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.