Concord chief says Prop. 47 leads to repeat crimes
Concord City Councilman Tim McGallian’s car has been broken into three times in front of his Turtle Creek home. So was his garage, and his bicycle was stolen.
McGallian quickly called the police, but they all commiserated on the rash of petty crimes.
The culprit, according to McGallian, isn’t only the perp who caused the damage, but something much harder to control: Proposition 47.
The statewide ballot measure, passed by voters in November 2014, essentially allowed many felonies and repeat offenders’ crimes to be downgraded to misdemeanors. “Basically, a slap on the wrist,” McGallian said.
Although the measure was supposed to help overcrowding in California’s jails, “many voters didn’t realize the impact that would have on communities,” Councilwoman Laura Hoffmeister said at the Aug. 27 council meeting.
Fairly flat crime numbers
The discussion stemmed from Police Chief Guy Swanger’s semi-annual report on crime statistics, covering January-June 2019.
During that time, there weren’t any major changes from the same time period in 2018:
Homicides remained the same at 1.
Rape reports increased to 34 from 27.
Robberies decreased by 1, from 103 to 102.
Aggravated assaults decreased from 115 to 100.
Burglaries decreased from 261 to 211.
Larceny/theft increased from 1,611 to 1,744.
Motor vehicle thefts increased from 279 to 300.
Swanger was quick to point out that the rape increase meant more people were reporting the crime, thanks to the help of resources like the Central County Family Justice Center and people feeling more comfortable coming to the police.
He was pleased to report that violent crime was down 3 percent and burglaries were down 19 percent.
“In 2010, there were 922 reported burglaries in Concord,” he said. “This year, we’re on the path to about 400. It’s a tremendous drop.”
He attributes that to more residents and businesses installing cameras to catch criminal behavior.
As for car snatches, he points to a “wave” of such crime. After the recession, he noted, many people bought newer cars but kept older Hondas, which are the No. 1 vehicle stolen in the city.
Thwarting shoplifters
Swanger’s biggest concern was larceny and theft, which includes breaking into cars to steal property (as opposed to taking something from an unlocked car), grand theft from businesses and petty thefts of packages left on doorsteps.
He said he has been working with Sunvalley Mall department stores to help curb thefts, encouraging alarms and cameras. According to Swanger, that has curbed theft at Macy’s in downtown San Francisco, and he is working with local Macy’s management to install them at Sunvalley to cut down on shoplifting.
Still, the specter of Prop. 47 rose again when he said that many shoplifters who are caught go to court, get released with a ticket and are back to their shoplifting ways the next day. “We have a lot of repeat offenders.”
He also has the police department working on new technology that will identify specific neighborhoods where crimes are occurring, based on census tracks.
Molly Rios, a Lime Ridge resident, was at the meeting with some neighbors to complain about the burgeoning petty crimes hitting her neighborhood. “It’s alarming that the police department can’t provide specific statistics on where crimes are happening,” she said, saying that lack of communication creates a chain reaction that decreases trust in the police force.
She also urged the council to do whatever they could to reform Prop. 47, something McGallian and Mayor Carlyn Obringer have been trying to do.
Obringer said they had met with state Sen. Steve Glazer and Assemblyman Tim Grayson – Concord’s former mayor. The state officials said they had heard similar requests from other cities in their jurisdictions. But so far, there has been no movement in the Legislature, Obringer said.
Hoffmeister said that even if the Legislature passed Prop 47. reform, it would still need a statewide vote.
“That will be the hard part,” Swanger said. “Educating the people in cities that this makes a negative impact on the community.
Keying in on traffic
Swanger’s presentation also included a list of the intersections with the worst traffic collisions: Willow Pass Road and Market Street, Ygnacio Valley Road and Cowell Road, Treat Boulevard and Oak Grove Road, and Clayton Road and Galindo Street.
However, he pointed out that there have been no fatalities at these intersections; the fatalities happen more on straight-away streets where someone falls asleep or drifts over into the oncoming lane.
All in all, most of the council members were happy with the presentation.
“I was very glad to hear that monthly crime statistics will again be available for the community beginning in October,” the mayor said. “It’s very important that the community has access to that information so that we can understand what is going on around us.”
Councilman Edi Birsan pointed out that there has been problems with traffic enforcement at large events, such as the Thursday night Music and Market Series and the large Fourth of July celebration at Mt. Diablo High School.
Swanger took it in stride. “Basically, people in Concord are good people. They want to do the right thing.”
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