This page lists many of the questions most frequently asked of the Cathedral City Police Department. Additional FAQ pages are available concerning our Online Crime Reporting System and the department's Alarm Response Policy. These are available via special buttons (at the left) or from their respective pages of this site. If you have any other questions that are not answered on this site. Please feel free to call or email us so we can answer your question and post it here for others.
General Information:
It is a partnership between police and the community to educate residents on how to prevent crimes against themselves and their property, to encourage the reporting of suspicious activity, and to maintain a lookout of neighbor’s homes. For more information, call (760) 202-1498.
C.O.P. is an acronym for Citizens on Patrol.
The Cathedral City Police Department’s Citizens on Patrol (COPs) are a tremendous help to the police department and the community. You may see our COP car driving through your neighborhood looking for unreported crime, towing abandoned vehicles, or directing traffic at a traffic collision. Our COPs receive training from sworn police officers and attend monthly meetings. Not only are they an extra set of eyes and ears for the police department, but they serve as ambassadors of the City.
If you would like more information on the citizens on Patrol, please call Sgt. Larry Sanfillippo at (760) 770-0306.
Alarms:
The City took great effort to reach as many citizens and business owners about the new ordinance as possible by utilizing various resources and tools. In November 2011, the Police Department made a public presentation regarding the new ordinance to the City Council. The presentation was included in the City Council Agenda prior to the meeting, and was also made available for public comments. The ordinance was presented to City Council again for a second reading in December 2011, again with prior notice in the Council Agenda and public comments. With approval from the City Council, the ordinance was passed into law to become effective January 15th, 2012. After the ordinance was passed in December 2011, information about the alarm permit and fees were provided to local radio, news media outlets, realty boards, and alarm industry companies asking for their assistance in notifying their customers of the changes. The City also utilized an automated calling system to alert citizens of the new ordinance and alarm permit, sending out an automated message in December and another in January.
Traffic:
If there are no signs indicating otherwise, you can leave your car in one place for up to 72 hours.
Reporting Crime: using the Report Crime Online system.
No. If a crime took place outside of the City of Cathedral City, please call the police department for that city. The only exception to this issue is if you are the victim of identity theft or credit card fraud, then it does not matter where the crime occurred. The police department will accept a report. If you need assistance finding a particular police department’s phone number please call our Records Division at 760-770-0300.
If this took place in a county area of Riverside, you need to call the Riverside Sheriff’s Department.
A known suspect is when you or someone else physically witnessed the suspect(s) commit the crime, or where to find the suspect(s) who committed the crime, or the license plate number of the vehicle the suspect(s) were driving.
This is not defined as a known suspect. Please list this person’s name in your narrative description, and why you believe they are the suspect.
If this took place on a State Freeway, please call the Highway Patrol Office nearest you.
This is still considered part of a State Freeway, so please call the Highway Patrol Office nearest you.
Yes. However, if the nature of the identity theft or credit card fraud is extensive and there is evidence leading to the possible identification of a suspect, please call the Cathedral City Police Department non-emergency line at 770-770-0300 to report the incident. An officer may need to respond for this type of investigation.
If you know the serial number (which is usually only obtained if you look at the item and record the serial number from the item, packing materials and receipts generally have item numbers or store related codes not serial numbers) do not use this reporting system. Please call the police department and an officer will respond.
When evidence exists that can possibly identify the suspect(s) of a crime, please call the Cathedral City Police Department and we will send out an officer to conduct an investigation.
No. An officer must physically take a report for the theft. Please call the police department to report the crime.
No. An officer must take a report for a lost or stolen gun. Please call the police department to report the incident and an officer will respond to your location.
Each online police report will be reviewed. Filing a false police report is a misdemeanor crime under California Penal Code Section 148.5. False reports will be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.