Three motels clustered near Indian Hill Boulevard and the 10 Freeway in Claremont are the catalyst for a proposed ordinance that would clamp down on nuisance behaviors and illegal activity , something residents say is long overdue. At a meeting last month, residents shared their frustration with officials, many asking why the ordinance that has been in the works for a year has yet to be implemented. The problems have worsened in recent years, officials say. Between September and September , Claremont police received 1, calls for service at the Motel 6 alone, including officer-initiated activity such as welfare checks, according to the Police Department.
In that same period, authorities have received a total of 2, calls for service and made a combined arrests at the three motels. Since January, Claremont police have conducted several prostitution and crime stings at the motels, which have resulted in multiple arrests. In November, an undercover prostitution operation in the area of Indian Hill Boulevard and the 10 Freeway resulted in 15 arrests for soliciting a prostitute for sexual acts.
At the community meeting in November, Claremont police Chief Aaron Fate also spoke about potential challenges to the way the department handles calls for service related to prostitutions. Beginning in January , Senate Bill , which was signed into law by Gov.
Gavin Newsom this year, will make loitering for prostitution legal in California. Fate said officers often rely on loitering arrests as a method to initiate trafficking investigations that lead to convictions for traffickers and pimps. There are ongoing efforts in the Community Development Department to create a policy that would request that motels voluntarily grant the city access to inspect each establishment.
At the meeting in November, residents frequently raised questions about the check-in process at hotels and motels and what steps these establishments would be able to take to deter criminal activity. According to staff and police recommendations, adding a requirement for guests to provide a valid credit or debit card and a matching identification card would help stop crime such as identity theft. Another recommendation would be changing the information requested for guest registration, specifically for motels near freeways.
