Palm Springs Police Prepare for the “Panic Stage”

Palm Springs Police Chief Bryan Reyes said a lot of meetings are going on behind the scenes, "in preparation of what's going on now, and what's to come."

Reyes said the department has seen a slow down in service calls, as the city remains under the shelter-in-place order. But he's concerned that could soon change, into what he calls "the panic stage."

"I think the panic stage is likely to occur in the coming weeks. We've witnessed it to some degree over the past few days, in regards to people clearing the shelves of stores. There has been absolutely no indication that there's going to be an interruption to the supply chain of food, but look at how people are responding now from the onset," Reyes said.

And that's why Reyes said the department's 104 officers are now preparing for the possibility of rioting.

"We have our officers going over procedures, protocols, how to move crowds, having proper gear, all those things are occurring behind the scenes now in preparation for such a situation," Reyes said.

As far as protecting officers from the virus, Reyes said they are now minimizing contact in the field. The department's lobby is also now shut down to the public, with a sign asking people to phone-in reports or make them online.

Palm Springs resident Steven Meyers was not happy about that.

"That's preposterous. How can you protect the public if you can't interact with the public?" Meyers said.