DATE/TIME: February 6, 2026, between 6:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
INCIDENT: Outreach Operation
LOCATION: City of Highland and Surrounding Unincorporated County Areas
SUMMARY: The Community Service & Reentry Division's Homeless Outreach Proactive Enforcement Team (H.O.P.E.) and deputies from the Highland Station MET team conducted "Operation Shelter Me" in the city of Highland and the surrounding areas. This operation aimed to connect staff with unhoused residents, offering them housing, medical, and mental health treatment services, while addressing community safety concerns.
On November 5, 2024, California voters passed Proposition 36, titled “The Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act.” The proposition took effect on December 18, 2024, and reforms multiple laws from Proposition 47, which have been responsible for increasing homelessness, drug addiction, and theft. Proposition 36 includes several new Penal and Health and Safety Code provisions that deputies can apply during arrests when appropriate. These latest charges can carry enhanced sentencing and prevent offenders from being cited and released before their court appearance.
During this operation, the H.O.P.E. Team and Highland Deputies focused on individuals with significant mental illnesses to link them with restorative mental health pathways. The results of the operation are as follows, and where Proposition 36 is applied:
• 43 individuals currently experiencing homelessness were contacted by H.O.P.E. and Highland Deputies
• 7 individuals accepted referral information to assistance programs
• 2 individuals were arrested for their in-county felony warrants
• 2 individuals were arrested for their in-county misdemeanor warrants
• Deputy Michael Castaneda arrested an individual for PC 29800 (a)(1)- felon in possession of a loaded firearm, a felony in the State of California
• 5 individuals were arrested for HS 11377 (a)- possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor in the State of California
• 2 individuals were arrested for HS 11364- possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor in the State of California
• 1 individual was arrested for PC 273.6- violation of restraining order
• 1 individual was arrested for PC 1203.2- violation of probation terms
• 1 individual was arrested for PC 4573- bringing a controlled substance into a jail facility
The H.O.P.E. Team and other aligned resources will continue similar operations throughout the County over the next year, thanks to special "Community Concerns" funding, approved by the County Board of Supervisors. This funding allows the Sheriff's Department to address topics of concern, such as homelessness, mental illness, and community safety for county residents. All subjects arrested during the operation are contacted in the County jail by the Sheriff's Transitional Assistance Reentry Team (S.T.A.R.T.) and are offered additional resources and reentry services.
If you know of individuals experiencing homelessness who need services, please contact the H.O.P.E. Team at (909) 387-0623 or [email protected].
Refer: The H.O.P.E. Team
Station: Community Service & Reentry Division
Phone No. (909) 387-0623
Case No. N/A
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff-Coroner
San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department
