Citrus Heights annual report shows significant increase in police activity, arrests

By Sara Beth Williams–
Among various increases in crime and enforcement activity, Citrus Heights Police Department data released this month shows more than 1,000 additional quality-of-life citations were issued in 2024, representing a 668 percent increase in citations for camping, trespassing, loitering, panhandling and related violations, compared 2023.

During a report presented to the Citrus Heights City Council on April 9, Police Chief Alex Turcotte credited the significant increase in quality of life citations and other statistics to the efforts of the department’s IMPACT Team who focused on enforcement related to blight and nuisance abatement, and beautification efforts throughout the city in 2024. The department also identified 16 chronic nuisance offenders who were referred for prosecution.

Turcotte said he was pleased to report that the department is almost fully staffed and back to pre-COVID levels, adding that the statistics presented “really reflect how much can be done” when staffing levels are higher. As of April 7, all but one position in the department had an applicant in process.

Turcotte said officers were encouraged to be more proactive in enforcement last year, noting proactivity and arrests rose by 68 percent, which he said reflected a strong emphasis on addressing the root causes of crime.

Drug-related offenses were also up 83 percent, which Turcotte attributed to more proactive policing.

“I do want to again say that we’re not seeing a dramatic surge in narcotics out in the community,” the chief said. “We have now a fuller staff and are able to be more proactive –we’re able to interdict these things a little bit more than when we were on our bare staffing minimums.”

Crime Category Report
Turcotte shared a report snapshot of Group A crime category offenses tracked in the California Incident-Based Reporting System, which are broken down by: crimes against persons, crimes against property and crimes against society.

Crimes against property decreased by 1 percent in Citrus Heights in 2024, while crimes against persons increased by nearly 7 percent. The latter includes assaults, domestic violence, and assaults against police officers.

Turcotte noted that assaults on officers rose by 142 percent, from 26 in 2023 to 63 last year, but attributed the increase to the department’s increased proactivity and clarified that there was no corresponding increase in injuries to officers or suspects.

Crimes against society rose the most, by 77 percent, which puts the total increase in crime during 2024 at 15.8 percent in Citrus Heights. Turcotte again attributed the increase to proactive enforcement of narcotic violations from proactive contacts, weapons violations found during traffic stops, and additional drug paraphernalia located on persons.

“Without context that looks like a huge spike in crime,” Turcotte said. “It’s actually a very positive outlook from the proactive efforts we put in there.”

Other crimes
Animal-related calls for service increased by 665 in 2024, while animal reunifications dropped from 177 to 52. The department is optimistic that its new partnership with Bradshaw Animal Shelter, which began in September, will help improve outcomes in animal services. One of the department’s goals for 2025 includes emphasizing microchipping and pet licensing to increase the chances of reuniting pets with their owners.

Data presented shows animal cruelty cases rose by 150 percent, rising to 40 cases in 2024, up from 16 the prior year. Turcotte described the increase as “actually a positive,” citing improved education, training, and proactive enforcement made possible by higher staffing levels.

The IMPACT Team, which also includes a U.S. Postal Service task force detective and a K9 unit, seized $649,000 in drug-related currency, 10 firearms, 3 kilos of cocaine, 19 grams of fentanyl, and over 100 pounds of marijuana and other methamphetamines in 2024.

The Code Enforcement and Rental Housing Inspection Unit, which addresses issues like trash, debris, inoperable vehicles, neglected landscaping, and zoning complaints, saw a 127 percent increase in officer-initiated calls for service and a 92 percent increase in massage establishment checks.

Traffic Enforcement
The department also assigned a traffic officer to each high school as a primary point of contact for resources and youth engagement. One of the biggest complaints from schools was traffic congestion during pick-up and drop-off, along with traffic violators, Turcotte said. With traffic officers assigned to each high school, the department issued 119 additional traffic citations in 2024, including 73 citations in 2024 in the vicinity of Mesa Verde high school, up from 5 in 2023, and 52 citations in 2024, up from 32 in 2023 in the vicinity of San Juan high school.

Overall, traffic citations around all public schools in Citrus Heights increased by 66 percent. Citywide, traffic citations rose to nearly 4,500 in 2024, compared to 3,710 in 2023.

Arrests increased across the board, including for DUIs, felonies, and misdemeanors. Misdemeanor arrests jumped from 1,200 to over 2,000 in 2024. Turcotte noted that the department partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) to help educate the public about the dangers of impaired driving.

“Every DUI [driver] taken off the road is preventing a homicide and saving a life,” Turcotte said.

Goals for 2025
In 2025, the department reestablished its Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) unit, and Animal Services held a microchipping and vaccination clinic in March in partnership with Bradshaw Animal Shelter. The city confirmed in an email last week that more microchipping and vaccine clinics are planned.

Turcotte said plans for 2025 also include remodeling and upgrading the Telecommunications Center and evaluating Operation Retail Theft grant-funded technologies to improve public service delivery.

The department also hopes to continue to develop property crime reduction strategies, enhance code enforcement transparency. and continue its focus on chronic nuisance offenders, including evaluating the possibility of a Citrus Heights Community Prosecutor Program.