Merced’s police chief lauds new cooperation with residents

 

By DOANE YAWGER
Special to the Times

 

Mercedians have confidence in their police officers and are calling the Merced Police Department more often these days for service, Police Chief Steven Stanfield says. He’s upbeat about a number of things involving the community and local law enforcement.

“Numbers don’t really tell how they feel. We are seeing 6 or 7 percent more people calling the Police Department for assistance. There’s a confidence there and it may be because there are more officers now and they are more visible. We are listening to the community’s needs and putting more officers in touch with the community,” Stanfield says.

Crime rates in major categories like robberies, assaults, and shootings are down over last year’s figures and that encourages Stanfield.

The community has a desire to interact with first responders and department staff members feel the same way. Stanfield cites the recent Cops for Critters Car Show & Trunk-or-Treat the department hosted to support the Applegate Zoo. This year’s event had record numbers of residents attending.

“Kids are not afraid to come up to cops. We love breaking down barriers.”

The Merced Police Department is allocated 98 sworn officers; there are six vacancies due to recent retirements. Staffing levels are higher than they have been for a number of years.

In years past there might have been five to six officers working on certain shifts. Now it’s about 40 officers on duty in a sprawling city that stretches from the Bellevue Ranch area near El Capitan High School all the way to the municipal airport.

“Next year we expect to have 400 to 500 new homes here, with an average of 3 people per home. Merced is one of the fastest-growing cities around. Our department is healthy and growing which is nice,” Stanfield says.

Merced has had seven murders this year, which is down 25 percent over previous years. Statistics show Merced has six to eight homicides every year and last year there were eight such deaths.

The shooting rate is down 30 percent this year and the violent crime rate, from armed robberies, sexual assaults and other assaults also is down. Robberies are down 20 percent and auto theft rates have lessened 38 percent.

Part of the reason for the decline in some crime statistics is that more arrests have been made this year, reflecting a 55 percent increase. But there have been fewer juvenile arrests in recent months.

“I wish I had a crystal ball but we hope this increases. We have six school resource officers at local junior and senior high schools and this outreach is working. We have allocated officers to establish relationships with youth,” Stanfield says.

Sadly, while there is an overall reduction in crime, the number of domestic violence incidents has grown from last year. Responding to domestic violence calls is one of the most dangerous things that officers do, since they don’t know what they are walking into and the situations often are severely emotionally charged.

Stanfield stresses the Merced Police Department is not a revolving door agency where young officers receive their training here and then leave this area for higher-paying jobs elsewhere.

“We hire local employees. Out of 94, nobody’s leaving. Most of us live here. People live and work here and want to keep the streets safe. They know we have a good culture going on and they don’t want to leave. We have a very supportive Merced City Council and city manager. The community here is very supportive of safety measures and that makes it a good place to work. This community is caring and loving,” Stanfield says.

Another encouraging statistic is that traffic collisions are down 28 percent year-to-date. Stanfield said when he first came here two years ago the biggest complaints from residents were traffic issues, including speeders and those running red traffic signal lights.

“They still blow lights and run 45 mph through intersections. To me, it’s frightening; there is a $500 fine for those who run red lights.”

The intersection of 16th and R streets now has a signal which records incidents where drivers blow through red lights. More than 1,100 tickets have been issued since April. Local residents weren’t familiar with the electronic ticketing feature used by a private vendor.

Technology has been a big game-changer for the department. The department now has a Real Time Information Center, staffed by two full-time employees. Cameras have been installed in parks and loud speakers will tell people to leave these areas after regular hours of operation.

These cameras around town are being used to solve crimes. The department has more than 20 blue light cameras positioned around the city and the capability of build more of the units themselves. Two of these cameras are positioned at Applegate Park and the Kiddieland/zoo area, along with Burbank, Fahrens and Rahilly parks.

Six officers and a canine officer have been added to the Gang Violence Suppression Unit to address continuing conflicts between Norteno and Sureno criminal street gangs and their affiliates. Some issues show up when gang members from different cities visit this area and intrude on other’s perceived territory.

“We have to look out for drunk drivers around the holidays. There will be undercover operations to catch ‘porch pirates’ who steal packages from residents’ doorsteps. We see a lot of activity at the Merced Mall. There are a lot of cameras inside and outside the mall and you are going to get caught on camera and will be prosecuted,” Stanfield says.

One of the big things coming, starting Jan. 1, is the department’s Dispatching Center will handle all 911 calls from medical, fire and police agencies. Stanfield say the department is working with the American Medical Response ambulance company which will take over service from Riggs Ambulance Co. at the first of the year

Doane Yawger of Merced is a semi-retired newspaper reporter and editor.