By Mike Hazlip—
In a report to the City Council earlier this month, Citrus Heights Police Chief Alex Turcotte presented crime data showing a 5% increase in violent crime and a 10% drop in property crimes.
Turcotte presented the report to the council on March 10, noting the department faced staffing challenges in 2021 as a result of budget cuts. Despite the reduction in staff and cuts to internal units, Turcotte said overall crime is down 8 percent.
The report, traditionally delivered each year in March, showed a total of 2,229 cases of FBI “part 1” crimes in 2021 compared with 2,423 in the previous year. Part 1 crimes are eight categories of more serious violent and property crimes tracked by the FBI.
Violent crime
Among violent crimes, Citrus Heights saw two homicides in 2020, compared with three in 2021, representing a 50% increase.
Police Lt. Chad Morris told The Sentinel in an email that one of the homicides was determined to be justifiable and the District Attorney did not press charges. The incident occurred Feb. 1 in the 7400 block of Gallant Circle after an argument between two parties. The incident is still recorded as a homicide in the Uniform Crime Reporting statistics, however.
Another homicide on June 11 occurred at the Circle K near Sunrise Boulevard and Antelope Road. That incident involved a physical altercation that resulted in the victim falling to the ground and hitting his head. Morris said he later died at the hospital, and the incident is classified as a non-justified homicide. A third homicide on Sept. 25 involved a shooting at an apartment complex along Fair Oaks Boulevard that left one victim dead.
Morris said an Aug. 26 shooting that left one man dead near Carmelwood Drive was not included in the tally of three homicides. He said that incident was “initially viewed as a homicide, however, based on the circumstances of that case it was deemed to be self defense, and classified as a justifiable homicide.”
Rape incidents increased by 47%, rising from 30 in 2020 to 44 last year. Cases of aggravated assault increased 6% and robberies were down 15%, from 72 in 2020 to 61 last year. Overall, violent crime was up 5% from 284 total incidents in 2020 to 299 last year.
Five-year violent crime was down overall from 349 in 2017 to 299 last year. The lowest year was 2020, which saw 284 total incidents, however Turcotte called 2020 an “outlier” year because of pandemic-related shutdowns, noting that violent crime last year was lower than in 2019.
Turcotte said the 5% increase in violent crime “isn’t a lot” but any amount is a serious issue that he plans to address.
“Any increase in violent crime is definitely concerning and I think that’s where we will be putting a good part of our focus here in the next year,” he said.
Property crime & other statistics
The data show an overall 10% drop in property crime from 2,139 in 2020 to 1,930 last year. Burglary was down 29% while larceny dropped 10%. Both motor vehicle theft and arson saw increases of 13% and 28% respectively, according to the report.
Department wide, Citrus Heights police seized 100 serialized firearms last year, and 47 non-serialized “ghost guns.” Turcotte said law enforcement agencies across the country are seeing a spike in criminals using firearm kits that are available in pieces and assembled at home.
Also included in the chief’s report were statistics showing the department responded to over 44,000 calls for service last year and more than 15,000 officer-initiated activities. There were 773 felony arrests, and 875 misdemeanor arrests made 2021.
Police dispatchers handled more than 142,000 calls with over 96 percent of those answered within 15 seconds, the data shows.
The Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) drone program conducted 230 flights for a total of 31 flight hours.
Turcotte said the department is in the process of implementing more accurate crime reporting statistics. While the end result will give police a better picture of crime, he said it also presents an added burden on officers filling out reports.
Councilman Steve Miller asked Turcotte about unreported crimes known as the “dark figure of crime.” The chief said the public is encouraged to always call and report any incidents, noting the department tracks every incident, helping the department develop strategies.
“No matter what I’m telling you about staffing or resource challenges, please call, call, call.” Turcotte said. “Even if we can’t get to an item, a lower priority item, right then, we keep track of all of that information.”
Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins asked if there were plans to reinstate the Youth and Family Services. Turcotte said the explorer program and some youth services will continue under other programs, but there are insufficient resources for a stand-alone youth program.
Vice Mayor Tim Schaefer asked how the passage of Proposition 47 impacted police, saying he is hopeful it will get repealed. Turcotte said the law resulted in what he called “a lack of accountability” that has impacted the department, but did not give specifics.
“The way we police with our community here is — I don’t care what the statistic is — if your car got broken into, crime is on the rise. And if you feel that you can quietly enjoy your day and go through, crime is fine,” Turcotte said in concluding remarks. “So to the extent that we will continue to push to make our city better, more vibrant and hold people accountable we’re going to do that every day.”
