In the five calendar years from 2019 through 2023, property crimes, defined as residential, commercial and auto burglaries, decreased or remained flat in Orinda, according to a presentation by Orinda Police Chief Ryan Sullivan at a Feb. 13 special meeting of Orinda’s Public Safety Subcommittee Council. The meeting came in response to residents’ concerns over perceived increases in crime.
“We did this annual report (on property crimes) early because of the community concerns,” said City Manager David Biggs. “Normally we wouldn’t do this until April or May.”
One of those concerned residents is Evan Dreyer, who recently experienced a break-in at his family’s home in the Knickerbocker neighborhood. The vandals raided their house, causing over $10,000 in damage to their property.
“These guys were smart, disciplined and they moved fast, staying in the house for less than five minutes. They were wearing gloves and masks and they didn’t talk,” said Dreyer. His outdoor video cameras captured images of the attempted burglary and he called the police who immediately responded.
“The police arrived less than 10 minutes after we called, but the criminals were already gone into the night,” said Dreyer.
Dreyer said in the last two years, in his neighborhood, there were at least eight cases in which homes were broken into or had damage done to property during attempted crimes.
“It’s obvious some neighborhoods are being targeted,” said Dreyer, noting neighborhoods on private roads with less lighting.
At a March 5 city council meeting, Dreyer shared additional information on recent property crime and what he called “hot spots” where property crime is occurring, including theft, burglary, larceny and breaking and entering. He also said his neighborhood is rallying to prevent crime and working with Orinda Police to form a Neighborhood Watch group.
Additional Crime and Arrest Statistics
In addition to property crimes, Sullivan cited 24 vehicle thefts in 2023, slightly higher than the 17 reported in 2019, but less than a spike of 32 in 2021.
No statistics were provided for “crimes against persons,” which include robbery, battery, strong-arm robbery, sexual assault and homicide, but Sullivan said incidences of those crimes remain flat at about five to seven per year. One exception to that figure was the 2019 Halloween Airbnb incident involving several homicides.
None of this data includes crime at the Orinda BART station, which falls under BART Police jurisdiction.
Although crime is down or flat, arrests have increased from 111 in 2019; 76 in 2020; 66 in 2021; 164 in 2022 and 151 in 2023. Sullivan explained, “The majority of our arrests are warrant arrests.”
A warrant arrest is one in which city police identify and arrest an individual for whom a jurisdiction other than Orinda has a warrant. Sullivan said that typically those arrested on warrants are not Orinda residents, nor are their warrants tied to crime in Orinda.
“One of the things that’s helped with solving crime is license plate reading cameras,” said Sullivan, who noted that the city owns several stationary and mobile ALPR cameras, as do several private businesses and residents. He said the city is looking to purchase more cameras for better coverage.
Crime Prevention Town Hall – April 18
At the February meeting, Sullivan said the Orinda Police Department continues to stress crime prevention and is increasing its proactive policing efforts.
“We’re showing a more public presence in an effort to deter criminal activity, being more active with the public and being more visible. [Proactive policing] helps to deter and prevent crimes, while responding to calls for service as well,” said Sullivan.
Members of The Orinda Association’s board of directors met with Sullivan and Biggs on March 7 to discuss holding town hall forums with the participation of the city.
“Given that the topic of crime is a function of the police-community partnership efforts, we agreed that it might be smart to start with a town forum on crime prevention,” said Chris Laszcz-Davis, co-president of The Orinda Association.
“This might well be the first in a series of efforts through 2024,” added Laszcz-Davis, noting other possible topics may include “how to keep your child safe, guns, school issues and sending your kids off to college.”
The first town hall meeting will be held on Thursday, April 18, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. in the Library Auditorium. The panel of speakers will include the police chief, members of his staff or city staff, Neighborhood Watch representatives and a member of the city council. The Orinda Association will gather questions from the public in advance. Meetings will be recorded for those unable to attend.
Sullivan and Biggs suggested that coordinating with already-established Firewise communities might be a way of smoothly developing more Neighborhood Watch groups.
While Dreyer remains concerned about the pace of the city’s purchase and installation of more ALPR cameras, he said, “The police have been great. We feel their presence. It’s been really reassuring.
“As a community we need to err on the side of doing too much – not too little. We need to be proactive when it comes to protecting our families. It’s obvious that criminals are going places where they didn’t historically, and we can’t accept the status quo. We need to take resounding action to ensure that Orinda is too risky for criminals to operate in and we aren’t looking back wishing we did
more.”
Neighborhoods interested in forming Neighborhood Watch groups can contact Orinda Police Officer Johnson at 925.254.6820 for assistance.
Statistics provided by Orinda Police Department.
