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Police Department

Emergencies 911

Cellular Emergency  (760) 836-3220

Non-Emergency  (760) 836-3215

Poison Control Center (800) 876-4766

Riverside County Sheriff's Department (Rancho Mirage Police)
73-705 Gerald Ford Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92211
Business (760) 836-1600
http://www.riversidesheriff.org

California Highway Patrol
79-650 Varner Road
Indio, CA 92203
Business (760) 772-8911
Highway Conditions (800) 427-7623
http://www.chp.ca.gov 

Captain's Message

As the Station Commander, I am also the Chief of Police for the City of Rancho Mirage Police Department and I want to welcome you to the Rancho Mirage Police Department web site. Access to the Department through the Internet is an effective way of communicating with our residents. I encourage you to spend time exploring our web site and associated links. It is my hope that by learning more about the Rancho Mirage Police Department that you will have a better understanding of the Department's responsibilities and our approach to these responsibilities. I believe you will find that the Department is diverse in the services we offer. Also, the Department is well organized and highly trained with a staff of dedicated men and women.

Please continue to visit our web site to communicate with us. I invite you to email us with your questions and observations. Be sure to check out the interactive pages, which are designed to help speed the crime reporting process, and to help report problem traffic areas within the City. The use of the interactive pages will expedite the time in which you can receive a report for insurance purposes, or for your own personal records. This method of filing a report will help keep sworn deputies on the streets, working to protect our community.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the Rancho Mirage Police Department.

Captain Kevin Vest

Captain Kevin Vest

Captain Kevin Vest has over 18 years of law enforcement experience. He joined the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1993 and was first assigned as a deputy to the Southwest Detention Center. In 1995, he was transferred to patrol operations at the Palm Desert Station.

In 1997, Captain Vest was one of the first motorcycle officers assigned to the City of Rancho Mirage. In 2000, Captain Vest was promoted to Investigator at the Jurupa Valley Station and was later promoted to Sergeant at the Indio Station. Captain Vest was in charge of Traffic Enforcement for the City of La Quinta and was later re-assigned to Investigations within the Indio station.

In 2004, Captain Vest was transferred as a sergeant to the Hemet Station to assist with the newly acquired contract for the City of San Jacinto. In 2005, he was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to the Larry Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. In 2006, he was transferred to the Hemet Station where he served as the Chief of Police for the City of San Jacinto.

In 2008, Captain Vest was transferred to the Special Investigations Bureau, where he was awarded the Medal of Merit for his development and implementation of an administrative database for the entire Sheriff’s Department. In 2009, Captain Vest was transferred to the Sheriff’s Technical Services Bureau. The Technical Services Bureau provides Information Technology Services to the entire Sheriff’s Department and all outlying facilities.

Captain Vest served in the United States Marine Corps from 1986-1992, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from National University. In 2001, he earned his Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from California State University San Bernardino. Captain Vest serves as an adjunct instructor at the Ben Clark Training Center and California State University San Bernardino. Captain Vest recently returned to college and has completed undergraduate work in Crime Analysis, Computer Science, and GIS technology.

Captain Kevin Vest is married and has three children and one grandson. He resides in the City of San Jacinto.

Lieutenant Pete Ortiz

Lieutenant Peter Ortiz began his career in law enforcement in 1988, graduating from the Riverside Sheriff's Academy, Class 108. 

Deputy Ortiz's first assignment was at the downtown Riverside Jail, known as the "Old Jail." He then helped open the Robert Presley Detention Center in 1989.  In 1991, he was transferred to the Banning patrol station, where he worked as patrol deputy and in the detective bureau. During his time in Banning, he was appointed as a Senior Deputy Sheriff.  He also served as a field training officer and a range master.  In 1998, he was named a department Public Information Officer and assigned as the PIO in the Desert area.  That assignment was short, as he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in early 1999.  He was re-assigned back to the Robert Presley Detention Center where he worked as a shift supervisor, then as a supervisor in the Inmate Classification Unit.  In January 2002, he returned to the Coachella Valley for an assignment as a patrol supervisor at the Palm Desert Sheriff's Station.  While he was there, he also worked as the station administrative sergeant.  His duties in that assignment included recruiting, hiring and managing volunteers.  This aspect of the job was very enjoyable to him as he appreciates the talents and effort volunteers contribute to the department and to the community.  Under this supervision, the volunteer Desert Sheriff's Search and Rescue unit received a unit citation for outstanding service from the Sheriff's Department.  In November 2006, he was transferred to the department's Professional Standards Bureau, more commonly known as Internal Affairs.  He worked in both the Civil Liability unit, then in Internal Affairs. This was another short assignment, as he was promoted to Lieutenant in August 2007.  As a lieutenant in the Correctiions Division, he had assignments at both, the Indio Jail and the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.  He supervised Floor Operations, then the Inmate Classification Unit which includes the Gang Unit, the Detective Unit and Corrections Division K-9 unit, for which he wrote the program guidelines and the Department policy and protocol.  In September 2011, Lieutenant Ortiz returned to the Palm Desert Sheriff's Station and was assigned to the Rancho Mirage Police Department.

Lt. Ortiz is married and has two children, a daughter and a son. He is active in various church activities and enjoys coaching youth sports, including football, baseball and basketball.