Palm Springs PD is a month into Operation Relentless Sun. Officers and CSOs have done a fantastic job counting, contacting, and coordinating resources for the homeless and conducting enforcement efforts. My command staff recently briefed me on ORS; here is where we are with the project. Operation Relentless Sun will be a long-term effort fraught with many difficulties, improvements, and setbacks. Still, we are determined to give our best effort and be transparent and compassionate yet firm in our approach.
The strategy has two parts: enforce micro hot spots and use leveraged deterrence to gain compliance. For research on these two policing strategies: micro hot spot policing and leveraged deterrence. The four initial hot spots are Sunrise and Vista Chino, 400 South Palm, Sunrise and East Palm Canyon, and Ramon and Crossley. Progress at those locations is improving, but the numbers can change daily. Therefore, a before and after picture is essential to understand the problem and assess our progress:
Sunrise and Vista Chino: 10 tents with 15 people. A month later, two tents.
Ramon and Crossley: 32 tents with 37 people. A month later, all tents are gone.
South Palm Canyon: Two tents and ten people frequent the area. Now, one tent and five people.
East Palm Canyon and Sunrise: 15 people loiter there. Now, three people regularly are there.
We recognize there has been some displacement. Once the hot spots are stabilized, officers will move to the next spot.
- Number of unduplicated homeless in Palm Springs: 330
- Individuals sent to their original hometown: 14
- Homeless people provided resources pamphlets: 330 +
- Arrests made by officers: 68
The Coachella Valley Rescue Mission and Jewish Family Services have been an enormous help, and PSPD is grateful for their support.
Andrew Mills - Chief of Police - Palm Springs 