Massive Police Presence Planned Dec. 18 At Coachella Valley Hospitals

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Police sirens and lights will blare across Riverside County next week as part of Operation Holiday Cheer, a law enforcement event meant to show appreciation to hospital frontline workers.

December 18 and 19, a parade of police and sheriff cars from Southern California will drive through hospitals in Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Several Coachella Valley hospitals are on the route (see the list below).

In total, over 40 law enforcement agencies from local, state and federal agencies will travel a total of over 400 miles and visit 40 hospitals. #SoCalHolidayCheer2023 is one of the largest events of its kind involving Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

"With lights and sirens activated, law enforcement officers hope to spread cheer to doctors, nurses, and all hospital staff who work around the clock to keep the community safe, a mission law enforcement shares," the department said.

Starting at 9 a.m., Monday, Dec. 18, law enforcement officers from Riverside and San Bernardino counties will parade simultaneously in their areas. Riverside County agencies will start in the Coachella Valley and work their way west, stopping at hospitals in Indio, Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs, Banning, Moreno Valley and Hemet. Here's the schedule:

• 10:30 a.m. - John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital (Indio)
• 11:45 a.m. - Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage)
• 12:45 p.m. - Desert Regional Medical Center (Palm Springs)
• 1:45 p.m. - San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital (Banning)
• 2:30 p.m. - Kaiser Permanente, Moreno Valley
• 2:40 p.m. - Riverside University Health System
• 3:45 p.m. - Hemet Global Medical Center

Then, starting at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19, the parade will continue in Riverside County with stops in Menifee, Murrieta, Temecula, Wildomar, Corona and Riverside. The law enforcement parades in San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties will also continue with hospitals in their areas. The final stop for Riverside and San Bernardino counties will be Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital in Loma Linda for the event finale. Here's Tuesday's schedule:

• 11:00 a.m. - Menifee Global Medical Center
• 11:30 a.m. - Kaiser Permanente, Murrieta
• 11:45 a.m. - Loma Linda University Health, Murrieta
• 12:15 p.m. - Southwest Healthcare Rancho Springs Hospital (Murrieta)
• 1:15 p.m. - Temecula Valley Hospital
• 1:50 p.m. - Southwest Healthcare Inland Valley Hospital (Wildomar)
• 3:00 p.m. - Corona Regional Medical Center
• 3:45 p.m. - Kaiser Permanente, Riverside
• 4:15 p.m. - Parkview Community Hospital, Riverside
• 4:30 p.m. - Riverside Community Hospital
• 6:00 p.m. - Loma Linda Children’s Hospital, Loma Linda

If you see the police parade, honk and wave as a way to show support for law enforcement's efforts in thanking frontline workers.