Gilroy
– Pressure from South Valley farmers, stung by a series of
expensive equipment thefts, brought a string of law enforcement
agencies to a round table meeting, and a promise from the Santa
Clara County Sheriff’s office to dedicate a deputy to the area
starting in January.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – Pressure from South Valley farmers, stung by a series of expensive equipment thefts, brought a string of law enforcement agencies to a round table meeting, and a promise from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office to dedicate a deputy to the area starting in January.
South County farmers alarmed by the recent rash of expensive equipment thefts, met with local law enforcement Monday night to talk about solutions, broaching ideas such as organizing informal patrols or even setting up stings to catch the thieves.
The first step in addressing the crimes already is under way, as the Sheriff’s office plans to dedicate a deputy almost entirely to South County’s rural areas, starting in January.
However, some farmers were interested in being even more proactive.
“What if we, as a group, paid for … a sting?” asked Joe Ayala, with Uesugi Farms in Gilroy, who has had two tractors stolen. “I’m talking about setting up a nice piece of bait.”
Sheriff’s deputies actually did just that five months ago and made an arrest, said Sheriff’s Capt. Ed Laverone. They placed a GPS device on a small tractor and later arrested the owner of a landscaping company who stole it.
The Santa Clara County Farm Bureau will investigate companies that provide GPS services to determine if tracking devices for tractors would be feasible, said Jenny Derry, executive director of the bureau.
“It’s probably going to make sense for me and some of my neighbors around here,” Ayala said. “To set some of our more expensive equipment up with tracking devices might be worth it.”
Farmers say they have seen more equipment thefts in the past six months than in the previous five years. At least five tractors have been stolen, along with forklifts, all-terrain vehicles, booster pumps and more. All told, local farmers have had $150,000 in equipment stolen.
When the new rural-based deputy starts in January, he or she will dedicate 85 to 95 percent of hours to rural crimes, Laverone said.
He’s enlisting those who have a stake in rural crimes to join the board that will select the transferring deputy. His goal, he said, is to have a five-member board that would include a representative from the county farm bureau – which has already signed up – along with someone from the California Cattlemen’s Association, the Department of Fish and Game, and the county Department of Agriculture, besides a Sheriff’s representative.
The board will likely look for a deputy familiar with South County, and rural areas in particular, and with an agricultural or farming background, he said. The search is expected to start early next month.
Laverone cautioned farmers that budget cuts are likely to happen again this year, putting the rural crimes unit at risk once again. He said transferring in another deputy while transferring out Deputy Dino Diaz, who is currently with the Rural Crimes Unit, is part of the department’s normal transfer rotation. He said the move is not a reflection on Diaz, who has been criticized by area farmers for not being responsive enough.
“We haven’t given him the ability to do the job right,” Laverone told the roughly 15 farm bureau members who gathered in Morgan Hill. “We gave him this assignment, but we didn’t give him the tools or the time to do the job.”
Most of Diaz’s time is spent on radio calls, writing reports, and patrolling, he said. The rural crimes position almost was eliminated during budget cuts this July, which would have left South County with two deputies. No one is satisfied with the level of staffing to cover unincorporated areas, Laverone said.
“To you guys, it looks horrible,” Laverone said. “To us, it’s even worse.”
Joining Monday’s meeting were 11 other officers from the Sheriff’s office, Gilroy Police Department, and California Highway Patrol, to talk about collaborating efforts. They offered some theft prevention tips, and the Sheriff and CHP provided take-home information on protecting farm equipment.
The Sheriff’s contacts other agencies as a “normal course of business,” Laverone said. Other agencies, such as the CHP, have been asked to keep an eye out for tractors being moved at odd hours, for example.
The farm bureau’s plans to hold monthly meetings specifically dedicated to rural crime is a start, Sheriff’s Detective Julian Quiñonez said.
“You guys know your areas probably better than we do,” Quiñonez said. “You’re our eyes and ears out there.”
Santa Clara County will be joining the California Rural Crime Prevention Task Force and a representative will attend meetings of the Central California task force every other month.
Rural areas across the state are being hit similarly to South County, Laverone said. It is likely an organized effort, he said, and could involve current or former employees of area farms. Close to 90 percent of the stolen equipment is probably headed to Mexico, he said.
“Looking over the past six months, we’re getting hit pretty good,” Laverone said. “It’s a fairly condensed area, we don’t have a lot of ag area, so it’s possible we’re feeling it more.”
The two South County Sheriff’s detectives expect their staffing will increase by one in January, as well. The third detective will be dedicated solely to burglaries.
“That’ll be another direct contact for you, just like the third ag (deputy),” Detective Doug Stevens told the farmers.
Farmers were asked to look for anything unusual, record trespassers, and call Sheriff’s deputies about any suspicious activity. They were also asked to take steps to protect their equipment, such as bringing items to a central location near a barn or house, increasing lighting, disabling vehicles, and clearly identifying tractors with a name or even a gaudily painted logo.
“The only way we can stop something like this is to be proactive, and that’s going to take help on all of your part,” Laverone said.
Ayala said after the meeting that he’s glad steps are being taken to head off increasing rural crime.
“It feels like we’re getting some support,” Ayala said.
Calls from cell phones to 9-1-1 will not be routed directly to the Sheriff’s office dispatcher. Non-emergency calls from outside city limits may be placed to 299-2311.
