After a violent crime
Crime scene cleanup in Indio
When the detectives have gone and the tape is down, the room is left exactly as it was. Call and you are put in touch with an independent company that does trauma cleanup in Indio, so the family doesn't have to.
Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
First, the release
Nothing can be cleaned while the home is still a scene. Inside Indio that decision belongs to the Indio Police Department, and after a death the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner is involved too. Before the officer in charge leaves, ask for two things: the report number, and the name of the person to phone to confirm the release.
If you were not there, or days have passed without word, ring the police non-emergency number, (760) 391-4051. For an emergency, dial 911.
Once you have the release, the property is the owner's responsibility again. That is the moment a cleanup company can come in.
What the work usually covers
- Blood and body fluids taken off floors, walls and furniture, and out of whatever they soaked into
- Carpet, pad, mattresses and sections of drywall cut out and removed when they can't be cleaned
- Residue the investigation left behind, such as fingerprint powder
- Broken glass and damaged items cleared from the affected rooms
- Hard surfaces cleaned first, then disinfected
- Odor treated where it starts, not covered up
- Waste sealed in marked containers and driven to a permitted medical waste facility
What your home needs is for the company to say once it has seen it. Ask for that list in writing before anyone starts.
California's victim compensation program may repay the bill
When a violent crime happens in a home or a vehicle, the California Victim Compensation Board, CalVCB for short, can repay reasonable cleanup costs to whoever paid them or agreed to pay them. That might be a parent, a roommate or a landlord, not only the person who was hurt.
Two of its conditions affect which company you choose. CalVCB repays only work done by a business registered with the California Department of Public Health as a trauma scene waste management practitioner. And it pays for removing biohazards, not for repairing or replacing what was damaged. There is a ceiling on the amount.
CalVCB pays after insurance and every other source, never before. You can apply online, or hand the forms in at a Riverside County District Attorney office; the one in Indio is at 82-995 Highway 111, Suite 101. The DA's claims unit takes questions on 951-955-5460. There is more on the who pays page.
Questions about crime scenes
Who cleans up after a crime in Indio?
Not the police, and not the coroner. Their part ends with the investigation. The owner, the family or the landlord arranges cleanup, normally by hiring a private company registered with the state for this work.
Can cleaning begin before the police are done?
No. Moving or wiping anything before the release can damage the investigation. If you have waited a long time, ring the detective on the case or the non-emergency number and ask where things stand.
Can it be done at night or at the weekend?
Ask on the call. The phone here is answered at any hour, and the company will tell you when it can be there.
Will the whole street see?
You can ask a company to be discreet about how it arrives, where it parks and what is written on its vehicles. Raise it at the start if it matters to you.
Ready when the home has been handed back
There is no rush to phone tonight. Once police or the coroner have released the property, a single call reaches a cleanup company that works in Indio and the neighboring desert cities.
One number, any hour
Describe the room or the vehicle in your own words. An independent cleanup company takes it from there, and hiring it stays your choice.
Call (760) 289-3572Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Calls may be recorded. Read the referral disclosure and the privacy policy.