POINT RICHMOND - A Richmond Police Captain Tuesday night told a Point Richmond audience that to protect against the property crimes that have seemingly been plaguing the community for months, residents will need to "harden" their homes and properties to make it more difficult for thieves to steal items.
"We can't arrest our way out of the problem," Capt. Louis Tirona said.
Tirona's comment came during an hour-long question and answer session with approximately 75 people gathered at the Point Richmond Community Center.
The meeting with Tirona and RPD's Lt. Tim Gray was organized by Point Richmond resident and activist Jessie West to get answers from the police about a perceived uptick in property crimes as well as to put together a Downtown Point Richmond Neighborhood Watch.
Tirona, who heads up the Southern District policing area of the city, said part of the problem is that it's likely the criminals now stealing items and breaking into homes are not local to Point Richmond or even necessarily Richmond itself, but coming in from other areas.
"Criminals no longer stay in their own neighborhood," Tirona said. "They have gone regional."
In response, Richmond Police are taking a regional approach to apprehending thieves, too, he added.
But the exception to that might be the influx of homeless people, Lt. Gray said. In the last few weeks, the RPD cleared one homeless encampment adjacent to the Plunge.
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| Homeless encampment, since removed from The Plunge |
While the RPD hasn't officially concluded the increase in Point Richmond crime can be directly attributed to more homeless people in The Point area, Gray said there seems to be a "correlation."
Several audience members cited instances in which they believed the RPD was not sufficiently responsive to calls to police for help - either in timeliness or in investigating and/or arresting suspects.
Tirona urged community members to contact him or Gray directly with their concerns about any cases - an offer several residents took him up on during a break midway through the meeting.
(Phone contact information and email links for Tirona and Gray follow this story.)
Tirona also said part of the problem is that the "consequences are fairly light" even if a person is arrested and convicted for property-related crimes.
Gray suggested that the group ask for a meeting with a representative of the Contra Costa County District Attorney's office to explain the process and court outcomes for persons arrested and convicted.
Tirona said he would ensure that a DA's office representative would come to The Point for such a meeting. RPD Crime Prevention manager Michelle Milam made the same pledge after Tirona and Gray's session ended and the group met for another hour organizing a new Neighborhood Watch.
RPD CONTACT INFORMATION:
Captain Louis Tirona:
EMAIL LINK
Tirona telephone: 510-620-6940
Lt. T. Gray:
EMAIL LINK
Gray telephone: 510-620-6926
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