SUCCESSFUL HEMET ROCS EVENT AT LARGE APARTMENT COMPLEX
On October 8, 2013, at 9:45 am, members of the Hemet ROCS Team responded to 40 individually owned four-plex apartments located north of Rosalia St. between Hamilton Ave. and Elk St., and south of Oakland Ave. The area was formally known as the Crestwood Estates.
During the last year, the complex has been a drain on public safety services with Hemet P.D. responding hundreds of times to the area for various types of incidents, some of them involving violence. The area also has also been plagued by building and safety violations.
Twenty one federal, state and local law enforcement officers systematically swept the properties, contacting numerous people in and around the 160 apartments. Seven warrant services were attempted, four parole searches conducted, twelve probation searches, and officers assisted Riverside County Housing officials with inspections of Section 8 Housing within the target area.
The event resulted in (2) parole violation arrests, (2) AB109 probation violation arrests, (5) probation violation arrests, (3) arrests for weapons violations, (1) drug arrest, and (5) arrest warrants served. Team members also found a resident selling food out of her apartment without a proper permit, and an illegal massage parlor operation. Chief Dave Brown said, “It is a true team effort to put this type of large scale event together, our customers, the residents of Hemet should be proud that the City is targeting these types of issues. We have a long way to go but I am very optimistic about our progress.”
City of Hemet inspectors conducted interior and exterior inspections at each of the forty buildings. Numerous violations were noted and Hemet Code Enforcement Officers will be following up on each violation with the building owners. Code Enforcement will give the owners a specific time frame that they must correct the violations or be subject to fines, or have their properties abated as public nuisances. Community Development Director Deanna Elliano said “It is great that the ROCS Citizen Advisory Committee that worked so hard on establishing the building blocks for this program can start to see the fruits of their labor.”
This operation would not have been successful without the participation of the following agencies: Region 3 Gang Task Force, Central Riverside Post-Release Accountability Corrections Team (PACT), Murrieta Police Department, Hemet Police SWAT Officers, Hemet Fire Department, Hemet Code Enforcement, Hemet Building and Safety, Riverside County Fair Housing, and Riverside County Economic Development Agency (HUD).
The Hemet ROCS (Restoring Our Community Strategy) was developed by the Hemet City Council to be a multi-departmental effort to address municipal codes and the enforcement of those codes while targeting quality of life issues in Hemet.