Arrests for violent crimes up in Half Moon Bay

Corresponding arrests for these crimes, however, are up by significant percentages, with 31 arrests made for violent crimes — an 11% increase from last year — and 23 arrests made for property crimes, a 35% increase from last year. 

Cheechov warned councilmembers to look at these percentages with a grain of salt, however, since the small number of crimes in Half Moon Bay to begin with can inflate percentage numbers. 

“[With a] small sample size, small differences look big,” he said. 

Arrests for DUIs are also up significantly with 96 arrests made for the 2024-25 fiscal year, as opposed to 77 the year prior. Cheechov attributed that rise to patrol officers who are trained in the signs of drunk driving and can conduct subsequent arrests. 

“I don’t think it’s an indication of a greater problem, I think it’s an indication of more proactive policing making the streets safer,” he said. 

Councilmembers lauded the more enterprising approach to DUI cases, with one, Patric Bo Jonsson, encouraging police to continue disincentivizing inebriated driving. 

“We have four [holiday] weeks coming up — I think we should be proactive on policing, utilizing our signs, ‘drinking and driving is not allowed,’” he said. 

Parking citations are up this year, from 2,253 last period to 2,710 this period. Moving violations are down slightly, from 568 last period to 518 this period. Traffic collisions — which happen most commonly on downtown Main Street, Main Street and State Route 92, and Kelly Avenue and Highway 1, Cheechov said — are also down, from 61 in fiscal year 2023-24 to 52 in fiscal year 2024-25. 

“Collisions have gone down but, again, it’s not a huge amount, and I wouldn’t get overly happy about it,” he said. “We’re headed in the right direction, but it’s not a huge number.” 

E-bike safety should continue to be a top priority for the Sheriff’s Office, Councilmember Deborah Penrose said, citing multiple instances of riders running stop signs and exceeding the speed limit.

“I don’t know what we need to do about it and I don’t know what the sheriff can do, but I do think it’s becoming an issue, and it’s getting worse,” she said. “It’s not getting better, because more and more people are buying electric bikes.” 

The department is pursuing a multipronged approach, Cheechov assured her, including training officers in enforcement and educating children and parents on the rules of e-bike safety. 

He also assured councilmembers that despite the recent removal of former San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus, day-to-day service in areas like Half Moon Bay — which contracts with the Sheriff’s Office for policing services — will remain uninterrupted. 

“I’ll address the elephant in the room,” he said. “Obviously the Office of Sheriff is now vacant. I want to assure you there is a continuity of operations. As of now, the undersheriff is discharging the duties of the sheriff.”