The Woodland Police Department submitted its bi-annual report to the City Council last week including a summary of all activity within the department from July 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2023.
According to the report, larceny/theft offenses were the most common crimes followed by vandalism, simple assault, motor vehicle theft and drug equipment violations. However, the report showed there was a decrease in larceny/theft, vandalism and simple assault when compared to the same period last year.
Additionally, the police department released traffic collision data which showed 317 total collisions occurred over the six-month period two of which were fatal and 54 of which resulted in an injury.
The department also released data on the effectiveness of its Crisis Co-Responder program, which is a partnership between the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency, the Woodland, West Sacramento and Davis Police Departments and the Yolo County Sherrif and Probation offices.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Yolo County's website explains that each department has mental health social workers called "crisis response clinicians" working with them in the community.
"Law enforcement agencies in Yolo County have at least one trained crisis clinician who will co-respond to behavioral health crises in the community during their shifts, as listed," the website stated.
The police department's report showed that it was able to make 367 contacts, 94 mental health assessments, nine arrests and 264 other services provided over the six-month period. That was an 182% increase when compared to the same time period in 2022, which only had 201 contacts.
Councilwoman Victoria Fernandez asked Police Chief Derrek Kaff about the decrease in queue times, which she noted is currently at an average of 3 minutes and 10 seconds for priority one calls down 44 seconds from last year.
"I do believe that slight decrease in those queue times for priorities one and two is reflective of the steps that both the dispatch provider and we have made," Kaff answered. "The biggest challenge with queue times is staffing both at (the dispatch provider)... and our staff."
He noted that the dispatch providers are particularly understaffed in their entry-level call-taker positions and that the police department deals with issues relating to injuries or different leaves among its police officers.
"That's probably the number one driver" affecting the queue times," he said.
Councilman Tom Stallard said he was impressed with the statistics and noted that all major crimes are down.
"I also liked the comparison with our sister cities who are similarly sized in the county," Stallard said. "It looked like we are doing pretty well compared to them."
Stallard was referring to 2021 data from the Office of Traffic Safety, which showed that Woodland had 136 total accidents resulting in fatalities or injuries compared to 291 in West Sacramento and 146 in Davis.
"It's all my team," Kaff highlighted. "They work so tirelessly. This is a city of champions and that goes to the city employees in all of the departments too. They're the ones putting in the hard work and making that happen."
Lastly, Mayor Pro Tempore Rich Lansburgh pointed out that although crime is actually decreasing on a yearly basis, he and other council members still receive concerns from residents that crime is going up in the city.
"How do we get that message to our constituents?" Lansburgh asked Kaff.
Kaff noted that its strategic plan hopes to address this issue in the next several years.
"Explaining to people what we are doing, how we're doing it and why we're doing it," Kaff said regarding the plan. "And the stats are going to be a part of that."
To see the police department's bi-annual report, visit woodlandca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/2058/files/attachment/10851.
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