Pleasant Hill police union says violent crime on the rise; chief says the numbers consistent with previous years

PLEASANT HILL -- Last month, a fatal drive-by shooting and a botched armed robbery that left a man critically wounded rocked Pleasant Hill, where murder is uncommon and gunfire rarely disturbs the suburban quiet.

While the police union points to statistics for January and February as evidence of an alarming rise in violent crime, the chief says the numbers are fairly consistent with previous years.

Robberies spiked in the first two months of this year, up from one incident in 2011 to 10 in 2012. Residential and commercial burglaries also were up in January from the same month in 2011, from 13 to 23, but remained relatively flat for February, records show. And last month, a group of residents from Marlee Road told the council about a rash of car thefts and break-ins in their neighborhood. By comparison, Martinez -- a city of similar size -- had no murders and 15 robberies through the end of February.

"We're starting out this year with violent crimes, officers being injured and assaulted, and we're asking for help plain and simple," said union president Officer Todt Clark, who acknowledged the numbers are a snapshot and may not be indicative of a trend this year.

"We hope the administration of this agency and city leaders would join us and ask residents and people who work here and pass through town, if you see something suspicious, if it doesn't seem right, give us a call."

Chief Pete Dunbar said he appreciates the union's

effort to raise public awareness about crime prevention and the need to report sketchy activity. But he points out that there were eight robberies during the first two months of 2010 and 11 during the same period in 2009. Though deeply troubling, neither the murder nor the shooting behind Strandwood Elementary School was random, he added.

"My message is also, this is still a very safe city despite these crimes because it's consistent with the numbers in previous years, except for last year when it was down," Dunbar said.

Clark said the union isn't lobbying for more police officers -- in fact, the department is hiring two, bringing the roster up to 44. He also said officers aren't casting blame on anyone, but simply are asking city leaders to acknowledge the crime burst and work with them to inform the community.

Still, there's the timing of the union's public education push. Dunbar was out of town Wednesday when the union blasted a news release with the crime statistics to Bay Area media outlets. Furthermore, Pleasant Hill and the 54-member Police Officers' Association just resumed contract negotiations in February. Last fall, after months of talks and a rancorous meeting at City Hall, the council imposed a contract on police officers and dispatchers that cut their retirement and medical benefits.

Clark said the contract talks did not play a role in the union's decision to go public now.

"We're currently in the middle of healthy negotiations with the city right now; that's a totally separate issue," he said.

Mayor John Hanecak said he doesn't have a problem with the union sending out a news release, but he suggested that the city's monthly newsletter may be a better way to communicate with residents.

He urges homeowners, like the folks from Marlee Road, to work with police to organize neighborhood watch groups. Hanecak also encourages people to report suspicious people or vehicles to police.

"I just want to avoid these tragedies for the families and anyone else involved in the future," he said.

Lisa P. White covers Martinez and Pleasant Hill. Contact her at 925-943-8011. Follow her at Twitter.com/lisa_p_white.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_20142316/pleasant-hill-police-union-says-violent-crime-rise?source=rss

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