Claremont Police Department

It’s an exciting day at the Claremont Police Department as we saw the promotion of Officer Garrett Earl to the rank of Corporal. A Covid-safe ceremony was held today in the rear parking lot of the Police Department. Corporal Earl began his career at CPD in 2009 when he was hired as a Police Aide assigned to Overnight Parking Enforcement (ONP). He rose through the ranks and has held multiple positions at CPD such as Police Aide in the Records Bureau, Jailer, and Officer. Prior to his promotion, Officer Earl was selected to be one of our Motor Officers and had successfully completed the Motor Academy last year. Congratulations Corporal Earl on your promotion!

The Inland Empire panty bandit arrested. Suspect, Diego Aguirre of Fontana was once again arrested for residential burglary/ stealing female underwear. He served 7years of a 17year sentence for his 2012/13 crimes, after being convicted of nine counts of burglary, one of which was a residential burglary in Claremont. Being released in April 2020, it didn't take long before he resumed his crimes. Last Thursday, SBSD arrested Aguirre, once again, suspected of similar crimes. Claremont Detectives are working with SBSD Investigators as two recent residential burglaries in Claremont have been linked to Aguirre. It is believed that there may be additional victims and Detectives are requesting contact from burglary victims who had female underwear stolen.

Early Saturday morning at 2:13am, A CPD Dispatcher, monitoring the surveillance cameras at the top floor of the city-owned parking structure (470 W 1st St), saw several vehicles park and all of the occupants get out and get into one vehicle. The dispatcher notified officers who drove to the location and contacted all five of the subjects in the vehicle. One of the subjects, a 23 year-old Pomona resident who was on probation, was found to be in possession of narcotics packaged... for sales. Another passenger, a 21-year-old resident of Adelanto, was found to have a loaded handgun in his pants pocket. Both subjects were placed under arrest. The other three subjects were issued citations for loitering at the parking structure and released at the scene. Claremont’s new no loitering ordinance was introduced and approved by City Council on November 24th, 2020, intended to reduce criminal activity in the City-Owned Parking Structure.

CPD Officers Arrest Auto Burglary Suspect On Sunday, January 24 at approximately 7:36AM, CPD officers responded to a report of a male suspect seen breaking windows into vehicles in a parking lot near Arrow Hwy and Bucknell Ave. CPD Officers located the suspect near Indian Hill Blvd and Green St. and detained him. While conducting a search of the suspect, they located possible stolen property on him. The suspect was arrested for Possession of Stolen Property and transported... to the CPD Jail. While at the jail, CPD officers located two auto burglaries in the area where the suspect was seen. The suspect, a 27-year-old out of Covina and Riverside was booked for Burglary and Possession of Stolen Property. The stolen property recovered was returned to their rightful owners. The suspect was later released on a citation per the emergency bail schedule. CPD is reminding residents to remain vigilant and to report anything suspicious going on in your neighborhoods. ALWAYS remember to lock the doors to your vehicle and take all your personal belongings out of it.

The Claremont Police Department has recently noticed a rise in the theft of catalytic converters from vehicle exhaust systems. In particular, thieves are targeting Toyota’s. The appeal of the catalytic converters is due to the metal’s value. Catalytic converters contain platinum, rhodium, and palladium these metals are expensive and thieves sell the converters to scrap yards. CPD is reminding drivers to stay vigilant because it only takes a few minutes to have someone go ...underneath your vehicle and remove it. The following tips are just a few ways to help prevent these types of crimes from happening and keep your vehicle safe: - If possible, park your vehicles inside your garage, door closed and locked, when not in use. - If you have the budget for it, video surveillance around your garage or driveway is also useful, along with motion sensor activated lights or flood lights. - If parking on the street, park in well-lit areas. - Park close to a building entrance or nearest access road when parking in a public lot this is due to the increased amount of pedestrian traffic in those areas. - Never leave valuables in your vehicle, especially if they can be seen from the outside of the vehicle. - If possible, engrave your vehicle’s VIN number to the catalytic converter to make it easier to identify in the case that it does get stolen. If you suspect that you are a victim of catalytic converter theft, call your Claremont Police Department at 909-399-5411.

During this year’s annual gun destruction, CPD safely destroyed 268 firearms. The majority of the firearms were confiscated for evidence in various crime. Firearms were also collected from Claremont residents who chose to safely surrender their unwanted guns or were required to surrender their firearms by court order. See related press release @ https://www.ci.claremont.ca.us/Home/ShowDocument?id=15498

Did you know that skateboarding and rollerskating is prohibited in the Claremont Village per Claremont Municipal Code, Section 12.30? Failure to comply may result in a citation. Please do your part in helping to keep our community safe! In an effort to improve pedestrian safety in the Village, the Police Department has facilitated the stenciling of "No Skateboarding" on sidewalk entry points to the Village, obtained "No Skateboarding" warning cards to hand out for first offenders, as well as increased the issuance of citations. The Police Department would prefer not to issue citations to skateboarders, so please help get the word out to walk your skateboards through The Village.

Do You Skateboard in Our Park? If so, please keep it clean! The Claremont Police Department has received numerous complaints about trash, empty cans/bottles and graffiti in and around the skate park located at Cahuilla Park (north of Claremont High School). CPD wants a safe and clean environment for our youth and those young at heart, who want to get a little exercise or show off their moves. We just don’t want the litter and graffiti. Please do YOUR part to keep the park cle...an. If you see individuals who are making a mess of the park, please report them to CPD at 909-399-5411 or by calling the Dispatch Center's non-emergency line at 909-626-1296.

The Claremont Police Department has received increased reports of theft and vandalism associated with the upcoming elections. We are encouraging people to be civil, even if you don't like someone's political opinion. Officers will follow-up on any evidence of an individual committing these related crimes and pursue criminal charges if/when a suspect is identified. Claremont Officers are committed to protecting the rights of ALL residents. If you've had a sign or flag sto...len or destroyed on your property make sure to report it to the police, especially if you have evidence (i.e. video surveillance) of the criminal act. For example, on October 6th, a female suspect was seen stealing "Mountain View Republican Club" direction signs in a parking lot in the 400 block of W. Foothill Blvd. A passerby saw the subject stealing the signs and took pictures of the suspect and the vehicle while the theft occurred. A report was filed by the victim. A Detective conducted follow-up and was able to identify the suspect as a 26 year-old female from Ontario. During her interview with Detectives, she admitted to stealing the signs. A criminal filing of misdemeanor theft will be pursued through the District Attorney’s Office.

Less Than 1 Minute Response Time leads to Commercial Burglary Arrest This morning at 4:10AM, two officers responded to Euro Café (546 E. Baseline Rd.) regarding a burglary alarm. The officers arrived in less than one minute. As the officers were approaching the business on foot from the west, the suspect who was still inside, ran toward the windows on the north side of the business, threw a fire extinguisher through a window, dove out the now broken window, and fled on foot. ...The officers chased the suspect through the parking lot and took the suspect into custody in front of Vons. The suspect’s vehicle was found behind the business. In the vehicle, property stolen from a burglarized café/coffee shop in Corona was located. The suspect, a 50 year old from Upland, is on parole for burglary and has been previously arrested by Claremont PD for commercial burglary.

The Police Department has become aware of anonymous letters being sent to those displaying Black Lives Matter signs in their yards. We want all Claremont residents to know, that we are here to protect all of you with no judgment on your opinions/beliefs.

As more people are getting out to exercise and walk due to the COVID pandemic, CPD wants to remind everyone to practice safe walking with some tips below: Only cross at corners so drivers can see you. Never cross mid-block or between parked cars. Always use a crosswalk when it is available. Cross when the light has just turned green, so you have time to cross safely.... Use the crosswalk push-button signal when available and cross when the signal says to. Look all ways before crossing; look and listen for cars, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Watch for vehicles turning or backing out of driveways or coming out of parking lots. See more

It's going to be another hot couple of days CPD wants to remind you to stay hydrated and stay indoors if possible!

Roving DUI Detail nets Loaded Handgun Last Friday, from approximately 7PM 12AM, two CPD officers worked a grant funded roving DUI detail. At their last traffic stop of the night, they stopped a vehicle for multiple traffic violations. They contacted the driver and passenger of the vehicle where they found that the driver had a suspended driver’s license and was on active probation through LA County for burglary. During a probation search of the vehicle, officers located a loaded handgun under the passenger seat and the passenger was found to be in possession of methamphetamine. Both subjects were placed under arrest and transported to CPD Jail where they were booked.

Did you know that for more than two decades, speeding has been involved in approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities (according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)? We understand the frustrations of juggling busy schedules, but speed limits are put in place to protect all road users. Claremont PD wants to remind everyone to watch your speed! The Claremont Police Department has received grant funding from Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) allowin...g for a more focused effort in addressing traffic concerns. This is in addition to the daily traffic enforcement by patrol and motor officers. For example, over the past weekend, an officer conducted directed traffic enforcement in the area of Mt. Baldy/Padua Ave. from 3:00PM to 9:00PM. During that time, the officer issued 19 citations, 18 of which were for speeding. In our efforts, we are finding that many citations are being issued to Claremont residents living within the same area where we are receiving complaints. Please help us keep your neighbors and neighborhood safe by driving safely to and from your home.

CPD officers are ready to take on the day: briefing, load up, log on, roll out Happy Wednesday!

The Claremont Police Department stepped up enforcement in the 800 block of South Indian Hill Blvd. after responding to two shootings at the Motel 6 (840 S. Indian Hill Blvd) and a perceived increase in gang activity and human trafficking in the area. The directed enforcement resulted in 49 arrests including arrests for possession of drugs for sales, possession of loaded firearms, and prostitution. Read the related press release for more information @ https://www.ci.claremont.ca.us/Home/ShowDocument?id=15396

LIFESAVING EFFORTS SAVE SUBJECT FROM OVERDOSE Claremont PD Officers responded to the parking lot of the Claremont Public Library last night at approximately 8:30 PM for a 19 year-old male who was NOT breathing and had possibly overdosed on Fentanyl. The officers arrived and provided two doses of Narcan to the subject. He immediately responded, began breathing, and was transported to the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center for further medical care. Claremont Officers are trained in the use of nasal Narcan and carry it on patrol. Narcan is an antidote for opiate overdoses. It reverses the effects of opiates and can be given in the form of a nasal spray. The PD started their Narcan Program via a grant sought and obtained by PD staff.