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LETTER

It is my sense is that the Cyprus Lounge has not acted in good faith as a member of our downtown community. I have personally spoke with the owner, as well as with the security staff at their night-time events and have expressed our neighborhood’s many frustrations. I have seen little to indicate they take our many complaints seriously. One of the most vexing issues is that their customers come to their establishment equipped and prepared to drink on the street! I assume the event cover charge includes a drink or two but after that they return to their cars to drink throughout the night from their own stores. Also I am personally upset that Cyprus does such a poor job cleaning up after themselves. For example, the bottles, trash, vomit and cigarette butts that get discarded in front of their business Saturday night are usually still there several days later. I find it rude and insulting when virtually everyone else in the neighborhood works so hard to keep our streets clean and safe. By way of contrast, the (another local establishment) always sweeps up last night’s mess early in the next morning. Not so the Cyprus Lounge. I can also report, as the official graffiti abatement czar of Chestnut-Union that there has been considerably more graffiti and stickering to clean up since the Cyprus expanded its late-night hours. And don’t get me started about the uptick in real crime in our neighborhood. With so many more non-resident people coming and going late at night is it any surprise that break-ins to parked cars is through the roof in our neighbor (we ourselves have had two cars broken into this last year, both my vehicles have had windows smashed, and possessions stolen at significant cost in repairs and replacement).

Please add my voice to the growing tumult against this inconsiderate business.

Dear Community Member:

Thank you for your letter. You are not the first to express your concerns over this property and my staff has been keeping me regularly-updated on the issues neighbors have been facing. I will make sure that our downtown Lieutenant, Larry Richard, and some of my management staff sees your concerns.  

I relayed your concerns about the Cypress Lounge to the City’s Planning Department.  A review of the Cypress Lounge conditions of approval has been tentatively scheduled for the July 6^th Zoning Administrator meeting at the Santa Cruz City Council Chambers.  I suggest contacting the Planning Department the week prior to the scheduled Zoning Administrator meeting to confirm the date and time of the meeting.  

I cannot stress enough the importance of your outreach and organization of your neighborhood regarding this issue.  Without your calls and letters we would not be able to help you address these concerns. I truly commend your work in the area and would like to thank you again for reaching out to me.

Sincerely,

Kevin Vogel

Chief of Police

Ask the Chief - Answers!

Answers to recent Ask the Chief questions. Would you like your questions answered? Drop us a line here.
These questions come in from Don H, a local city resident.

Dear Chief: What is the process in your police department to complain about the actions/inactions of one of your officers, one that will get attention without bias or made to disappear?

Dear Don:

Thank you for taking the time to write! This  question is very important because we take our commitment to the community, to serve and protect with respect, accountability and professionalism, very seriously. All comments, complaints or commendations made about our officers are reviewed by the department’s Administration. We attempt to make the process as simple and transparent as possible.

While there are different ways to lodge your concerns, such as by calling or speaking to the officer’s supervisor, I’ll address one of the easiest ways to do it. You can obtain a form directly from our website (www.santacruzpolice.com) or by stopping by the Police Department or City Manager’s Office. The comments are reviewed by our Professional Standards Unit, Administration and also the Independent Police Auditor. The Independent Auditor works for the City Manager and reviews each of our complaints. The Auditor also provides an annual report on these complaints to the City Council Public Safety Subcommittee and ultimately the entire City Council. There are a number of checks and balances on officer conduct and we have a great deal of respect for this process.

Obviously, the best way to address this is to have an exceptionally well-trained and accountable department in the first place. As chief, it’s been a top priority of mine to ensure that we meet these goals and that we are as transparent as possible. We make crime report information readily available, and even have this blog so the community can get more insights into how we function. We’re confident that the review process by multiple independent entities, coupled with the overall philosophy of transparency in our agency, should help mitigate concerns in this area.

What can we as citizens do to help the police ticket and arrest cycling scofflaws, those who put themselves and others in danger on a consistent basis?

Most vehicle code offenses involving cyclists are categorized as infractions, which means the maximum penalty for the violation is a fine.  Unless the offense rises to the level of a misdemeanor crime, arrest and incarceration is not a legal option.  The majority of violations committed by cyclists result in the issuance of a citation by the police.  If you observe chronic vehicle code violations involving cyclists in a particular area of the City of Santa Cruz, you can easily report them online or by calling the Traffic division at (831) 420-5860.  Often we are not aware of these concerns unless we hear from residents - you know your neighborhood best and can help us allocate resources to locations that have a need.

The Traffic division uses this information to help schedule enforcement operations that make it safer for all of us. The online form allows you to report non-emergency traffic concerns at any time. As always, if you need an immediate police officer response please dial 911.

Chief Kevin Vogel