Editor's note: The following is the second of a three-part series about the Campbell Police Department. This installment reveals Campbell's latest crime statistics.
The Campbell Police Department (CPD) recently released its 2001 Crime Statistics Report, which shows that rapes, robberies, burglaries, thefts and motor vehicle thefts have increased in the city.
But Campbell Police Chief David Gullo says that while an increase in crime, no matter how small, is always cause for concern for the CPD, it's consistent with crime statistics for Santa Clara County overall.
From 2000 to 2001, incidents of rape increased from nine to 12; robbery from 20 to 22; burglary from 127 to 160; theft from 745 to 833 and motor vehicle theft from 60 to 98.
There were no incidents of homicide and manslaughter between 2000 and 2001, and the number of assaults decreased by 10 percent, from 283 in 2000 to 256 in 2001.
In other good news for the city, domestic violence crimes have decreased by 27 percent, from 410 reports in 2000 to 300 reports in 2001.
"That's a good sign," Gullo says.
The city's domestic violence rate has always been high, just as it has been high for all cities in Santa Clara County. In coordination with Santa Clara County District Attorney George Kennedy and the Santa Clara Domestic Violence Council, the CPD is working to stop domestic violence. Says Gullo, "We want to help victims move forward. The county has a strong prosecution policy for perpetrators, with many housing options for the victims."
Assemblywoman Rebecca Cohn, a Democrat representing Campbell in the 24th district, has spoken about domestic violence issues in the Bay Area. "The statistics have slightly decreased," according to her spokeswoman, Janet Carter. "But we must still work hard to reach victims in our communities."
The report reveals a significant increase in forgery and counterfeiting crimes, from 35 during the year 2000 to 80 during the year 2001. Gullo explains that most of these crimes are cases of identity theft, which involves everything from hacking personal information from computers to misusing credit cards over the Internet to stealing identification or mail. Just last week, the CPD busted a check-washing scheme and a mail identity theft operation in the city.
"We're not any better or any worse than any of [the other] metropolitan areas in the west part of San Jose," Gullo says. "We're aggressive at fighting crime in all these areas."
The report indicates a decrease in drug abuse violations, from 176 in 2000 to 110 in 2001, but Gullo says the problem continues to worry police officials. Campbell dismantled six methamphetamine labs in 2001. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that, according to some scientists, causes more damage to the brain than heroin, alcohol or cocaine. Meth abuse is rising at a rapid rate across the county, state and nation, Gullo says.
"Meth is the drug of choice in this area," says Robert Mecir, commander of the Santa Clara County Specialized Enforcement Team (SCCSET), a narcotics task force comprised of different police officers from different local agencies, including Campbell. "Campbell has a similar problem to many of the other cities in the Bay Area. There are so many different factors that come into play when you're looking at the arrest statistics."
Mecir added that in the county and state, police agencies are also starting to see a rise in the use of the drug ecstasy and the "date rape" drug gamma-hydroxybutrate (GHB). "As far as narcotics, the problem that Campbell has is similar to any other city its size; it's really no different," Mecir said.
"As the commander of the task force, I appreciate all the support that Chief Gullo and his department give to us to do our job," Mecir added. "This is very much a team effort when you're doing these types of investigations."
The crime report also reveals that traffic accidents have slightly increased, from 704 in 2000 to 724 in 2001, but the CPD issued about 34 percent more total "hazardous" moving violation citations, from 2,531 tickets in 2000 to 3,403 in 2001.
Gullo says that enforcement is the only tool known to effectively slow people down and make them more careful drivers.
"There's a direct relation between the reduction of accidents and the level of enforcement," he explains.
Another interesting statistic revealed by the report is the number of 911 hang-up telephone calls received by the CPD. These kinds of calls cost taxpayers thousands of dollars a year, in addition to taking up valuable police time.
During the year 2001, the CPD received a total of 2,052 emergency hang-up calls. Out of those, only 210 were found to be actual emergencies.
Gullo explains that every 911 hang-up telephone call requires two officers to respond, each officer taking about 15 minutes. He multiplies 30 minutes by the total amount of bogus calls, concluding that about 830 hours of police time are wasted per year.
"We're spending a lot of time responding to these calls," Gullo says.
Another problem consuming police time is the number of "false alarm" calls. There were 2,680 alarms reported in 2001, but only 23 ended up as cases. Like the 911 calls, each alarm response requires two officers at 15 minutes each. Gullo explains that the CPD charges businesses for false alarms, but it's still too many for the officers to handle.
"These are things clearly controllable by the folks who own the businesses or have the alarms in their homes," Gullo says.
The crime rate is directly related to the economy, Gullo explains. "We have always seen an increase as the economy takes a downturn. This is a classic example of what we're seeing."
Next week: A look at the Campbell Police Department ride-along program, which allows citizens to take a closer look at a day in the life of a police officer patrolling city streets for safety.
Campbell, California
