Public Safety Prioritized in Rancho Mirage [Opinion]

‘The Rancho Mirage Metropolis Council will proceed to be laser targeted on public security.’ — Steve Downs. [Opinion]

Public Security is Job One for any metropolis council.  In Rancho Mirage, we take this duty severely and we intend to do all we will to offer Rancho Mirage residents with the absolute best regulation enforcement, fireplace safety, and emergency medical providers.

In previous years, it was typical for the property crime fee in Rancho Mirage to be barely increased than the typical for the Coachella Valley.  The explanations for this:

• Median family revenue in Rancho Mirage is increased than the typical for the Coachella Valley – some 50% increased.
• Median dwelling worth can be increased – some 30% increased.
• As Rancho Mirage is a fascinating place to stay, we’ve got a excessive variety of 2nd houses.

Which means we’ve got a variety of costly houses stuffed with costly issues that sit unoccupied for big stretches of time.  This additionally signifies that, for a burglar, we’re a goal wealthy setting.

There are a few issues that make sense to do to resolve the problems of a barely increased than common property crime fee and a goal wealthy setting:

• Discipline as many Sheriff’s Deputies because the price range will permit.
• Present these Deputies with the instruments they should do the job.

A number of years in the past, the Rancho Mirage metropolis council started taking precisely these measures.  First, the Metropolis Council elevated the ratio of deputies per 1,000 inhabitants to simply over 2 per 1,000.  This compares to the ratio for all of Riverside County which is 1.15 per thousand.  Second, we made a major improve within the main instrument that our regulation enforcement group tells us is important in fixing property crimes – automated license plate readers.  The Council has approved a rise to about 100 readers city-wide from about 20 readers a few years in the past.  This exceptional instrument has allowed the Rancho Mirage Particular Enforcement Staff to catch suspects typically on the identical day the crime was dedicated.  In a minimum of one case, a stolen automobiles was returned to the rightful homeowners on the identical day of the theft.

Right here’s how the technique of extra deputies and higher instruments has labored.  The Rancho Mirage property crime fee has decreased yearly since 2021.  Down 13% 2021 to 2022.  Down 15% 2022 to 2023.  Down 27% 2023 to 2024.  Down a exceptional 39% from the first 5 months of 2024 to the first 5 of 2025.

One other necessary measure of regulation enforcement success is the “clearance fee” – the variety of property crime instances that resulted in identification and arrest of a suspect.  The newest “clearance fee” information for Rancho Mirage is from 2023 – the speed was 57%.  The newest nationwide information for the clearance fee within the US is from 2022 – the speed was 12.1%.

The underside line is that Rancho Mirage residents can really feel secure in our metropolis with a excessive ratio of Deputies per 1000 residents – an necessary set of instruments that helps these Deputies do their jobs – a effectively skilled and devoted Particular Enforcement Staff that clears instances at a fee of virtually 5 instances higher than the nationwide common.

The Rancho Mirage Metropolis Council will proceed to be laser targeted on public security.  We’ll proceed to work with our Particular Enforcement Groups to offer them with the instruments that make our metropolis secure.