Shot Tracker: Chief Fetherolf's report highlights trace-back technology that triangulates where gunfire originates with powerful noise monitors. Nic Coury
Police Report
Fetherolf prioritizes intelligence in 180-day report
Monday, October 19, 2009
Salinas Police Chief Louis Fetherolf released his 180-day report today, calling on the department to shift toward intelligence-driven and community-oriented policing amid a raging gang war that has claimed 24 lives this year.
Fetherolf's report includes: initial crime analysis by the Naval Postgraduate School, which shows a strong positive correlations between violent crime in Salinas and unemployment, high school drop-out rate and the number of sworn police officers; organizational changes, which make patrol its own division and combine administration and special operations; resource allocation study, which will evaluate how personnel are assigned to "maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of precious resources."
In the near term, Fetherolf wants to hire additional crime analysts and purchase computer software. "As indicated in the 90-day Report, the very limited crime analysis taking place at the SPD is performed by a part-time employee who has never received formal training in forensic methodology and sophisticated crime analysis technique," the report says. Three officers assigned to the city's gang unit handle criminal intelligence gathering, but most of their time is spent on preparing gang enhancement cases, the report says.
The chief, who took over the department in April, repeated his desire to shift cops to long-term beats and do neighborhood policing, but he says there aren't enough officers. At a press conference, Mayor Dennis Donohue stumped for Measure K, a one-cent sales tax on the Nov. 3 ballot, as the mechanism to fund Fetherolf's plan.
Fetherolf will present his report to the City Council tomorrow. To read the full report go to http://www.ci.salinas.ca.us/leadership/agendas_minutes.cfm and download the council packet for the Oct. 20 meeting.
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