Riverside County sheriff reports largely steady calls in Lake Elsinore but notes homicide rise and new Prop 36 theft tool

Lieutenant David Clark of the Riverside County Sheriff—s Office briefed the Lake Elsinore City Council on the department—s fourth-quarter 2024 statistics on calls for service, arrests and response times, and described how the newly enacted Proposition 36 changes theft law that was altered by Proposition 47.

Clark said overall calls for service in October through December 2024 were "pretty flat" compared with 2023 but noted some shifts across categories. "Robbery up a little bit. ... Homicides, unfortunately, you're all aware we had 2 this year where last year we enjoyed 0 homicides at all," Clark said.

The lieutenant attributed a drop in burglaries to the city-funded burglary suppression officer assigned July 1, 2024, and said larceny reports rose in part because more business owners are reporting crimes than in prior years. Clark said average response times for priority-one calls were 5.73 minutes in October, 6.03 in November and 5.86 in December, near the department—s five- to six-minute goal.

On recent state-level changes to theft law, Clark described Proposition 36 as restoring tougher penalties that had been loosened under Proposition 47. "So Prop 36 ... went into effect in mid December of last year, rolls back some of the provisions of Prop 47," he said, explaining the measure can make a third qualifying theft arrest a felony in some circumstances, restoring a tool to deputies for repeat offenders.

Clark also noted personnel and safety issues: the department trained deputies during the quarter, which affected some response times, and he reported a recent line-of-duty death when a deputy collided with a stalled vehicle on a freeway. He did not provide a name during the council discussion.

Council members asked for clarification about Prop 36 implementation and the potential effects on deputy safety and community outcomes. Clark said deputies will have a renewed enforcement tool but that training and adjustments are likely because many deputies worked under Proposition 47-era procedures.

The council did not take formal action on the report; Clark closed his presentation and answered questions from council members.

Clark—s full slides and the department—s quarterly report were submitted to city staff as part of the meeting record.