La Mesa Police Department Quarterly Operations Report 1st Quarter

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "La Mesa Police Department Quarterly Operations Report 1st Quarter"

Asher Brooks
5 years ago
Views:

1 La Mesa Police Department Quarterly Operations Report 1st Quarter Walt Vasquez Chief of Police

2 Law Enforcement Operations and Statistics Part 1 Crimes and Statistics The 1st quarter of 2017 concluded with 27.0 crimes per thousand residents compared to 34.3 crimes per thousand in the 1st quarter of 2016, which represents a 21.4% decrease in the number of crimes. Violent Crimes decreased by 17.2% year-to-date compared to the same period in There were 48 incidents at the end of the 1st quarter of 2017 compared to 58 in Robberies decreased 50% year-to-date. There were 10 robberies in the 1st quarter of 2017 compared to 20 in the 1st quarter of Property Crimes decreased by 21.9% year-to-date compared to the same period in At the end of the 1st quarter of 2017, there were 349 property crimes reported compared to 447 at the end of the 1st quarter of The following three categories make up the category of Property Crime: Burglary, Theft and Auto Theft. Burglary decreased 40.2%, Theft decreased 10.2% and Auto Theft decreased 41.3%. This category also includes a 2.7% decrease in vehicle burglaries and a 53% decrease in residential burglaries. A victim of a 1996 aggravated assault with a firearm passed away during the 1st quarter of The medical examiner concluded her death was a result of her injuries sustained during the assault. Due to this determination, the aggravated assault was reclassified as a negligent homicide in the March 2017 statistics. Her son, who was prosecuted for the crime in 1996 and completed his sentence, passed away in As noted earlier, Robberies have decreased year-to-date compared to Detectives continue to attend regional robbery meetings and collaborate with allied agencies. Seven (7) of the ten (10) robberies in the 1st quarter have been closed by arrest. The following are some of the significant robbery clearances from the 1st quarter: On , at approximately 7:30 P.M., San Diego Police called and requested an officer check an apartment in the 4200 block of Spring Street for a runaway juvenile who was supposed to be with an adult male at that address. Officers were unable to locate either the juvenile or the adult. On , at approximately 2:02 A.M., a woman was parked in the Denny s parking lot on Spring Street, when a male pulled her out of her vehicle and hit her on the head four times with a crowbar. The male took the victim s purse and car keys. The victim stated after taking her purse and car keys, the suspect told her, "Get away from your car. I'm going to take your car." The suspect threw the victim s keys back to her before walking away with her purse. The suspect matched the description of the male associated with the runaway juvenile from the previous day. The victim positively identified the male as the suspect in a photo lineup. At the time of identification, the suspect was in custody after being arrested by the San Diego Police Department for Driving Under the Influence 23152(A) VC, Hit

3 and Run 20002(A) VC, Possession of a Stolen Vehicle 496D PC and Driving on a Suspended License (A) VC. The suspect and was "B" booked for Robbery PC and Attempted Carjacking (a) PC by La Mesa detectives. The San Diego Sheriff s Department also B booked the suspect for Vehicle Theft 10851(A) VC. On , at approximately 12:45 P.M., an unknown suspect entered Best Buy, located at 8401 Fletcher Parkway. The suspect was observed on surveillance video placing an unknown item, later identified as a Canon Camera, into his black backpack and then entering the restroom. The suspect brandished a hatchet when he was confronted by Loss Prevention. As he exited the store, the suspect turned to the Loss Prevention agent and stated, "Want to get hit with a hatchet?" He fled the location in a brown Buick. On , the San Diego Sheriff s Department contacted Crime Stoppers and submitted photos of the suspect from La Mesa s case and two related Sheriff s robbery cases. A short time after Crime Stoppers broadcasted the information, the suspect s mother made the suspect turn himself into the Santee Sheriff's Station. The suspect brought the camera taken from Best Buy with him. He was booked for Robbery PC. On , a boyfriend and girlfriend conspired to rob the girlfriend s drug dealer. The same day the female suspect and her drug dealer rented a room at the Heritage Inn located at 7851 Fletcher Parkway. Later that night, the boyfriend/suspect arrived at the motel room armed with a 9mm firearm, and robbed the drug dealer of his meth and heroin. During an altercation, a round was fired into one of the beds and the male suspect, while attempting to flee, was stabbed in the back by the drug dealer. The female suspect drove her boyfriend/suspect to Grossmont Hospital. Officers responded to the motel and located thirty-one (31) grams of heroin and thirteen (13) grams of meth in the room. The female suspect was arrested and questioned. She confessed to planning the robbery with her boyfriend. The female suspect was booked for Robbery PC and Conspiracy PC. Charges are pending for male suspect. On , at about 4:27 P.M., a male subject entered a 7-11 convenience store located at 4200 Spring St, La Mesa. A store employee approached the subject at a refrigerator containing beer. The suspect concealed a single bottle of Coors Light inside of his pants. The employee asked the suspect multiple times to return the bottle of beer he had concealed. The employee followed the suspect outside of the store. The suspect grabbed the bottle of beer with his right hand, held it by the neck/upside down, then swung the bottle at the store employee and threatened her. The employee backed away and called The suspect fled the scene, and shortly after, was detained by responding La Mesa officers at the Grossmont Trolley Station. The suspect was identified during a curbstone lineup and was charged with Robbery 211 PC.

4 During the 1st quarter of 2017, there were two notable instances of robbery reported to the Department that were determined to be unfounded subsequent to investigation by Patrol officers and Detectives: On , at approximately 5:05 A.M., a suspect forced his way behind the sandwich counter of the Subway located at 8960 Fletcher Parkway. Surveillance video shows the suspect followed the sole employee into the business after he unlocked the front door. The employee fled through an interior door, closed it, and held it shut. The suspect pushed the door open and, according to the employee, stated, "Give me the money and no one gets hurt." The employee opened the cash register and gave the suspect approximately $ The suspect fled on foot in an unknown direction. During the investigation, detectives determined the robbery was staged. When detectives interviewed the employee, he confessed that he and the other suspect were friends and that they planned the robbery to steal from Subway. Both suspects were charged with Burglary 459 PC. On , a Spring Valley resident lost approximately $ while gambling at Barona Casino. At approximately 5:36 P.M. on the same day, he called while parked in front of USE Credit Union at 8697 La Mesa Boulevard to report he had just been robbed by a male suspect. San Diego Sheriff's helicopter (ASTREA) and several La Mesa Police officers responded and searched for the suspect. Based on investigative leads detectives suspected him of fabricating the robbery. On , the subject admitted to detectives during questioning at the La Mesa Police station that he made up the robbery story to cover for his losses at the casino. There have been several notable burglary arrests during the 1st quarter of 2017: On , a victim had her vehicle burglarized in La Mesa. The victim was notified that her credit card was used at a motel in San Diego. SDPD officers contacted two females in the room purchased with the victim s credit card. SDPD officers took photographs of various items, such as pieces of paper, credit cards and checks that did not belong to the suspects. The females were not arrested at the time by SDPD. LMPD detectives reviewed the photographs and attempted to contact victims of possible crimes. LMPD detectives located twelve (12) victims of burglary from La Mesa and around the county. Of those victims, many were also victims of identity theft. Arrest warrants were issued for False Impersonation PC for both suspects. In March of 2017, both were arrested for multiple counts of identity theft. On , officers went to the Heritage Inn located at 7851 Fletcher Parkway to investigate a possible domestic violence incident occurring in one of the motel rooms. Officers contacted a male in the room who was found to be in possession of multiple credit cards that were not in his name. Officer s conducted additional

5 follow up on the names on the credit cards. Through their investigation and through admissions from the suspect, they discovered he was responsible for two vehicle burglaries and two petty thefts from a vehicle, which occurred in La Mesa. The suspect was subsequently arrested for the crimes. On , after significant investigation, detectives began looking for suspects who were burglarizing vehicles at Grossmont Center and the 24 Hour Fitness parking lots. The suspects were primarily targeting females who would leave purses in their vehicles. Once the purses were stolen, the suspects would attempt to use the victims credit cards to purchase goods. During a surveillance operation, La Mesa detectives saw the two suspects casing the 24 Hour Fitness parking lot located at 8800 Center Drive. Detectives watched as one suspect shattered a window of a vehicle and began to steal property from inside. Both females were immediately surrounded by detectives and arrested for vehicle burglary. The vehicle they arrived in was searched and additional stolen property was located from other vehicle burglaries victims from around the county. In total, both were charged with fifteen (15) counts of vehicle burglary and five (5) counts of identity theft. On , detectives stopped a male and female in a vehicle. Detectives searched their vehicle, as well as their residence, and located stolen property from houses which were burglarized in La Mesa during January and February of The property was stolen from six (6) separate houses located in the south west region of the City. The male and female suspects were arrested for six counts of residential burglary. On at approximately 4:35 A.M., a vehicle fled the area of 5300 Jackson Drive after a patrol officer found it parked behind a closed business. Patrol units later located the vehicle as a solo occupant fled from it. Inside were 300 packs of cigarettes, a ski mask, gloves and burglary tools. Detectives later searched the vehicle and found a California ID Card and property. The subject whose ID card was located had one felony and two misdemeanor warrants. Further investigation revealed the suspect had burglarized a convenience store in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego and had stolen the cigarettes. Detectives also found a U-Haul key in the suspect s backpack, which was left in the vehicle. They discovered the key was from a stolen U-Haul truck and also linked him to an additional burglary from Lemon Grove. Transient Enforcement The Police Department responded to a total of 512 contacts related to transients during the 1st quarter of 2017 compared to 450 contacts during the 4th quarter of The top 3 areas where transients were contacted were as follows: 15 contacts were made at 8300 Parkway Drive 11 contacts were made at 5500 Grossmont Center Drive 11 contacts were made at 7601 University Avenue

6 Special Investigations Unit (SIU) SIU 1st Quarter Activity Activity 1 st Quarter st Quarter 2016 Arrests Field Interviews Citations 2 11 Vehicle Impounds 1 1 Probation Searches Parole Searches 2 2 Traffic Stops Pedestrian Stops Parolees and Probationers Below is a graph representing the number of individuals on Parole that have resided in La Mesa over the last four years. Please note that the below graph does not include Post-Release Offenders (AB109). 1st Qtr. Parole Population Residing in La Mesa Population Count AB109- Public Safety Realignment The California criminal justice system had a fundamental shift on October 1, 2011, as the result of Assembly Bill 109, the Public Safety Realignment Act. The law changes a number of ways Law Enforcement monitors these offenders. Felons who have committed non-violent, non-serious, and non-sex offenses will be housed in county jail. Those released from state prison, known as Post Release Offenders (PRO), will be supervised by the Probation Department. Probation violations by the PRO population will be served in county jail and will be limited to 180 days.

7 According to the San Diego County Probation Department, La Mesa currently houses twenty-six of the Post Release Offenders. Gang Issues and Enforcement Based on law enforcement computer checks, there are ninety-eight (98) documented gang members living in La Mesa at of the end of the 1st quarter of This number can fluctuate due to the transient nature of some gang members. Registered Sex Offenders There are currently seventy-nine (79) active registrants in the City. All are currently in compliance. Traffic Collisions/Citations/Enforcement Operations During the 1st quarter there were 93 collision reports taken. Of the 93 reports, 46 involved injuries with 59 people reporting injuries. Out of the 93 collisions, 16 were alcohol related. The top reported collision locations were Fletcher Parkway and Baltimore Drive and the University Avenue Corridor from Spring to Lowell. There were no fatalities as a result of a collision during the 1st quarter. Enforcement Operations 1st Quarter 2017 During the 1st Quarter, the Traffic Unit participated in the below listed additional activities: DUI Saturation Patrol (2 Officers) OTS Traffic Enforcement (2 Officers) DUI Saturation Patrol (4 Officers) OTS Pedestrian Enforcement (4 Officers) Community Resource Activities and Information Graffiti Tracker ACTIVITY 1 st qtr- 2 nd qtr- 3 rd qtr- 4 th qtr YTD Total Reported Graffiti Photographed Cleaned

8 We continue to proactively patrol city streets looking for graffiti as the reported hits of graffiti accounts for less than 15% of the actual graffiti removed. School Resource Officers An additional officer was assigned to work as a School Resource Officer in January During the 1 st quarter of 2017, the two (2) School Resource Officers (SRO s) gave a total of nine (9) classroom presentations on, Being a Good Citizen, Rude Behavior, Respect, Theft, Marijuana, and Police Procedures and Science. The SRO s also assisted with Coffee with the Principal and a presentation on bullying. The SRO s made a total of eight (8) home visits for truancy and taught three (3) Juvenile Law classes for the County Juvenile Diversion Program. The SRO s assisted in three (3) practice school lockdown drills making sure teachers, students and faculty members followed school emergency response procedures. The SRO s assisted with four (4) School Attendance Review team (SART) meetings, where school officials, parents and students were present to discuss the child s troubles with the school. The SRO s attended four (4) Juvenile District Attorney SRO meetings and three (3) School Resource Officers Monthly Meetings. The SRO s addressed multiple vehicle and pedestrian traffic issues surrounding all ten (10) schools and, with the assistance of the Motor Units and CSO Julie Estill, made an effort to gain voluntary compliance from the parents and area drivers to keep the citizens and students of La Mesa safe. Crime Prevention/Emergency Preparedness There are currently 142 Neighborhood Watch groups in the City; Sixteen (16) groups contain at least one (1) Community Emergency Response Team member. The Nextdoor.com social media neighborhood watch is gaining interest with approximately 6,379 La Mesa citizens participating. Facebook, which has been operational for over a year, has 1,270 followers. Neighborhood Watch Meetings 4 Community Presentations 11 Residential Security Inspections 4 Commercial Security Inspections 1

9 La Mesa Police Department Quarterly Crime Statistics - 1st Quarter 2017 Violent Crime YTD 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr 1st Qtr YTD YTD % Change Homicide N/C Cleared N/C Rape % Cleared % Robbery % Cleared % Aggravated Assault % Cleared % Property Crime YTD 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr 1st Qtr YTD YTD % Change Residential % Commercial % Burglary Total % Cleared % Car Prowl (Included in Theft) % Theft > $ % Theft $400 or less % Theft Total % Cleared % Auto Theft % Cleared % Totals YTD 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr 1st Qtr YTD YTD % Change Total Violent % Cleared* 46.6% 39.7% 55.9% 47.6% 62.5% 62.5% 46.6% 34.3% Total Property % Cleared* 19.0% 9.0% 13.2% 20.3% 17.8% 17.8% 19.0% -6.6% FBI Index % Cleared* 22.2% 12.7% 16.6% 23.2% 23.2% 23.2% 22.2% 4.5% Violent Rate per 1000 Pop. 3.3/K 3.9/K Property Rate per 1000 Pop. 23.7/K 30.4/K Index Rate per 1000 Pop. 27.0/K 34.3/K 2017 Prepared by LMPD Crime Analysis, 4/13/2017 *Percentage change by number of crimes cleared. N/A = Not Applicable N/C = Not Calculable

10 La Mesa Police Department Robbery and Theft - 1st Quarter 2017 Robbery YTD 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr 1st Qtr YTD YTD % Change Street/Highway % Commercial % Gas or Service Station N/C Chain Store % Residential % Bank % Miscellaneous N/C Robbery Total % Cleared % YTD Clearance Rate 70% Theft YTD 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr 1st Qtr YTD YTD % Change Pocket-Picking % Purse Snatching % Shoplifting % From Motor Vehicles % Motor Vehicle Parts & Acc % Bicycles % From Buildings % From Coin Operated Mach % All Others % Theft Total % Cleared % YTD Clearance Rate 18% Prepared by LMPD Crime Analysis, 4/13/2017 N/A = Not Applicable N/C = Not Calculable

11 La Mesa Police Department Patrol Statistics - 1st Quarter YTD 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr 1st Qtr YTD YTD % Change Primary % Officer Initiated % Reports Taken % Arrests Made % 5150 Detentions % Citations % Parking/ Muni Code Citations % Field Interviews % Prepared by LMPD Crime Analysis, 4/13/2017 N/A = Not Applicable N/C = Not Calculable

12 La Mesa Police Department Robbery Statistics - 1st Quarter 2017 Year to Date Totals Reported Robberies % Change Street/Highway % Commercial % Gas or Service Station 0 0 N/C Chain Store % Residential % Bank % Miscellaneous 0 0 N/C Robbery Total % Cleared % 2017 Reported Robberies Reported Solved % Solved Street/Highway % Commercial % Gas or Service Station 0 0 N/C Chain Store % Residential % Bank 0 0 N/C Miscellaneous 0 0 N/C Total % Prepared by LMPD Crime Analysis, 4/13/2017 N/A = Not Applicable N/C = Not Calculable

13 La Mesa Police Department Communications - 1st Quarter YTD 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr 1st Qtr YTD YTD % Change % 7 Digit Emergency Number % Non-Emergency Number % Ringdown % Total Incoming % Outgoing Calls % Total Incoming and Outgoing Calls % Answer Time 2 86% 89% 91% 98% 97% 97% 86% 12.8% Calls For Service % 1 Ringdown are calls rerouted from Heartland Fire Answer Time indicates the average percentage of calls answered by the State Ringtime Standard. The State Ringtime Standard was 90% of calls answered within 10 seconds though September As of October 2016 the new standard is 95% answered within 15 seconds. 3 Calls for Service include all calls that generate agency response and officer initiated contact including, assisting citizens, traffic stops, pedestrian stops, front counter contacts, extra patrol, etc. Prepared by LMPD Crime Analysis, 4/13/2017 N/A = Not Applicable N/C = Not Calculable

14 MTS Trolley Crime Report 1st Quarter 2017 Part I Crimes 1st Qtr 1st Qtr % Change Homicide 0 0 N/C VIOLENT Rape 0 0 N/C Robbery 0 0 N/C Aggravated Assault by Vic. Cnt % PROPERTY Res. Burglary 0 0 N/A Comm. Burglary 0 0 N/C Burglary Total: 0 0 N/C Theft 4 4 0% Car Prowls (included in Theft Totals) 2 2 0% Theft Total: 4 4 0% Auto Theft 0 0 N/C TOTAL VIOLENT: % TOTAL PROPERTY: 4 4 0% FBI INDEX: % Location Addresses 7255 Alvarado Road 9100 Amaya Ct 8601 Fletcher Py 8248 La Mesa Bl 4250 Spring St. N/C = Not Calculable Compiled from ARJIS Data Note: MTS advises that their statistics "do not include incidents that occurred outside the immediate station area. The total number of incidents and arrests will not equal those reflected on other reports." 04/13/2017

15 La Mesa Trolley Locations Part I Crimes Reported to La Mesa Police 1st Quarter Station Name Homicide Rape Robbery Aggravated Assault Burglary Larceny/ Theft Vehicle Theft Arson Total Location Address Larceny / Car Prowl Alvarado Road Alvarado Road 1 Amaya Ct Amaya Ct 0 Grossmont Center Fletcher Py 1 La Mesa Blvd La Mesa Bl 0 Spring St Spring St. 0 TOTAL Station Name Homicide Rape Robbery Aggravated Assault Burglary Larceny/ Theft Vehicle Theft Arson Total Location Address Larceny / Car Prowl Alvarado Road Alvarado Road 0 Amaya Ct Amaya Ct 0 Grossmont Center Fletcher Py 0 La Mesa Blvd La Mesa Bl 0 Spring St Spring St. 1 TOTAL Based Upon ARJIS Data 04/13/17

La Mesa Police Department Quarterly Operations Report 2nd Quarter

La Mesa Police Department Quarterly Operations Report 2nd Quarter - 2016 Walt Vasquez Chief of Police Law Enforcement Operations and Statistics Part 1 Crimes and Statistics The City s overall crime rate