Craig Wilson, Chief Deputy for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, met with residents and business owners in Boulder Creek on April 25, at a meeting sponsored by the Boulder Creek Business Association and hosted by association president ustin Acton at his Boulder Creek Pizza and Pub.
During that meeting, attended by 56 residents, there was discussion of more than a dozen public safety issues.
This week, Wilson, along Sgt. Brian Cleveland and Crime Analyst Joshua Pastor reported back to the community, on behalf of Sheriff Jim Hart, in a lengthy post on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
Wilson reported that Cleveland was to meet this week with the patrol deputies who work in the Boulder Creek to coordinate patrols and other activities in the downtown area and the parks beginning the week of May 22. In a month, they said they would seek feedback on the effectiveness of their efforts.
Following the community meeting, Hart met with Fifth District Supervisor Bruce McPherson to determine if it is possible to open a Sheriff’s Service Center in Boulder Creek. “We are continuing to explore options,” Wilson said
“At this point, we are cautiously optimistic we may be able to identify and obtain a site.”
Response times in rural areas are greater than in urban areas due to geography and staffing: Santa Cruz County contains 445 square miles with a population of 129,739 residents in the unincorporated areas; a Sheriff’s Office patrol team consists of 8 deputies and a sergeant, Wilson said.
In 2015 the Sheriff’s Office average response time in the county was 9:58 minutes-seconds for priority calls. For comparison, the average emergency response time by the Fire Department was 7:08 minutes-seconds.
Wilson said that Hart had reduced the number of vacant deputy positions from 22 to three in less than three years.
Business owners had said problems of homeless people were growing in Boulder Creek.
“Being homeless is not a crime, but trespassing and other illegal conduct is,” said Wilson. He said deputies will make contacts and work with property owners to reduce trespassing in the downtown area. Businesses experiencing issues may be asked to post signs or be available for contact after hours concerning persons encountered on their property.
He also said that deputies will conduct foot patrols throughout their shift and contact persons in violation of the law at Barbara Day Park and Junction Park in Boulder Creek. He also said that deputies will arrest persons intoxicated in public and take them to the Recovery Center in Santa Cruz for release when they are sober; if the arrestee is combative they will be taken to jail. They also will work with liquor and grocery stores to reduce sales to habitual inebriates.
Wilson said that anyone who has information about persons selling drugs or locations where drug sales are occurring should email Sergeant Cleveland at
br*************@sa*******.us
. If you see drug sales occurring in public, call 471-1121 to have patrol deputies respond and investigate,” he said.
The Sheriff’s Office placed a marked patrol vehicle and a speed trailer in downtown Boulder Creek this week.
The California Highway Patrol will add radar units, and conduct additional DUI patrols in the Boulder Creek area.
Mail theft was a special concern of Boulder Creek residents. To eliminate or reduce mail theft, Wilson encouraged people to consider: removing mail from boxes everyday; depositing outgoing mail at post office drop box; not sending cash in the mail; requesting a vacation hold if leaving town for a few days; obtaining a post office box; installing lighting to allow mailboxes to stay illuminated at night; positioning surveillance cameras to cover mailboxes.
