By Khalida Sarwari
While burglars and robbers seem to get more brazen and sophisticated by the day, the residents of Saratoga are not sitting idly by; they’re making plans to protect themselves.
About 20 people attended a community forum co-hosted by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and the city of Saratoga on Feb. 23 to receive crime-related updates and learn safety measures.
During the two-hour forum, residents asked questions of Rick Sung, captain of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s West Valley division, raised concerns about events they’d witnessed or experienced in their neighborhood and asked for strategies to deal with issues such as break-ins and thefts.
Among the issues discussed was the impact of Proposition 47, an initiative that reduces the classification of most lesser, nonviolent property and drug crimes from a felony to a misdemeanor. There is speculation that the initiative has resulted in the rise in residential burglaries, not just in Saratoga, but throughout the Bay Area.
At least in the case of Saratoga, the bad guys appear to be coming from the East Bay, East San Jose or San Francisco, according to Sung.
“The more experienced they are, the more brazen they become,” he said.
Scammers and door-to-door solicitors without permits were another discussion topic, with some residents worried that these people may be casing or scouting their homes instead. Several people asked Sung how exactly to deal with them. His answer: Don’t. Many of these people tend to be from out of state with warrants for other crimes.
“You don’t have to investigate who these people are,” he said. “Leave it up to us.”
He encouraged people to instead call the Santa Clara County communications line at 408.299.3233, where someone will dispatch a deputy to come by and determine the legitimacy of the solicitor. In fact, that’s the number to put in your speed dial and call anytime your gut tells you something is not right, he told residents.
“We don’t expect our residents to try to figure out if a crime is happening or not,” he said. “As long as you’re feeling uncomfortable, call our deputies.”
Noting how critical the collaboration between law enforcement and the community is, Sung lauded the Neighborhood Watch program, saying that it benefits both the community and law enforcement because it encourages residents to help deputies fight crime.
Other proven tools are social media sites such as Nextdoor.com, AlertSCC (a countywide emergency alert system) and crimereports.com (a website where residents can find a comprehensive listing of criminal activity in each city 24 hours after it occurs).
Sung also highlighted resources available to all residents to protect against crimes. Most people are familiar with the sheriff’s office vacation patrol check program that allows residents to request a deputy to keep an eye on their home while they are away on vacation. Now, the sheriff’s office is offering a residential security service, Sung said, where a deputy can come inside a home and survey it for any areas of weakness as well as give recommendations to improve security.
Link: Sheriff’s department offers residents tips on how to stay safe
