Riverside County Sheriff's Department - Menifee Station

If you, a loved one or a family member have been arrested by or are being investigated by the Menifee Police Department / Riverside Sheriff’s Department operating in Menifee, it can cause a lot of anxiety, mostly just from the uncertainty of what will happen or can happen.  Moreover, one is dependent upon the honesty, accuracy and competence of a police officer, who may or may not be experienced or have the same sense of urgency as you in having the police report properly 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 apprehension.  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 smart to know a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement.  It can be good 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 Menifee contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department to provide law enforcement services for Menifee.  In other words, Menifee does not have its own police department.  The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department station in Perris handles this work, although there is a Menifee substation in Menifee, too.  

Based on its population and size, we would expect there to be seventy-five sworn deputies and thirty civilian support personnel to be assigned to duties in Menifee.  

The City of Menifee is 46.62 square miles.  Named after a local miner, Luther Menifee Wilson, Menifee was settled in the 19th century, and established as an independent city in 2008.  Since then, Menifee has become one of the fastest growing cities in California and the United States.  It had an estimated population of 109,399 in 2022.  The incorporated City of Menifee includes the communities of Sun City, Quail Valley and Romoland.

Early development of the Menifee area began with Sun City in the early 1960’s, conceptualized as an active retirement community by Del Webb, a building contractor from Phoenix, Arizona. Webb also developed Sun City, Arizona, under the same concept.  Sun City is located in the northwestern part of Menifee and features a mix of residential and commercial activity.

For arrests along Interstate 215 or State Route 74 crossing Menifee, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will normally handle this work, although one may be thereafter transported to the Menifee substation or Perris Sheriff’s station for processing, a breath test (if a DUI) and booking.  The person may also be held at the Perris jail or the Cois M. Bryd Detention Facility in Murietta 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, Menifee’s population was 43.86% non-Hispanic white, 6.14% Asian, 6.32% African American and 37.79% Hispanic.

Most cases arising out of Menifee are brought at the Murietta Courthouse, 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 Murietta Courthouse would be very serious cases needing specialized prosecutors trained in handling such cases.

Over the last 25 years, our office has not handled a single case arising out of Menifee, however, we  would expect such cases to include, but not be limited to DUI, violation of a protective order, domestic violence, shoplifting and possession of and / or sales of a controlled substance.  

However, we have received phone calls from people in Menifee asking about hiring a criminal defense attorney.  We find that locals to the Menifee 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 are not located in Menifee and presumably have no such ties or loyalties.

Areas Served:  City of Menifee

Below is the Google Map to the Riverside Menifee Station.