The City of Canyon Lake is moving toward a major milestone, with plans to launch its own police department in early August. Once launched, the Canyon Lake Police Department will assume full responsibility for law enforcement services within city limits, ending the city’s longstanding contract with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
A key step in the transition will take place at the May 13 city council meeting, when James Rayls will be formally sworn in as the first police chief and first sworn law enforcement officer of the Canyon Lake Police Department. His swearing-in represents the official start of leadership for the new department and a historic moment for the City of Canyon Lake.
Rayls comes to Canyon Lake with nearly three decades of experience. In September 2025, he retired from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Lake Elsinore Station, where he served as the chief law enforcement officer.
A graduate of California Baptist University, Rayls earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1995 before beginning his law enforcement career with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in April 1996.
Rayls started in corrections, serving until 2000 before transferring to the Lake Elsinore Station. There, he worked patrol operations, the Special Enforcement Team, lake patrol operations, and off-road vehicle enforcement.
In 2005, Rayls was promoted to sheriff’s investigator at the Lake Elsinore Station, handling cases involving person crimes, sex crimes, and infant deaths.
In 2007, Rayls was promoted to sheriff’s sergeant and returned to corrections, where he established the first Gang Investigations Unit.
Rayls transferred to the Moreno Valley Station in 2010, where he worked patrol operations, administration, and supervised the investigations bureau. He also oversaw the Riverside University Health System hospital contract and played a key role in planning and implementing the citywide camera system.
By 2017, Rayles had been promoted to lieutenant at the Southwest Station, managing the City of Temecula contract, patrol operations, the investigations bureau, traffic bureau, and administration. He also assisted with planning and implementing Temecula’s citywide camera system.
Rayls returned to the Lake Elsinore Station in 2020 and managed the City of Canyon Lake and City of Lake Elsinore contracts. His promotion to captain came in 2022, officially making him the chief law enforcement officer for Canyon Lake, Lake Elsinore, and Wildomar, the county areas of Temescal Canyon, Warm Springs, Lakeland Village, El Cariso, Tenaja, and La Cresta, and the Lake Elsinore School District contract.
