Good Times' Best of Santa Cruz edition this week recognized our department for "Best Police Work" of the year. Here is the exact write-up!
Best Police Work
Catching the Kind Grind Suspect
When a young woman was brutally sexually assaulted at her workplace, the Kind Grind coffee shop, in March 2008, the community went into a pained fervor. The news that the Santa Cruz Police Department, with help of the state and its more advanced technological resources, solved the case this past March was met with immense relief and gratitude. Kudos to the SCPD for bringing that case to justice.
Click here to view the Good Times article.
April 29, 2011
April 28, 2011
Central Beat Community Meeting Draws Nearly 50 Residents
Nearly 50 residents of the Ocean Street area joined us for a discussion on issues impacting their area. Residents expressed concerns about drug and alcohol activity, especially in the northern section of Ocean Street. Our department committed to helping neighbors address the problems and provided some tools for residents to contact us. In addition, we spoke about ways we can modify our patrols to target these issues in that area.
These forums are a wonderful opportunity for our department to hear directly from residents, in their neighborhoods, at times convenient for them to attend. It allows us to learn about new issues or reinforce our thoughts on what our officers have seen. We’d like to thank everyone that attended and we will post information about our next beat meeting soon.
These forums are a wonderful opportunity for our department to hear directly from residents, in their neighborhoods, at times convenient for them to attend. It allows us to learn about new issues or reinforce our thoughts on what our officers have seen. We’d like to thank everyone that attended and we will post information about our next beat meeting soon.
April 27, 2011
See Law Enforcement Up Close - Ride-Along!
Ever wonder what it's like to be a police officer? Interested in learning more about public safety in our community?
Take the opportunity to observe the Santa Cruz Police Department at work first-hand. The "Ride-Along" program will allow you to hear and see exactly how situations are handled and to give you better insight to into your police department personnel. We believe that through active citizen participation, our goal of better communications between the community and department can be achieved. Click here for more information on this program. We hope to see you riding with us soon!
Take the opportunity to observe the Santa Cruz Police Department at work first-hand. The "Ride-Along" program will allow you to hear and see exactly how situations are handled and to give you better insight to into your police department personnel. We believe that through active citizen participation, our goal of better communications between the community and department can be achieved. Click here for more information on this program. We hope to see you riding with us soon!
April 26, 2011
Santa Cruz Police Volunteer Program
The Santa Cruz Police Department would like to invite you to join us as a volunteer! We know that in order to be successful, a strong sense of unity and shared purpose must exist between your police and the community. As a police volunteer, you are helping continue to connect the Santa Cruz Police Department with the community we serve.
We greatly value our volunteers and recognize that what you do has a direct impact on the safety of our community. Our volunteer's commitment to serving the department through various tasks, in turn improves the quality of life in our community. By accomplishing these duties and volunteering a minimum number of hours per month, each volunteer provides an outstanding service to the community.
We believe that the true measurement of our department is the impact we leave for those who come after us. We strive to be highly accountable and accessible while focusing on what we believe our agency does best; community-oriented policing. Please join us in this endeavor - partner with us as a police volunteer. Click here for more information!
We greatly value our volunteers and recognize that what you do has a direct impact on the safety of our community. Our volunteer's commitment to serving the department through various tasks, in turn improves the quality of life in our community. By accomplishing these duties and volunteering a minimum number of hours per month, each volunteer provides an outstanding service to the community.
We believe that the true measurement of our department is the impact we leave for those who come after us. We strive to be highly accountable and accessible while focusing on what we believe our agency does best; community-oriented policing. Please join us in this endeavor - partner with us as a police volunteer. Click here for more information!
April 25, 2011
Santa Cruz Police Request $50,000 From Governor’s Reward Fund For Unsolved Homicide
Police Chief Kevin Vogel requested $50,000 from the Governor’s Reward Fund for the Carl Reimer homicide. Our investigators refuse to give up on the case and believe the offer of a $50,000 will provide an inducement for witnesses to come forward. Chief Vogel has also directed investigators to look at other recent homicides for consideration for the reward. The Governor's legal affairs unit will process the request and the Governor makes the final determination. As the one year anniversary of the Reimer homicide has just occurred, it is essential that the department does all that is possible to keep the case active.
April 15, 2011
Santa Cruz Police Officers David Emigh and Chris Vigil Recognized for Outstanding DUI Enforcement Efforts by OTS and MADD
SALINAS – On Wednesday April 13, 2011, Santa Cruz Police Officers David Emigh and Chris Vigil were recognized at an award ceremony at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas for their DUI enforcement efforts. The recognition ceremony was a collaborative effort by the State of California Office of Traffic Safety and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). The ceremony honored police officers from around the Central Coast for taking impaired drivers off of our streets and saving innocent lives that may have otherwise been lost when these impaired drivers become involved in deadly traffic collisions.
Officers Emigh and Vigil were among 27 honorees from Santa Cruz County law enforcement agencies, including the California Highway Patrol, Capitola Police, Scotts Valley Police, Watsonville Police, Santa Cruz Police and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. In addition to the 27 honorees from Santa Cruz County, there were 54 honorees from Monterey and San Benito County law enforcement agencies.
This was a heartfelt ceremony that included a very sad testimonial by a father who lost his young son in a horrific drunk driving accident in 2009. As Chief, I am honored the Santa Cruz Police Department was represented by Officers David Emigh and Chris Vigil among the 81 honorees from the Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Tri-County area. Please join the entire staff of the Santa Cruz Police Department in congratulating Officer Dave Emigh and Officer Chris Vigil.
April 13, 2011
Santa Cruz Police Officer Ryan Kiar Hits the Streets Solo
SANTA CRUZ -- Santa Cruz Chief of Police Kevin Vogel is pleased to announce Officer Ryan Kiar successfully completed the Department's field training program today, April 13, 2011. This is the in-house Departmental training program in which a police academy graduate is trained by an experienced Santa Cruz Police officer. This is a rigorous program that takes 4-5 months to complete, depending on the progress of the newly-hired officer. We are pleased to have Officer Kiar complete the training program and join the Santa Cruz Police Department as a solo beat officer. Please join the entire staff of the Santa Cruz Police Department in congratulating Officer Ryan Kiar on this outstanding achievement.
April 10, 2011
Chief Kevin Vogel and Deputy Chief Rick Martinez attend Zone Meeting with California State Attorney General Kamala Harris
TULARE -- On April 7, 2011, Chief Kevin Vogel and Deputy Chief Rick Martinez were invited to join California State Attorney General Kamala Harris at the Region V Zone Meeting in Tulare, CA. Zone Meetings are designed to address the most pressing public safety issues that this entire region of California is facing and to share information, intelligence and best practices for working together towards achieving increased public safety.
The meeting included other staff from the California Department of Justice, including Division of Law Enforcement Director George Anderson and Deputy Director Larry Wallace. The California counties represented at the Zone V Meeting included Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare. This was the inaugural meeting of future Zone Meetings that Attorney General Harris will be hosting throughout the state.
Attorney General Harris has met with many law enforcement leaders across our state. During these meetings, a few themes have emerged as common to every region. There is nearly universal concern about transnational gangs operating in our communities. To address these concerns, one of the presentations at the Zone V Meeting addressed transnational gangs and the linkages between prison gangs and their counterparts operating on the streets of California and internationally. This presentation was given by California Department of Justice Senior Agent Javier Salaiz and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation transnational gang expert Steve Contreras.
The second presentation focused on DNA and forensic technology, with a specific emphasis on the advances in “familial DNA” searching and how this new forensic technique can help identify suspects in cases where traditional forensic testing is not sufficient. This presentation was given by California Department of Justices Bureau of Forensic Science Chief Jill Spriggs, Santa Cruz Chief of Police Kevin Vogel, Santa Cruz Deputy Chief of Police Rick Martinez and Santa Cruz County District Attorney Bob Lee.
The third presentation provided an update from the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Firearms Acting Chief Stephen Lindley on the progress of the Armed and Prohibited Persons Program, which is designed to collect firearms from persons who are prohibited from possession them as a result of felony convictions, being subject to a domestic violence restraining order and other disqualifications.
April 4, 2011
Police Launch New iPhone/Smartphone App
Santa Cruz Police Launch First Consumer-Focused Iphone App in Nation
The Santa Cruz Police Department, working with two recent UC Santa Cruz graduates, developed what is believed to be the first consumer-focused law enforcement iPhone application in the country. The free mobile application is available via iTunes and the Apple store.
The app was designed by EZ Axess Inc, a Sunnyvale–based start-up company founded in the Spring of 2009 by UC Santa Cruz graduates Kushyar Kasraie and Jamieson Johnson.
The mobile app will provide access to the police department’s scanner feed, online crime maps, videos, photos and a new departmental blog. In addition, consumers will be able to submit crime tips from their mobile phone and view Nixle alerts.
• Tips: Provide crime tips right from your iPhone!
• Maps: View real-time crime maps of activity occurring in your community.
• News: Get the latest news written directly by the Chief, department officers and staff.
• Video: Watch videos from our SCPD YouTube channel.
• Photos: View SCPD’s most wanted and browse through albums of images from recent police events.
• Alerts: View trusted, instant alerts directly from Santa Cruz Police (integrated with Nixle)
• Scanner: Wondering why the police are in your neighborhood? The live scanner feed will tell you.
The Santa Cruz Police Department, working with two recent UC Santa Cruz graduates, developed what is believed to be the first consumer-focused law enforcement iPhone application in the country. The free mobile application is available via iTunes and the Apple store.
The app was designed by EZ Axess Inc, a Sunnyvale–based start-up company founded in the Spring of 2009 by UC Santa Cruz graduates Kushyar Kasraie and Jamieson Johnson.
The mobile app will provide access to the police department’s scanner feed, online crime maps, videos, photos and a new departmental blog. In addition, consumers will be able to submit crime tips from their mobile phone and view Nixle alerts.
• Tips: Provide crime tips right from your iPhone!
• Maps: View real-time crime maps of activity occurring in your community.
• News: Get the latest news written directly by the Chief, department officers and staff.
• Video: Watch videos from our SCPD YouTube channel.
• Photos: View SCPD’s most wanted and browse through albums of images from recent police events.
• Alerts: View trusted, instant alerts directly from Santa Cruz Police (integrated with Nixle)
• Scanner: Wondering why the police are in your neighborhood? The live scanner feed will tell you.
April 1, 2011
Ask The Chief!
We are starting a new feature called Ask the Chief. Have a question you would like Chief Vogel to answer? Drop us a line at askthechief@cityofsantacruz.com and we'll try to get it posted.
LETTER 1
Dick V., a downtown resident, has noted a number of vehicles parking in permitted (and posted) no parking areas after the designated times. He commented on how some of the people parking after hours are going to local bars and generally disturb the peace when they come back to their vehicles. He wanted to know if the police department could address this issue.
Dear Dick:
I appreciate hearing about this issue downtown. Concerns over parking in posted no parking areas without enforcement are all too common. However, this is the first we have heard of concerns in your specific neighborhood. I have asked our downtown lieutenant, Larry Richard, to ensure that some extra patrols come through your neighborhood to address your concerns. I believe that it will only take a few tickets to send a message to people to not park there. I will also let our parking enforcement team (they work for Public Works) know about your problem. We can do more to work with parking enforcement to address these concerns throughout the city. Thanks again for letting us know.
Sincerely,
Kevin Vogel
Chief of Police
LETTER 2
Janet is also a downtown resident and wrote Chief Vogel regarding the river levee. She spoke about her concerns of safety on the levee and a belief that it is being used for drug and other criminal activity. She asked whether any additional laws need to be enacted and what the community could do to help.
Dear Janet:
Thank you for your thoughtful email. I must say, you are not alone in your concerns about levee safety and quality of life issues surrounding our river. Over the last few years there has been a concerted effort to improve the levee by the Police Department, Water Department, Parks and Recreation and Public Works. Improved lighting has gone in, landscape improvements have been made and our parks unit joined with park rangers to add additional patrols. However, we are in full agreement that is hasn’t been enough. I recently authorized the hiring of First Alarm security to also patrol the levee area to add an additional uniformed presence. Community groups like Santa Cruz Neighbors and Take Back Santa Cruz have organized clean ups and helped provide a positive presence in the area. But more could be done – and a lot of it will take a community-wide solution. We need to encourage positive usage of the levee, from biking to walking to family friendly trips down the path. At this time I don’t believe we need additional laws to address the issues, but I appreciate the suggestion and will ask our parks unit to look into the current codes to see if there is something missing. Our City Council has been extremely supportive of cleaning up the levee area from an environmental degradation standpoint and a public safety standpoint. I would encourage you to partner with these neighborhood groups to do exactly as you say – clean up the space and ensure that it is claimed for our entire community, not just a select few that want to use it for criminal behavior.
Sincerely,
Kevin Vogel
Chief of Police
LETTER 3
Charlie is a business owner in the Seabright area. He has seen that alcohol-related issues tend to come from late night/early morning drinking and suggested moving bar closing times to midnight (from the current 2 am).
LETTER 1
Dick V., a downtown resident, has noted a number of vehicles parking in permitted (and posted) no parking areas after the designated times. He commented on how some of the people parking after hours are going to local bars and generally disturb the peace when they come back to their vehicles. He wanted to know if the police department could address this issue.
Dear Dick:
I appreciate hearing about this issue downtown. Concerns over parking in posted no parking areas without enforcement are all too common. However, this is the first we have heard of concerns in your specific neighborhood. I have asked our downtown lieutenant, Larry Richard, to ensure that some extra patrols come through your neighborhood to address your concerns. I believe that it will only take a few tickets to send a message to people to not park there. I will also let our parking enforcement team (they work for Public Works) know about your problem. We can do more to work with parking enforcement to address these concerns throughout the city. Thanks again for letting us know.
Sincerely,
Kevin Vogel
Chief of Police
LETTER 2
Janet is also a downtown resident and wrote Chief Vogel regarding the river levee. She spoke about her concerns of safety on the levee and a belief that it is being used for drug and other criminal activity. She asked whether any additional laws need to be enacted and what the community could do to help.
Dear Janet:
Thank you for your thoughtful email. I must say, you are not alone in your concerns about levee safety and quality of life issues surrounding our river. Over the last few years there has been a concerted effort to improve the levee by the Police Department, Water Department, Parks and Recreation and Public Works. Improved lighting has gone in, landscape improvements have been made and our parks unit joined with park rangers to add additional patrols. However, we are in full agreement that is hasn’t been enough. I recently authorized the hiring of First Alarm security to also patrol the levee area to add an additional uniformed presence. Community groups like Santa Cruz Neighbors and Take Back Santa Cruz have organized clean ups and helped provide a positive presence in the area. But more could be done – and a lot of it will take a community-wide solution. We need to encourage positive usage of the levee, from biking to walking to family friendly trips down the path. At this time I don’t believe we need additional laws to address the issues, but I appreciate the suggestion and will ask our parks unit to look into the current codes to see if there is something missing. Our City Council has been extremely supportive of cleaning up the levee area from an environmental degradation standpoint and a public safety standpoint. I would encourage you to partner with these neighborhood groups to do exactly as you say – clean up the space and ensure that it is claimed for our entire community, not just a select few that want to use it for criminal behavior.
Sincerely,
Kevin Vogel
Chief of Police
LETTER 3
Charlie is a business owner in the Seabright area. He has seen that alcohol-related issues tend to come from late night/early morning drinking and suggested moving bar closing times to midnight (from the current 2 am).
Dear Charlie:
Thank you for your suggestion. Alcohol-fueled violence is an on-going problem for our community. Did you know that we have over 50 alcohol outlets in less than one square mile downtown? It’s rare that we don’t see alcohol as a contributing factor in violence or inappropriate behavior. In fact, public intoxication arrests are one of the most common arrest types at our agency. Whether or not a reduction of the service time (from 2:00 am to midnight) would have a reduction on these incidents is up for debate. But I do think that it’s important that we start a greater discussion about responsible drinking, over-service (or over-sales) by some alcohol outlets and the role alcohol plays in criminal and quality of life activities in our community. We are in the process of applying for a grant through the state Alcoholic Beverage Control agency to provide additional overtime to work on alcohol issues in our community.
Sincerely,
Kevin Vogel
Chief of Police
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