, car thefts, and other crime going on over here alot. When the Campus Police started working they got very pro-active. I would see them stopping people left and right. There wasn't a day that went by that they were'nt taking someone to jail. Serious crime too, not just small stuff.

    About a year ago I went over to thier police station and I spoke to thier Chief. he was very pleasant and took the time to talk to me for about a half hour or so. I learned a few neat things. First, they didn't have many cops (still don't by the way) but they used a very effective technique. They got pro-active and went after the criminals before they could victimize thier community. See they made it very risky for bad guys to come near the campus area. Therefor they stayed away. Neat concept. Instead of sitting back and waiting to respond, they went after the bad guys. This made a huge difference even to this day. Thier crime rate on the campus is next to zero, and I benefited by having the crime rate in my area drop as well.

    They work really well with the Sheriff and they have nothing but great things to say about Riverside Sheriff. They said the Sheriff is a partner. Together they solve problems. I know that east of the 215 freeway is a much safer place today since they (the college)started thier police Department. The residence over here love them.

    My point is this. If we start our own police I hope they adopt the same way of doing business as the college. I also think the Sheriff and the College Police cound work together more as a team to help Menifee now. I did some research and found out that U.C. Riverside and the Riverside Police have a joint team that works around the University together. Why can't we do the same thing? That would increase the number of police in Menifee and help to solve some of our issues now. Just a thought. By the way I Like the Riverside Sheriff too and I understand that they have a tough job keeping up with the whole county. But to those that are suffering now, that's not much consulation.

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  16. I'm not sure what's the best for Menifee at this point. But I would like to say, the Riverside Sheriff Department responded to my call March 1st when we thought my son was missing while we were having a neighborhood garage sale. They were at my house with in 10-15 minutes. They were great!!

    The sheriff who came to my house stated they had k-9 dogs and a helicopter ready to be sent. I was amazed and so grateful!! He said, they take missing children cases seriously.

    I think their doing a great job! I can recall a lot of things that have occurred in my neighborhood in the last 2 years they have been there every time!!

    I live in the 2nd Shadow Ridge community across from Wheat Field Park.

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  17. I agree that the city should contract with the Sheriff initally until we develop a tax base that can support the cost of our own. With becoming a city, Menifee will recieve a guarnteed level of service (i.e. X number of officers dedicated to Menifee at all times). Currently, we are under county service which can be preempted by Contract obligations to Perris and Canyon Lake. With Contracting to Sheriff, the city will not be able to hire and fire the police chief, but services can be negioited. Additionally, since the Sheriff handles the HR side, the city can develop the police infrastructure first which will make Menifee Police attractive when our officers start wearing Menifee cloth. I highly recommend that a police commission is appointed to ensure that police obligations are met.

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  18. In response and support of this comment: "You know I really like what the College did. I live accross from the college and I have to tell you, they really made a huge difference over here. Years ago there was drugs, vandalism, burglaries, car thefts, and other crime going on over here alot. When the Campus Police started working they got very pro-active. I would see them stopping people left..."

    That is a very good idea. The City should consider a joint contract that incorporates both departments. Since the College has taken the initiave to enforce the law around the college. Especially traffic enforcement, I would distribute the police services across the two departments. At contract negoitions, performance is rewarded with proportional contracts.

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  19. The thing everyone forgets is you get what you pay for. We as county residents can ask to make a special tax district in this area and pay for improved law enforcement services right now - it doesn't take becoming a city to do that. Other unicorporated areas in the county have this and those units are dedicated to that service area - just like the city contract sheriff units. And this talk of utilizing the MSJC police - technically their jurisdiction ends off-campus. Besides, the crime on campus is probably so little the college district could utilize those dollars for other much needed programs within the district. And for those who say they don't see a sheriff's deputy or CHP officer around the area - you must not get out of the house very often, I see them all the time - even the sheriff's Perris "City Police" units are out in this area at times. Anyways, just remember this; if the incorporation goes through, all our taxes will increase, the basic services will pretty much stay the same (unless we pay for more) and there will be more laws and regulations to deal with.

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  20. I keep seeing people say that taxes will go up with incorporation. I wonder what taxes they are talking about? Proposition 13 restricts property taxes to 1%. Special assessments need the consent of the voters. So I wonder how taxes are going to be increased as soon as we become a City?

    For those people who say taxes are going to increase please share how they are going to go up without the majority of people agreeing to raise them?

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  21. The college police are corrupt. We do not want them patrolling the city. They impound cars all the way to san jacinto from MENIFEE! I think this is illegal and I am having my attorney look into this. Do you see them all day long towing cars for no reason. I wonder whats in it for them. I know the officer who towed my motorcycle targets motorcycles all over Menifee. Watch out for them....

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  22. All we really need is an involved Neighborhood Watch and some good parenting. If you see a kid doing something, say something. Don't call the police and waste their time - the kids will be long gone by the time the police get there. They have THOUSANDS of Police Officer's in Los Angeles - have you ever seen the graffiti there? Stand up and say something when you see something wrong - if you are scared, call a couple of neighbors - strength in numbers! This is OUR city!

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  23. First I want to start by saying that I am a police officer for a City that is not in Riverside County. I have 14 years experience. I say this because I want you to know that I do know something about this issue.

    I am really disturbed about a couple of posts that I just read about the campus police. First, I live near the college and I have had the experience of interacting with thier department. They are a very good police department, and I wish our local college did half the work I see them doing. But that aside, I want to say the following:

    The first thing I want to address is this; they are "real" police. Thier "jurisdiction" is the college property and all areas near thier property. Generally that is defined as 1 mile around thier campus.

    Secondly, and most importantly, they can enforce the law ANYWHERE in the State of California. They are P.O.S.T. Certified and are "peace officers" as defined in Penal Code Section 830.32 (a). Try looking it up sometime. Frankly, I think that is great.

    The person who posted the comment about checking with your attorney about the impound issue. Good luck. You will find out that they can impound your vehicle "anywhere in the State of California."

    I think your anger should be directed toward yourself for what ever the reason is you got your motorcycle impounded for in the first place. Use the money for your attorney and spent it more wisely by paying to get your license reinstated. Corrupt? I think not, they are doing thier jobs. Just like I do. Try obeying the law it's not that hard to do.

    I think Menifee needs all the help it can get. I support extra Law Enforcement in menifee (whom ever it may be). RSO is a good department and will do a fine job. I really do not think the college is the least bit interested in becoming a police force for Menifee, but I know they will help the agency that does patrol Menifee. So lets' stop the hate talk and work towards solutions. That's my two cents.

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  24. Thank you to the officer that posted. I am glad to hear from someone who seems to know what they are talking about. My husband is a police officer for a city that does not have a lot of money and it can be really hard at times. The city cannot provide proper equipment, enough officers on the streets or enough pay to entice people to want to work for them. Having our own department will cost a lot more than 1.5 million a year. Just think about salary... a small city has about 50 sworn officers averaging $75,000 to $150,000 a year with overtime. That is over $4 million and we haven't even built a station or bought cars yet. I think we need to slow down on the idea of our own police dept and get cityhood settled first. See how much money the city is generating. Once cityhood is in place a second option to look into how much Murrieta cost to contract with. There are other cities out there that have contracted with neighboring cities for police and it works quite well. Sometimes it may look a little more expensive than the Sheriff but often times you get a lot more for your money. Just a suggestion.

    I also want to mention that I hope we are campaigning a lot in the "core" of Sun City. I have heard that some of the residence are concerned about losing the 55 and older restriction if Menifee incorporates.

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  25. Thank you to the officer that posted. I am glad to hear from someone who seems to know what they are talking about. My husband is a police officer for a city that does not have a lot of money and it can be really hard at times. The city cannot provide proper equipment, enough officers on the streets or enough pay to entice people to want to work for them. Having our own department will cost a lot more than 1.5 million a year. Just think about salary... a small city has about 50 sworn officers averaging $75,000 to $150,000 a year with overtime. That is over $4 million and we haven't even built a station or bought cars yet. I think we need to slow down on the idea of our own police dept and get cityhood settled first. See how much money the city is generating. Once cityhood is in place a second option to look into how much Murrieta cost to contract with. There are other cities out there that have contracted with neighboring cities for police and it works quite well. Sometimes it may look a little more expensive than the Sheriff but often times you get a lot more for your money. Just a suggestion.

    I also want to mention that I hope we are campaigning a lot in the "core" of Sun City. I have heard that some of the residence are concerned about losing the 55 and older restriction if Menifee incorporates.

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  26. Thank you for the police officer's comment and the parent stating to handle vandalism directly. Fear can not be your resolve for defending your community. The police cannot respond to every issue. People need to be held accountable for their actions, I see kid doing something wrong or adult I say something. It is all about your approach. Also, vandals come from homes in this area, your kids. So stop looking to everyone else to resolve your problem that is now plaguing this community. Parents, grandparents and relatives to vandals, the word is out and people are tired of your children turning this community into thug land. Whatever you do with police presence don't waste their time with your problems that you are not dealing with yourselves.

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  27. Hi there. I moved here two years ago into a brand new community and our street has been a target for car break-ins over and over again. We bought a really great camera with night vision and 360movement tracker (a little expensive, but worth it). After losing so much stuff to these thiefs, we haven't seen them since, which makes me think they know someone around here. Anyhow, if the camera is a deterent, that's good enough for me. If we catch them in the act, that will be good too. One less of them on the street. Nothing else will happen on our street without getting prosecuted. I recommend getting a 360 degree night vision camera (with DVR) and mounting it to one of the houses on every street. We review ours every morning for any sign of trouble and our neighbors are very appreciative. I refuse to live in fear, especially when I paid so much for my house. =)

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  28. Menifee should get their own police force. I don't mean to compare but Murrieta has their own police force and the city is safest in
    Riverside county. Police around Murrieta are serious about their work. In January my fater truck key hole was missing and we called the cops and they got here in 15 minutes (seems long but their was no immediate danger us) but their response time was pretty fast and the cop checked for fingerprints and told us thanks for calling so we can catch the person ring to break in into cars around this area. She even gave us a card in case something comes up. She left kinda fast due to an accident that happend on Clinton Kieth. That kind of security makes me feel safe in our town. Murrieta is now has now finished the new police hub sation off of Bradley Road along with a fire station. Murrieta is always looking for way to keep Murrieta safe. Meinfee could be jut as good as Murrieta if they get their own police station or even better =)

    check out my blog North Murrieta @ http://northmurrieta.blogspot.com/

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  29. I am not sure If anyone got stopped by the checkpoint yesterday night, but I really belive they are not doing it to keep people safe or to prevent drunk drivers it is a big scam to get people with low income in a bigger hole since they are impounding their cars and as you know is the wekend so they are not able to get their cars back untill monday, halfh of those pople are law obeying citizens and as you know they only conduct those check points by the end of the month so they can keep their couta comming in. It feels like the police steals you car in a legal way so you can pay up to $500 to get it back. I am saying this because I am one of them, yesterday I got stopped nad they impounded my truck because my licence was expired for 2 months wich in reality was my fault for not noticing but taking my vehicle away was just not the lawfull thing to do, belive me this can hapen to anyone of you. Sorry If I change the subject of your posting. beaware

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  30. "Taking my vehicle away is not the lawful thing to do"? Yes, it is the lawful thing to do because it is the law. Get it?

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  31. I agree with the individual in the article, and the first comment...high visibility will stop all those youth who's parents make so much money they have no time to discipline them, and as a result the youth have nothing better to do than ding dong ditch and destroy individual's hard earned property. Not to mention the numerous stolen cars...i mean come on...90% of people living in menifee have gotten their car stolen at least once. Furthermore, we need a PD that will solve serious crime matters like the young man who was found dead under the bridge near newport road(remains unsolved). I mean, I would say that is a pretty tremendous priority for those of you that think the contracted officers have better priorities. Also the only time I ever see CHP or law enforcement stopping individuals for supposed traffic violations is on antelope road or another main road, in which I see 100% of the time, an officer who stops a vehicle with 5 hispanics and a truck full of maintenance equipment. Let's face it, we need a good group of officers, that are educated about the law, and most importantly educated regarding the various diverse individuals living in Menifee. Those officers will only come out of MENIFEE. Only the Menifee community will know what kind of protection MENIFEE needs. Also, visibility is the best DETERRENT...besides those of you who grew up here, you can not compare what the area needs now with the way it was before. There are different people from different place, lifestyles, and cultures moving here. The person who posted about we get what we pay for, well if we dont have enough money as does temecula or whatever other city has money to pay for extra officers, then that doesnt mean that we should just pay more. And what are you talking about no political way. Social and Political capital!!!!!...We use what we have since we dont have money...and that's us. I am very interested in becoming a police officer to protect and serve the community in menifee because I live in it, my parents lived in it, my friends and family live in it, my neighbors live in it, the kids I coach live in it. And even if we do have the money, i think its safe to say that most of the menifee community will be willing to pay more for their own pd and whatever other resourcesm, if it means keeping their community with immediate and helpful resources.
    And im sorry but, if your spouse is or was a police officer, of course officers are going to assist you the most, and you are going to see them alot, because you will know exactly how to complain, who to complain to, and what they are doing wrong. My mom is a nurse and she knows exactly when a nurse isnt doing a job, and how she should be doing it, and she will ask the necessary questions to get the best service. Even she admits that some professionals like nurses will overlook things, because the public isnt aware of the things they should be doing. I'm sorry but you have to at least see it thru the eyes of the rest of menifee who come from san diego and los angeles where there is high crime and a visible police force who work effectively. As police officers posting or relatives of police officers posting i think it is very disrespectful to descredit the thoughts and opinions that the general public posts simply because they have no expereince working with or on the force. We are not saying that the officers just simply suck. If Riverside force was ON POINT, then Menifee citizens wouldnt have stories to tell about officers saying things like "this is just a response area". Every officer would say, "you know what, unfortunately blank blank blank, we are doing our best for your community." We are just saying, we know what we need, we know how we can do it, and we can get it done. Also we arenot saying that we dont need to go it alone. We can always learn from those who have it together and partner with them. I mean hello, even Target Assets Protection partners with the Riverside Police department. Finally, with the woman who's child went missing, I am very glad your child turned up just fine. However, i think also that getting a police force in Menifee would serve as a tool to educate the community. Im not saying that it was this woman's fault, but her incident reminded me that in my neighborhood there is an entire block behind my block that lets their kids, that are no older than 5 or 6 run around the streets while they are inside the house. These kids are like 2,3,4,5, and 6, wandering around the block, to the other side of the block...its insane! We do not live in an ideal city where everyone is peaceful and harmless. People think because we live in new homes in the suburbs we can leave our windows open, doors unlocked during the day, and children playing without supervision until the sun goes down. All im saying is, the people of Menifee need to decide what to do for their community and there are people who are willing to protect and serve.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Graffiti is a problem that can be reduced by holding parents responsible for the actions of their children.
    The graffiti in this area appears to be for recognition not gangs but individual. Community involvement is necessary to rid the area of your next door neighbor tagger. No police department can do it by themselves, you can do more than they can, by making complaints and by willings to spend your time in court. and at city counsel meetings,
    P.S. give the Sheriff's Department a chance with our city, before judging that they are not able to preform.

    IHF

    ReplyDelete
  33. I know this is a little in the forthcoming but some people need to understand that comparing how a contract service would be like to what they had in the past can not be done. For one, the deputies assigned to the areas in the past had areas by Canyon Lake, Perris, etc., all the way to Hemet to cover in a single shift, they were not DEDICATED to the Menifee area, they had other areas to patrol, so that is why they were not seen all the time.

    Having a contract means there is a deputy(deputies) ASSIGNED to ONLY Menifee, and no where else so they will always be there, so it is NOT like getting the same level of service.

    Temecula, Perris, San Jacinto, Cochella, Palm Desert, Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, ALL have contracts with RSO, they have the city name on the cars, and on their patches, but the uniforms and vehciles are the same as the County SO one. But they are DEDICATED to THAT city. You WILL get a better level of service.

    I was BORN and RAISED in Menifee, right off of Haun and Scott, I was a Police Explorer with Temecula for 4.5 year so I know how the Sheriff's Department work. I am only 24 but have about 10 years of Law Enforcement experience under my belt, and I have always dreamed of being an officer in Menifee, but it was never a city. I moved from there in May of 07 and became a police officer in Arkansas. Now I live in Indiana. Someday maybe I will move back with my family, and who knows, maybe I will be one of the first police officers in the City of Menifee, giving me a chance to serve the community I was raised in.

    I actually think that being able to have it's OWN police department, started from scratch like Murrieta did is the best option. It is down the road, but it will allow for the CITY to have a say on how many officers it wants on the streets and not have to be in a contract which may make a city go broke.

    Jason B.
    tpdexplorer@msn.com

    ReplyDelete
  34. Menifee residents should be proud to be citizens of the newest city in Riverside County! Please DON'T BE FOOLED by the hallow promises of the Sheriff's Department. They have huge staffing shortages and are facing massive budget cuts (like most government agencies. Their history is that they pass on their budget woes to the CITIES THEY CONTRACT WITH. We are their only source of income! Look at San Jacinto, Lake Elsinore, Perris and others. They have see big increases recently and they can do nothing about it. The Sheriff only has so many deputies to go around to all these contract cities, they share people all the time. We need to look at starting a city police department ASAP! We incorporated for LOCAL CONTROL...why contract with the County?

    ReplyDelete
  35. I think people posting negative comments toward the Riverside County Sheriff's Department need to do their research. It is a proven fact that cities get more bang for their buck with a contract, then with their own police department. There are many factors the average citizen is not taking in to consideration ie: overtime (court, parole hearings, late arrest etc) vehicle pusrchases and upkeep, worker comp, lawsuits, aviation, SWAT and many more resources.

    The number of expenses that the county incurs go far beyond what you ever think of. Small cities are usually one lawsuit away from being taken over by the county. When a city contracts they are not paying for all these other expenses that they could never afford.

    The cities in this county that contract with the Sheriff enjoy many services that other cities do not. Just ask Hemet, Blythe, or DHS how they are doing of late. Do you want more cops on the street or do want to say you have your own police department. You need to money to pay for all this.

    As far as response time. It is the same anywhere. When people call the police to handle their parenting, neighbor and family issues it drains the resources to prevent other quality of life issues and respond true emergencies. So be responsable and mature and stop calling for meaningless problems that really don't require police intervention, like your child that won't behave. Be a parent or be mature. You have to understand calls are priooritized for a reason. The neighbor kid who accidently broke your window does not take priority over the man beating his wife or the robbery or traffic accident.

    People in Menifee need to relax and understand they need to take some of the blame for the problems and it is not the sheriff departments fault. Oh, and lets not forge the new burden of traffic. Easy solution pay attention and drive within the law and help prevent traffic accidents. This will help increase your response time.

    So before you complain about the Sheriff's service, educate yourself and know the facts before you speak.

    ReplyDelete
  36. The constructive criticism is great; with exception. An average response time of 15 minutes is ridiculous with the amount of man power the city is right now paying for. To meet this first set goal you have to hire more bodies, simple goals of efficiency. Look at Temecula they have an overwhelming amount of manpower and are able to be "visible." You can not just be visible when you are busy taking low priority calls.

    ReplyDelete

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