Richmond Police Department
Crime Report
Council Report April 2024
Mayor Martinez, Council and Community,
The attached documents provide the statistical data related to crime for the month of April. In addition to the crime statistics, you will also find statistical information related to our use of the FLOCK camera system. This information includes the number of cases in which the License Plate Reader (LPR) cameras have assisted over the past month.
In the attached documents you will see that violent crimes decreased by 2% over the past month. There were no homicides, 81 aggravated assaults, 22 robberies and 11 sexual assaults. There was also a slight increase in property crimes of 3% with 22 burglaries, 104 thefts, 100 stolen vehicles and 4 arsons. Officers recovered 11 firearms during this reporting period.
Additionally, I would like to highlight a few significant cases that occurred over the past month.
Robbery/Carjacking
On March 23rd, 2024, a victim arrived at the Bank of America near Hilltop to deposit cash. While waiting at the ATM a blue Toyota arrived. Two suspects exited the vehicle and approached the victim. As the suspects approached, they motioned to their waistbands suggesting they had firearms. The suspect took the victims backpack and then approached the victim’s vehicle. A second victim was inside the vehicle and the suspects demanded that victim’s wallet and phone. The suspect then demanded the second victim to exit the vehicle. The suspects fled taking the victim’s vehicle as well as the vehicle they arrived in. The victim vehicle was tracked through GPS in San Francisco. A short time later Oakland PD advised they were in pursuit of the vehicle.
During the pursuit the stolen vehicle became disabled and the two suspects were taken into custody.
Wire Theft Arrest
There has been a significant increase in wire theft over the past several months. The thefts have caused internet outages throughout the city which impacts the quality of life of our residents. On April 17th we were able to arrest another suspect who was in the process of stealing AT&T wire from a service pole. This suspect also had multiple warrants out for his arrest.
Embezzlement
Between 2017 - 2022, the suspect was employed by Viking Pavers in the City of Richmond as a bookkeeper a forensic review. Over her five years of employment
with Viking Pavers, the suspect embezzled over $800,000.00 dollars from her employer.
The long investigation to include a forensic examination of bank records, confirmed the crimes. The case was reviewed by the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office, and multiple charges were filed to include an enhancement for white collar crimes.
This was excellent work by our detectives who utilized a variety of investigative techniques to prove this case.
Residential Burglary Arrest
Officers responded to a burglary in progress in the 2600 block of Ohio Avenue. The owners of the home arrived to their residence and noticed items were strewn about. They then heard a sound of someone waking up. Officers arrived and saw the suspect flee the rear of the residence and make it over the back fence. Officers were able to detain and arrest the suspect.
Community Outreach
Our Crime Prevention unit organized a “Chat with the Chief” event on April 3rd. The Chief gave an overview on department staffing and crime issues and community members had the opportunity to ask questions.
The Police Department hosted students from Richmond High Law Academy. The students learned about career opportunities at the police department and were able to tour the various units of the department.
Bisa French
Chief of Police
Richmond Police Department