Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Police topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Desert Hot Springs police report: March homicide solved, overall crime down; traffic and short-term rentals still a worry
Summary
At the April 9 Public Safety Commission meeting, police reported a March homicide solved within 48 hours, an increase in some burglary counts and traffic collisions, and credited new staffing and an Office of Traffic Safety grant with a rise in moving citations.
Corey Hattersley, speaking for the Desert Hot Springs Police Department at the Public Safety Commission meeting on April 9, 2026, said investigators cleared a homicide from early March within 48 hours and that detectives also secured an arrest in a 2022 cold-case homicide with assistance from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office Gang Impact Team.
Hattersley provided the department's March statistics: "we had a total of 157 arrests" including 38 felonies, 31 misdemeanors, 46 drug arrests and seven DUIs, and 1,991 calls for service. He said most Group A offenses were down year‑over‑year, but reported burglaries rose from three in March 2025 to nine in March 2026; several of those were vandalism-only incidents or were classified as burglary because a separate felony occurred in a dwelling.
On traffic safety, Hattersley told commissioners that speed and high-traffic corridors such as Palm Drive, Pierson Boulevard and Hacienda Avenue are leading contributors to collisions and that seasonal travel can increase incident counts. "People are just driving too stinking fast," he said, attributing many collisions to excessive speed and heavier traffic during event seasons.
The department also reported a rise in moving citations, from 13 to 53 month-over-month. Hattersley said that increase reflected recently released officers from field-training who are now writing citations, plus overtime enforcement funded by an Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) grant that began in October.
Hattersley emphasized investigative successes: "the detective bureau jumped all over it and had it solved within 48 hours," referring to the March homicide case; charges were filed with assistance from the DA's Gang Impact Team. He did not provide the suspect's name in the meeting report.
Commissioners asked about short-term rental enforcement ahead of major regional events. Hattersley and code‑compliance staff said police respond to noise complaints, maintain lists of short‑term rentals, and that repeat violations can lead to citations and operator-level closures handled by code compliance.
The commission did not take formal action on policing items at the meeting. The police report concluded with an invitation for questions and a recommendation that residents continue to report incidents and use public-safety resources.
The next scheduled meeting of the Public Safety Commission will include further monthly department reports and any follow-up on staffing and traffic enforcement plans.
