Captain James Christian serves as the Chief of Police Services for the city of San Clemente.
San Clemente elected to become contract partners with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in July 1993 for law enforcement services. San Clemente Police Services personnel includes five Sergeants, four Investigators, thirty-five patrol deputies which includes two motorcycle traffic deputies and one School Resource Deputy. There are two office support personnel and four Community Services Officers. Together they provide law enforcement services that include patrol, investigations, traffic enforcement, parking enforcement, community support, crime prevention, and police records services at the San Clemente station.
In addition to patrol, San Clemente Police Services also fields a Target Reduction Investigation and Prevention (TRIP) team comprised of an investigator and three deputies who work specialized enforcement and pertinent crime issues in the city. San Clemente also contributes one deputy to the regional Directed Enforcement Team that works from the south Orange County regional station in Lake Forest. This Directed Enforcement Team is comprised of deputies from most south Orange County cities and they work collectively to assist investigators with complex criminal investigations, covert surveillance operations, youth violence, gang suppression, and other specific crime related problems that arise in the South Operations area.
The Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is another noteworthy team that is an invaluable part of San Clemente Police Services. The RSVP was developed in the 1980’s and has been a tremendous service to the city of San Clemente and also to San Clemente Police Services. This volunteer corps assists police services by providing vacation home checks, visiting home bound senior residents, foot patrols at the beach and business areas, writing parking citations, and assisting with traffic control at major accidents, crime scenes, and the city’s many special events.
The city of San Clemente offers many challenges for the police services team. Throughout the year San Clemente hosts many special events that showcase the city’s unique and diverse culture. In addition to the thousands of visitors that enjoy the city’s beaches each summer, the spring and summer months are full of special events including the Cinco de Mayo Celebration, Memorial Day ceremonies, Vintage Car Show, Independence Day celebration and fireworks show on July 4th, Ocean Festival, Fiesta street festival, and numerous Arts & Crafts fairs. The fall and winter months bring the Fall Carnival and Christmas events such as Putting of the Glitz street festival and the Christmas Train. These events routinely draw thousands of visitors to San Clemente and bring the need for extensive special events planning and deployment for San Clemente Police Services.
Sheriff's Non-Emergency Dispatch: 714-647-7000 or 949-770-6011
San Clemente Police Services: 949-361-8225
