Salinas City Councilmember to host meeting on downtown safety after string of property crimes

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) UPDATE 10:30 PM Crime has been an issue lately for many small business owners in Downtown Salinas. City Councilmember Steve McShane hosted a public safety meeting Thursday evening to talk about these issues.

In 2021, the Salinas Police Department has reported 8 burglaries, all of which happened in the 300 block Main Stree. Three of them happened in the same month at 345 Main Street, Kerri’s Gift Shop.

In chat section provide a few request, among them were overnight security and implementing volunteer community officers. Debbie Cartmill, Director of Loaves Fishes Computers on main street wrote, “Agree we need more security, during the day and at night. Enough to cover all 3 blocks. Transients are coming through regularly during the day, casing us and it is exhausting to try and follow them around the store and wait on our customers.”

Assistant Chief of Police Roberto Filice said they have a plan to tackle this issue, however, with their current staffing they won't be able to provide overnight surveillance. Salinas Police has 148 police officers, 87 are asigned to patrol. With 4 shifts every day, 7 days a week 24/7, there's a limited number of officers allocated to the DTLA area.

"Human life takes priority over property crimes and with the same spirit. We don't want to offend, but that's that's how it is. Our callers are our treaged that way," Said Sargean Anthony Parker.

The Salinas City Council considered cutting police funding, which was approved in June, cutting hundreds of thousands in police funding for the next fiscal year.

Officers have also been instructed to conduct high visibility patrols in Salinas City Center and do what they can to identify suspicious individuals. Filice also said he’s cleared his schedule Friday to patrol on bike the downtown area and talk with business owners.

“You’re going to see this old faurt on a bike," joked Filice. "But the downtown area, for us it is a top priority. And instead of assigning a beat officer to say, hey, come up with a plan, we actually escalated the way I have a commander and a sergeant assigned to the plan."

Homelessness was another issue that was brought up in relation to these burglaries. Monterey County has debated community homeless solutions for a while. The City opened its doors to The SHARE Navigation Center in May. Salinas also constructed a 90-unit apartment complex for homeless families and individuals.

"We have the services that we are providing for you," said Mayor Kimbley Craig, "but you cannot continue to say here. You cannot continue to sleep here. You cannot continue to camp here.”

City Mangager Steve Carrigan said the City will be going into the 48 parks near the waterways to address homelessness. According to Carrigan, the City has a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit to clean-up homeless encampents. He will start implementing these changes and present what they've done over the next two weeks at the August 10 City Council meeting.

“We’re going to make them uncomfortable," added Steve Carrigan. "They’re either going to go to services or they need to go somewhere else. That’s the way it is.”

Security Officer Tyler Dunn also mention 4 burgaliries he responded to last week. Several businesses owners had their vehicles broken into.

"These incidents have happened outside of my coverage hours," said Dunn. "So it speaks to the fact that our presence is working when we are here. "

PREVIOUS STORY: Salinas City Councilmember Steve McShane is hosting a downtown safety meeting Thursday evening.

McShane said there have been a string of break-ins, theft and burglaries downtown. He said it will include the Mayor, Police Chief, City Manager and Allied Security.

The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. and is expected to last about an hour.

To join the Zoom meeting, contact McShane at steve@mcshaneslandscape.com for login credentials.