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Staff Report.Biannual Police Services Update TOWN OF LOS GATOS COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT MEETING DATE: 08/03/2021 ITEM NO: 15 DATE: July 22, 2021 TO: Mayor and Town Council FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager SUBJECT: Discuss and Receive the Police Services Information: January – June 2021 RECOMMENDATION: Discuss and receive the Police Services Information: January-June 2021. BACKGROUND: At the March 16, 2021 Town Council meeting, the first Police Reforms Update was presented to highlight Police Department efforts to implement Town Council recommendations and promote greater levels of transparency. This Police Services Report presents the following information: ▪ Crime Statistics and Significant Cases ▪ Calls for Service and Officer Activity ▪ Traffic Overview ▪ Police Stop Data ▪ Technology Updates DISCUSSION: CRIME STATISTICS AND SIGNIFICANT CASES The Police Department is required to report Part 1 crime data to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Unified Crime Reporting (UCR) program. Part 1 crimes are defined as homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, stolen vehicles, and arson. UCR is a summary reporting system that collects an aggregate monthly tally of crimes PREPARED BY: Jamie Field, Support Services Captain Sarah Tada, Records and Communications Manager Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, and Police Chief 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832 www.losgatosca.gov PAGE 2 OF 9 SUBJECT: Biannual Police Services Report DATE: July 22, 2021 DISCUSSION (continued): classified by hierarchy (some crimes may involve multiple offenses as defined by UCR, but only the highest offense will be counted for statistical purposes). Law enforcement agencies are in the process of transitioning to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which will capture more in-depth detail on each single crime incident, including information on victims, known offenders, relationships between victims and offenders, arrestees, and property involved in crimes. NIBRS will also add context to reported crimes such as location, time of day, and circumstances. The Police Department is currently preparing for this transition prior to January 1, 2022. The chart below depicts the aggregate of Part 1 Crimes reported by Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department from January to June 2021 compared to those reported during the same period in 2019 and 2020. The bullet points below the chart provide further details related to some of the Part 1 crimes during the 2021 period. • Two of the six robberies in 2021 involved juvenile victims and juvenile offenders. The third was an attempted robbery at gunpoint. The fourth was a confrontation after a sales transaction went awry. The two remaining robberies included one that was an attempted robbery of a bicycle and the other an attempted robbery of groceries. • 37 of the 76 assaults in 2021 were related to domestic violence, including violations of a domestic violence restraining order. Six of these domestic violence assaults were considered aggravated and either involved the use of a weapon or resulted in a significant injury to the victim. • Larceny includes auto burglaries, package and mail thefts, and all other grand and petty thefts. Of the 239 reported larcenies, 106 were auto burglaries, 40 stolen bicycles, and 9 shoplifting reports. Auto burglaries tended to be grouped in series along the Highway 17 and Highway 9 corridors. • Of the 36 stolen vehicles, 29 were located and recovered outside of our jurisdiction. PAGE 3 OF 9 SUBJECT: Biannual Police Services Report DATE: July 22, 2021 DISCUSSION (continued): Between January and June 2021, numerous significant cases were investigated by Detectives with assistance from Patrol Division: Hate Crimes/Hate Incidents: The disturbing nationwide trend in hate crimes and hate incidents was unfortunately reflected in a number of incidents occurring in Town. To align with the Town Council’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusivity, the Police Department began collecting data on Hate Incidents in addition to Hate Crimes. All reported Hate Crimes and Incidents are reviewed by the Detective Sergeant who works in close conjunction with the District Attorney’s Hate Crimes Team. Between January to June 2021, five Hate Crimes were reported as well as five Hate Incidents. A summary of reported Hate Crimes and Hate Incidents is available online at the Police Department’s Transparency and Data Page: https://sites.google.com/view/lgmspdtransparency/home?authuser=0 • Arrest of Serial Sexual Assault Suspect: Upon receiving a report of a sexual assault that occurred at a local bakery, Detectives determined that the suspect had likely repeated his assaults on multiple victims. His modus operandi was to befriend female customers under the pretense of offering them bread-making lessons. The investigation yielded eight additional victims, ranging in age from 16 to 62 years. The suspect was arrested and is awaiting trial. • Public Storage Burglaries: The Police Department investigated a series of thefts from storage lockers in Town and determined that a group of suspects were gaining access by using a stolen access code. In cooperation with the staff at the storage facility, Detectives were able to intercept and arrest the suspects as they entered the facility. A large amount of stolen property was recovered and returned to the rightful owners. • Domestic Violence: Officers were contacted by a local facility manager who had been reviewing camera footage from a few days prior and was concerned that the cameras had captured a domestic violence incident. Upon reviewing the footage, Officers saw a violent interaction between a male and female that ended when the male was seen armed with a handgun before exiting the camera view. Officers were able to use evidence from the scene to identify the involved parties. Department members worked diligently to locate the female victim while detectives determined that the suspect was out on bail on an attempted homicide and assault with a deadly weapon in another jurisdiction and out on bail for a domestic violence incident with the same female victim from just a few days prior. Officers were able to locate and arrest the suspect and provided the victim with assistance and resources. PAGE 4 OF 9 SUBJECT: Biannual Police Services Report DATE: July 22, 2021 DISCUSSION (continued): • Catalytic Converter Thefts: Like many other jurisdictions in the region, catalytic converter thefts are on the rise. The most targeted vehicle is the Toyota Prius. On March 12, 2021, Officers conducted a traffic enforcement stop and determined that the vehicle was stolen. Both occupants were on probation. Upon further investigation, Officers located 21 grams of methamphetamine and tools indicating that these subjects were likely involved in catalytic converter thefts in Los Gatos and Monte Sereno. CALLS FOR SERVICE AND OFFICER ACTIVITY Calls for service are recorded as an incident number and range from discretionary activity by Officers, concerns reported by the public, or residential or commercial alarms activations to name a few. Police personnel spend a great deal of time on crime reduction, education, enforcement, and assisting the public with a variety of public safety and quality of life concerns. Not every call to the Police or Officer-initiated activity leads to an arrest or a crime report. Between January and June of 2021, there was a total of 16,585 calls for service and Officer- initiated activity (e.g., traffic/pedestrian stops, patrol checks, or foot patrol) handled by the LGMSPD Dispatch Center. Almost half of the incidents (8,066) represented in the response times chart below are calls for service, while the remaining number is officer-initiated activity. Response Times The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department has a set response time goals of 5:00 minutes for Priority 1 calls, 10:00 minutes for Priority 2 calls, and 15:00 minutes for Priority 3 calls. • Priority 1: In-progress emergency call that requires immediate response and there is reason to believe that the immediate presence of the police is essential to save life. (e.g., vehicle collision with major injuries or in-progress assault with a weapon) • Priority 2: In-progress or just occurred emergency call that requires rapid response and there is reason to believe that a police presence is needed to prevent property loss or damage. (e.g., just occurred residential burglary) • Priority 3: Non-emergency call that requires a response but presents no significant threat of serious physical injury or property damage. (e.g., prior auto burglary) PAGE 5 OF 9 SUBJECT: Biannual Police Services Report DATE: July 22, 2021 DISCUSSION (continued): The chart below displays the response times for each priority grouping from January to June 2021 and provides a breakdown of average times from the time that the call is received to the time an Officer leaves the incident. Priority # This Period Dispatched to arrival time Time officer arrives to clearing the call 1 64 4:32 55:20 2 2805 6:22 20:41 3 5197 7:17 26:33 Total 8066 6:52 minutes 24:17 minutes TRAFFIC OVERVIEW The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department approach to traffic safety emphasizes engineering, education, and enforcement. During traffic enforcement stops, Police Officers primarily encourage safe driving behaviors through education, and issue citations when warranted. Of the 367 traffic citations issued between January and June 2021, 26% (97) were violations of the basic speed laws. The remaining violations range from expired registration and cell phone violations to mechanical fix-it tickets. The table below depicts auto collisions associated to a case report number from January through June 2021 and two prior years for comparison. PAGE 6 OF 9 SUBJECT: Biannual Police Services Report DATE: July 22, 2021 DISCUSSION (continued): POLICE STOP DATA Although the Department is mandated by the State of California to collect Racial Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) stop data starting in January 2022, LGMSPD began collecting limited stop data in October 2020. The limited stop data was collected whenever a discretionary vehicle or pedestrian stop was made. The data consist of race, age, and gender (based on the Officer’s perception). This information in this report include stop data from January to June 2021. The stop data demographics are compared to both local and County demographics data. As evidenced in the graph below, the population of the Town of Los Gatos has a somewhat different demographic distribution compared to Santa Clara County (source: United States Census Bureau 2018 Statistical Atlas). The Town of Los Gatos (and the City of Monte Sereno) possess the highest percentage of white population in the entire County with Los Gatos comprised of 74% white (Monte Sereno shows 78% white). The following chart illustrates the frequency of Police contacts compared to race (as perceived by the Officer). The blue and orange columns depict the same demographic percentage information as the chart above. The grey column represents the percentage of each race category contacted on discretionary stops between January and June 2021. PAGE 7 OF 9 SUBJECT: Biannual Police Services Report DATE: July 22, 2021 The table below presents a detailed breakdown regarding the outcome of each discretionary stop by demographic category. Staff will be available at the Council meeting to discuss this in more detail. Action Taken Total White Hispanic Asian Black Other Arrest 62 50% (31) 39% (24) 0 (0) 2% (1) 10% (6) Citation 362 53% (192) 18% (66) 10% (35) 1% (5) 18% (64) Warning/Assistance 1274 54% (693) 19% (236) 9% (114) 4% (46) 15% (185) Total 1698 54% (916) 19% (326) 9% (149) 3% (52) 15% (255) For future reports, the implementation of the Racial Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) in 2022 and the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) will afford a higher level of data collection and provide more detail on the intersection of crime, demographics, and Police discretionary activity. PAGE 8 OF 9 SUBJECT: Biannual Police Services Report DATE: July 22, 2021 DISCUSSION (continued): Police Transparency and Data Web Page The Police Department has continued to seek methods to increase transparency and trust with the community. This effort has resulted in the development of the Police Transparency and Data web page that is linked to the Police Department website. The information includes Stop Data, Mental Health Response, Use of Force, Crime Data, California Public Records Act (CPRA’s) requests, and training requirements for Police Department staff. https://sites.google.com/view/lgmspdtransparency/home?authuser=0 TECHNOLOGY UPDATES The Police Department diligently pursues technological innovation as a force multiplier and a means to provide the highest degree of public safety to the community. During Q2, Town Council authorized a six-year agreement with Axon Enterprises for purchase and maintenance of Mobile Audio and Video cameras with integrated Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology. The system augments the already purchased Axon body worn camera system and allows for redundancy in recording interactions between Officers and community members. This equipment is scheduled to be installed at the end of August 2021. Town Council also approved the purchase of the Flock Safety ALPR/Video System which will emplace 15 ALPR/camera units at strategic locations throughout the Town. The units will alert Patrol Officers when stolen and wanted vehicles enter the Town and provide real time intelligence with which to formulate response options to keep the community safe. Flock camera installation is in process. The Police Department purchased a cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) decision and tactics trainer with grant funds from the California Commission on Police Officer Standards and Training (POST). This system will assist Department trainers in creating a realistic training environment for Officer’s decision-making, de-escalation and use of force. The system allows the VR inhabitants of the scenarios to have their mental status, gender, race, and many other attributes adjusted for maximum reality. This technology can also be shared with members of the community to allow them to participate in some of the situations our sworn staff experience. This equipment is expected to arrive in September 2021. CONCLUSION: The Biannual Police Services Report is designed to provide an update on data points most requested by the Town Council and the community. The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department is committed to transparency and the highest level of service to the community. Using data-driven decisions to continuously improve Police services is the basis of building a stronger relationship with the community and will continue to be the foundation of our mission to keep our community safe. PAGE 9 OF 9 SUBJECT: Biannual Police Services Report DATE: July 22, 2021 FISCAL IMPACT: The acceptance of this report has no fiscal implications. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT: This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.