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Crime & Safety

More Arrests Made in 2010, But Does it Mean More Crime?

A more experienced police staff may be the culprit, according to the Annual Safety Report presented to the City Council Tuesday night.

More arrests occurred in Sierra Madre in 2010 compared to 2009, but it may be the result of significant positive changes in the police department, according to Police Chief Marilyn Diaz.

The Public Safety Annual Report was presented to the City Council Tuesday night and featured reports by Chief Diaz and Fire Chief Stephen Heydorff.

Overall arrests in 2010 increased 32 percent from 359 arrests in 2009 to 475 in 2010. Of those arrests 51 were felony-related offenses compared to 38 in 2009, and 359 were for misdemeanor offenses compared to 276 in 2009. But one startling increase was the number of face-to-face robberies in the city, which increased from zero to four compared to 2009.

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“This is unusual for Sierra Madre,” Diaz stated. “For years we were able to say that it is safe to walk through our town without the fear of a stranger encountering you and holding you up,” she said.

Burglaries, both commercial and residential, increased 26 percent. The spike was attributed to a trend where more affluent areas are targeted by South Central and Inland LA gang members, according to Diaz. Thefts increased 46 percent, in part to the . Auto burglaries and thefts decreased 12 percent and 66 percent, respectively.  

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Arrest for both DUI's and public intoxication increased greatly in 2010. DUI arrests over 2009. Diaz noted that there was an increase in traffic citations in 2010 and a decrease in traffic accidents.

Diaz says she attributes the overall increase in traffic citations and arrests to the addition of a more experienced staff in the department. “We have hired some people with superior skills and those officers bring a tremendous breadth and depth of knowledge, experience, talent and leadership skills,” she said.

The chief also expressed her thanks to City Manager Elaine Aquilar for the success of her department and referred to her as “a mentor.”

“The increased enforcement translates into safer roads and a safer community for Sierra Madre,” Diaz said.

The Fire Department added two new positions to its Organization Chart, including an Administrative Clerk and a Deputy Fire Chief. 

“It takes a lot of dedicated professionals to run our department," Fire Chief Heydorff stated. "Our firefighter volunteers logged over 32,256 hours and our officers over 10, 350 hours." Heydorff credited the volunteer Fire Department for saving the city $887, 909, based on an approximate income worth of $20.84 per firefighter. The department responded to 885 emergency response calls last year, slightly above 2009, with 670 calls being for emergency medical care.

There were a total of 34 fires attended to in 2010. One of the major training sessions that took place this past year was the RIC (Rapid Intervention Crew) tactics and training, a 24-hour class which provided insight on how to rescue downed firefighters. 

Mayor Pro-Tem John Buchanan commented on some recent cases of saved lives due to paramedic responses and quick intravenous administration to which Heydorff responded, “There are people in Sierra Madre that are alive today that probably wouldn't be alive if the same [situation] happened five years ago. We save lives."

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