Alert Neighbor Prevents a Home Burglary

Once again, alert and proactive neighbors stave off a would-be burglar. We have told a story like this one before.  Way to go Santa Cruz!! 

Yesterday (October 23^rd) a neighbor saw this suspicious person enter the side yard of a home in the 1100 block of W. Cliff Drive. 

This is Timothy Dollar - 27 Years Old.  Mr. Dollar self-identifies as “Transient”. He doesn’t have much in the way of prior police contact.

Our alert neighbor took note and called 9-1-1. 

This neighbor provided dispatchers with a great description of the suspect.  Responding officers were quickly on scene and located him across from the victim’s home. 

The suspect, Mr. Dollar, was experiencing his own drug-induced asylum and was attempting to break into the home.  

Thankfully he did not have the opportunity to take anything from the home.   

Mr. Dollar was booked into jail for being under the influence of drugs and for unlawful entry. 

Many, many thanks to the alert citizen watching out for his neighborhood.

Tough Night For Burglars - Three Arrested by Patrol Team

A great night for the graveyard patrol team means a tough night if you are a burglar.  With the help of alert neighbors…the patrol team scooped up three burglars last night all in different areas of town.

Burglar #1 – Noah Crisp

At about 2:10 in the morning, Mr. Crisp was out checking door handles on cars near Water and Market Street.  An alert citizen called in the activity and a description of Mr. Crisp.  Patrol officers found him hiding in some bushes a few block away.  Not only was Mr. Crisp checking car handles, he was also found in possession of burglary tools like bolt cutters and a red lens pen light.  Mr. Crisp is 39 years old and lists his address as transient.  He has a substantial history of contacts and arrests.  He had a warrant for his arrest and for theft related charges and is also on active probation for theft and burglary related charges.  Mr. Crisp was booked into county jail for his warrant, possession of burglar tools and for tampering with cars.

Burglar #2 – Brian Erdelyi

At about 4:45 in the morning, Mr. Erdelyi was contacted by the newest member of our department, Officer Nick Kramer. Mr. Erdelyi was causing a disturbance near Laurel and Chestnut.   In the contact, Mr. Erdelyi was found to be in possession of a lock pick and a meth pipe.    Mr. Erdelyi is 22 years old and lists his address as transient.  He is on active probation 3x over and has a significant history of arrests, mostly for drug related offenses.  Mr. Erdelyi was booked into County Jail for possession of burglary tools and possession of narcotic paraphernalia.

Burglar #3 – Egmidio Anderson

At about 7:15 in the morning, neighbors called about a suspicious person on National Street.  Officers arrived and located Mr. Anderson.  Turns out, Mr. Anderson was in possession of a skateboard stolen from the neighborhood earlier that morning.  He was also hauling around a backpack with burglary tools like bolt cutters, wire cutters, gloves, flashlight.  Mr. Anderson is 31 years old and lists his address as transient.  He too has a long history of arrests for theft related charges.  He is a probation allstar as he is on active probation 5x over.

Mr. Anderson was in possession of a blue Peugeot bicycle with thin racing tires and a snazzy new seat.  Serial # Y00237217.  

We’re not convinced he owns the bike.  If you do, and can prove it, call our investigations unit (831) 420-5820.

Call us if you see these guys in your neighborhood....They are Burglars.

Thanks to our alert neighbors and calling in that suspicious activity….no telling how many victims you helped prevent! 

Second Straight Month of Crime Rate Declines

Perhaps it doesnt seem like it, with all the crime being reported, but here is some good news on the crime front.  

For the second straight month, crime rates have declined or stayed level in many of our major crime categories when compared to last year.  Overall crime has declined by 12% year-to-date.  Here's the numbers:

Crime Category	June-13	July-13
Rape	-80%	-40%
Robbery	-25%	-20%
Aggravated Assault	Even	-38%
Burglary	-33%	-7%
Larceny	-33%	-25%
Auto Theft	-19%	-59%

Not bad considering this is typically the busiest time of year and the most taxing on our police resources.  Good job Santa Cruz!  There is still working to be done.

Our Total Calls for Service this Year-to-Date is: 63,709

We are trending 4% higher than last year's record number of calls for service. 

 
Working together we can continue to make a different and make our community a safer place to live!