Desert Hot Springs City Council approves police force expansion

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - Desert Hot Springs is moving forward with a major expansion of its police force for the first time in roughly two decades. 

On Tuesday, the city council unanimously approved a resolution to increase the Desert Hot Springs Police Department's authorized staffing level from 33 sworn officers to 45 over the next five years.

The plan also creates a hiring trigger that would allow the department to add even more officers once that 45-officer benchmark is reached. 

"Finally getting to a point where we can implement that and add the officers needed to make sure that not just our citizens are safe, but our police force is safe. You've got to have the force to be able to not be overworked. To be able to handle the calls for duty and to be able to serve the public in a customer service base," said Desert Hot Springs Mayor Scott Matas.

The vote comes as city leaders continue investing in public safety infrastructure.

Last year, officials broke ground on a new police annex on Pearson Boulevard next to the existing station. The annex will provide new locker rooms, office space for detectives, and work areas for specialized police units, a project now nearing completion.

At Tuesday's meeting, the council said the staffing increase and new facilities will help meet the city's growing public safety needs and improve services as the city continues to grow