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Police chief: robberies rose in 2024 under new NIBRS reporting; motor vehicle thefts fell
Summary
Police Chief Steven Shaw told the Public Safety Commission that transition to the NIBRS system produced a fuller accounting of offenses: robberies rose from 22 in 2023 to 40 in 2024 (27 cases involved shoplifting that escalated), three homicides were reported in 2024, and motor vehicle thefts fell 30% (191→133). He also announced a March 25 groundbreaking for a new police annex.
Police Chief Steven Shaw presented the Desert Hot Springs Police Department’s 2024 annual report to the Public Safety Commission on March 13, explaining that the department’s conversion to the NIBRS reporting system captures multiple offenses per incident and affects year‑to‑year comparability.
Shaw said reported robberies rose from 22 in 2023 to 40 in 2024, an 81% increase driven largely by shoplifting incidents that escalated into robberies when force or fear was used. “We saw an increase of 81% of robberies in 2024 compared to 2023,” Shaw said, and he clarified that 27 of the 40 robberies involved situations that began as shoplifting. He added that nine of the robbery cases involved a handgun.
On homicides, Shaw reported three in 2024, noting that one case led to an arrest while two remain under active investigation and that there were indications of gang or narcotics involvement in some cases. He cautioned that small absolute changes can produce large percentage shifts: “One homicide is way too many,” he said, explaining the increase from two homicides in 2023 to three in 2024.
The department also recorded a 30% decrease in motor vehicle thefts (from 191 in 2023 to 133 in 2024). Shaw credited public prevention steps and volunteer programs, and he told commissioners that volunteers donated 2,612 hours to the department in 2024.
Shaw announced a groundbreaking ceremony for a new police annex building on March 25 at 11 a.m.; he said the annex will provide locker rooms, a training room, briefing space and storage and that construction will take roughly a year.
Commissioners asked for details about the robberies and homicides; Shaw said the armed robberies were mostly sporadic street robberies with one bank robbery that resulted in an arrest, and investigators continue to work several homicide leads.
Next steps: the department will continue investigations and the city will hold the March 25 groundbreaking for the annex.
