Beginning next week, Hemet Police Department officers will increase the number of marked units, bicycle and foot patrols throughout the city as part of an annual campaign to reinforce safety measures during the Holiday Season.
“Operation Holiday Shield” will begin more than a week before Thanksgiving — when it traditionally has been initiated — to demonstrate “a highly visible presence” of public safety personnel, including sworn officers and non-sworn community services officers, according to HPD Chief Michael Arellano.
“While we continue to see positive progress in public safety throughout our city, I recognize that some residents still have concerns about their personal safety when visiting shopping centers and other commercial areas,” Arellano said Wednesday. “Operation Holiday Shield is not about responding to a crime crisis. It’s about being proactive, increasing our visibility and making sure our residents feel comfortable and confident shopping right here in Hemet.”
The chief said deployments will be in close proximity to businesses and will additionally focus on public parking areas, where residents can expect to see marked patrol cars, bicycle patrols and officers walking their beats, with volunteers also monitoring problem areas.
“Our efforts will be particularly focused on Fridays and throughout the weekends, when shopping activity is typically at its highest,” Arellano said. “I want to encourage our residents to shop locally this Holiday Season. Hemet has many wonderful businesses, both large and small, that contribute to our local economy and make our community what it is. Our officers will, of course, remain vigilant and prepared to address criminal activity and public safety concerns when necessary.”
He said the goal is for residents to have “confidence … in their ability to live, work, shop and enjoy their own community.”
“That’s what Operation Holiday Shield is all about,” the chief concluded.