WASCO, Calif. (KERO) — 23ABC is taking a look at data to compare KCSO's final year in Wasco and WPD's first; the numbers are up in many categories like burglaries and narcotics incidents, but down in more violent crimes like aggravated assault and homicides.
- Wasco Police Chief Charlie Fivecoat said from his perspective, recruiting has been hard for law enforcement agencies across the board for a variety of reasons, and the Kern County Sheriff's Office isn't immune. According to Fivecoat, Wasco PD has triple the staffing that KCSO was able to supply in Wasco, leading to more residents seeing them out on the street and calling in for incidents they might not have previously.
- Across Wasco PD's first year since 1981, the department logged over 18,000 incidents, with nearly 11,000 being called in, and over 7,000 being officer-initiated.
- From Fivecoat's perspective, the data is indicative that less major crime is occurring, and the crime that is occurring is being reported because of their presence.
- Data from both KCSO and Wasco PD used in this story can be found in the media slides above.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Last month, the Wasco Police Department held a grand opening for it's PAL building and celebrated one year of Wasco PD in action, I'm Sam Hoyle, your neighborhood reporter. Over the last year, how have things changed for Wasco when it comes to law enforcement? Let's look at the data.
According to data provided by KCSO from their last year of service in Wasco, compared to Wasco PD's first year, it indicates some of the more violent crimes, like attempted homicide and homicide, are down inside city limits, but some of the less violent crime is up, like burglary and narcotics incidents.
Wasco Police Chief Charlie Fivecoat said from his perspective, law enforcement agencies have had trouble recruiting across the board, including the Kern County Sheriff's Office. For Fivecoat, the data indicates that more officers are out on the street, and their being seen on the street is having an impact
"If the community sees you all the time, they're more likely to interact with you, and they're more likely to report crimes that they wouldn't normally report."
And when looking at the data further, about 40% of the about 18,000 stops made by Wasco PD officers are officer-initiated.
In April, we spoke with a few residents who echoed Fivecoat's sentiment, but on Tuesday, when we spoke to one resident, Sahit Gallardo, he said the streets seem quieter, but he wants to give it more time to assess Wasco PD's impact.
"I definitely want to give it more time. I do see them patrolling here and there. Mostly, I want to say Seventh Street and right here on the 46," said Gallardo.
From Fivecoat's perspective, he believes the number of calls initiated is likely to plateau in year two unless a major change in Wasco's population occurs, but he wants residents to know, that they're there for them.
"It's not like you guys mind when they call, right?" asked 23ABC.
"No, you know? Because again, it goes back to the very philosophy of the beginning, which is we work for the community, and so we should be here for the community," said Fivecoat.
To look at the data provided by KCSO and Wasco PD for this report, be sure to check out this story online, in Wasco, SH, YNR
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