Riverside County Sheriff's Department - Indian Wells Station

If a loved one, a family member or you have been arrested by or are being investigated by the Indian Wells Police Department / Riverside Sheriff’s Department operating in Indian Wells, it can cause a lot of worries, mostly just from the uncertainty of what will happen or can happen.  Moreover, one is dependent upon the competence, honesty and accuracy of a deputy sheriff, who may or may not be experienced or have the same sense of urgency as you do in having the police report professionally written.  

Facing such a situation, knowing the bail amount (if any) associated with the offense or offenses at issue if police deny an own recognizance (OR) release may ease one’s worries.  It is also good to know what evidence is needed to convict one for the crime or crimes that allegedly took place, the defenses possible and the sentence a judge can impose if one is convicted of the crime or crimes. 

 
We at Greg Hill & Associates believe it is well worth the time to know a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement.  It can be wise to know the size of the police or sheriff’s department, the area’s demographics, a bit of history about the town, city or area, and the most common types of crimes the department investigates to make one’s communication with law enforcement more meaningful, more savvy and perhaps, more respectful.  This can lead to a better outcome than if one lacks such perspective and makes assumptions that may be wrong.

This article is presented with these goals in mind.

The City of Indian Wells contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department to provide law enforcement services for Indian Wells.  In other words, Indian Wells does not have its own police department.  The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department also polices nearby Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage.

The City of Indian Wells  is 14.58 square miles and has a population of 4,757 as of the 2020 census.

Indian Wells is known worldwide for the annual Indian Wells professional tennis tournament.  It is played on outdoor hardcourts at the Indian Wells Tennis Gardena and is held in March.  The tournament is part of the ATP Masters 1000 events on the ATP Tour and part of the WTA 1000 events on the WTA Tour.  

The tournament is the best-attended tennis tournament outside the four Grand Slam tournaments (493,440 in total attendance during the 2024 event).  It is often called the "fifth Grand Slam" in reference to this. 

The Indian Wells Tennis Garden has the second-largest permanent tennis stadium in the world, behind the U.S. Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.  

For arrests along State Route 111 crossing Indian Wells, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will normally handle this work, although one may be thereafter transported to the Indian Wells Police Department or the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station for processing, a breath test (if a DUI) and booking.  The person may also be held at the John J. Benoit Correctional Facility in Indio / until bail is posted or the person is transferred to the Riverside County Jail, also called the Robert Presley Detention Center in downtown Riverside.

As of 2010, Indian Wells’s population was 92.3% non-Hispanic white, 1.7% Asian, 0.6% African American and 4.2% Hispanic.

Most cases arising out of the Indian Wells Police Department’s areas of responsibility are brought at the Indio Courthouse, (the Palm Springs Courthouse is just used for traffic court), but some are also brought at the Riverside Hall of Justice at 4100 Main Street in downtown Riverside.  Cases that may be filed at the Riverside Hall of Justice instead of at the Indio Courthouse would be very serious cases needing specialized prosecutors trained in handling such cases.

Over the last 25 years, our office has handled not a single case arising out of Indian Wells.  However, we would anticipate that such cases  would include, but not be limited to, DUI, domestic violence, shoplifting and possession and / or sales of a controlled substance.  
However, we have received phone calls from people in Indian Wells asking about hiring a criminal defense attorney.  We find that locals to the Indian Wells often distrust local criminal defense attorneys as being social friends with prosecutors and judges, so they are unwilling to fight too hard to preserve their friendships, so we are considered as counsel instead because we presumably have no such ties or loyalties.

Areas Served:  City of Indian Wells.

Below is the Google Map to the Riverside Indian Wells Station.