KEYT's Coverage
Concerned Residents Gather To Discuss Problems
Originally printed at http://www.keyt.com/news/local/Concerned-Residents-Gather-To-Discuss-Problems-122947428.html
June 1, 2011
Santa Barbara - Concerned residents, business owners and local leaders gathered to discuss a variety of issues they claim are plaguing the Milpas Street area of Santa Barbara.
The Milpas Community Association held a meeting to discuss among other topics, crime, gangs, and illegal dumping. The topic of gang activity dominated much of the meeting as residents expressed concern for their safety.
Many members of the audience called for more police patrols in the area. They spoke to a Santa Barbara police representative who said he understood their concerns, and that the department has changed its approach toward patrolling the Milpas corridor.
Along with the police official, a local gang expert spoke to the gathering. Dr. Gus Frias, of the Community Action Commission, addressed the crowd. He called the gang problem "serious" and said it is a "matter of life or death." Frias gave advice on how to help cope with the problem but also spoke about how more has to be done to help the kids in the area stay away from gangs.
Organizers say they were pleased with the outcome of the meeting. If you would like more information on the Milpas Community Association you can visit http://www.mcasb.org/
DID YOU KNOW Gang-Related Offenses account for less than 1% of crimes based on the data below! This data was taken from a story by the Santa Barbara Independent and can be found @ http://www.independent.com/news/2009/apr/23/clouds-gathering-over-police-chief/
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| MURDER | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| ATTEMPTED MURDER | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON | 16 | 25 | 26 |
| BRANDISHING | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| ROBBERY | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| BURGLARY | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| VANDALISM | 30 | 37 | 37 |
| BATTERY | 5 | 12 | 13 |
| KNIFE IN PUBLIC | 3 | 7 | 8 |
| TOTAL GANG RELATED OFFENSES | 102 | 163 | 177 |
| TOTAL CITYWIDE NUMBER OF OFFENSES | 26,137 | 24,346 | 23,002 |
| PERCENTAGE OF CRIME GANG-RELATED | 00.39% | 00.70% | 00.77% |
I found this editorial at the MCA website and added some actual crime data charts to correct the Authors position on this editorial.
Adding more police gets us back to what we had…10 years ago…
May 18th, 2011 |
| 2010 Violent Crimes subtotal was down 31% and Aggravated Assault was down 37% . We should be praising Law Enforcement instead of playing politics with our youth. We need to see honest numbers and praise the current efforts of both law Enforcement and the public who work with our youth on a daily basis. we also need to recognize that politicking for money off false data is no longer aloud. |
Editorials : Guest Opinion : Restore 150 officers to city police force
Lanny Ebenstein
“Hundreds of thousands of dollars of city resources should be transferred from traffic, building and planning to the Police Department.”
May 18, 2011 6:36 AM
Crime has increased in the city in recent years. Particularly in the vicinity of Casa Esperanza and the Milpas corridor, the number of crimes has gone up dramatically. Other areas have seen an increase in many offenses as well, including parts of State Street.
It’s time for more police in the city of Santa Barbara.
Historically, there were 150 officers on the police force. Now, that number is 137. Moreover, officers have more administrative work than ever, and the number of hours many officers work on a standard basis has been reduced. Too many police officers work too much overtime.
Members of the City Council should request that the city administration come back to the council with a plan for increasing the size of the police force to 150 officers. Cuts could come elsewhere in the budget, particularly in building and planning. " Seems to me crime is lower today with less officers than ten years ago.
You may click on the two crime stat pictures below and above and they will open up to their own window.
Lanny Ebenstein
“Hundreds of thousands of dollars of city resources should be transferred from traffic, building and planning to the Police Department.”
May 18, 2011 6:36 AM
Crime has increased in the city in recent years. Particularly in the vicinity of Casa Esperanza and the Milpas corridor, the number of crimes has gone up dramatically. Other areas have seen an increase in many offenses as well, including parts of State Street.
It’s time for more police in the city of Santa Barbara.
Historically, there were 150 officers on the police force. Now, that number is 137. Moreover, officers have more administrative work than ever, and the number of hours many officers work on a standard basis has been reduced. Too many police officers work too much overtime.
Members of the City Council should request that the city administration come back to the council with a plan for increasing the size of the police force to 150 officers. Cuts could come elsewhere in the budget, particularly in building and planning. " Seems to me crime is lower today with less officers than ten years ago.
You may click on the two crime stat pictures below and above and they will open up to their own window.
 |
| View the Attorney Generals Yearly Crime History records for the City of Santa Barbara. There can be no mistaking what these records are showing us. Crime is down, has been down and that our City is a safe one. I was talking with a member of the Milpas Community Association today and asked him was he aware how big the City of Santa Barbara was? The answer is 19 square miles, does that surprise you? According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 41.4 square miles (107.2 km2), of which 19.0 square miles (49 km2) of it is land and 22.4 square miles (58 km2) of it (54.17%) is water. The high official figures for water is due to the extension of the city limit into the ocean, including a strip of city reaching out into the sea and inland again to keep the Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) within the city boundary. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Barbara,_California Seems to me we are making a Mountain out of a Mole Hill! In closing I have many friends in Law Enforcement and I truly respect the job that they do. I must also add that I have there support as well when it comes to challenging unethical acts for the sake of politics and money. Regards to all Larry "Magic" Mendoza P.S. I almost forgot to ask; did you feel that KEYT went over the top with the way they reported on the Milpas Community Association meeting and the "Gang" issue? |
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