Boosting patrols, low gang crime and the homeless discussed at Sheriff's Coffee with the Community

The Fallbrook Sheriff's Substation held "Coffee with the Community" Wednesday, March 27, at Brooktown Kitchen and Coffee. The meeting which began at 5:30 p.m. was attended by local community members and merchants.

"This is an opportunity for us to hear from you," Jake Kruger, Fallbrook Sheriff's crime prevention specialist, said.

Lt. Ricardo Lopez, who has served as Fallbrook Sheriff's Substation commander for eight months, was also there answering questions and hearing concerns from the public.

The first question asked was, "Has the substation requested more personnel?"

Lopez said, "Yes, we are."

The local substation has 35 sworn deputies, and, "We are going to be increasing that," he said.

With the new housing developments going in along Interstate 15, Lopez said the department will need more deputies to patrol those areas and unincorporated Fallbrook.

Lopez said the substation is already going through a big transition and has more people on staff than it has ever had before. Many officers are new to the patrol and are still getting to know the community.

Deputies recently responded to a burglary at one of Horse Creek Ridge's new model homes.

Officers were able to catch the burglar in the act.

The department also has plans to build another station where Highway 76 meets Interstate 15. Because Fallbrook is in a dangerous area for fires, Lopez said, there is a need to house additional emergency vehicles here, which they plan to do.

Currently, officials are in the process of scouting properties to build the new complex.

Lopez said, however, a majority of the calls they get happen within a mile from the substation, located at 388 E. Alvarado St.

Homeless in downtown

Downtown business owners are still concerned about encounters with the homeless.

Heather Howard, owner of The Spoiled Avocado, in downtown Fallbrook, said she was there on behalf of another merchant who witnessed an interesting occurrence in front of her store. About a week ago, a woman was seen rolling around on the sidewalk and putting her face in a planter box, inhaling the dirt, Howard said.

When the store owner approached her, the woman said she was looking for oxygen from the plants. The concerned merchant called the Sheriff's department, as the woman appeared disoriented and possibly high on drugs. She was also causing a scene and alarming shoppers.

Lopez said the best thing business owners can do if they see something like that is to let the Sheriff's department know about it.

"I want to be transparent with the community on all that we have happening here," Lopez said.

Fallbrook's Substation has a deputy assigned to homeless outreach, who may be able to identify individuals that are causing a nuisance.

The problem in Fallbrook, Lopez said, "We don't have the resources for them to leave."

The Sheriff's department is working with County Supervisor Jim Desmond and other officials to talk about what they can do.

Lopez said Desmond was very responsive.

"Homelessness is everywhere in every community, and we are also feeling the effect. We are going to take steps to resolve that," Lopez said.

One of the ideas is to obtain vouchers for homeless people, so they may be relocated to a city that has better services. While, some of the homeless are from out of town, like Oceanside, others, Lopez said, are here to stay.

"We have a core group that will probably always be here. They grew up here, have family here. This is their home," he said.

Deputies need probable cause before they can make an arrest, but business owners have the right to ask someone to leave. Deputies must also evaluate whether the person has a mental illness, if they are a danger to themselves or are under the influence.

"The thing you all have is the right to speak up and say something to our command at the station. If you think something wasn't done correctly, then action can be taken," Kruger said.

Kruger explained that property owners can fill out the Sheriff's Trespass Arrest Authorization form.

The form works in two ways. It allows Sheriff's deputies to issue a trespassing citation to individuals who are chronically causing trouble at a property. Two, it allows deputies to confront a trespasser and make an arrest if the property owner is not present.

Trespassing is a misdemeanor offense. A person is issued a citation and may be released.

Lopez said only with certain misdemeanors are deputies allowed to book a person into county jail.

Gang crime is down

Lopez was as a gang investigator for a long time before his current role.

He said gang crime in Fallbrook is relatively very low.

"When I started out here in this town, it was down. It is still on the downward trend," Lopez said.

Gang crime is down for a variety of reasons, he said. A lot of people are in custody, gang members have moved on or have aged out of that lifestyle.

Lopez said there was one homicide on Halloween by a documented gang member, but it wasn't a gang crime.

The lieutenant ensured the crowd of 20 or so community members that Fallbrook overall is a safe place.

"There's nowhere in this entire jurisdiction that I would say: don't live there. This is a great community. We have very low crime," he said.

For the past eight months, Lopez said there hasn't been a lot going on. The Sheriff's substation provides 24-hour coverage in Fallbrook with deputies rotating between two shifts. He said there's always going to be vehicle thefts, inevitably, but those are still not very high.

"The thing I want to press on you is to please communicate with us," Lopez said. "Don't assume that we know something. The clues that you give us is what we build cases on. That's how we solve cases."

The Sheriff's Office plans to host its Coffee with the Community event quarterly.