Drop in crime seen in San Mateo County

According to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, there were 179 total crimes last week compared to 233 crimes during the same week in 2019, a 23% drop. 

In San Bruno, there were 187 crimes last week and as many as 361 that week the year prior, a 48% decrease, according to the department. 

San Mateo Police Chief Ed Barberini said his department saw a 20% decline in 911 emergency calls last week compared to the same week in 2019. Police spokesman Officer Michael Haobsh said he’s seen reductions in all major crimes, including residential and auto burglaries, while disturbances, including noise complaints, have gone up since the shelter-in-place order was issued last Monday.

South San Francisco Police Chief Jeff Azzopardi said calls for service are consistently decreasing every day. Staffing levels were increased in his department in anticipation of people misbehaving at grocery stores and other essential services, for example, but the department has returned to normal staffing levels because there have been so few instances.

“We were overprepared,” he said. 

Law enforcement officials have admitted that officers are less inclined to arrest these days, opting to keep their distance from others and cite and release whenever possible, though they stress anyone posing a threat to public safety is still taken to jail. 

Police departments are also receiving a steady stream of complaints about the shelter-in-place order, though they continue to educate people about the order rather than enforce it. Gatherings may be disbanded, but citations and arrests for breaking the order are not happening, at least not yet. Wagstaffe said his office has yet to receive a single case relating to violations of the order. 

The above trends are being reflected in jail populations as well. While jail bookings are down, the Sheriff’s Office is also releasing certain inmates early. Since Feb. 29, the in-custody population has been reduced by 186 inmates or 19%. 

“We are fortunate that our correctional system is currently operating at 59% of our rated capacity, therefore should we need to quarantine individuals, we have that ability,” Sheriff Carlos Bolanos said in a statement.

Age, medical condition and pregnancy have been the top priorities when reviewing the in-custody population for early release, Bolanos added. Pretrial inmates with bail of $15,000 or less and all inmates with 60 days or less remaining on their sentences are also being evaluated, he said. 

Amid the significant reductions in crime, certain crimes appear to be increasing and officials are worried the trend may continue the longer the shelter-in-place order is in effect.

While a thorough analysis of crime data has not yet occurred, Wagstaffe said he’s beginning to see an uptick in domestic violence and thefts. He’s especially concerned the former crime could become more prevalent now that parks and beaches are closed and people will likely spend even more time indoors, cooped up with others. 

Wagstaffe is also concerned about scams becoming more prevalent, and said other district attorneys have reported an uptick in phone scams that exploit the crisis to steal money from elderly populations.

“I’m very worried about that increasing,” he said. “In my career, every time there’s any type of disaster or health crisis you get criminals coming forward.” 

In San Carlos, Police Chief Mark Duri said there has been a slight increase in construction burglaries and suspicious activity. Duri recommends the community take a proactive approach by not leaving valuable objects accessible or in plain view and installing security measures like additional lighting or security cameras.

While most law enforcement agencies are seeing fewer crimes of late, that’s not the case for California Highway Patrol, even with so little traffic on highways. CHP spokesman Officer Pablo Rios said there’s been no decline in citations and if anything, more of them are being issued these days for speeding specifically.

“There’s a decline in vehicles on the road, but there are still a lot of motorists breaking speed laws as well as collisions,” he said. 

Police departments are not reporting drastic changes to operations. Staffing levels have been adjusted in some instances, patrols of essential businesses have increased and new safety measures are in place to prevent the spread of the virus, but otherwise departments are largely operating the same as usual. Police chiefs have also noted their supply of personal protective equipment is currently sufficient. 

Referring generally to the job of policing at this moment in time, Azzopardi said “right now it’s about trying to keep the peace and making sure people who need to get essential items can get them safely and orderly.” 

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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