About

Communications Bureau

The Center is staffed by 45 Public Safety Dispatchers and 7 Communications Supervisors. The Center has served as the City’s Public Safety Communications Center for both the Police and Fire Departments since 1984, when the Dispatch Centers for both Departments merged to form one centralized answering point for all emergency services. The Public Safety Dispatcher serves as the primary link between the public and the emergency services for police, fire, and medical aid.

Dispatchers are expected to receive emergency and non-emergency calls from the public for the Police and Fire Departments, along with other City departments.

Community Services Bureau

The Community Services Bureau (CSB) was established to serve as a resource for residents by providing educational information in regards to crime prevention and strengthening community relationships. CSB has also been tasked with enhancement and development of the Department’s youth and community-based programs. The youth programs are designed to educate college and high school students in leadership skills and develop them into law-abiding residents who care and respect the community. CSB personnel coordinate the community programs that include the Citizen’s Academy, Crime Free Multi-Housing, Police Explorer Post 714, Neighborhood and Business Watch, Opportunity With Education (OWE), Riverside Youth Council, Teen 2 Teen, Traffic Education, the Volunteer Unit, You Are Not Alone (YANA), and Youth Court.

Internal Affairs Bureau

The Riverside Police Department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs investigates allegations of misconduct and improper job performance by the Department’s sworn and civilian personnel. In some cases, the allegations are made by the public in the form of personnel complaints; in other cases, misconduct is alleged by police employees or discerned during audits conducted by Internal Affairs. In addition, Internal Affairs reviews all incidents in which police employees are involved in traffic collisions, property damage, vehicle pursuits, uses of force, and police dog bites.

Personnel Bureau

The Personnel Bureau is charged with the responsibility for recruitment, employment, workers’ compensation, and training. The Bureau is also responsible for maintaining complete and accurate personnel records for all members of the police department, which includes processing all personnel matters.

Property & Evidence Unit

The Property Unit of the Riverside Police Department consists of six Property Specialists and one Supervisor. The primary responsibility of the unit is to safeguard and store all items booked as evidence related to criminal proceedings and to process items turned in as found property or safekeeping. Members of the RPD Property Unit receive specialized training in the handling and storage of all types of property and evidence including firearms, narcotics, and hazardous materials. Housed at the Magnolia Policing Facility, the Property Unit occupies over 8,000 square feet of warehouse space with an inventory of more than 150,000 items. The unit processes in excess of 3,000 items per month. All property and evidence is electronically tracked from the time of collection until it is assigned a final disposition by the designated Case Agent.

Records Bureau

The Records Bureau is responsible for collecting and disseminating criminal and incident reports to Investigative Bureaus, other law enforcement agencies, and other involved entities. The Bureau is also responsible for entering critical data from case reports into the Records Management System (RMS). The data in the system is used throughout the Department for investigative purposes. The Bureau process permit applications, coordinates with various divisions in the Department for review and final approval, and maintains the permit files for all permits that have been identified in the Riverside Municipal Codes requiring Police Department oversight. Examples of permits include: Concealed Carry Weapon Permits, Taxi Driver Permits, and Massage Establishment Permits.

Training Bureau

The Training and Development Unit, under the direction of the Personnel Services Commander, shall maintain a Training Plan sufficient to meet all training requirements imposed by statute, P.O.S.T., or any other legal process.