City Council
MEETING DATE: 9/14/2016
TITLE:
Title
Vacation Rental Enforcement Services
End
FROM:
Police Chief George Crum
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
This item is presented for information, discussion and direction only.
Body
BACKGROUND:
Currently, the Vacation Rental Program consists of a 24 hr. hotline where residents can report loud disturbances or violations of the municipal code.
DISCUSSION:
U.S. Security Associates ("USA" previously Desert Security Services) provides limited response capabilities to augment the Palm Springs Police Department. Their mission is primarily to respond to loud noise/music at vacation rentals within the city of Palm Springs, but their duties have expanded to assisting police officers on major calls for service in non-hazardous areas.
Additionally, USA provides limited investigative services by identifying unlicensed vacation rentals and providing that information back to the city for enforcement. The City of Palm Springs is reviewing USA's current duties and may expand these to include other code enforcement issues such as parking enforcement in the downtown area.
Currently, USA works to provide narrow focus code compliance duties when code compliance officers are not working. However, they do this at a lower cost. USA currently works Thursday - Sunday and in the evening hours. USA officers are contacted through a Vacation Rental Hotline, and through PSPD dispatch. The officers respond to complaints of loud music or noise, attempt contact of occupants, photograph the address and decibel readings taken and video record all contacts. At the completion of the call for service, USA officers will complete a written report with photographs taken and provide this to the city/department. USA officers will issue loud noise citations and testify if necessary. To date, USA officers have not had to testify at any proceeding. Company officials attribute this to the quality and depth of the evidence collected and rep...
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