Crime mostly down in Vallejo, Benicia, American Canyon in 2017
“For homicides, we are about 25 percent lower than last year and 50 percent lower than three years ago. We have had 13 this year, (14 with the latest one over Christmas); we had 18 last year, and we had 25 in 2014,” he said.
“In 2017, we were able to utilize the funds we received from a ($400,000-plus) Board of State and Community Corrections Strengthening grant we won in late 2016,” Bidou said. “These funds were used to fund many of our outreach programs such as Late Night Basketball, Coffee with the Cops, Movie Night with the Cops, Shop with a Cop, and the many other programs we do throughout the year. These funds also supported a physical fitness program for our officers and allowed us to present state-of-the-art training.”
Another thing the grant paid for was the department’s new state-of-the-art Community Services van, which debuted in November. With speakers, lights, TV, awnings, tables and chairs, popcorn and snow-cone machines, the new van lets the VPD take its show on the road, officials there said. The idea came from Capt. John Whitney’s experience in Boston, where a similar van is being used as a mobile city hall.
Neighborhood Watch and other quality of life efforts remain a priority in Vallejo, and are primarily handled by its Community Services Section which now includes Code Enforcement, Bidou said. “Currently we have approximately 289 organized Neighborhood Watch groups,” he said. “Five years ago we had but a few.”
Small Town News 