Sheriff Department

 

More than 3 million tourists visit the Morongo Basin annually, with the majority traveling to visit the world-famous Joshua Tree National Park. There, a team of park rangers offers basic police protection while major crimes are jointly investigated.

 

Recent annexation efforts now place the main side of the world's largest United States Marine Corps base within the City boundaries of Twentynine Palms (known now as the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command). Providing police protection to the military personnel there is a well-trained Military Police Department that serves under the command of the base Provost Marshal (PMO). The San Bernardino Sheriff's Department has joint law enforcement jurisdiction and authority on the base. It works hand-in-hand with the PMO and Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigators.

 

To meet the needs of such a diverse area, the station relies heavily on the community's many human resources, those willing to partner with the department in its public safety mission. As a result, the station has some 200 members in its various Volunteer Forces organizations. Volunteer units such as Uniformed Patrol Reserves, Search and Rescue, Mounted Equestrian Search and Rescue, Explorer Scouts, and seven separate Citizen Patrol Units work in support of uniformed patrol deputies to provide a dynamic and community-based law enforcement service. Additionally, the geographical diversity of the area requires innovative approaches to the specific concerns of the citizens. One such approach is illustrated by the recent formation of a station Off-Highway Vehicle Enforcement Team, which consists of uniquely trained deputies who operate Kawasaki dual sport motorcycles to enforce laws regulating the ever-expanding hobby of "off-roading," together with public awareness.