Sergeant Arnold Vasquez Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute Graduate

LT. Escalante and SGT. Vasquez

Today, Sergeant Arnold Vasquez graduated from the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute. The Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute is a leadership program developed by the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST). This program is designed to stimulate personal growth, leadership, and ethical decision-making in California law enforcement front-line supervisors.

“This leadership training opportunity is the perfect forum to help develop the skill-sets of our line-level supervisors, giving them the tools needed to interact with and mentor other officers,” said Chief Kevin Vogel.

After completing the 9-month course, Sergeant Vasquez joins many other SCPD supervisors and managers who have attended this valuable program.

Sgt. Vasquez, a 17 year veteran SCPD officer, successfully completed the intensive leadership development program. It is an ongoing goal of the Santa Cruz Police Department to consistently provide the training necessary for effective public safety leadership.

Congratulations to Sergeant Arnold Vasquez on his achievement.

SCPD is pleased to announce its two new K9 Teams!

Officer Hansen and his K9 partner “Cash” & Officer Hernandez and his partner “Luna”

Both Teams recently graduated from their month long K9 Handler Patrol Course, and will begin working the streets in December 2016. Each K9 teams received training in the following:
· Area & building searches
· Handler protection & apprehension
· Article searches & tracking/trailing
· Narcotic detection.

After the K9 Patrol course both the handler and their K9 partner were certified by an evaluator prior to work in the field.

“Cash” is a 2 year old male Belgian Malinois and “Luna” is a 2 year old female Dutch Shepard. Both K9s have been imported from overseas, and in October 2016, the K9’s were introduced and moved in with their handlers. After the bonding period both teams began the K9 Patrol Course and are now certified K9 Teams.

The City of Santa Cruz community’s appreciation and gratitude extended to the Santa Cruz Police Department’s K9 Unit has been nothing short of extraordinary. Police K9 “Cash” was purchased through a community member’s donation of $8,500.00. The City of Santa Cruz resident, who wished to remain anonymous, donated the money in memory of their child.

When asked about such a gracious offer, they replied, “It’s an honor to memorialize my late son, while helping provide support that protects our officers and community.” The donor was allowed to name the K9, and they chose the name “Cash” upon their first meeting. The Santa Cruz Police Department is grateful for the community’s participation in its K9 Unit.

The Santa Cruz Police K9 Unit has had a long successful history in enhancing our police services. Our K9 Unit is primarily used for locating people, contraband and apprehending criminal offenders.

Congratulations to K9’s Cash and Luna.

SCPD Proactive Policing and Shooting Investigation

SCPD Proactive Policing Gets 2 Suspects arrested, 9 grams of meth and $4,000 of drug money out of Harvey West Park.
On January 5, 2017 at 5:22 pm, an SCPD Officer was  on active patrol and spotted a known drug dealer in the area of Harvey West and Dubois. The Officer witnessed the suspects, Calvin Carlson and his associate Suzanne Winchel, parked in a car and appeared to be engaged in narcotic activity. Groups of people came up to the vehicle for short periods of time and then would walk away. 

Calvin Carlson 52 years old from Santa Cruz
The Officer pulled up behind the suspect’s car and contacted Carlson and Winchel. While the Officer was speaking with the suspects, a group of people who had been speaking to Carlson tried to interfere and prevent the officer from searching the vehicle. Additional officers were called for backup and the group of transients dispersed.

Suzanne Winchel 40 years old from Santa Cruz 
Calvin Carlson 52 years old and Suzanne Winchel 40 years old are both from Santa Cruz. The suspects were recognizable to the Officer because of their long criminal history and contacts with the PD. The Officer also confirmed through the Santa Cruz County Court website that Mr. Carlson was recently out on bail and had search terms for controlled substances, paraphernalia and drug sales.

A search of the suspect’s car and possessions produced 9 grams of meth and $4,000 in cash.

Calvin Carlson and Suzanne Winchel were arrested for possession of controlled substance for sale.
SCPD is working collaboratively with neighborhood groups such as; the Harvey West Business Association, Homeless Service Center, and Parks and Recreation, in order to address neighborhood concerns and safety issues within the Harvey West area.

Shooting Investigation
On Saturday January 7, 2017 at 11:37 am, SCPD Officers responded to reports of several shots fired near the 1300 block of Soquel Avenue. Santa Cruz Police Officers were patrolling the area and quickly identified that the gunfire came from Soquel Avenue and Darwin Street. When Officers arrived at the scene they located several shell casings. Officers canvassed the immediate area and surrounding blocks and did not find where the rounds struck. Local hospitals were contacted and none of them reported any victims with gunshot wounds.

Currently, there is no information regarding suspects on the shooting. Detectives are continuing to follow up leads and looking for video surveillance. The police department is asking anyone with information or who may have witnessed the shooting to contact investigators 831- 420-5820.

Please continue to contact SCPD when suspicious activity occurs in your neighborhood.
SCPD is dedicated to our community with ongoing efforts to keep Santa Cruz a safe place to live, work and raise a family.

Severe Winter Storm and Flooding advisory

The City of Santa Cruz and the Police Department are preparing for the upcoming winter storm this weekend. Heavy rain is expected Saturday and Sunday. Both the Police and Fire Department's will be monitoring flood zones throughout the weekend. For more information on how to prepare for a storm such as this, please follow this link: 
http://cityofsantacruz.com/…/emergency-storm-preparat…/guide

For information on how to obtain free sandbags please go to the following:
http://www.cityofsantacruz.com/…/emerg…/sandbag-distribution

SCPD Policy Manual Now Available Online

The Santa Cruz Police Department is pleased to announce that our policy manual, in its entirety, is now available online.  We recognize the importance of transparency in municipal government and have taken this important step to make our policy manual available for public consumption.  The policy manual is available by clicking here:  Santa Cruz Police Department Policy Manual   
 

Santa Cruz Police is hiring!

The Santa Cruz Police Department is continuing to look for men and women who are seeking an exciting and rewarding career in law enforcement. Starting today, Jan. 5th, the city is accepting applications for Police Officer Trainee. Application are being accepted from now until February 2nd. Please share this message and help us find qualified men and women who can serve our community.

See flyer below for more information or Click here

Happy New Year! SCPD NYE Statistics 2016/17

SCPD Wishes everyone the best in 2017! 

The Santa Cruz Police Department is pleased to announce that 2017 was welcomed in without any major incidents of violence during the festivities downtown. SCPD deployed additional officers throughout the city as well as a significant contingent of officers on foot in the Downtown corridor.

Officers kept busy throughout the city and in the Downtown corridor.

Between 5:00 PM on December 31st and 5:00 AM on January 1st, Officers responded to 160 calls for service. This number is nearly equal to last year’s 161 calls during that same time.

Crowds gathered at the Town Clock for a city sponsored Countdown Celebration.

Like last year, temperatures dipped to approximately 41 degrees around midnight. The event drew a crowd of approximately 2,000 compared to last year’s crowd of approximately 3,500 revelers.

Overall, downtown Santa Cruz arrests and citations were down from 2016.

The New Year Eve and January 1st early morning deployment reported the following activity:

Total Arrests: 12 arrests total, mostly consisting of public intoxication.
Last year: 28 arrests total
This is a 57% DECREASE from last year

19 Citations Issued; 11 for Triple Fine Cites.
The majority of these triple fines were for open containers of alcohol.
Last year saw a total of 53 cites with 27 of those being Triple Fines cites.
Overall citations were down 64% from last year, Triple Fines were decreased 59% from last year.

New Year’s Eve 2016/2017 turned out to be a peaceful and enjoyable event for the city.

Happy New Year from the Men & Women at SCPD

We wish everyone the best in 2017!