Indio Police briefed the City Council on a recent threat at the downtown College of the Desert (COD) campus and said investigators are working to identify a suspect after students reported being threatened in a campus restroom.

Chief Tully (presented in the meeting as the city police chief) told the council the department reviewed calls for service at the COD Indio campus from Jan. 1, 2025, through the most recent reports. He said COD public‑safety personnel contacted Indio Police on a limited number of occasions and that, over that 10‑month period, the campus had just a few reports. The chief summarized the statistics presented to council: two calls for service originating from COD public safety (a pocket‑knife possession in May and a possession‑of‑narcotics matter in August), two self‑initiated calls by Indio officers (a public‑intoxication incident and an under‑the‑influence narcotics contact), and the recent threat incident forwarded by COD.

In the most recent incident, according to the chief, a homeless person using a restroom allegedly made threatening comments to two students, then pulled out a screwdriver and threatened them. The students left and reported the matter to COD public safety, which gathered statements and a photograph and forwarded the case to Indio Police. The chief said the department’s major crimes unit has the investigation and has circulated a flyer to partner agencies to help identify the individual.

"We have since picked up that investigation," the chief said. "Our major crimes unit is investigating that. We are looking to locate the identity of that person." He added that path investigations included collaboration with COD leadership; he specifically thanked COD President Val Martinez Garcia and COD public safety for their cooperation.

The chief told the council that, during the 10‑month review, vehicle burglaries, general thefts and fights (batteries) in the downtown campus area were zero in the reported period, and he urged residents and students to call 911 for active threats so Indio Police can respond immediately. Several councilmembers pressed for timely public communication and for stronger campus reporting protocols; the chief said he recently met with COD public‑safety leadership and reiterated the preference that COD contact 911 immediately for threats that require police response.

Council members also asked the chief to increase visible patrols; the chief said the department had already increased downtown patrols, planned foot patrols and was coordinating with campus public safety, the city’s quality‑of‑life officers, Serna Security and the library’s security team.

No arrests were reported at the meeting; the department said the investigation was ongoing and asked any witnesses to contact Indio Police. The council and the chief emphasized the partnership between the city and COD and encouraged students and campus personnel to report active incidents to 911 so police can respond immediately.