2016 Halloween Statistics and Case of Interest

Most celebrated SCPD Halloween Stat is our Records Department victory in City's Halloween group costume contest. They finished #1 and we've got the medals to prove it.

From the Chief on down to our new officers, everyone here thought they looked amazing. SCPD Records team is a hard working group. They know how to represent and have some fun great.

The Downtown Deployment reported the following activity for Halloween night 2016: 

SCPD was kept busy over the 24 hours of Halloween through the night and into the early morning hours of November 1st. From 8:00 AM on October 31st through 8:00 AM on November 1st, we handled 395 calls for service. The downtown crowd size was estimated at 10,000. This was approximately 50% less than last year. Crowds were building as usual until the rain hit at 10:00PM.

Overview Stats
20 Arrests
6 for public intoxication

40 Citations Issued
24 were for Triple Fine violations.
Of the Triple Fine citations, 21 were for open containers of alcohol.

For comparison, in 2015 there were 27 arrests (20 for public intoxication). And a total of 73 citations issued (40 were for Triple Fines. 33 Triple Fines were for open container violations). Overall, downtown Santa Cruz arrests and citations were down from 2015.

The crowd demeanor was relatively calm and celebratory. Police presence included additional officers from most Santa Cruz County law enforcement agencies. The Santa Clara County Sheriff provided their gang enforcement team to help identify gang members from outside the area. Additionally, the California Highway Patrol provided a significant contingent of officers. We would like to thank all of the agencies who dedicated personnel and resources to assist the City of Santa Cruz throughout the night.

Proactive patrols included contact and close monitoring of several known gang members throughout the event. In addition to the downtown patrols, officers were added to patrols throughout the remainder of the city to address neighborhood safety and complaints of large parties. We were pleased to see the hard work paid off and there were no significant incidents of violence.

Notable arrest downtown on Halloween Case 16S-09122

Bradley Kellman, 60 years old from Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz Police with Santa Clara County Sheriff Deputies contacted Bradley Kellman, 60 years old from Santa Cruz, for smoking heroin in a parking lot on Center and Lincoln Street. Mr. Kellman was in possession of eleven zip-lock baggies containing methamphetamine, heroin and crack cocaine. He also had drug paraphernalia that included pipes for smoking methamphetamine and crack cocaine. In addition, Bradley Kellman had a crossbow pistol and a box containing 14 crossbow arrows on the cargo area the car. Kelleman was arrested for possession of drugs for sale.

SCPD would like to send a special shout out to Joe's Pizza and Subs. Thank you for donating extra candy to our Community Service Team. We had a run on trick-or-treaters so Joe's Pizza brought in more candy for CSO Wilson and PO Deeg to hand out.

 

Want to Work for Santa Cruz Police?

We are hiring! 

The Santa Cruz Police Department is hiring police officers and civilian positions in our Records Section. If you are people-oriented and have a talent for problem solving, we encourage you to consider a position in law enforcement. If you believe in innovation, public service and making a difference in your community we would love to have you join our department.

The positions are open for a few weeks so get your applications in quickly!

To learn more about our Records position click here.

To learn more about our police officer position click here.

As always, information about our department, hiring and more can be found on our website.

How Do you Access Reports of Criminal Investigations?

Do you need a copy of a police report?  Trying to understand what information you may, or may not, obtain can be confusing and frustrating. The Santa Cruz Police Department Records Section put together this helpful primer to answer your questions.

Access to Reports of Criminal Investigations

Police reports are public records.  Anybody should be able to get a copy, right?

Under the California Public Records Act, reports of law enforcement investigations are exempt from public disclosure.  Disclosure of specific information contained within the report is required only to specific persons, such as crime victims and their representatives.

If the report can be released to me, can I come to your lobby and get the report while I wait?

It depends on the nature, length and content of the report.  Your request may be completed by front desk personnel while you wait or it may require time for  review by a detective, the prosecuting attorney and/or the city attorney. 

Portions of my report copy have been blacked-out.  Why is this?

The CPRA and other laws may permit, or even require, the withholding of those parts of the report that contain certain types of information if the release of the information would:

·         jeopardize the successful completion of the investigation, including  prosecution

·         cause harm to a person involved

·         reveal medical information protected under HIPAA

·         reveal the identity of juveniles involved

·         reveal the identity of a suspect who has neither been arrested nor cited

·         etc.

What if I’m not entitled to access the report but it contains information that I need?

We may have other public records that could provide the information you need.  Sharing a bit of information about your purpose, though not required, can be very helpful for us in identifying other public records that will fulfill your needs.

Behind the Scenes: Records

Even young children know what police officers do, but few in the community know what happens behind the scenes at the Police Department. Many men and women work every day out of the public's eye to support our community and Department. Some of the hardest working, and most integral, are in our Records Division. We want to give you a behind the scenes look today at Records!

Arrestees charged with major offenses present a higher threat to the community and should remain in jail custody until their court date.  The District Attorney’s Office (DA) must present sufficient evidence of this threat within 48 hours of the arrest.  Helping the DA’s office meet the 48-hour deadline is the highest priority of Police Records Technicians (PRTs).

At 7:00am each morning, PRTs research recent arrests.  They transcribe dictated report narratives and hunt down documents contributed from officers assigned to different units, all at various stages of review and within different areas of our facility.  They make sure that all documents are located, assembled, reviewed, approved, processed and transmitted to the DA.   At some point after meeting their deadline (and only then!), they enjoy their first sip of coffee.

Records employees enter missing persons, stolen vehicles, restraining orders and more into state and national databases.  They respond to resulting contacts from various law enforcement agencies when stolen property has been recovered or people have been contacted or located.   They process investigative documents, arrest warrant notifications, forms for registration of convicted sex, arson and narcotic offenders and more.   They assign crime tips for follow-up, assist detectives and prepare statistical reports.  

Records prepares thousands of essential documents each year - and plays absolutely integral role in our department - all to ensure our community stays safe!

How can Records help you? 

Call Records at 420-5870 between 7:00am and 4:30pm any day of the year whenever:

• You’ve been a victim of a crime and have questions about getting a copy of your report.
• You’re considering moving into a neighborhood and want to know what types of incidents have occurred there.
• You have questions or concerns but don’t know where to start.  But remember – if you EVER need a police officer response (regardless of what the reason is)  call 9-1-1. You can also visit our lobby between 9:00am and 4:00pm Monday through Thursday where you will be greeted by, you guessed it, someone from Records!