City of Riverside, California Ward 1 Update

Mike Gardner City Council Member - Ward 1 mgardner@riversideca.gov Office: 826-5991 Cell: 941-7084

Greetings!

 

As your Ward 1 City Council Representative having a safe City is at the top of the list of what I and your City government strive for.  Your Police and Fire Departments work hard each and every day to make Riverside as safe as it can be.  To this end I have some positive news to report.

 

On August 26, 2014 Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz delivered an update to the City Council on the Department’s Five-Year Strategic Plan which covers the period 2010-2015. Following are some key excerpts from the Chief’s report.

 

The Plan consists of 5 Strategic Goals of your Riverside Police Department: 

 

Strategic Goal #1:  Reduce Crime, Fear of Crime and Perception of Crime

 

   Citywide Crime Data -Part 1 Crimes which consist of:

• Violent Crimes (Homicide, Rape, Robbery and Aggravated Assault) Citywide are down 3.3% when comparing July 2013 Year-to-Date data to July 2014 Year-to-Date data.
• Property Crimes (Burglary, Larceny, Auto Theft) Citywide are down 14.7% when comparing July 2013 Year-to-Date data to July 2014 Year-to-Date data.

Ward 1 Crime Data

Part 1 Crimes (including both Violent Crimes and Property Crimes) are down 14% overall when comparing July 2013 Year-to-Date to July 2014 Year-to-Date data

• More than 30 new police officers have been hired and trained. 
• 10 new civilian employees have been added.
• Increased number of Police Officers assigned to Patrol.
• Gang crimes have been reduced.
• A narcotics dog has been added.

Strategic Goal #2:  Integrate Community Policing throughout the Department

• Brought back Crime Free Multi-Housing.
• Reinstituted the Citizens’ Academy.
• Initiated a Community Services Bureau.

Strategic Goal #3:  Develop and Mentor Personnel

• Increased by almost two-fold the number of supervisors and managers who attend leadership training.

Strategic Goal #4:  Enhance Service to Youth

• The non-profit Riverside Police Foundation has been created to support youth.    

Strategic Goal #5:  Achieve Operational Excellence and Efficiency

• The relocation of the Communications Bureau (Dispatch) to new facilities on Magnolia was achieved.
• A plan for radio interoperability was developed. This allows emergency services agencies in our region to communicate via radio.

The next five-year strategic plan for the Riverside Police Department will cover the years 2016-2020.

Again, making and keeping Riverside a safe place to live and work is a critical concern to me.
As always, I welcome your comments, questions and concerns.

Mike Gardner City Council Member - Ward 1 mgardner@riversideca.gov Office: 826-5991 Cell: 941-7084