Hemet PD rolls out “Operation Eyesore,” targeting abandoned and unregistered vehicles
HEMET — In an effort to remove blight caused by inoperable, abandoned, and unregistered vehicles, Hemet Police Department is launching a new program designed to address vehicles left abandoned on city streets.
Informally titled “Operation Eyesore,” the plan outlines a strategy to locate and remove abandoned vehicles as well as cars left parked on the city’s streets that fail to adhere to Hemet Municipal and California Vehicle Codes.
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“Abandoned vehicles are often unregistered, unsightly, and covered in debris,” Hemet PD Lt. Eric Dickson, who oversees the department’s traffic bureau, said of the new program. “They are not just an eyesore, but can take up valuable parking space in already crowded residential neighborhoods.”
When the program rolls out, members of the department’s traffic bureau will direct their effort each week to locating abandoned vehicles within the city. Officers will systematically patrol all roadways within the city and address “each and every neighborhood” within the areas they cover.
“The program will include issuing warning notices asking the owner to move their vehicle, issuing parking citations, and the removal of vehicles which are clearly abandoned,” Dickson explained.
According to Dickson, there is no additional staffing needed or any additional cost associated with the program, “only a refocus of effort by existing personnel.”
As a reminder, Dickson explained that per California Vehicle Code, it is unlawful to store a vehicle on the roadway for more than 72 hours, and all vehicles parked on the city streets must be currently registered. Also, any vehicle with registration expired for over six-months is subject to tow.
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Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 14 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.