Murrieta Police Department

After a rocky last year, we are excited to bring back National Night Out this year! The event will be held at Town Square Park on Tuesday, August 3rd so save the date and stay tuned for more information. Vendors! Are you interested in participating? We welcome vendors related to the public safety field but unfortunately cannot support any direct sales at the event. Please contact JoAnn Serven at [email protected] or (951) 461-6327 for more information and to sign up.

We get it... fireworks are entertaining and fun to watch. But unfortunately, we don't live in an area of the country where they're safe to set off ourselves! Please help us and Murrieta Fire & Rescue keep you all safe this year by NOT lighting your own fireworks. It may seem like a harmless activity but the unintended consequences can be huge and you will be harming more of your neighbors than you think. Stay tuned for more information on our own professional fireworks display being hosted by the CIty of Murrieta as well as our strategies for keeping problems to a minimum this year.

We're looking for your help. The Murrieta Police Department is investigating a hit & run traffic collision that occurred on 6/10/21 between 10:00 pm - 10:55 pm. The victim was walking on Murrieta Hot Springs Road when he was struck by a vehicle. The suspect fled the scene, leaving the victim hospitalized with significant injuries. The victim is unable to provide any information regarding the collision. Investigators from the Murrieta Police Department are seeking assistanc...e in identifying and locating the suspect and the vehicle. The suspect vehicle may have noticeable damage to the front right. If you have any information regarding a person or vehicle that may be related to the hit and run, please contact Traffic Sergeant Williams at 951-461-6360 or via email at [email protected]. You can also submit information anonymously via WeTip at www.wetip.com or by calling 800-782-7463.

That’s a wrap on the 4th Annual Murrieta Police K9 Trials! Congratulations to our Murrieta award winners Officer Bock and K9 Lew won 4th place overall ... Officer Hayes and K9 Mick won 4th place in water apprehension and 4th place in protection!!! Agencies and Handlers- drop us photos of your award winning teams!!! Thank you to our Murrieta Police K9 team, Paws 4 Law Foundation, decoys, judges, assisting officers, Adlerhorst International LLC, Murrieta Police Department Explorer Post, vendors and how bout that announcer

Murrieta K9 trials are happening TODAY starting at 12:30!!! Location: Murrieta Mesa High School 24801 Monroe Ave, Murrieta ... It’s going to be a hot one and spectators will be sitting in the stands. Maybe bring an umbrella for shade! Things to keep in mind EVENT IS FREE! fun for everyone Murrieta Police Department Explorer Post on site with concessions this is NOT an event for pets.

We need your help Around 11pm last night, we received a call of a pedestrian found injured on Murrieta Hot Springs Road, about 200 feet west of Calle Del Lago. The pedestrian is currently hospitalized and we need help trying to find witnesses to what happened. We believe the injury occurred on June 10th between the hours of 10pm and 11pm. If anybody has any information related to this incident, we ask for you to contact Traffic Sergeant Williams at (951) 461-6360 as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for any assistance and for sharing this post to any relevant groups.

The Murrieta Police Department Traffic Division will be starting a monthly post about traffic safety and how you, the public, can help reduce traffic collisions. Please take a few minutes and watch this video in regards to stop signs.

Today is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day! Today more than ever, we appreciate the support of our community. Thank you to all the officers around the world who leave their families everyday to help protect yours.

Wishing you all a very happy and safe new year!!!!

In an effort to control any possible rumors, here's what happened at Costco in Temecula today. #getitfromthesource #temeculapd

Since this is Chief Hadden’s last Christmas with us, we had to share this video from 2016. Be sure to catch the bloopers at the end!!!

It’s been a while, and we know you missed it. Wait no more, we’re going a little old school and bringing back the playlist!! Here is the Murrieta Police Departments Kicking 2020 to the curb playlist. ... What songs would you add to the list??? #DontDrinkAndDrive #CelebrateResponsibly #Uber #callYourMomma #MPDPlaylist #HotMess #MoonlightingDJs #byebye2020

Press Release Armed Robbery Suspect Arrested Between December 2019 and March 2020, nine armed robberies occurred at convenience stores in Murrieta, Lake Elsinore and Wildomar. The suspect in each robbery was a white male adult who demanded cash while brandishing a handgun. Surveillance video of the robberies showed the suspect, his clothing and a vehicle he fled in. Working with investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Lake Elsinore station, a possible ...suspect was identified and an investigation was launched. During the investigation, evidence was revealed that confirmed the suspect in question was in fact involved in the nine armed robberies. On January 4, 2021, detectives with the Murrieta Police Department and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Lake Elsinore Station arrested Christopher May on nine counts of armed robbery. A subsequent search warrant service resulted in the recovery of evidence pertinent to the multiple robbery investigation. Mr. May was booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center without incident. Christopher May (47 years) Murrieta Resident Charges: 211 PC Robbery; 12022.5 PC Use of Firearm in commission of felony If you have any information regarding Mr. May’s arrest, please contact Detective Nichols (Murrieta PD) at 951-461-6383 or Investigator McClannahan (Lake Elsinore) at 951-245-3300. Murrieta Cases: MR20-0278; MR20-0408; MR20-1528 Media Inquiries: Lieutenant Mark Reid: 951-461-6329

From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!!

Officer Martin and his partner Duke are missing the kids at the schools. We hope to see you soon!!! #youveGotAFriendInMe

Our K-9’s have been blessed by the community this Christmas season with treats and toys galore. They put together a little Christmas card photo shoot to show their appreciation for all the goodies. P.S you guys saw the video of K9 Lew remodeling the dog house. Naughty or Nice, you guys decide.

As 2020 comes to a close, we would like to share with you our top 9 Instagram photos of 2020 What a year. We are definitely looking forward to 2021. So what were your favorite Murrieta PD memories??? Got any photos you can share with us?... #MiniMe #OfficerDuckLips #DetectiveWaterman #WeMissYou #SilverFox #TikTok #GuzzinoStrong #CBAT #behavioralhealth #Homecoming #briefing #smallbusinessSupporters #CarWraps

Even our Police K9s are true partners with the community AJ and Briley are recent Murrieta Valley graduates that want to give back to their community. They understand the value of our police K9 Unit. Murrieta PD’s K9s are highly trained in all facets of apprehension, detection and tracking. The MPD K9 primary mission each day and night is to keep our officers and citizens safe. Buck, Mick, Lew, Odin and Duke are truly selfless and protect their handler and their communit...y without hesitation. Thank you AJ and Briley for stopping by the station on a K9 training day and paying your appreciation forward for our dogs and their handlers. Each handler is receiving lunch at Cruz Tacos and each dog is receiving a K9 goodie basket. Merry Christmas to the Murrieta PD K9 Unit and thank you for keeping our community safe! Thank you to A Good Plumbing in the Jefferson Gateway Center and e-commerce site 4D7-Products.myshopify.com for sponsoring the baskets and lunch.

The State will be sending out a WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERT today at noon regarding the current stay at home order. #textmessage We know that you already know about the order, so consider this a challenge to see who will be the first one to post a screenshot on Facebook regarding the text. #sharetheinfo #itsarace #gottapostapic #picturesoritdidnthappen #whowillbefirst #winnerwinnerchickendinner #butnorealprizes #justanhonorablemention

The Murrieta Police Department is proud to announce the promotion of former Captain, Anthony Conrad, to Interim Chief of Police! Congratulations!!!

Can’t post the video without the song!!! So click the attachment! It was range day for the SRO’s!!! Great training with scenarios, accuracy, a little friendly competition...and a little goofiness. What else would you expect from an SRO?!?!

The Murrieta Police Department takes pleasure in announcing the retirement of Captain Robert Firmes. After 34 years of impeccable law enforcement service, Captain Firmes has decided to retire from the Murrieta Police Department on December 30, 2020. Rob started his law enforcement career in August 1986, as a Community Service Officer for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. In March 1988, he attended the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Training Academy. Afte...r graduation in August 1988, Rob was assigned to the Custody Division at the Hall of Justice Jail. In May 1990, he was transferred to patrol at the Lennox Station in South Central Los Angeles. In 1992, Rob decided to be part of a unique opportunity, the starting up of a brand new police department from the ground up. He was hired by the City of Murrieta as one of the first police officers on July 13, 1992. The Police Department hit the streets of Murrieta on August 1, 1992. During his time with the Department he has held several positions and promoted through the ranks. Rob has served as both the Support Services Division Commander, his current assignment, and the Operations Division Commander. Ranks Promoted to Corporal November 2000 Promoted to Sergeant April 2004 Promoted to Lieutenant November 2006 Promoted to Captain September 2013 Special Assignments Rotational Detective Administrative Sergeant Administrative Lieutenant Collateral Duties Public Information Officer Pepperball & Taser Instructor In 2002, Rob was awarded a Distinguished Service Award. He was recognized for his management of patrol scheduling, community events (DARE Golf and new facility Grand Opening), and facilitating the award of a grant from the Federal Office of Justice Programs for Bullet-Proof Vests. Rob has Master of Arts in Management Degree from the University of Redlands and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University. He has been married to Deborah for over 32 years, and they have a daughter, Amber.

Uh-Oh. Looks like K9 Lew just might be making Santa’s naughty list. Leave a Dutch Shepherd alone for just 10 minutes. #OhNo #AnyoneWannaDogsit HGTV

The Murrieta Police Department takes pleasure in announcing the retirement of Chief Sean Hadden. After 34 years of impeccable law enforcement service, Chief Hadden has decided to retire from the Murrieta Police Department on December 30, 2020. Sean started his law enforcement career with the Perris Police Department in 1986. Shortly after graduating from Perris High School, Sean was hired as one of the first Community Service Officers for the Perris Police Department. After ...a year of working as a CSO, 19 year old Sean decided to test for a Police Officer position. He graduated from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Academy 4 days after his 20th birthday. Sean worked as a Patrol Officer for 2 years and then was selected as the first Motor Officer for the Perris Police Department. In 1992, he left the Perris Police Department and became one of the original members of the newly formed Murrieta Police Department. He was hired by the City of Murrieta as one of the first police officers on July 13, 1992. The Police Department hit the streets of Murrieta on August 1, 1992. During his time with the Department he has held several positions and promoted through the ranks. As a Captain, Sean served as both the Support Services Division Commander and the Operations Division Commander. Ranks Promoted to Corporal November 1999 Promoted to Sergeant July 2000 Promoted to Lieutenant September 2007 Promoted to Captain April 2011 Promoted to Chief of Police - September 2013 Special Assignments Detective Motor Officer Traffic Bureau Sergeant Administrative Sergeant Collateral Duties SWAT Officer DARE Officer Range Officer Certifications Traffic Collision Reconstruction Drug Recognition Expert In 1998, Sean was awarded a Chief’s Citation. He was recognized for his expertise in traffic accident investigations and reconstruction. In 1999, Sean received the Distinguished Service Award. He prepared a successful Motorcycle Traffic Enforcement Grant, this resulted in the Police Department’s establishment of the Traffic Bureau. Sean has a Master’s Degree from the University of Redlands in Management, and a Bachelor’s Degree from Azusa Pacific University in Organizational Management. He is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police, sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Leadership Program, and the Sherman Block Leadership program. Sean has been married to his wife for 30 years and they have 2 daughters. The Hadden's are long-time Murrieta residents.

UPDATE - he was found safe Riverside Police Department is looking for a missing child. Please keep your eye out and contact them if you see him.

Wednesday afternoon, the Community Policing Team #CPT got word about a subject in town that had an outstanding felony warrant. #warrantWednesday The #CPT team headed over to his house and found him as he stepped out of a shed on the property. #wellhello During a search of the shed he had been living in, the officers found a #wholebuncha #meth, #heroin and #cocaine. Coincidentally, the warrant was for drugs. #what #noway #thisismysurprisedface He was booked into #theByrdhouse for his outstanding warrant and the newly acquired narcotics charges.

Did you know that the Murrieta Community Services Department is holding a holiday food and toy drive? They will be accepting donations on Saturday, December 19th at the Community Center.

Bummed that the annual Santa Run has been canceled this year? Well, we’ve got some good news! Instead of Santa and his crew driving around town this year, you get to go to him! Check out the map and schedule attached. #2020disclaimers #itsadrivethru #stayinyourcar #wavetoSanta #smileandwave #youcangomorethanonce #justfollowthemap

UPDATE: Chidera has been located and is with her family. Thank you for all of your assistance! MPD is currently looking for a missing person. Chidera has recently moved to her new home and may be disoriented by her new surroundings. If you see Chidera, or anyone matching her description, please contact MPD at 951-696-3615.

UPDATE - Clinton Keith Road is now open A major traffic collision has caused a full road closure of Clinton Keith Road near Riverside County Fire Department Station 75. Both directions are completely closed while CHP investigates. Closure will likely last for several hours and affects traffic going to and from the La Cresta community.

Retirement of Police Chief Sean Hadden After over 7 years of serving the City of Murrieta as Chief of Police, Sean Hadden has decided to retire from law enforcement. Sean’s retirement will be effective December 30th, 2020. It is a bittersweet change for him after a 34 year distinguished law enforcement career. Sean started his law enforcement career with the Perris Police Department in 1986 as a Community Service Officer, shortly after graduating from Perris High School....Continue reading

Weekly Roundup SO. MANY. FELONY. WARRANTS. #itsalmostliketheydontevencare - It started on Friday with Officer Alexander conducting a probation check that ended with Danyelle Dunbar and Tamra Trueblood going to #theByrdHouse for their outstanding felony warrants. ... - Saturday morning, just after midnight, Officer Datil and his trainee conducted a traffic stop and contacted the occupants of the vehicle. The passenger forgot his name for a few minutes, but with a little help from the officers and a records check, Patrick Channel remembered who he was. It’s funny how being on #PRCS and having a felony warrant makes you forget your name. #soweird - Another traffic stop. Another felony warrant. Monday night Larkin York and Danae Ornelas had to change their evening plans because they both ended up in #theByrdHouse. Danae for her felony warrant and Larkin for violating his parole. - Tuesday morning officers responded to a local hotel regarding suspicious activity. The officers quickly located the subjects described by the caller and conducted a records check on them. You’ll never guess what they found. #guess They found Weston York’s four outstanding misdemeanor warrants. - A little later that morning, Officer Velazquez responded to a report of possible narcotic activity. The caller was right. Not only did James Carter have narcotics paraphernalia, he had two outstanding felony warrants and a misdemeanor warrant. - Officer Valle. After midnight. Behind a closed business. #Imsureyouknowhowthisends Angel Rodriguez Flores ended up back at #CBDC thanks to his felony warrant and three misdemeanor warrants. - Officer Hayes ran into Michael Copija Wednesday morning after responding to an alarm activation at a business. There’s not a lot of people out at 4:30 am so he kinda stuck out like a sore thumb. That felony warrant stuck out too when dispatch conducted a records check. - 2020 has been quite a year and the thought of going to a spa and relaxing sounds pretty darn nice. #amIright #signmeup But please don’t drink too much and then crash your car into a day spa, that won’t have the same relaxing effect. Alexander Mulvaney was arrested for DUI after crashing his vehicle into a local day spa. #noexcuses #Uber #Lyft #taxi #callyoumomma

Got drugs? Tomorrow is the DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back day. We will have officers in front of the station to take your prescription drugs and properly dispose of them. Unfortunately we won't be able to take any liquids or sharps. PS - don't forget that we still have a drug disposal drop off in our front lobby that is available everyday.

Not all days go as planned. Some days end with a memo to the Chief. #doyousmellsomething #isthatsmoke #yepthatssmoke... #ummmmdispatchIthinkmycarsonfire #thecarstotalled #RIPproteinpowder See more

Our hearts are with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department as they mourn the loss of one of their own. It was recently announced that Sergeant Harry Cohen suffered a medical emergency last night while training with the K9 Team. A message from Sheriff Chad Bianco said, Last night our department lost a man of God, husband, father, best friend and deputy. Sergeant Cohen will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him. ... Thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family. Rest easy, partner. We will take it from here.

The Murrieta Police Department is jumping on the #TikTok bandwagon with our SRO’s taking the helm. What better way to build better relationships with the youth of our community then with those officers working in their schools! Let’s do this!!... I feel some school/SRO rivalry videos coming soon!

Voting season is upon us. The City of Murrieta is committed to offering citizens a safe place to drop off their ballots. Murrieta has set up 2 official ballot drop off locations. Citizens can drop off their ballots at Murrieta City Hall or the Murrieta Senior Center. Please do NOT drop off ballots at any other City building. This includes fire stations, the police station, library etc.... Again Murrieta City Hall and Murrieta Senior Center are the ONLY OFFICIAL ballot drop off locations coordinated by The City of Murrieta.

We were so excited this week to welcome Officer Matt Guzzino back home to Murrieta after getting discharged from the hospital! He is anxious to start tackling his long road to recovery and get back to protecting the mean streets of Murrieta. Mere words can’t express how grateful we are for all the support that’s been shown to his family and our department but your response has been a testament to all of the positivity still out there in our community and surrounding areas. From Officer Guzzino’s wife, The mere fact that Matt survived that wreck is God’s work. I know the journey ahead won’t be an easy one, but Matt is a warrior. Again, thank you all for the support, encouragement and prayers you’ve given our family during this trial! We truly appreciate it more than we can convey!

Weekly Roundup - Last month Officer Datil contacted Rocky Asbury during a traffic stop and arrested him on a slew of charges. #itwasintheRoundup Well, that arrest didn’t seem to deter Rocky from his nefarious ways. #hedidntlearn Friday afternoon the #SET Team assisted the United States Department of Labor with an investigation they were working involving EDD fraud. #teamwork #makesthedreamwork Guess who was involved in the investigation. #guess #youllneverguess I...Continue reading

Weekly Roundup - Early Saturday morning, #beforeheevengotcoffee Officer Alexander was conducting extra patrol and located a vehicle that had been left running in a hotel parking lot. As he approached, he could see that there were three people inside the vehicle sleeping. #zzzzzzzz He could also see the narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia sitting on the lap of one of the sleeping occupants. #youdontsay After the investigation, Jeremy Ortolano, Danielle Ricker and Will...iam Esancy were ultimately arrested on various drug related charges. - Sunday morning officers responded to a report of a suspicious person in a car. The caller had provided dispatch with the location of the vehicle as well as a description of the person in question. #veryhelpful The officers quickly located the person described by the caller and conducted a routine records check on him. That check revealed that the subject, Michael Shepard, was on #parole. During a search of Michael’s vehicle, subsequent to the terms of his #parole, the officer located narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia. Michael was arrested for violating his parole and the narcotics and booked into #CBDC. - Note to self during a traffic stop, please don’t mix up the bag that has your driver’s license in it with the bag that has your #meth in it. While it makes the officer’s job a bit easier, it can lead to some awkward looks. #didyoumeantohandmethat #thatsyourmeth #notyourlicense Trevor Barber and Nicholas Markovich were contacted during a traffic stop Sunday afternoon. Besides the baggy of #meth, the officers located even more #meth, #heroin and burglary tools inside the car. Trevor and Nicholas spent the rest of their Sunday in #theByrdhouse on an array of charges. - When you’re on #PRCS, and in violation of said #PRCS, you might just want to think before you start making a scene inside the Police Department lobby. #justathought Joshua Hoopingarner learned that the hard way. - No one likes to pay for their car registration. #wegetit But that doesn’t mean that you can steal someone else’s license plate just because their tags aren’t expired and put it on your car. #youcantdothat #thatsnothowitworks Officers conducted a traffic stop early Tuesday morning and contacted Roseanne Alcoser and Otha Taylor. The officers not only discovered the stolen license plate on the car, they also located the #meth in Roseanne’s purse and Otha’s outstanding warrant. Roseanne and Otha made it to #theByrdhouse just in time for breakfast.

THANK YOU TO Cruz Tacos for supplying lunch for the department today!!! #TacosArentJustForTuesdays #community #ThankYou #LunchIsServed #Family

Wow, the love and support shown by our community never ceases to amaze us. We previously posted that one of our officers was severely injured in an early morning traffic collision on October 1st and the outpouring of support since then has been overwhelming. That officer, Matt Guzzino, is still in the hospital and struggling to recover. He has already undergone two surgeries and some pretty severe internal injuries have forced doctors to sedate him to hopefully help with th...e healing process. The Murrieta PD family is of course looking after Officer Guzzino and his loved ones but requests to help from the public have not stopped flowing in since the crash. Local businesses have stepped up, area news outlets have helped spread the word, countless private citizens continue wanting to help and the family’s GoFundMe page has far exceeded expectations. The Guzzino family has been stunned and overwhelmed by all of the kindness being shown to them and asked us to pass on their gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to each one of you. Once again, another great example of why this is such a great place to live and work. Murrieta and our surrounding cities make up a uniquely supportive community which is why this feels like such a special place to be. Thank you all for your support!! #MurrietaStrong #NoOneFightsAlone #GotYour6 #WeAreMurrieta #MPD