Politics & Government

What to do About Crime in Santa Cruz?

The City Council Tuesday will hear a report from a citizen's commission charged with figuring out what to do about crime in Santa Cruz. 

It's part of a study session on the perception that crime has severely worsened in the city of 60,000, although statistics vary. Property crimes are up over the past 10 years, while violent crimes are down. Both were significantly higher in 1995 and 1996 (see charts in photos).

The commission's conclusions were that judges were too lenient, not enough is done to get people into drug programs and not enough is being done to get positive training and experiences for youth.

"Santa Cruz’s public safety problems are complex, but can be solved," the committee wrote in its report. Multiple factors including substance abuse, tolerance without accountability, and lack of inter-agency collaborative strategies among the City, County and Court system have led to a serious public safety problem within the City."

Among the problems: "The Task Force finds that the Santa Cruz County Courts have failed the community as it relates to criminal sentencing. Improved accountability should come in the form of increased transparency, consistent adjudication of the City's municipal code violations." 

Some other conclusions were:

*The City should immediately improve lighting on the San Lorenzo River Levee and Park and the Harvey West area to discourage illegal behavior and reinvigorate those public spaces.  

* The County should relocate the needle exchange to County-owned property located in a non-residential area and implement a syringe identification tagging program (e.g. color coding or serial number).  Exchange to be on a true one for one basis with an actual physical count of syringes being exchanged. additional syringe exchanges programs from operating or opening within the City limits. 

*Expand drug and alcohol programs and cut down large volume alcohol sales and marijuana cultivation.

*Expand youth programs.

* Courts should issue a misdemeanor warrant to individuals following three failures to appear in a six-month period. This automatic warrant issuance will eliminate the need for the City Attorney to prosecute repeat municipal code infraction offenders who fail to appear.

* Compel the Presiding Judge of the Santa Cruz County Superior Court to appear before the Santa Cruz City Council twice a year to share what the Court is doing to address high repeat offender rates in the City of Santa Cruz and receive input from the City Council and City Attorney.  

The council will hear from the commission at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a study session, which means it can take no action, but can hear from the public.


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