The Manteca Police Department street crimes unit in 2021 made “only” 82 of the department’s overall 1,761 arrests.
But those 82 arrests had a major impact on the safety and health of the overall community.
The arrests resulted in the following being taken off the street:
*52 grams of heroin.
*245 pounds of processed illegal marijuana.
*18,738 illegal marijuana plants.
*2,688 grams of meth.
*35 firearms.
*$335,293 in drug-related cash and property.
The effectiveness of the unit and the fact the sheer amount of street crimes as well as the investigative work needed to make a successful arrest that can stand up in court along with a case backlog is why it isn’t uncommon for assigned detectives to take more than a month before they can investigate new drug-related complaints.
That is what prompted Police Chief Mike Aguilar to tell the City Council last week during their goal setting sessions for the budget year starting July 1 that the department was in need of adding two positions to the street crimes units.
They are two of the seven sworn officers the department needs to add so they can stay on top of crime and traffic safety issues based on current trends and population.
Manteca Police in 2021 handled 45,959 calls for service. That represents an 11.53 percent increase over 2021 calls.
Officers last year confiscated 220 firearms. The department also was able to be among the few jurisdictions to hit back effectively at the rising retail crimes tide. That’s because they created a permanent position detailed to organized retail crime after conducting a successful pilot program. The city is the only department with a dedicated organized retail crime detective in the region.
The police chief presented his needs at the council’s goal setting workshop on Thursday at the Manteca Transit Center.
His other staffing requests include:
*A lieutenant for the services division.
*Two patrol officers
*A code enforcement officer.
*A community officer for the traffic unit.
*A second detective for the organized retail crime unit.
*A sixth traffic/DUI office.
On the needs list is a new police department facility to adequately house the current department while accommodating new growth.
Aguilar also said the department needs to work toward a five beat minimum for all patrol shift staffing on a 24/7 basis.
He also said there is a need to develop a mental and physical wellness workplace culture in the police department.
Whether Aguilar will get all or any of the new positions in the upcoming municipal budget being prepared for the fiscal year starting July 1 depends on Manteca’s financial position. The council made mid-year budget adjustments this week that reflect a structured deficit of $3.1 million.
That means for the fiscal year ending June 30 the city is having to dip into general fund reserves to cover the fact they expect to spend $3.1 million more than they will collect in revenue during the 12-month budget period.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
