Riverside County Sheriff's Department - Perris Station

If a loved one, a family member or you have been arrested by or are being investigated by the Perris Police Department / Riverside Sheriff’s Department operating in Perris, it can cause a lot of anxiety, mostly just from not knowing 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 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 decrease 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 prudent to know a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement.  It can be helpful 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 Perris contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department to provide law enforcement services for Perris.  In other words, Perris does not have its own police department.  The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department station for Perris is at 137 North Perris Boulevard in Perris.  The officers are also responsible for patrolling the City of Canyon Lake, Gavilan Hills, Glen Valley, Homeland, Juniper Flats, Lake Mathews, Lakeview, Mead Valley, Mead Valley, Nuevo, Romoland, Sun City, Winchester and Woodcrest.

This is a large station, however, we were not able to find out exactly how many sworn deputy sheriffs and civilian support personnel are assigned to it.  

The City of Perris is 31.68 square miles and has a population of 78,700 as of 2020.  It is southeast of downtown Riverside and northeast of Lake Elsinore.

The city is named in honor of Fred T. Perris, chief engineer of the California Southern Railroad. The California Southern connected through the city in the 1880’s to build a rail connection between the present day cities of Barstow and San Diego.

CSR purchased the land from Southern Pacific Railroad for a town site.  Local citizens offered to erect a depot, dig a well, and donate a number of lots to the railroad in exchange for establishing a station at the new town site.

The Perris railroad station came online in April 1886.  By 1887, six passenger trains and two freight trains stopped at Perris daily and rapid growth followed for several years. After storms repeatedly washed out the tracks in the Temecula Gorge, service to San Diego through this route ended. 

However, Perris was incorporated in 1911 and has grown steadily since then.  

With the construction of Lake Perris in the late 60's and early 70's - Perris once again became attractive - this time as a recreational area.  In addition to the lake's activities Perris' hot air ballooning.  Orange Empire Railway Museum and skydiving activities attract international recognition.

One of Perris’ most famous residents is Danny Harris, a hurdler who graduated from Perris High School in 1983.  He went on to star at Iowa State University and in 1987, at a track meet in Madrid, Harris became the first man to defeat Edwin Moses at 400 meter hurdles since Harald Schmidt in 1977.  

For arrests along Interstate 215 and State Route 74 crossing Perris, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will normally handle this work, although one may be thereafter transported to the Perris Police Department for processing, a breath test (if a DUI) and booking.  The person may also be held at the Perris jail 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, Perris’s population was 11.0% non-Hispanic white, 3.6% Asian, 12.1% African American and 71.8% Hispanic.

Criminal cases arising out of Perris are brought at the Riverside Hall of Justice at 4100 Main Street in downtown Riverside.

  
Over the last 25 years, our office has not handled a single case arising out of Perris and brought in the Riverside Hall of Justice Courthouse.  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 Perris asking about hiring a criminal defense attorney.  We find that locals to the Perris 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 Perris and presumably have no such ties or loyalties.

Areas Served:  City of Perris, City of Canyon Lake, Gavilan Hills, Glen Valley, Homeland, Juniper Flats, Lake Mathews, Lakeview, Mead Valley, Mead Valley, Nuevo, Romoland, Sun City, Winchester and Woodcrest.

Below is the Google Map to the Riverside Perris Station.