City’s rapid growth and department staffing declines could
threaten high numbers
Gilroy – Police pride themselves on Gilroy’s impressive arrest rate: a figure almost double that of nearby Hollister and Morgan Hill. But officials say rapid growth in the Garlic Capital threatens to hobble their efforts, unless the department expands – or adapts.
In 2005, Gilroy’s arrest rates dwarfed those of neighboring Hollister and Morgan Hill, and even farther-flung comparison cities like Salinas and Watsonville. The difference isn’t more murders, rapes or robberies: the Part One crime rate – which measures major crimes – is lower than that of Salinas, and violent crime has been on the decline since 2001. Instead, Gilroy snaps up more criminals on parole and probation violations.
“The big-ticket stuff gets any police department’s attention and effort,” said Assistant Chief Lanny Brown. “It’s that secondary level that we can spend more time with, when our staffing levels are up.”
It makes sense: When more police hit the streets, they catch the smaller stuff. When they rush from call to call, they don’t. In 2004, a banner year for staffing, according to Capt. Scot Smithee, the arrest rate increased 27 percent. Traffic citations, written by a full-time traffic officer, helped bolster the count by writing citations, and nabbing outstanding warrants in routine traffic stops.
“We’re a proactive department,” said Sgt. Kurt Svardal. “We just hired an officer from Salinas, and he was excited that he could go out and make a difference, instead of just going from one call to the next.”
But as Gilroy’s population bumps ever higher, officers fear that arrest rates could decline, unless staffing increases. That means more parolees left untracked, and fewer traffic tickets. Official 2006 arrest rates, calculated by the Department of Justice, won’t be released until next year, but raw numbers from the Gilroy police suggest a slight decline, and Brown says he anticipates a decrease.
“If we continue going down this path,” said Svardal, “our arrest rate will start going down.”
This year, with 11 officers taking family leave, police were strapped for time, and traffic enforcement took a hit. With three pedestrians killed on Gilroy streets since June, two of them children, police came under fire for the lapse. Brown protested that the staffing levels gave the department little choice: An officer speeding to a domestic violence call couldn’t pull over en route to snag speeders.
“Our calls for service seem to be getting higher, and people seem to be busier, but we’re not getting the extra bodies,” Smithee explained. In past years, a hiring freeze left the police department stagnant, just Gilroy’s population exploded. Next year, the department gains two new positions: its first increase in several years.
But Gilroy’s growth hasn’t just increased crime: it’s changed it. For example, as commuter traffic increases, car crashes have loomed larger, said City Council member Craig Gartman.
“As your customers change,” he said, “your needs change.”
Those changes have spurred a big-picture look at police staffing: a four-month, $55,000 project approved Monday night by City Council. Outside consultants will analyze how police department personnel are deployed, from records to patrol.
Gartman, the council’s sole dissenting vote, said hiring an outside consultant was unnecessary, but police say a third-party perspective is vital.
“We need a fresh set of eyes to look at our organization, to get a bigger picture of how things work,” said Brown.
Besides, he added, management staff don’t have the time or expertise to pull together an integrated report. With Capt. Jack Robinson retiring this month, more work is left for fewer police, and that includes those at the top. Even command staff feel the pinch.
“If we get too far behind the curve,” said Svardal, “it’ll catch up with us.”
