CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Wednesday night town hall meeting in Clearlake brought together law enforcement leaders and community members for a discussion on public safety and, in some cases, the frustrations and concerns of residents.
The two-hour meeting, agendized as a special Clearlake City Council workshop, was held at the Highlands Senior Center on Bowers Lane.
Police chiefs, the sheriff and California Highway Patrol commander, and community leaders spoke to the group of more than 70 people, who came with concerns not just about crime in their neighborhood but about safety for the entire city.
Clearlake City Council member Jeri Spittler organized the meeting in the wake of the June 18 shooting on Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake that left a small boy dead and his mother, her boyfriend and several family friends wounded.
Following the shooting, Spittler said she found herself confronted by questions that she couldn't answer, so she called on law enforcement leaders who agreed to come to the meeting to speak to the concerns of city residents and offer insights into public safety efforts.
The meeting originally was supposed to have a format that included people breaking into small groups to discuss their concerns.
However, the format changed as the result of a meeting Spittler had on Tuesday with the invited officials.
“This is really about coming together and communicating so we know the answers to some of these questions,” she said.
Spittler cautioned that details of the shooting that claimed the life of 4-year-old Skyler Rapp wouldn't be discussed, as the case was under investigation.
In attendance were interim Clearlake Police Chief Craig Clausen and Sgt. Tim Celli; Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen and Sgt. Jason Ferguson; Lt. Greg Baarts, commander of the Clear Lake Office of the California Highway Patrol and Sgt. Dave Stark; Sheriff Frank Rivero; and Clearlake City Council members Judy Thein, Curt Giambruno, Joey Luiz and Joyce Overton.
In the audience were District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith and District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown; Ed Zander, the former principal of Carlé High School; and NAACP President Rick Mayo and Vice President Jim Swatts.
Spittler asked each of the law enforcement officials to speak, inviting Rivero up first.
Rivero, noting that as sheriff he represents all of Lake County, told the group, “I hope we can make some progress in this meeting and resolve some of these issues.”
He said the biggest problem the county is facing is the drug epidemic, asserting the Clearlake is the hub of the county's methamphetamine problem.
Rivero said his staff is working diligently to root out the drug problem. “We can't afford to give up,” he said. “We have a fight on our hands and we have to take the fight to the drug dealers. That's the bottom line.”
The county also has a problem with gangs, Rivero said. “If we do not get ahold of this situation here and now we're going to end up much like other cities in this state that have ignored it and ignored it and ignored it until it just becomes part of the tapestry and part of the scenery. At that point it's too late.”
Rivero said law enforcement needs the community's support to address the problems.
Rasmussen told the group that the more community involvement law enforcement has in addressing the problems the better.
In many circumstances, people want to see something done but don't necessarily want to get involved, said Rasmussen. But the assistance of the community is critical.
He said the Lakeport Police Department is committed to working as a partner with other county law enforcement agencies. “We continue to have a great relationship with the Clearlake Police Department,” he said.
Rasmussen added, “We're committed to doing whatever we can to assist them whenever needed,” noting that the Clearlake Police Department also has offered its support to Lakeport Police.
Ferguson said his agency has had four town hall meetings over the past year, but all of them together didn't have the turnout of the Wednesday night meeting in Clearlake. Judging by the attendance, Ferguson said it was clear the community cares.
He said Lakeport, while smaller, has many of the same problems as Clearlake. He emphasized educating the public is an important component of law enforcement's efforts.
Baarts and Stark spoke briefly about the role of CHP in assisting local agencies and in reducing traffic collisions before Clausen took the microphone, saying, “I'd rather meet on different circumstances.”
He touched briefly on the investigation into the June 18 shooting, noting that all of the primary suspects are in custody and the investigation is moving in a positive direction.
Clausen said the new city budget includes three new police officer positions, which is critical, because in recent years the number of officers has dropped from 27 to 18.
As the result of injuries, that number was cut in half, but even so, the shooting investigation was wrapped up quickly, Clausen said.
He emphasized the importance of having city residents assist police. “Without you, it doesn't work. We have to have the eyes and ears out there to report these things.”
Clausen said it's frustrating to come to a scene and find someone telling others not to talk. “We're not there to be the enemy. We're there to help.”
He welcomed people to come to talk to him about their concerns, noting that he went to school with some of the people in the room. “Just because the uniform is on the person hasn't changed.”
Celli, who also grew up in the county and has worked for Clearlake Police for 16 years, talked briefly about the department's community policing strategy, including breaking the city down into beat areas and using Facebook. “We need to work in partnership to make these programs work.”
At the same time, Celli said the police department is struggling due to being shorthanded. “We have calls for service that you would not believe.” Still, in working with the community, “We are making progress, even though it's slow.”
After 45 minutes of introductions, the group took a short break and then reconvened, giving the audience time to ask questions.
Clausen fielded questions about the number of Clearlake Police officers, explaining that the council has approved three new positions and there could be a fourth in the offing if he were made chief permanently, allowing him to hire an officer to fill his lieutenant's spot.
He's also planning to apply for a federal grant to support two more officers, and with four officers now on leave set to come back to work, he said 10 officers could be coming to work within the next 12 months.
“Help is on the way. It's not as quick as we all want it,” he said, explaining that if he hired a new officer that same day it would take 16 weeks to get through the background and hiring process.
Clausen said he and Baarts also are discussing ways of working together as a short-term fix until Clearlake Police's staffing levels are back up.
Graffiti was another topic of conversation, with Rasmussen explaining how a Lakeport ordinance worked to curb the problem, requiring property owners to take part in cleaning up tagging. When some audience members suggested people on probation or work service should do the work, Rasmussen urged them to work with the city to craft an ordinance that would work for them.
Clausen said his agency is putting together a graffiti removal program which was delayed in its roll out when the officer in charge went out on an injury.
Several people also wanted to know what to offer young people to keep them engaged and away from gangs. Overton said work is under way to reopen the youth center, which has helped take two young people out of gang activity.
Continued discussion on the graffiti issue led to some audience members questioning what solutions were really in place to help young people and prevent violence. Ferguson suggested that some of the people in the room with experience in gangs should be the focus of a separate town hall to reach out to young people.
Pastor Mitch Rodgers of Harvest Fellowship, who spoke at a candlelight vigil for Skyler Rapp late last month, said he has been in Lake County six months. He said he gave up a good job in another community to come to Clearlake and bring a message of revival and hope.
Rodgers said the fruits of the problem – such as violence and crime – can be fixed, but added, “In order to heal what's broken and fix what's broken, we must deal with the root,” which he said goes much deeper than gangs and is an underlying evil.
He said the community can throw stones at officials, but emphasized that fixing the problem “relies on us.”
Rodgers added, “Lake County needs healing. Clearlake needs healing and God can heal it,” urging law enforcement to work with local pastors.
Tony Bisaccio told the officials that a lot of people feel like they need to be victimized before something gets done. “What do we do? It's the wild west out here.”
Clausen replied that aggressive enforcement is what's needed, and community cooperation. As soon as people feel there is no hope, they stop calling police.
At one point frustrated women in the back of the room began to complain about safety issues – including gunshots and graffiti tagging – in the Avenues.
Clearlake Oaks resident Olga Martin Steele said the frustration being voiced by some of the audience members was because of the problems here and now. She asked law enforcement to talk about how to address that. “Clearlake is clearly in crisis.”
Rivero got up and reiterated the damaging influences of gangs and drugs. He also urged community members to call the District Attorney's Office and ask them to prosecute drug- and gang-related cases. “We need to get tough and smart on crime. That's the deal.”
He explained that the county's problems have taken decades to develop. “It's not going to get fixed overnight.”
When a woman complained that she had called the sheriff's office to report drug activity and asked how long it takes to settle such cases, he said it depends on how smart the criminal is. “We run operations in Clearlake every day of the week,” he said, along with the rest of Lake County.
Bisaccio said many of the criminals in the community are easy to find, and suspects wearing gang colors should be taken away. Rivero said the district attorney has gone after him for doing that, referring to Don Anderson's investigation of an incident involving motorcycle gangs in May.
Just past the two-hour mark, Spittler wrapped up the meeting, noting, “I think this is the beginning.”
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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