City of Piedmont
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: September 18, 2023
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: Rosanna Bayon Moore, City Administrator
SUBJECT: Piedmont Police Department Second Quarter Report
RECOMMENDATION
This report is submitted for information purposes only.
BACKGROUND
The Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report is provided to the Council and community as an overview of Departmental efforts aligned with its public safety mission as well as a summary of criminal offenses based on Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data. Note that the FBI reporting requirements for the UCR uses crime definitions that vary slightly from California state law definitions or local standards. Therefore, it is not uncommon for the numbers shown in the UCR to differ from those taken directly from the Police Department’s data system. For example, under California law, breaking into a secured/locked vehicle to steal something would be criminally charged as a Burglary. However, in the UCR, this would be reported as a Larceny-Theft. The UCR is the only officially utilized measure of crime rate utilized by the Piedmont Police Department for reporting purposes. Other reported crime statistics are provided for local interest and education only.
NIBRS/ CIBRS TRANSITION
Historically, the Piedmont Police Department, like most other law enforcement agencies in the state, reported its data through the UCR Program’s traditional Summary Reporting System (SRS) which was an aggregate monthly tally of crimes. The SRS had limitations such as only reporting the most serious crime committed associated to incidents, known as the “Hierarchy Rule”. As a result, if a robbery and a rape occurred in the same incident, the legacy SRS only counts the rape for statistical reporting purposes. To improve the overall quality of crime data collected by law enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Statistics, retired the SRS and transitioned to a National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). NIBRS captures details on each single crime incident as well as on separate offenses within the same incident including information on victims, known offenders, relationships between victims and offenders, arrestees, and property involved in crimes. NIBRS also provides contextual information on reported crimes such as location, time of day, and whether the incident was cleared.
In response to the prioritization of NIBRS, California established its new data collection system known as the California Incident-Based Reporting System (CIBRS). The State has been working with law enforcement agencies and their respective data vendors across California for the past two years to transition all agencies to CIBRS. The Piedmont Police Department has invested substantial staff time in this transition. On July 7, 2023, the California Department of Justice informed us that we had been awarded NIBRS/CIBRS Certification as of June 2022. The Department is still transitioning to the new reporting system as virtually all components of our day-to-day law enforcement work have been impacted by this transition. The speed with which the Department has transitioned in comparison to many agencies in the State is a testament to the hard work and diligence of our valued Department staff.
CRIME SUMMARY
The City of Piedmont experienced an increase in several categories of reportable offenses through the second quarter of 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022. The reported criminal offenses are those reported to the FBI that occurred in the City of Piedmont through the second quarter of 2023. Please see the attached UCR comparison tables for reference.
The table below reflects the number of reported rapes, robberies, larceny thefts, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts reported in the first two quarters over the last three years:
While the Police Department continuously conducts proactive patrols to mitigate crime, the importance of residents and visitors employing basic crime prevention actions cannot be overemphasized. This includes not leaving valuables in vehicles, being mindful of one’s surroundings, and promptly reporting criminal activity to the Department.
An increase in violent crime, and other types of crime, in large cities throughout the country and region have been well-documented. The Piedmont Police Department works to mitigate the impact of crime on our community by maintaining well-trained personnel who engage in highprofile patrols, thorough investigations, and strong community relationships. The Department also leverages technology such as automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras to enhance the effectiveness of lean staffing. Moving forward, the Department will explore using overtime to augment staffing to the existing patrol structure and provide an alternative plain-clothed response to increased ALPR activations (see chart below) and other criminal activity. 2021 Rape – 0 2022 Rape – 1 2023 Rape – 1
2021 Robberies – 2 2022 Robberies – 2 2023 Robberies – 3 2021 Burglaries – 10 2022 Burglaries – 14 2023 Burglaries – 22 2021 Larceny/Theft – 140 2022 Larceny/Theft – 124 2023 Larceny/Theft – 162 2021 Motor Vehicle Theft-23 2022 Motor Vehicle Theft-18 2023 Motor Vehicle Theft-35 Definitions
Robbery – The taking or
attempting to take anything of
value from the care, custody,
or control of a person or
persons by force or threat of
force or violence and/or by
putting the victim in fear.
Burglary – The unlawful
entry of a structure to commit
a felony or theft.
Larceny/Theft - The unlawful
taking, carrying, leading, or
riding away of property from
the possession or constructive
possession of another.
Agenda Report Page 2
AUTOMATED LICENCE PLATE READER (ALPR) PROGRAM/ PUBLIC SAFETY
CAMERA PROGRAM
Through its use of ALPR technology, the Department made 18 arrests and recovered 31 stolen/wanted vehicles in the first two quarters of 2023. Utilization of ALPR technology, frequent patrol, and responsiveness to reports of criminal activity by the public are important components of Departmental efforts to thwart those involved in criminal activity. The 18 arrests directly due to the ALPR cameras are included in the 81 total arrests the Department made in the first two quarters of 2023. An area the Department began capturing data on in 2020 is the frequency of suspects fleeing in vehicles from vehicle stop attempts by officers. The table below reflects the number of failures to yield in the first two quarters over the last three years:
2020 2021 2022 2023
Jan 1 4 23 47
Feb 0 12 29 36
Mar 2 15 21 30
Apr 5 18 25 29
May 6 14 20 26
Jun 0 9 27 42
Total 13 62 126 210
The Department is in the final stages of implementing the Council-approved Public Safety Camera program with an expected “go-live” date in September of 2023. The Department has utilized the cameras, located at the singular pilot location at Oakland Avenue and Grand Avenue in numerous events and investigations including residential burglaries, commercial burglaries, auto burglaries, robberies, and fraud events over the last few years. In these events, the cameras have provided essential digital evidence to arrest, prosecute, and ultimately convict individuals engaged in criminal activity. Expansion of the program with the five additional locations in the City will increase the benefits the Department and City have realized through utilization of the existing location. The Department appreciates the interdepartmental cooperation and support of the Public Works Department to accomplish installation of
DEPARTMENT TRAINING
Tragically, firearm related violence and mass casualty events have continued throughout the country. Over the years, the Piedmont Police Department has conducted training and exercises at Piedmont Unified School District facilities. Over the summer, the Department partnered with the Piedmont Fire Department and PUSD to hold Rescue Task Force exercises at the Piedmont High School Campus. Rescue Task Force response involves the deployment of Fire Department/emergency medical services with a law enforcement security detail to enter a warm zone of an event to render aid to those who received life-threatening injuries, and if possible, to aid in their extraction. A warm zone is typically defined as an area that has been visually cleared and is not under a direct threat, although the potential for harm still exists.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT/ PARTNERSHIPS
The Department initiated the Cop on the Block campaign in June. Cop on the Block focuses on getting officers out into every neighborhood in the City, on foot, to engage with residents. Foot Agenda Report Page 3
patrol provides a very different understanding about an area than conventional vehicle patrol and allows officers and members of the public to connect on a neighborhood level. The public can find additional information, including an interactive map which shows where foot patrols have occurred as well as upcoming locations on the Department’s webpage at https://piedmont.ca.gov/copontheblock.
The Department continues to partner with PUSD and local representatives of Brady United and Everytown to address firearm safety in Piedmont. The collective’s efforts have centered on education about the ASK program and raising public awareness about the safe storage of firearms. Future education currently being considered includes information about gun violence restraining orders. The public can find additional information and resources about firearm safety on the Department’s webpage at https://piedmont.ca.gov/gunsafety.
TRAFFIC SAFETY SUMMARY
Maintaining safe roadways for all who use them is an ongoing area of attention for the Department. Enforcement, while providing short-term mitigating effects, cannot be counted on alone to solve all speeding issues and other types of hazardous driving. Residents and visitors need to take individual accountability with respect to driving habits.
The Department conducts selective traffic enforcement targeted primarily in known areas for speeding, other moving violations, and high pedestrian traffic. There were 43 collision reports completed through the second quarter of 2023, compared to 29 for the same period in 2022.
Speed and inattention continue to be the main collision factors associated with the reported collisions.
Finally, the traffic safety group, an interdepartmental group made up of staff from the Public Works Department, Police Department and city engineer, works to ensure the City appropriately addresses traffic safety concerns related to roadways and intersections which have been brought to its attention by the public and staff observations.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - 2023 Second Quarter UCR Statistics
Attachment B - 2023 vs. 2022 & 2021 Second Quarter Comparison Attachment C - 2023 Second Quarter ALPR Report
Attachment D - 2023 Second Quarter Report City Council Presentation By: Jeremy Bowers, Chief of Police
Agenda Report Page 4
CRIME APR MAY JUN Totals
Criminal Homicide 0 0 0 0
Rape 1 0 0 0
Robbery 1 1 1 3
Assault 1 2 1 4
Burglary 2 1 5 8
Larceny - Theft 30 26 27 83
Motor Vehicle Theft 7 5 7 19
Arson 0 1 0 1
Monthly Totals 42 36 41 118
Uniform Crime Stats 2nd Qrtr 2023
Attachment A Agenda Report Page 5
CRIME 2021 2022 2023
Criminal Homicide 0 0 0
Rape 0 1 1
Robbery 2 2 3
Assault 6 5 16
Burglary 10 14 22
Larceny - Theft 140 124 162
Motor Vehicle Theft 23 18 35
Arson 0 0 1
Yearly Totals 181 *164 240
* No May data due to NIBRS transition
Uniform Crime Report
Q1 & Q2 Comparison
Attachment B Agenda Report Page 6
2022
Stolen Vehicle
Recoveries
Recovered Vehicle
Values
Arrests Related to
ALPR's
January 3 $ 11,000.00 3
February 7 $ 120,400.00 4
March 5 $ 56,000.00 4
April 6 $ 43,940.00 7
May 6 $ 68,030.00 3
June 10 $ 118,534.00 9
July 5 $128,168.00 2
August 7 $ 65,505.00 4
Septemb 11 $234,941.00 5
October 4 $ 23,000.00 3
Novembe 2 $ 17,032.00 2
Decembe 3 $ 13,702.00 2
Totals 69 $ 900,252.00 48
2023
Stolen Vehicle
Recoveries
Recovered Vehicle
Values
Arrests Related to
ALPR's
January 8 $ 72,158.00 3
February 6 $ 94,818.00 4
March 5 $ 66,390.00 4
April 1 $ 1,000.00 1
May 6 $ 97,935.00 2
June 5 $ 52,110.00 4
July
August . . .
Septemb . . .
October . . .
Novembe . . .
Decembe . . .
Totals 37 $ 384,411.00 19
Attachment C Agenda Report Page 7
2ND QUARTER 2023
Piedmont Police Department
Quarterly Report
Piedmont Police Department
Quarterly Report
2nd Quarter 2023
September 18, 2023
What is NIBRS?
The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) is an incident-based reporting system.
• Collects data on incidents, offenses, victims, and known offenders for 52 specific crimes in 24 major offense categories.
NIBRS produces more detailed, accurate, and meaningful
statistics than are currently available because data are collected on:
• When and where crime occurs
• What form it takes
• What characteristics are known about its victims and
perpetrators
1 2
Attachment D Agenda Report Page 8
Piedmont Police Department
Quarterly Report
2nd Quarter 2023
September 18, 2023
Why is this change necessary?
The FBI sunsetted the UCR Summary Reporting System
(SRS) and required all agencies to transition to NIBRS
beginning in 2021.
• Improved data on crime and criminality is a critical need. • Law enforcement must understand the overall health,
welfare, and safety of our community.
• Better data that is accurate and meaningful will help us understand how best to target scarce resources.
• This data can give the public a better overall measure of the health and safety of our community.
Piedmont Police Department
Quarterly Report
2nd Quarter 2023
September 18, 2023
Hierarchy Rule
Crime is reported differently under NIBRS than under the UCR Summary Reporting System.
• The Summary UCR uses a hierarchy rule that counts only the most serious offense in an incident, event if multiple offenses were committed.
• The NIBRS standard does not employ the hierarchy rule, so we can link multiple offenses within a single crime incident. 3 4
Attachment D Agenda Report Page 9
Piedmont Police Department
Quarterly Report
2nd Quarter 2023
September 18, 2023
Will transitioning to NIBRS
increase certain categories of
crime statistics?
The removal of the SRS hierarchy rule allows us to report data on more crime types within an incident, not just the most serious ones.
• As indicated by an FBI report, the statistical increase of reported crime should be minimal, and showed the
following effects on reported crime:
• Rape: No effect
• Robbery: Increased 0.6%
• Aggravated assault: Increased
0.6%
• Burglary: Increased 1.0%
• Larceny: Increased 2.6%
• Motor Vehicle Theft: Increased
2.7%
• Total SRS Offenses: Increased
2.1%
Piedmont Police Department
Quarterly Report
2nd Quarter 2023
September 18, 2023
Benefits of NIBRS
NIBRS records more detailed crime information
compared to the traditional Uniform Crime Reporting
(UCR) standards.
• Detailed, high-quality data that provides a complete and more accurate picture of crime.
• NIBRS provides additional context to understand
victimization and offending.
• NIBRS provides standardized data to compare crime
across jurisdictions.
5 6
Attachment D Agenda Report Page 10
Piedmont Police Department
Quarterly Report
2nd Quarter 2023
September 18, 2023
Potential
When used to its full potential, NIBRS identifies,
with precision, when and where crime takes
place, what form it takes, and the characteristics
of its victims and perpetrators.
Armed with such information, the Piedmont Police
Department can better define the resources it needs
to fight crime, as well as use those resources in the
most efficient and effective manner.
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Crime Summary
2021-2023 Part 1 Crimes Comparison – through Q2 only
0 22 11 3 6 5
16 10 14
22 140
124
162
23 18
35 0
50 100
150
2021 (181) 2022 (164*) 2023 (240)
Rape Robbery Assault Burglary Larceny Vehicle Theft
7 8
Attachment D Agenda Report Page 11
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Crime Summary
2007-2023 Robbery, Burglary, Larceny, Vehicle Theft Comparison through Q2 only
10 4 7 4 7 6 13 4 2
17 3 10 5 7 6 5 3
44 52 47 49
88 134
116
80 51
66 60 47 46
65 25 39
22 108
143
158
139 148 151
126
111 117 109 98
124
162
235
281
321
162
55 44 43
26 46 48 50 41 38 25 16 24 19
67 62 49 35
0 50
100
150
200
250
300
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Robbery Burglary Larceny Vehicle Theft
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Crime Summary
2007-2023 Robbery through Q2 only
10 4
7 4
7 6
13 4
2 17
3 10
5 7
6 5
3 0
2 4
6 8
10 12
14 16
18 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Robbery
9 10
Attachment D Agenda Report Page 12
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Crime Summary
2007-2023 Burglary through Q2 only
44 52 47 49
88 134
116
80 51
66 60
47 46
65 25
39 22
0 20
40 60
80 100
120
140
160
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Burglary
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Crime Summary
2007-2023 Larceny through Q2 only
108
143 158
139 148 151
126 111 117 109 98
124
162
235
281
321
162
0 50
100
150
200
250
300
350
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Larceny
11 12
Attachment D Agenda Report Page 13
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Crime Summary
2007-2023 Vehicle Theft through Q2 only
55 44 43
26 46 48 50
41 38
25 16
24 19
67 62
49 35
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Vehicle Theft
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Crime Summary
2021-2023 Arrests through Q2 only
0 20
40 60
80 100
120
2021(ALPR 10) (77) 2022(ALPR 30 ) (101) 2023(ALPR 24 ) (84) ALPR Arrests Total Arrests
13 14
Attachment D Agenda Report Page 14
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Major Offenses by Location
Assault/Robbery
January 1-June 30 2023
Assault
Robbery
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Major Offenses by Location
Larceny/Theft
January 1-June 30 2023
Theft
Theft – from vehicle
15 16
Attachment D Agenda Report Page 15
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Major Offenses by Location
Burglary
January 1-June 30 2023
Burglary
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Major Offenses by Location
Vandalism
January 1-June 30 2023
Arson
Vandalism
17 18
Attachment D Agenda Report Page 16
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
ALPR
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Crime Summary
ALPR Incidents
255
287
614
0 100
200
300
400
500
600
700
1 2021 (255) 2022 (287) 2023 (614)
19 20
Attachment D Agenda Report Page 17
Piedmont Police Department
Quarterly Report
2nd Quarter 2023
September 18, 2023
Traffic Summary
• 2022: 29 Collision Reports
• 2023 to date: 43 Collision Reports
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Rescue Task Force
21 22
Attachment D Agenda Report Page 18
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Community Engagement/Partnerships
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Community Engagement/Partnerships
23 24
Attachment D Agenda Report Page 19
Piedmont Police Department Quarterly Report: 2nd Quarter 2023 September 18, 2023
Questions?
25 Attachment D Agenda Report Page 20
From: Rosanna Bayon Moore
To: City Clerk
Subject: FW: Request to increase PPD staffing for Sept 19 Council Meeting Date: Monday, September 18, 2023 10:49:47 AM
Attachments: Request to increase PPD staffing.pdf
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Herrick <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2023 11:26 AM
To: Jen Cavenaugh <[email protected]>; Betsy Andersen <[email protected]>; Conna McCarthy <[email protected]>; Jennifer Long <[email protected]>; Tom Ramsey <[email protected]>; Rosanna Bayon Moore <[email protected]> Cc: Jeremy Bowers <[email protected]>; Connie Herrick <[email protected]> Subject: Request to increase PPD staffing for Sept 19 Council Meeting [EXTERNAL] This email originated from an external source. Please use judgment and caution when opening attachments, clicking links, or responding.
Dear City Council and City Administrator,
The attached letter is submitted for your consideration during next week’s city council meeting. I plan to attend - via Zoom - to speak to this letter and request it be added to the final city council meeting minutes. This letter is requesting an immediate increase in PPD staffing and is endorsed by 25 homes on Greenbank 10 and 100 block.
This is 50% of the homes.
Regards,
Mark and Connie Herrick
City Council 2023-09-18
Agenda Item #7
Late Correspondence before 3PM 2023-09-18
Monday, September 11, 2023
Dear Piedmont City Council,
Over the last 6 months, Piedmont has seen a substan@al increase in personal crime, which are aBacks directly on our residents versus property. In addi@on, on August 16, this threat escalated to include an aBack directly on a Piedmont Police Department Officer. The officer was injured during a traffic stop, responding to a stolen vehicle. A second incident the same day involved the apprehension of an armed suspect who had a semiautoma@c handgun with a high-capacity magazine.
We have been long @me Piedmont Police Department supporters and advocates for increased spending for the PPD. Piedmont’s situa@on is unique, being surrounded by one of the highest crime rate ci@es in the USA. Yet Piedmont s@ll has a sense of being a sleepy, safe, small town.
Unfortunately, Piedmont is under grave threat from Oakland’s deteriora@on in public safety. On July 27, the local chapter of the NAACP called on Oakland to declare a state of emergency over crime in Oakland:
“We are in crisis and elected leaders must declare a state of emergency and bring resources together from the city, the county, and the state to end the crisis,” the organiza@ons wrote. “We are 500 police officers short of the number that experts say Oakland needs. Our 911 system does not work. Residents now know that help will not come when danger confronts them. Worse, criminals know that too.” The situa@on in Oakland looks to have no end in sight. Our problem in Piedmont is we are surrounded by Oakland, with three major traffic arteries that run through our town connec@ng Oakland neighborhoods.
The latest August 16 incidents are deeply disturbing. Thank goodness the officer was not injured more severely or killed when struck by the fleeing vehicle. The strong-arm robberies of ci@zens over the last six months, in broad daylight, in central parts of town is frightening. Last week, an elderly man was followed home, pushed to the ground, and robbed of a watch on Scenic. It is reasonable to consider these incidents can become more frequent and worsen.
We are asking the City Council to pass an emergency budget resolu@on to immediately increase funding for the Piedmont Police Department for 5 addi@onal sworn officers.
This will allow another beat officer each shi_, for a total of 4 sworn officers on duty every shi_: sergeant watch commander and three patrol. This includes funding a K9 officer; a K9 could have caught the second suspect who fled on Pacific on August 16. Piedmont also needs to ensure that a dedicated traffic motorcycle patrol is ac@ve. The budget resolu@on should include funding for addi@onal administra@ve posi@ons so that all sworn ac@ve-duty officers’ du@es can be focused only on patrol. Piedmont needs every officer to be on the street patrolling full @me.
Our PPD does a fine job protec@ng us with the limited resources they have. And while hiring plans have line of sight to a fully staffed department per current budget, these new officers are s@ll not on board, have yet to pass their field training under direct supervision of their field training officer, therefore, they are not yet a net increase in patrol. Even when we reach full staffing at today’s budgeted levels, it will be at least 6 months before these new officers will be able to operate independently. The sugges@on for increased funding for 5 addi@onal sworn officers will also take 6-12 months to implement.
City Council 2023-09-18
Agenda Item #7
Late Correspondence before 3PM 2023-09-18
With the public safety threat, as grave as it is, we hope this resolu@on will be immediately considered and quickly passed. Please make increased funding of PPD a priority. Our town and residents are clearly at risk.
Regards,
Mark and Connie Herrick
147 Greenbank Avenue
The following table lists the residents of Greenbank Ave 10 and 100 block who have endorsed this leBer:
Name Address Comments
1 Mark Herrick
Connie Herrick
147 Greenbank Letter organizers
2 Sandi Besen
George Hosegood
133 Greenbank “I endorse this letter to the PPD.”
3 Dan and Nina Fendel 20 Greenbank “Thanks for taking the iniEaEve on this. Please add us as endorsers.” 4 Ann Rankin 109 Greenbank “I agree strongly with the lePer from Mark and Connie Herrick. I have lived at 109 Greenbank Avenue in Piedmont for 37 years and prior to the last three years I felt fairly safe. The last three years I have altered my acEviEes because of the increased safety risks. My car was broken into twice in 2021 and the rear license plate was stolen in 2021, all in broad daylight and in areas I had previously considered safe. ASer 40 years of walking around Lake MerriP I no longer do so; this was one place where my car was vandalized in late aSernoon with many people walking around. I no longer park in the lot on 40th Street and Piedmont Ave. ASer my car was vandalized there at 4 pm when I went to get a flu shot. The Oakland Police have made it clear to me that they don’t have the resources to deal with most crimes other than homicides and even with those they only solve 20 percent.
The few Emes I have dealt with the Piedmont police they have been great but they need resources to combat the combinaEon of increased violent crime and property crime combined with the inability of the Oakland police to protect ciEzens of either Oakland or Piedmont. I would be willing to pay my fair share to give our police the addiEonal resources they need.” 5 Mark and Roberta Gross 5 Greenbank Thank you for this necessary proposal. Please add us as endorsers. 6 Steve Wang and
Yuanyuan Ma
1609 Grand Please add mine and Yuanyuan's names to your peEEon. It's a great thing you are doing and we fully support it.
7 Jamie Nguyen and ScoP
Kobayashi
123 Greenbank Please add our names to the peEEon to increase police officers to patrol and make our neighborhood feel safe again. It’s disheartening to hear our neighbors see a drasEc change the last couple of years. I want all of us to feel safe and supported in Piedmont. Jamie and I agree with the substance of the lePer from Mark and Connie Herrick as well. Taking acEon as a community before the situaEon deteriorates further makes sense to us, and the point that it takes 6-12 months for budgetary approval, training, and then deployment of addiEonal officers means we should try to make our voices heard earlier rather than later.
8 Michael C Kleiber 55 Cambridge Way I just checked and Piedmont has only 21 sworn officers. Same as Atherton with a populaEon about one half of Piedmont.
9 Blake MarEni 1541 Grand Thanks for sending. I support the petition and please add my name to it. 10 Richard Wu and Yang Li 134 Greenbank We are also concerned about the safety of our community, so we definitely agree with you. What's more, we ask for intensified patrols during school commute Eme because some students go to school or walk home on their own.
11 Derrick and Viv Lee 19 Greenbank Viv and I totally support this. 12 Sedrick Tydus and Jain
Williams
114 Greenbank Jain and I endorse the proposal to add more police to provide a deterrence to crime on our streets.
13 Frank Zhu and Haley
Kotnik
141 Greenbank We endorse the lePer from Mark and Connie Herrick. As parents, we are especially concerned about the incidents this year nearby in Oakland where children were injured or their nannies were targeted in armed robberies. We think the proposal is a sensible approach to deter these and other types of violent crime from increasing in Piedmont.
14 Larry and Chandra
Miller
105 Greenbank Larry and I appreciate, support, and applaud your efforts to work with the City of Piedmont.
We endorse your letter. We have been the victims of catalytic converter theft. The police blotter, NextDoor, and conversations with neighbors reveal an escalation in crime that needs urgent attention and action.
Allison Bernstein 49 Bonita Ave We support the peEEon. Please add as endorsers. 15 Jenny Smrekar and
Kristoffer Haines
6 Greenbank
16 Lani Malicdem and
Michael Hochster
1607 Grand Ave Michael and I are in agreement with Mark and Connie Herrick and all of the senEments from our neighbors below. We support the request to our City Council to pass an emergency budget resoluEon to immediately increase funding for the Piedmont Police Department. 17 Richard Stanley and
Barbara Cohen
100 Greenbank support this so please add us to your endorsements. 18 PaPy Reed and Rick
Clark
42 Greenbank Please add PaPy Reed and Rick Clark to the list of supporters. 19 Craig and Carol Lundin 30 Greenbank Thank you so much for working on this issue, we really appreciate it. Craig and I would like to be included in this effort.
20 Steve and Karen Nichols 137 Greenbank Karen and I both endorse your proposal to add to the police in our city. Like many of us in the neighborhood, we have changed our walking, driving, parking, shopping and eaEng habits in the face of daily crime surrounding us. Increasing the number of police, in parEcular on the Piedmont streets City Council 2023-09-18
Agenda Item #7
Late Correspondence before 3PM 2023-09-18
is a good idea - especially as Oakland is unable to deal with anything but the most serious criminal acEvity. We would also advocate increasing the use of cameras, both public and private, to deter illegal acEvity in our city. Over the last few years opposiEon to CCTV seems to have waned, and from all accounts, this kind of security seems to be helping reduce the invitaEon to come to Piedmont and commit crime. Thanks to you and Connie for taking the lead on this, 21 Cynthia Kroll and Arden
Hall
30 Greenbank Ave share the concerns of their neighbors regarding safety condiEons in Piedmont and Oakland and urge the Piedmont police department and city council to review the resources needed and approaches for successfully addressing these issues. We are concerned about the safety of our residents and city staff, especially the first responders, both in our city and our neighboring community. We thank the Herricks for opening the conversaEon with some concrete suggesEons. 22 Bill Bocheff 106 106 Greenbank Ave is on board with your lePer. Thanks for spearheading this! 23 Beverly Bucci 10 Greenbank I support your effort to add more Police to the force. 24 Stacy Keegan 102 Thx for organizing
25 Melanie Blunschi and
Brian Smith
135 Greenbank Ave Thanks for organizing!
City Council 2023-09-18
Agenda Item #7
Late Correspondence before 3PM 2023-09-18
Dear Neighbors,
Please take a moment to read the proposal for additional PPD officers from our neighbors on Greenbank Ave. If you support the proposal described in their letter, kindly take just a few seconds to complete the form. We’d like to have the responses by Sept. 10th so we can submit them to the City Council before their Sept. 18th meeting.
Thank you!
~Allison & Josh Bernstein, 49 Bonita Ave.
Dear Piedmont City Council,
Over the last 6 months, Piedmont has seen a substantial increase in personal crime, which are attacks directly on our residents versus property. In addition, on August 16, this threat escalated to include an attack directly on a Piedmont Police Department Officer. The officer was injured during a traffic stop, responding to a stolen vehicle. A second incident the same day involved the apprehension of an armed suspect who had a semi-automatic handgun with a high-capacity magazine.
We have been long-time Piedmont Police Department supporters and advocates for increased spending for the PPD. Piedmont’s situation is unique, being surrounded by one of the highest crime rate cities in the USA. Yet Piedmont still has a sense of being a sleepy, safe, small town.
Unfortunately, Piedmont is under grave threat from Oakland’s deterioration in public safety. On July 27, the local chapter of the NAACP called on Oakland to declare a state of emergency over crime in Oakland:
“We are in crisis and elected leaders must declare a state of emergency and bring resources together from the city, the county, and the state to end the crisis,” the organizations wrote. “We are 500 police officers short of the number that experts say Oakland needs. Our 911 system does not work. Residents now know that help will not come when danger confronts them. Worse, criminals know that too.” The situation in Oakland looks to have no end in sight. Our problem in Piedmont is we are surrounded by Oakland, with three major traffic arteries that run through our town connecting Oakland neighborhoods.
The latest August 16 incidents are deeply disturbing. Thank goodness the officer was not injured more severely or killed when struck by the fleeing vehicle. The strong-arm robberies of citizens over the last six months, in broad daylight, in central parts of town is frightening. Last week, an elderly man was followed home, pushed to the ground, and robbed of a watch on Scenic. It is reasonable to consider these incidents can become more frequent and worsen.
We are asking the City Council to pass an emergency budget resolution to immediately increase funding for the Piedmont Police Department for 5 additional sworn officers.
This will allow another beat officer each shift, for a total of 4 sworn officers on duty every shift: sergeant watch commander and three patrol. This includes funding a K9 officer; a K9 could have caught the second suspect who fled on Pacific on August 16. Piedmont also needs to ensure that a dedicated traffic City Council 2023-09-18
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motorcycle patrol is active. The budget resolution should include funding for additional administrative positions so that all sworn active-duty officers’ duties can be focused only on patrol. Piedmont needs every officer to be on the street patrolling full time.
Our PPD does a fine job protecting us with the limited resources they have. And while hiring plans have line of sight to a fully staffed department per current budget, these new officers are still not on board, have yet to pass their field training under direct supervision of their field training officer, therefore, they are not yet a net increase in patrol. Even when we reach full staffing at today’s budgeted levels, it will be at least 6 months before these new officers will be able to operate independently. The suggestion for increased funding for 5 additional sworn officers will also take 6-12 months to implement.
With the public safety threat, as grave as it is, we hope this resolution will be immediately considered and quickly passed. Please make increased funding of PPD a priority. Our town and residents are clearly at risk.
Regards,
Mark and Connie Herrick
147 Greenbank Avenue
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Some people who received this message don't often get email from [email protected]. Learn why this is important
From: Rosanna Bayon Moore
To: City Clerk
Subject: FW: Bonita/Ramona/Estrella Request to increase PPD staffing for Sept 19 Council Meeting Date: Monday, September 18, 2023 10:52:19 AM
Attachments: ppd scanned..pdf
Letter to Piedmont City Council.pdf
From: allison bernstein <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2023 7:02 AM
To: Jen Cavenaugh <[email protected]>; Betsy Andersen <[email protected]>; Conna McCarthy <[email protected]>; Jennifer Long <[email protected]>; Tom Ramsey <[email protected]>; Rosanna Bayon Moore <[email protected]>
Cc: Jeremy Bowers <[email protected]>
Subject: Bonita/Ramona/Estrella Request to increase PPD staffing for Sept 19 Council Meeting [EXTERNAL] This email originated from an external source. Please use judgment and caution when opening attachments, clicking links, or responding.
Dear City Council and City Administrator,
Please find the attached letter for your consideration at the next city council meeting. The letter is a request, joining with our Greenbank neighbors, for immediate increase in PPD staffing. The request is endorsed by 30 residents in the Bonita/Ramona/Estrella area. We have attached the endorsements for your review. We request that this be added to the final city council meeting minutes.
We thank you in advance for your consideration of this very important matter.
Sincerely,
Allison & Josh Bernstein
City Council 2023-09-18
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From: PiedmontNT
To: City Clerk; City Council
Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: Community Public Safety
Date: Monday, September 18, 2023 2:06:51 PM
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[EXTERNAL] This email originated from an external source. Please use judgment and caution when opening attachments, clicking links, or responding.
September 18, 2023
Dear Honorable Mayor and City Council and Public Safety Committee, In just two weeks, Piedmont Neighbors Together has brought together over 350 Piedmont neighbors.
Who we are:
We formed Piedmont Neighbors Together in response to the overwhelming concern within the Piedmont Community about the growing incidents of violence occurring in Piedmont as well as the increase in acts of theft and property damage within the city. Our three-pronged approach is to:
Identity the most pressing safety concerns faced by our residents and those who work in town;
Ensure greater civic participation from a Piedmont community that has access to up to date statistical data and insight from our community leaders; Enhance public outreach by organizing multiple neighborhood groups within Piedmont who can communicate particularized safety concerns and work with the City to address these issues.
Our priority is focused on public safety.
In the last week alone, Piedmont has experienced a carjacking which threatened the lives of a baby and her mother and a strong-arm robbery that occurred only 100 yards from the Piedmont Police Department. In the last few months numerous violent and non-violent crimes have occurred in our community, some targeting our most vulnerable residents.
Criminals are becoming more brazen and the City must respond immediately to protect its citizens from these growing dangers.
The escalation in violent crime and destruction of property within Piedmont, requires us to act now. We write this letter as a call to action for the Mayor and Piedmont City Council to City Council 2023-09-18
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work with the Police department and other city leaders to develop short and long term plans that address the rising wave of crime. Piedmont Neighbors Together seeks to identify the most urgent safety issues and actively support Piedmont city leaders in tackling these problems to restore our safe and liveable community.
Supportive Data:
In response to the visual queues that appear to indicate that crime is increasing, we decided to research PPD data and survey the members of our community. Some of the results are as follows:
PPD Incidents and Resources:
We’ve reviewed and analyzed Piedmont Police Crime data and budgeting data for the last 6 years, including Chief Bowers’ 2023 Second Quarter Department Report. We summarize below some of the important statistics:
Crime data comparison of January - June 2021 to January - June 2023:
Crime
(Uniform Crime Report)
From 2021 to 2023
(first 6 months)
Robbery Up 50%
Assault Up 167%
Burglary Up 120%
Larceny - Theft Up 16%
Motor Vehicle Theft Up 52%
Yearly Totals Up 33%
Source: 2023 PPD Second Quarter Report
Frequency of suspects fleeing from vehicle stop attempts by officers:
From 2021 to 2023 (first 6 months): Up 239%
Total Calls:
Call data was only available through 2022. Total Calls from 2020 through 2022 increased by 12.5% to 11,075.
Staffing:
Noting the significant criminal activity increasing by the mid-to-high double digits across the board, PPD staffing has only increased by 7% since 2019. Growing from 29 in the 2019/20 budget to 31 employees in the 2023/24 cycle.
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Overtime:
Budget Year PPD Overtime Expense
2020/21 $350,000 (similar to the prior two years)
2021/22 $475,000 (up 36%)
2022/23 $575,000 (up 21%) - up 64% from 2020/21
2023/24 $410,000 (estimated)
Source: PPD budgets, 2020/21 to 2023/24
Significant increases in overtime may indicate an understaffed team.
Polling our members:
Over 99.9% believe Piedmont has become less safe in the last 12 months. The PPD serious crime data shown above clearly explains this.
In our first survey with 175 respondents:
95% want additional police patrol officers
96% want additional ALPR and Surveillance cameras
32% noted the existence of a neighborhood watch program, many noted that their specific watch program only sends informational updates and does not really provide a watch.
8% indicated that their 911 calls do not get answered. Homes on the edges of town can be directed to Oakland 911 and are significantly less likely to be answered or to be busy.
94% indicated they would like to hear regular communications from the Mayor on Public Safety
93% indicated they would like City Council to focus more time on public safety 93% indicated they would be willing (58%) or may be willing (35%) to pay additional property taxes to make Piedmont safer.
We also asked the 175 respondents to rank initial priorities and the ranking was as follows:
1. Increase patrol resources (82% of respondents had this in their top 3 choices)
2. Relax pursuit policy
3. Acquisition of drones/K-9’s
4. Additional dispatchers
5. Organize better Piedmont Watch groups
6. Visible Piedmont signs at all entrances
Additional open form comments made by these respondents are included in Appendix A.
Over the last few weeks our Piedmont Neighbors Together team has researched other City Council 2023-09-18
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municipalities in the area regarding their policing policies, reviewed Piedmont police budgeting, crime statistics, spoken with Chief Bowers, and spoke with multiple members of the Piedmont Public Safety Committee. We have also reviewed all City Council meeting minutes and Public Safety Committee minutes for 2022 and 2023 to understand how Public Safety was prioritized and addressed by City leadership. Lastly, we conducted multiple polls, attended community police presentations and interviewed multiple residents across the community.
Take away:
We understand that, although criminal activity has increased across the State, Oakland criminal activity has increased significantly and recent reports indicate Oakland is one of the most unsafe cities in the US. The increase in crime in our neighboring city, the infighting and instability of its city leadership are a perfect storm to promote continued criminal chaos in Oakland that will then bleed into our community. Piedmont should not expect any short or mid-term solutions from the Oakland city administration for years to come. Piedmont must act now to proactively deal with Piedmont’s Safety issues.
Call to action:
Short Term:
To address residents’ safety concerns, we ask the City to evaluate the following short term proactive strategies:
Commission a comprehensive safety consultant to analyze staffing, technology, resource distribution and other needs of the City’s police department; Increase police visibility, especially at the city’s borders; Participate in transparent and frequent communication with residents, including weekly NIBRS crime reports made publicly available;
Consistent enforcement of all public safety laws;
Provide clear structure between the branches to provide accountability for implementation of public safety measures;
Develop a system that ensures residents have rapid and consistent response times when calling 911. If not immediately possible, work with the community to educate on alternative means for residents to contact PPD.
Long term:
Research the Address the growing tension between potential liability and active crime prevention;
Explore the use of Community Service Officers to handle non-essential and nonpublic safety functions of the Police department; Invest in training and technology to assist the Police Department in crime prevention;
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Work with residents to incorporate private security camera footage into crime prevention strategies;
We ask this Council to work with other city departments, residents and the greater community to think outside of the box in coming up with creative and necessary strategies to lower the occurrence of crime in Piedmont.
We look forward to your thoughtful response.
Sincerely,
Piedmont Neighbors Together
PiedmontNeighbors.org
APPENDIX A
Summarized Written Comments From 175 Respondents
The following is a consolidated list of comments from the community in the open ended portion of our survey. We included comments that were focused on ideas to improve the safety in the community.
Exploring technologies or blocking major roadways to use slower entrances and exits, eliminating high speed escape routes, speed bumps in common getaway routes.
Consider spike strips or barricades or other deterrence that would make it less effortless to come through.
Relaxing zoning rules for property gates, driveway gates, etc. Letting residents build electric or non Electric gates on their properties for safety.
Increase traffic tickets to improve pedestrian safety and increase revenue City Council to pass an emergency budget resolution to immediately increase funding for the Piedmont Police Department for 5 additional sworn officers. funding a K9 officer; a K9 could have caught the second suspect who fled on Pacific on August 16. Piedmont also needs to ensure that a dedicated traffic motorcycle patrol is active.
Funding for additional administrative positions so that all sworn active-duty officers’ duties can be focused only on patrol. Piedmont needs every officer to be on the street patrolling full time. It will be at least 6 months before these new officers will be able to operate independently. The suggestion for increased funding for 5 additional sworn officers will also take 6-12 months to implement.
“You are entering Piedmont signs” might backfire on us.
Put electronic signs near the license plate readers that say "Your license plate XYZ, is now registered with the Piedmont Police Department"
More Police actively patrolling through Piedmont for visible deterrence. More police officers driving around at all times and stationed at a few major entrances into Piedmont but ones like Moraga and Highland, Crocker and Lasalle, Blair and Calvert.
Lobby the mayor and the DA so the people caught are prosecuted. How can we influence what happens to criminals when caught? Recall Pamela Price.
We need to make an impact now before there are serious cases and we are reactive vs.
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proactive.
It would be great to get more information on the different crime prevention resources we can advocate for.
Reinstate Neighborhood watch meetings
In Piedmont, when I see crime, I don't call 911. I call the non-emergency number and someone always answers right away and helps me
Patrol officers on foot might help to deter crime.
Action items for Piedmont civic leadership: comprehensive crime/safety assessment NOW, tighten the pursuit policy, all-around BETTER communication from our mayor (we've heard nothing from her), city council, and PPD regarding safety plans and crimes as they are happening. A weekly FULL crime report from PPD to the community. (1) Piedmont is too dark at night; we need to encourage residents to add more landscape and ambient outdoor lighting. (2) It's too easy for criminals to speed through Piedmont; we need more traffic-calming devices around town, such as speed bumps. (3) We need more transparency around Piedmont crime stats; why are we not on Citizen and other apps to track crime in real time?
Way more police presence in lower Piedmont night and day. Way more attention to lighting on streets at night in ALL neighborhoods.
Implement a GIS tracking system for analytic reporting on patrol car miles and routes during a shift. We have called 911 and the dispatchers are unfriendly and actively question why we called making it appear the call was unwanted and unnecessary.
Need a nixle-like system to alert neighbors with text messages about crimes in progress so we can help facilitate. It’s far too little communication now and when there is communication, it’s after the fact and the details or vague Needs to be an active neighborhood round up of all security cameras on people's property
Officer hours should be more dedicated to the time period of midnight to 5AM as that seems to be when the majority of property crime is happening.
PPD stop saying “We can’t, it's a liability”. Every call you take is a risk/liability, let the city lawyer review liability risks.
Over the last 6 months, Piedmont has seen a substantial increase in personal crime, which are attacks directly on our residents versus property. In addition, on August 16, this threat escalated to include an attack directly on a Piedmont Police Department Officer. The officer was injured during a traffic stop, responding to a stolen vehicle. A second incident the same day involved the apprehension of an armed suspect who had a semi-automatic handgun with a high-capacity magazine.
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