New overnight patrols aim to deter dumping, side shows near Sunrise Mall

By Sara Beth Williams–
The Sunrise MarketPlace announced in a newsletter last week that, beginning July 1, Cal Tac Security began conducting overnight security patrols seven days a week.

The business improvement district wrote in the newsletter that employing extra security will help with identifying and apprehending individuals who are involved in illegal activities.

Sunrise MarketPlace Executive Director Kathilynn Carpenter said via email on Wednesday that overnight security has been implemented to deter three main activities that occur during the evening hours, including property vandalism and graffiti, illegal dumping, and car side shows in parking lots.

“Illegal dumping in particular is expensive, and the items (mattresses, couches, recliners, pallets, etc.) that people dump at businesses are then used by the homeless to create camps,” Carpenter said.

Along with day and night security companies, the business district contracts with City Wide Property Services to help collect illegally dumped materials, retrieve and return shopping carts to district businesses, and clean graffiti. Porter services, which operate four hours daily, Monday to Friday, “are critical in maintaining the district’s appearance,” the district said.

According to stats provided by the company, City Wide Property Services collected 31 illegally dumped items in May and June, including abandoned mattresses, a trailer full of rocks and dirt, abandoned tires, piles of wood, and a bike frame. The maintenance porter also retrieved 152 bags of trash and debris in May and June. The company also reported removing 62 graffiti tags throughout May and June.

The new overnight patrols through Cal Tac Security are funded for one year through a Sacramento County grant, facilitated by Supervisor Sue Frost, Carpenter reported.

“We are extremely grateful for the County’s continued assistance in helping us to mitigate these activities,” Carpenter said.

The district continues to contract with NorCal Security armed officers, who patrol the business district seven days a week during the day according to the announcement. NorCal Security’s primary objectives are “to ensure community safety by addressing loitering, transient activity, shoplifting,” and other criminal behaviors. NorCal Security also works in conjunction with the Citrus Heights Police Department in handling low-level offenses, according to Sunrise MarketPlace.

The Sunrise MarketPlace boundaries include parcels along both sides of Sunrise Boulevard between Madison Avenue to the south and Arcadia Drive in the north, along with parcels along the east side of Sunrise Boulevard north of Arcadia Drive, and parcels along both sides of Greenback Lane between Birdcage Street in the west and Fair Oaks Boulevard in the east.