Since the mid-1980's, the Palm Desert Police Department has included a Special Enforcement tea, (SET) to augment the patrol division. The team consists of one sergeant and four officers, and its primary function is to provide enhanced patrol services to residents of the City of Palm Desert. The team is supplemented by both the Business District Team (BDT) and the Community Oriented Policing Officer (COP). SET conducts the time intensive follow-up investigations of burglaries, thefts, and various other localized crimes, in order to keep the patrol officers in the field and available for further calls for service. Each beat within the City of Palm Desert is covered by a SET member who can devote additional time, as necessary, to the problems that occur within that beat.

SET also conducts specifically targeted investigations to combat identified problems within the city, provides specialized enforcement and security for Palm Desert community events, and interacts with the citizens of Palm Desert on a regular basis as they patrol utilizing bicycles and Segways EPAMD (Electronic Personal Assistant Mobility Device). These innovative patrol techniques are an effective tool to enhance the Community Oriented Policing concept supported by the city and the Palm Desert Police Department. While working on bicycle or Segway patrol, SET officers have close, direct contact with the citizens, business owners, and visitors in the city. Additionally, the bicycle and Segway patrols allow for better mobility and quicker response in business and commercial areas when traffic is heavier.

Further, SET targets specific crimes that affect all three Cove Communities by collaborating with SET officers from Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells Police Departments. These teams of officers identify, investigate and target criminals that are committing crimes throughout our communities by moving from city to city. Communication among the teams is vital to the success of apprehending and convicting criminals who move throughout our neighborhoods continuously committing crimes. It is well known that criminals often commit crimes in the City of Palm Desert, though they reside in neighboring or distant cities. SET focuses upon these individuals by using several strategies, including: collaboration of SET teams, community policing, investigative techniques such as surveillance and undercover operations, as well as direct enforcement.

Our mission strategy is one of PROACTIVE PREVENTION. Palm Desert Police SET continues to be an important part of this strategy and their enforcement techniques have helped dramatically in reducing crime within the city.

The Business District Team (BDT) is comprised of two officers specifically assigned to the business district area, which includes the El Paseo corridor, the Westfield Mall, the Highway 111 corridor, and the Desert Crossing shopping center. While their primary responsibility is to conduct high visibility patrol in this area, they also handle many of the calls for service generated in the business district. The BDT utilizes several different methods to patrol this area, including bicycle, Segway EPAMD (Electronic Personal Assistant Mobility Device), plain unit, foot, and golf cart patrol (see the Business District Team page for more details).

The community oriented policing officer is assigned to SET as a liaison to the specific beat officers, neighborhood watch groups, and the various businesses and apartment complexes within the city (see the Crime Prevention page for more details.)

Click here to see the City of Palm Desert Police Department beats and individual Target Team member responsible for that beat.