CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department is launching a new community policing program, which the department's interim chief announced to the city council as part of a grants update at its March 10 meeting.
Acting Chief Craig Clausen said the pilot program, based on the concept of community oriented policing, will break the city into project areas with major city thoroughfares as the dividing lines.
He said each project area will have at least one officer assigned to it, with the goal of having two officers per sector.
Clausen said the program will address the causes of crime and fears or perceptions of crime with a view to improving residents' overall quality of life.
“Is this creating a more personal relationship with officers in those neighborhoods?” asked Council member Jeri Spittler.
Clausen said he hoped so. “There should be one-to-one communication” opportunities between community members and police officers, he said.
Vice Mayor Joey Luiz said he knows some larger cities have similar programs, and he commended Clausen for taking the initiative.
A report on the new program from Sgt. Tim Celli explained that Clearlake Police officers assigned to the new project areas will meet with citizens in their areas and will be encouraged “to work with the community members to develop methods to address citizens concerns and enhance public safety.”
Celli reported that the Clearlake Police Department also is in the process of developing a Facebook page and the officers will be able to report the progress they have made in their project areas each month.
According to Celli's report, due to short staffing levels and budget constraints, department members put the program together as a way for the police department to help “foster relationships with community members and provide a quality service to enhance public safety.”
Also at the March 10 meeting, Clausen gave the council a report on three grants the police department has – a state Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) grant, and the federal Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) and the federal Community Oriented Policing Services Office (COPS) grant. Of those, the ABC grant ended last year.
The three-year JAG grant, which began in 2009, provided the department with $30,680 for crime mapping. Clausen said it gives them access to a tool that shows them specific crime statistics for any area of the city. At the end of the grant, the department must purchase the software and associated equipment, which costs $1,200 a year.
The COPS grant, which runs from 2009 to 2013, supplies a grant for an officer for three years in the amount of $185,248, Clausen said. After three years, the department must pay to keep the officer on for at least a year after the grant ends.
The $36,235 ABC grant, which ran from 2009 to 2010, was run by Celli and records supervisor Nicole Newton. Clausen said Newton had been an ABC supervisor. “She understood the idiosyncrasies of the ABC grant.”
That grant covered increased enforcement and education, undercover and decoy alcohol buys and compliance checks with merchants. Clausen said the grant required no match.
Clausen reported that calls for service from 2007 to 2010 remained steady. In 2007, calls totaled 13,944 and fell slightly to 13,262 by last year. Actual reports dropped slightly, from 3,384 to 2,603 in that same time period, and actual arrests totaled 1,612 in 2007 and 1,587 in 2010.
“We're doing it with 10 and a half less people” from 2007 to 2009, Clausen said, noting that while they're getting the job done, they're much busier.
Council member Judy Thein commended the department for all that it does, and asked how soon they could apply for the ABC grant again. Clausen said they had applied for it this year and were turned down. “It was a huge benefit to us,” he said.
Thein also asked about using asset forfeiture money. Clausen said he would need staffing to pursue it.
“I don't think that we're going after the grants we were before,” said Mayor Joyce Overton said.
Clausen said that's because many grants are drying up, and others require funding matches. The city also must compete with some larger cities for grants.
City resident Rick Mayo congratulated Clausen for a job well done, and asked if they would put more officers on foot if they had the manpower.
Clausen said foot patrol is great, adding, “The problem with this city is, you have 10 and a half square miles,” which makes foot patrol more challenging.
The council voted unanimously to accept Clausen's report on the grants.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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