Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest and crime counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Desert Hot Springs, California, in Riverside County, has about 34,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Desert Hot Springs depends on where the incident happened. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the California Public Records Act requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the city's records page, the sheriff's reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Desert Hot Springs public records, Riverside County police reports, Desert Hot Springs arrest records, Desert Hot Springs warrants, Desert Hot Springs inmate search, Desert Hot Springs criminal records, California arrest records and California inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Desert Hot Springs
The report of an incident is released by the agency that took it; the court and the jail hold their own records of the same event, but not the report.
Inside Desert Hot Springs that is the agency that reports to the FBI for the city (filed by the FBI as Desert Hot Springs Police Department); outside it, the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.
The FBI's list also places the Highway Patrol's seven offices in Riverside County; a report taken on a state highway by one of them comes from that agency's own records office.
The FBI's agency list also places three campus police departments, two state agencies and one other agency in Riverside County, each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Desert Hot Springs Police
For Desert Hot Springs, SearchSystems opened and checked the Desert Hot Springs police records page at cityofdhs.org/police-records (page title: Police Records | Desert Hot Springs, CA), phone 760-329-6411, Monday - Thursday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 25, 2026.
The agency that reports for Desert Hot Springs had 165 violent and 357 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 1,275 arrests for 2025.
Reports from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office
The Riverside County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 973 violent and 5,184 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 3,583 arrests for 2023.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at riversidesheriff.org/213/Inmate-Information (page title: Inmate Information | Riverside County Sheriff, CA), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
What the California Public Records Act Requires
Under the California Public Records Act the agency must answer a request within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances, and it may charge the direct cost of copying only, not staff time. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at riversidecountyca.nextrequest.com (page title: Public RecordsNextRequest | Modern FOIA & Public Records Request Software).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Desert Hot Springs?
From the agency that took it. The Desert Hot Springs police records page is at cityofdhs.org/police-records, phone 760-329-6411; the sheriff's reports come from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.
How long does an agency in Desert Hot Springs have to answer?
Under the California Public Records Act, within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances. It may charge the direct cost of copying only, not staff time.
Who has a crash report from a state highway in Desert Hot Springs?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Highway Patrol's seven offices in Riverside County.
How do I get a report from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the California Public Records Act the answer is due within 10 days, with up to 14 more days in unusual circumstances.
Is this the official Desert Hot Springs website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.