RPD and you— a newsletter for the community
September 2007
The big move!
I f you’ve ever moved from one home
to another, you know what we’ve
been going through recently: Too
many boxes, that feeling of being
“unsettled,” and not being able to find
what you’re looking for!
All that aside, we’re very excited to be
in our new headquarters, located at 1689
Regatta Blvd (between Marina Way and
Marina Bay on the north side of the
street). We are in the same building as the
DiCon Corporation, however, the Hall of
Justice is on the east side of the building
with its own separate driveway and
entrance. Richmond’s City Hall is just
around the corner on Marina Way.
Thank you for your patience over the
past several weeks—and for your
continued understanding as we work to
complete our move and get fully settled in
to our new facility. There are still some
portions of the building that are “under
construction,” and many of our boxes
have yet to be unpacked.
Moving an entire police operation is a
massive undertaking. Computer and
phone hook-ups take an incredible
amount of work. The transfer of
thousands of pieces of property and
evidence is a complex and challenging
process. Assuring police reports and
other documents remain accessible is no
easy task.
The whole process has been
complicated, of course, by the fact that a
police department can’t just shut down
during a move. Our staff need to be able
to do their various jobs so we can serve
you--no matter how unsettled our own
work environment may be.
Little by little, however, things are
getting back to normal! Soon, we expect
to provide you service with even greater
efficiency out of our new headquarters.
Here’s a quick update on some things
you should know related to our move:
 Our Detention Unit will not be ready
for use at our new location until early
November. In the meantime, we are
lodging prisoners at the El Cerrito
detention facility, located at 10900 San
Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito. We
greatly appreciate the El Cerrito Police
Department allowing us to use their
jail for two months.
 We are in an ongoing process of
scanning and digitally archiving paper
police reports from the past decade.
Many reports were in dire condition
after being stored in boxes on the 3rd
floor of the old Hall of Justice where
they were exposed to dampness,
excessive heat, and mold. Working
from the past forward, our new
digitalized system will protect reports
from environmental damage or loss
and provide easier access for police
personnel and the public.
 Our new lobby will be a more
comfortable and user-friendly place
for visitors. We have separate
customer service windows for
Records/General Reception and Code
Enforcement. In the very near future,
we will have new furniture, display
cases, and information referral racks.
If you are part of an organization or
agency that provides safety or social
RPD and you— a newsletter for the community
September 2007
services and you’d like to have your
brochures available for residents in
our lobby, please contact Sgt. Roger
Buhlis at (510)620-6386.
 Our Property and Evidence Unit now
has state of the art, space-saving,
storage shelving. Items can be safely
stored and easily retrieved in a clean,
well-lit, safe, and secure environment.
What a change from the basement
storage area in the old Hall of Justice!
 Mail sent to our old 401 27th Street,
Richmond, CA 94804 address will
continue to be delivered indefinitely to
our new building, but please note our
new location for future visits: 1689
Regatta Blvd. Our phone numbers
are unchanged.
 AC Transit bus service is available to
reach our new facility on Regatta Blvd.
Take the #74 bus from the Richmond
BART station or along Macdonald
and 23rd streets. For help with
schedules or route information, call
511 or 817-1717.
 Although there is a set of train tracks
between our location and points
north, longer trains have recently been
reassigned to an alternative route,
significantly reducing delays when the
crossing gates are down. In addition,
there are detours available to officers
if it’s necessary for us to get around a
train. Finally, multiple officers are
always on both sides of the tracks.
Many people have played a major part
in helping us make our move. Our IT
staff and Property & Evidence personnel
deserve special thanks for all their hard
work. In addition, kudos to Sgt. Chuck
Whitney who has handled the role as
project manger for the move—an
unenviable assignment considering the
long hours he’s worked and constant
complaints he’s had to put up with!
We look forward to inviting you to an
Open House once we are fully settled in
sometime in October. Stay tuned for
more details!
Crimeview goes “live”
A
re you interested in knowing
what’s going on when it comes to
crime in your neighborhood? We
believe knowledge is power, even if what
you learn isn’t always positive.
Starting September 19th, you can
go to the “Crimeview” link on the Web at
www.richmondpd.net or directly to
www.crimeview.ci.richmond.ca.us/crimev
iewcommunity to find out what kind of
crime is happening where you live and
when it’s taking place. Better yet, you can
see this information on a map—to get a
better sense of what’s going on.
With Crimeview, you build your own
map by following simple instructions.
You specify “WHAT” crimes you want to
look for (you can pick one or more
specific crimes—or choose “all”). You
then indicate “WHERE” you want to
look within Richmond. Select an area
around your home, an entire
neighborhood, or a specific location.
Finally, you specify “WHEN”--the time
period you’re interested in. For example,
you can pick the last week or go back as
far as the past 90 days.
Depending on your Internet
connection speed (broadband cable and
DSL are faster than dial-up service), you
will soon have a map on your computer
screen with icons you can click on for
RPD and you— a newsletter for the community
September 2007
more information about any specific
crime. Maps and other data can all be
printed for your convenience.
We believe in transparency and
openness when it comes to providing
crime data. Frankly, although it can be
unsettling, even scary, to know how much
and what kind of crime is taking place
around where you live or work, we think
it’s better to be aware and informed.
Our hope is that this information will
encourage people to establish or become
active in neighborhood watch groups, to
take appropriate crime prevention
measures, and to work more closely with
us to make Richmond a safer community.
If you have questions about
Crimeview, experience any difficulties
using this program, or would like to give
us feedback about it, please contact Sgt.
Manjit Sappal at (510)620-6926.
Traffic checkpoint update
T he department is committed to
improving traffic safety and
reducing the number of
unlicensed, suspended, and intoxicated
drivers on Richmond streets. These
drivers are involved in a significant
number of crashes in the city, causing
property damage, injuries, and driving up
insurance costs.
One of several ways we seek to reduce
illegal driving is through the use of drivers
license and sobriety checkpoints. These
checkpoints are typically funded through
state traffic safety grants and are set up
one or more times a month at various
locations throughout the city.
In response to a federal court ruling,
we’ve taken steps to assure that any
vehicle impounded is done so in a lawful
manner. In addition, we follow all state
mandated requirements for the set-up and
operation of these checkpoints.
We are sensitive to community
concerns that checkpoints not be limited
to any one area within the city and that all
drivers are treated with respect and
courtesy. In addition, our officers use
common sense and consideration to deal
with drivers under special circumstances,
such as when there are young children in a
vehicle or when special needs exist. The
bottom line is that we do our best to be
thoughtful and fair as we enforce the law.
The department often partners with
other local law enforcement agencies in
conducting checkpoints, including the
CHP and the Sheriff’s Department. We
do not work with ICE or other
immigration authorities. The checkpoints
are about traffic safety—not immigration
issues or citizenship status.
During the most recent checkpoint,
which took place in late August, a total of
1,185 vehicles went through the
checkpoint. Thirty-three of these vehicles
were towed. Most of the towed vehicles
were driven by individuals who had never
applied for a drivers license (which is a
violation of state law). In addition, one
arrest was made for DUI and one driver
was cited for having a suspended license.
The phone tree at RPD
I s there anyone who likes calling a
doctor’s office, business, organization,
or governmental agency and then
reaching an automated “phone tree”? It’s
probably safe to say the answer is “no.”
In a perfect world, when we make any
phone call, we’d all prefer to have a live
person answer us right away.
Unfortunately, few large businesses,
organizations, or police agencies have the
resources to accomplish this.
To free up our very limited number of
dispatchers so they can more promptly
handle emergency and higher priority
RPD and you— a newsletter for the community
September 2007
calls, RPD recently implemented an
automated phone tree system. The
system greets individuals who call our
non-emergency number 233-1214 with a
friendly recorded message and choices for
reaching various services and units.
Our dispatcher center handles
thousands of calls a day for multiple
police and fire agencies with a very small
staff. Our dispatchers answer both 911
emergency lines and non-emergency lines.
We recently made the decision it
simply does not make good sense to have
dispatchers function as switchboard
operators when so many people who call
in simply need to be transferred to the Jail,
Records, an administrative office, or
another section of the police department.
Rather than forcing callers to wait a
lengthy period of time so a “live person”
can transfer them to a specific office or
unit, callers can now transfer themselves
in seconds simply by choosing between
several convenient options.
This frees up our dispatchers to
handle emergencies and other calls that
require an officer’s response.
We know you’d rather get a real
person on the phone every time you call,
but we hope you understand the volume
of calls we receive necessitates some
degree of automation. We’ve done our
best to set up a phone tree that makes
your choices clear and simple. We’ve also
made several recent modifications to the
system in response to your feedback—
which has been helpful.
One quick reminder: 911 calls made
from cell phones in our area go to the
CHP’s Vallejo Dispatch Center, not to
our center. To reach the Richmond
Dispatch Center, you must either dial 911
from a traditional (land-line) phone or call
(510)233-1214. For safety and
convenience, you may want to program
our 10 digit number into your cell phone.
Hiring progress report
O
ur aggressive recruiting and
hiring efforts are paying off!
Thanks to the work of our
recruiters, referrals from the community,
and a regional marketing campaign
developed by the Crossover Creative
Group, we are getting close to meeting
our staffing goals for the budget year.
We currently have nine officers
attending local police academies with five
more starting their training in October.
We recently hired several lateral
candidates (who have already completed
their academy training) and we’re doing
background checks on six more. Last
month we tested a record number of
applicants. More than 40 passed the initial
screening, so we look forward to sending
an additional group to academies in Jan.
All of this is good news considering
our current staffing levels--which make it
tough for us to provide the service we’d
like to the community.
The total time involved in getting
candidates through the hiring and training
process is almost a year, but we hope to
have some of our new officers on the
road as early as next Spring.
If you know someone who might be
interested in a job with RPD as a police
officer, cadet, or dispatcher, encourage
them to check out www.rpdjob1.com or
call 1-888-RPD-JOB1.
RPD and you— a newsletter for the community
September 2007
From the Chief:
Responding to
violence in our city
A recent increase in homicides and
shootings in our community has
been a source of concern, fear,
and frustration for everyone. Here are
two of the most frequent questions I’ve
been hearing from you . . . and the best
answers I can provide.
Is the violence in our community
getting worse?
Violent crime in our city has been a
challenge for decades and sad to say,
Richmond has actually had far worse years
when it comes to homicides and
shootings than what we’ve dealt with
recently. Ironically, last year at almost
exactly this same time, we had a series of
fatal shootings in the community much
like what we’ve just experienced.
Around the region and throughout the
country, violent crime has been on the
rise. In fact, the City Manager and I
attended a conference earlier this year
sponsored by the Police Executive
Research Forum where we heard police
chiefs, city managers, and mayors from
cities across the nation who are also
dealing with increased levels of gun
violence and other crime.
Many urban areas like Richmond are
being impacted by upswings in gang
activity, more parolees being released to
their communities, a lack of jobs, and
cutbacks in education and social services.
In addition, law enforcement agencies
nationwide are struggling to hire police
officers. Federal help to pay for new cops
has all but disappeared and cities are
trying to outdo one other to attract and
retain police officers.
Homicides in Richmond are actually
down compared to last year at this time,
but shootings overall have remained
steady. It’s a phenomenon that’s both
tragic and extremely difficult to deal
with—here and elsewhere.
What are the police doing to stop the
violence?
The better question should be, “What
can we do together as a community to
help stop the violence?” since the police
cannot change this situation alone.
The roots of violence in our city run
deep. We have families in Richmond that
have been involved in violence, both as
perpetrators and victims, for multiple
generations. We have young people
caught up in gang life because their
parents are absent, indifferent, or in some
cases, actually complicit in what they’re
doing. Much of our violence is retaliatory
in nature because the only conflict
resolution skill numerous individuals in
our community know involves a firearm.
Many of our social services are
fractured and frequently unavailable to
those who need them the most. Worse
yet, the process of connecting individuals
at greatest risk for getting caught up in
crime with services that might actually
keep them out of trouble is difficult—and
in some cases, impossible. There are few
incentives for service providers to work
together—and agencies often compete
with each other for scarce resources.
Too often, our residents are poorly
organized and minimally engaged when it
comes to protecting their neighborhoods.
We have far fewer Neighborhood Watch
groups than we should; we’re slow to put
pressure on problem landlords who rent
to criminals and other irresponsible
tenants; and not enough of us report
suspicious or criminal activity when it
happens around us.
RPD and you— a newsletter for the community
September 2007
But what are the police doing you ask?
At RPD we’re working on a combination
of short and longer term solutions. Some
of our immediate responses include:
 Increasing the number of officers
patrolling areas where recent violence
has been most significant. This
includes aggressively stopping
suspicious vehicles, interacting with
groups gathered on street corners or
other problem locations, and
deploying our “Late Days Team” to
hot spots where we can anticipate
ongoing problems.
 Asking for additional patrol and
investigative help from other law
enforcement agencies, including local
police departments, the Sheriff’s Dept.
and the CHP when we need it.
 Deploying our SWAT Team to hot
spot areas under special circumstances
when we believe their presence might
be a useful deterrent.
 Gathering and sharing intelligence
within the department and with other
law enforcement agencies on
suspected gang members.
 Promoting the use of tip lines and
rewards as a way to encourage
residents to come forward with
information, especially when they
need to remain anonymous.
Some of the longer term efforts we
continue to pursue include the following:
 Assuring the most expedient
implementation of the recently
approved CCTV (camera) system,
which we hope will be in place by the
end of the year. Cameras will be
deployed at specific hotspots where
violence continues to be a problem.
 Bringing a ballistics expert on board at
the Crime Lab who will focus entirely
on Richmond gun cases to help with
firearms tracing and the prosecution
of gun crimes (scheduled for Oct.)
 Pursuing federal prosecution for
various gang-related gun crimes
through ongoing work with the DEA,
FBI, D.A. and U.S. Attorney’s offices
(Note: Multiple federal indictments of
Central Richmond gang members
occurred in July and Aug.)
 Improving the department’s crime
scene processing facilities, equipment,
and training (now a possibility in the
new Hall of Justice building).
 Drawing on resources and best
practices for reducing gang violence
through the City and County’s
participation in the California 16 City
Gang Prevention Network.
 Continuing to utilize and improve our
COMPSTAT crime mapping process
to track where and when crime is
taking place, so we can focus our
resources most effectively.
 Aggressively hiring new officers to
provide better coverage on the streets.
We have a record number of new
officers (14) attending police
academies this fall and multiple lateral
officers coming on board. Many
additional officers will be sent to
academies in January.
 Emphasizing our commitment to
geographic-based community policing
as the best way of reducing crime.
This means developing the strongest
relationships between officers and
residents. Relationships build trust.
Trust improves communication and
promotes information sharing. This is
a process that takes time and there are
no short-term substitutes.
We need your support to make all these
strategies and projects yield the kind of
results we want to see in our community.