Police Chief Ryan Sullivan leads the discussion about crime prevention at the Town Hall Forum on April 18 at the Orinda Library Auditorium, with (L-R) Mayor Darlene Gee, City Manager David Biggs, Sergeant Detective Anthony Rossi and Detective Daniel Marzilli each adding information about crime stats, ways residents can protect their homes and property and more.
Dozens of concerned Orinda residents attended the Town Hall Forum on crime prevention, listening to a presentation and asking the five panel members about Orinda crime stats and safety issues.
Held April 18 at the Orinda Library Auditorium, the forum was hosted by The Orinda Association, where Co-President Chris Laszcz-Davis introduced Mayor Darlene Gee, City Manager David Biggs, Police Chief Ryan Sullivan, Sergeant Detective Anthony Rossi and Detective Daniel Marzilli.
Sullivan began with a PowerPoint presentation covering community outreach, statistics on crimes (against people, home and commercial properties and vehicles), license plate reader cameras, crime prevention, Neighborhood Watch, safety tips and more.
“If you see something suspicious, call immediately. We would like to at least go out there and figure out what’s going on,” said Sullivan, referring to residents who are hesitant to make 9-1-1 calls.
He added that callers who are unsure about the emergency status of their situation should call the non-emergency line at 925.646.2441, because “it goes directly to the Sheriff’s dispatch office, and if you don’t know if it’s an emergency or not, they’ll know.”
Crime Trends: Last Five Years
The presentation covered crime trends through the years 2019 – 2023. “In our property crimes, commercial and auto, the volume of crimes has basically been the same for the last five years,” said Sullivan.
Based on OPD’s statistics, 2020 had 76 arrests, 2021 had 66 arrests, 2022 had 164 arrests and 2023 had 151 arrests. Sullivan explained their theories for the significant uptick in arrests.
“The last two years, arrests are going way up, and we attribute that to more proactive policing, rather than reactive policing,” he said. “Most of these are warrant arrests. For the most part they’re not Orinda residents.” Most warrant arrests are not for crimes committed in Orinda.
Neighborhood Watch Groups
Orinda Police Officer Johnson (not in attendance) is assigned to Neighborhood Watch and Sullivan suggested attendees call the Orinda Police Department (OPD) at 925.254.6820 to either join or start a watch group.
“Officer Johnson is very familiar with how the program works and can come out and assist with organization,” Sullivan added.
Attendees Julie and Jim Fulford, Orinda residents for 30 years, were comforted by the information they gleaned from the forum.
“It is reassuring that the crime rate in Orinda is fairly low and the police are responding to problems promptly,” said Julie. “It’s nice to be reminded that knowing your neighbors is probably the best protection against robberies.”
Automated License Plate Readers
Sullivan said Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) installations have increased both through the city and via private citizen purchases, although he could not divulge how many cameras the city has purchased and installed so far.
“We are purchasing additional cameras to get better coverage of exits and entrances to the city,” he said. “We have a large area of the city covered. Currently we’re looking to have cameras installed on both sides of the tunnel.”
Sullivan added, “They’re a great tool for officer safety, to get notified if there’s a hot-listed vehicle, and they allow officers to have that information before they stop the vehicle or before they walk up to it. It’s primarily an investigative tool.”
ALPR’s, Sullivan said, also help officers locate missing persons.
“We get a lot of notifications on silver alerts – [for example] someone who has dementia – we can hot-list that vehicle if it triggers that camera,” he said.
He also stressed ALPR’s do not replace police work and do not prevent crime; however, the cameras help identify a vehicle so police have somewhere to start if there are no witnesses.
Ways to Keep Property Safe
The final portion of the forum covered safety tips for residents, including installing flood lamps, audible house alarms and doorbell cameras; placing clothing rods in window sills; getting a dog with a thick growl; installing locked gates; bolting garage doors when on vacation; placing valuables in a home safe rather than dresser drawers; setting up vacation house checks with OPD and not posting on social media “I’ll be gone from my unsecured house!”
“You can email us and request a vacation house check, leave a contact number and a secondary contact,” said Sullivan. “And please keep valuables out of your window – like those Fabergé eggs!”
Attendees Roger and Linda Pettey left the forum with useful information.
“[We have] a better awareness of the police business model, its limitations and advantages … and to use timed lighting around homes when away,” said Roger.
Rossi, who is also vice president of the Sheriff’s Association, stressed the importance of creating friendships with neighbors.
“Know your neighbor and if you see something that’s out of place, call us,” he said. “I’ve seen some reservations about making that phone call. People don’t want to seem like they’re bothering us. We want that phone call – if it is nothing, then great.”
Marzilli added that residents should take the extra time to learn how to operate their surveillance cameras, lock their mailboxes and, if possible, try not to leave packages on the porch.
For videos and information on how to prevent stolen packages, Sullivan suggested residents visit the National Neighborhood Watch website at nnw.org.
OPD Contract or Independent
The forum ended with questions by residents, one of which concerned the city considering moving from a police department contract with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department toward an independent police department.
“It’s a question that comes up periodically,” said Gee, who has been on the city council for the last nine years. “We have not had a serious look at changing anything – we’re very happy with the model and costs and benefits that come with it.”
Sullivan explained that with an independent police department when an officer is injured and possibly off for months, that officer cannot be replaced, leaving the department short-staffed. In contrast, with the county contract, “the Sheriff’s office just provides another
[officer].”
Gee added, “Overall, there are a lot of benefits to the contract model; the last few years it’s been very hard recruiting police officers and staffing them. [The model] is very effective for us, it’s a small city.”
Board members of The Orinda Association, in partnership with the City Council and OPD, plan to organize future forums on crime prevention related topics. Email The OA at oa@orindaassociation.org on what topics you’d like more information about. Video to this forum will be available after May 15. Visit orindaassociation.org and choose “Forums” under the “Program & Events” tab.
