Office of the Sheriff
Contra Costa County
March 6, 2006
To Concerned
Citizens of Discovery Bay:
In early January 2006, the Office of the Sheriff
conducted a survey of the residents of Discovery Bay. 4,068 surveys were
mailed to residents of the community and over 1,150 (28%) were returned in
the postage-paid envelope provided. Of those responses, 504 respondents
took the time to give us written comments expressing a specific
observation or concern. With the assistance of a dedicated community
volunteer, we have attempted to categorize those comments. The entire
results of this survey will be posted on the Office of the Sheriff website
at
www.cocosheriff.org.
This survey was intended to provide us with a
clear picture of the law enforcement concerns and priorities of the
Discovery Bay community. Over the coming weeks and months, we will be
using the information obtained to enhance our crime prevention efforts
and, where possible, to adjust our approach to policing the community.
This information will also be shared with the Discovery Bay Community
Services District and the Sheriff’s Municipal Advisory Council for the
benefit of the entire community.
I would like to offer my personal thanks to the
residents of the community who took the time and effort to respond. The
comments and information gathered through this process convinces me that
the residents of Discovery Bay are concerned with and committed to a
strong law enforcement presence in their community.
Sincerely,
WARREN E. RUPF, Sheriff
DISCOVERY BAY RESIDENT
SURVEY
JANUARY 2006
Here is a
breakdown of responses:
Question #1. On a scale of 1 – 5, with one being “not important” and 5
being “most important”, let us know how you feel about these law
enforcement issues in your neighborhood:
Theft/ burglary:
803 of 1113 respondents (72%) rated this item as most important.
Vandalism: 806 of 1113 respondents (72%) rated
this item as most important.
Youth-Related Crimes:
512 of 1015 respondents (50%) rated this item as most important. A total
of 854 (84%) rated this item as 3 or higher.
Parking Violations:
454 of 1023 respondents (44%) rated this as not important. A total of 835
(82%) rated this item as 3 or lower.
Fireworks;
317 of 961 respondents (33%) rated this item as not important. A total of
697 (72.5%) rated this item as 3 or lower. 154 (16%) felt this item was
most important.
Narcotics/drug sales:
531 of 943 respondents (56%) rated this item as most important. A total of
737 (78%) rated this item as 3 or higher.
Noise / Disturbances:
697 of 989 respondents (70.5%) rated this item as 3 or lower.
Gang
Activity:
458 of 946 respondents (48%) rated this item as most important. 652
(69%) rated this item as 3 or higher. 202 (21%) rated this item as not
important.
Vendors /
roadside sales:
568 of 1009 respondents (56%) rated this item as not important. 896
(89%) rated this item as 3 or lower.
Question
#2: How safe do you feel in Discovery Bay?
Unsafe: 36 of 960 respondents (3.8%)
Safe: 619 of 960 respondents (64.5%)
Very Safe: 305 of 960 respondents (31.8%)
924 respondents (96.3%) feel safe or very safe.
Question
#3: What strategies would you like to see the Sheriff’s Office focus on?
Pick two:
Neighborhood Patrol: 957 (84.5%) rated this item as a
priority.
Crime Prevention: 924 (81.6%) rated this item as a priority.
Parking Enforcement: 130 (11.5) rated this item as a
priority.
Marine Patrol: 164 (14.9%) rated this item as a priority.
Question
#4: How often do you see Deputy Sheriff’s in your neighborhood?
Often: 147 of 1098 respondents (13.4%).
Sometimes: 459 of 1098 respondents (41.8%).
Rarely: 404 of 1098 respondents (36.8%).
Never: 88 of 1098 respondents (8%).
Question
#5: Have you had any contact with our Deputy Sheriff’s?
Yes:
533 of 1029 respondents (52%).
No: 496 of 1029 respondents (48%).
If you have had
contact with our Deputy Sheriff’s, what was your impression?
Satisfactory: 507 of 608 respondents (83%).
Unsatisfactory: 101 of 608 respondents (17%).
WRITTEN COMMENTS
DISCOVERY BAY RESIDENT SURVEY
JANUARY 2006
The comments listed below generally fell into
categories, and are reported as such. The categories are:
General Comments covering a
variety of issues
More police coverage/full time deputy on duty
Speeding/Traffic issues/Motorized vehicles
Decreased
response time
Youth crime/issues for activities
Theft/Vandalism
Boat/RV/Trailers/Parking enforcement
Fireworks
Speeding on the water/Marine issues
Emergency preparedness
Drugs/Sale/Use
Positive Comments
Negative Comments
General Comments:
1.
My daughter’s purse was taken from her car, which was parked in my
driveway during the boat parade. It was her fault she left it in her car,
but it still makes me feel unsafe. More patrols out during these regular
events would be nice.
2.
We need to know what is happening in order to best protect
ourselves. A published report of police events/reports within Discovery
Bay would be helpful in this regard.
3.
The parking is not so hot either – doesn’t anyone use their garage
for what it is for? CARS! I call our court a used car lot.
4.
This past New Year’s Eve, water levels rose dramatically in Disco
Bay.
Some resident had flooding. We saw a large group of police and fire people
at the fire station. We had water within 3 ft. of our door. We stopped a
Sheriff
patrol car to find
out where we could get sandbags and what the emergency plan was. The
Community Service officer was totally unaware of the rising water. He told
us that the large numbers of enforcement folks were only there to catch
illegal fireworks use and to inform the H.O.A so penalties could be
levied. He was misinformed about where to get sandbags. It seems that it
would be more important to inform residents as to an emergency plan if
any, and to use the fire station as a place to get sandbags and emergency
information that a water community could use, not waste overtime and
taxpayer’s money on chasing fireworks, which went off anyway!.
5.
Loud boom music is out of control.
6.
We actually live I country-club area of Discovery Bay so some
activities are curtailed due to gated entrance, etc. However, as the
total area grows and more working parents with long commutes will no less
cause certain youth crimes to increase. Patrolling thru areas should
increase, and youth “continued” education (DARE program, etc.) could
probably increase. Need to keep loitering to minimum in shopping
centers. Discourage use of motorized scooters – find safe areas for kids
to ride skateboards – not in parking lots where an accident is waiting to
happen. Hopefully a community center will eventually be built and give a
safe place for kids to hang out.
7.
All neighbors talk – might be helpful to stop and talk to residents
- always welcome to stop and talk at our house.
8.
My only comment is that where once D.B. was almost exclusively
adults when I moved here 13 years ago, that landscape is changing and
there are many more young children. While they are generally well
behaved, as they get older – well you know…..Right now I have a loud go
cart running up and down the street and there are sometimes 2 racing. It
happens infrequently but as time goes by I’m sure these type of incidents
will increase.
9.
The sheriff needs to spend more time getting to know the young
people of Discovery Bay and to make a positive impression. There
are not a lot of kids and getting to know those who could “potentially”
cause problems would be a huge deterrent. Young people should be treated
w/respect and they will respond with respect. Our officers spend
to much time trying to be tough and demand respect instead of
trying to ear the young people’s trust and respect.
10.
It feels as though we are on our own here in D/B. Law Enforcement
appears to be very removed from the community. While recognizing the
additional burdens placed on the Sheriff’s Dept. since 9/11 combined with
funding issues, the inability to deal with less than high priority crime
only creates a snowball affect that will lead to D/B slowly eroding into a
higher crime area. D/B, as a community, has (also) the responsibility of
working with the Sheriff’s Dept. on these issues.
11.
Loudness due to people who “spy” on our house at all times of the
day and night – keeping me awake or waking me up. Have no contact with
these people who are threatening me and my family from where ever they are
in and around Discovery Bay. They always stalk me everywhere I go calling
me “their prisoner”. Don’t ever get involved with these “activities”!!
Our family members (four of us that live here) keep to ourselves. Don’t
want any trouble. Moved to Discovery Bay last June 2005.
12.
The officers should work with all resident in the community.
Sheriff officer are usually good listeners, however, forget to get key
facts and moves to assumptions. Also, adequate monitoring and follow
through w/issues is key. Need more sheriff’s at one time.
13.
We have parties on our street all the time. When there has them
there are cars all over. It’s like a freeway. There is drinking and
drugs going on and most times there are fights. We are all tired of
this. The parties need to end. I wish the Sheriff would do more than
just break them up. They happen most weekend and during the week. They
are very loud and there is always garbage all over the street.
14.
We will be happy to help in any way we can. We have no serious
problems and would like to be of assistance to keep it that way. We do
live in the gated area of the Country Club.
15.
I like to see the Sheriff’s Dept. patrol car drive through our
neighborhood, including inside the gates at the Golf Club. Please
continue this practice!
16.
I don’t know what could be done to prevent something like this
happening, however, I’d like to feel safe about this not happening again.
When I was driving down Balfour to get to my home at the Lakes. I was
going speed limit, which is pretty fast. At about 9:00 on Sunday night.
There was a car that was coming behind me very fast, and before it got
right behind me it went into the oncoming traffic lane raced by me and a
car load of teenage boys threw a bunch of rocks at my car. I scared me
and made me veer off the road. I did not get a license plate number. How
can something like this be avoided?
17. As a resident
of the gated community, down a quiet side court, I and my family feel
safe because we are rarely exposed to
threats or crime.
18. Put into
effective cross training for fire department personnel to handle some
police
work.
19. Give effective
notification of important meetings.
20. Door to Door
vendors R a BIG problem on Spinnaker-African American
at night with no ID’s hanging from them.
This is a FYI and I don’t
bother calling the Sheriff because it will not
do any good.
21. The Centex homes
(Bixler & Regatta) have the following problems:
·
Code
enforcement i.e. cars not moved, garbage in front yard, lawns not cut.
·
Fireworks
·
Speeding
·
Not
stopping at stop signs.
We are not the
“step children” to the rest of Discovery Bay and deserve the same
attention to ensure we have a safe neighborhood and to protect our
property values.
22. Patrols where
the kids hang out (at night). Could speed bumps
be put in
at Discovery Bay Blvd. to slow down cars? More
boat patrols in the bays.
25. Encourage the
deputies to get to know the people of Discovery Bay/ stop
– talk – wave. Be friendly. Personal contact.
26. When I moved to
Discovery Bay last April (05) I had several very large
potted plants stolen from my driveway
before moving them all to the back yard.
They were stolen on a busy Friday afternoon
in daylight. It concerned me that such
thing could happen here – it would have taken
some thoughts to get my plants (1 with
trellis) in a vehicle and away. It was a big
disappointment.
27. More enforcement
in the Country Club neighborhood please.
28. Moving from a
country property to a neighborhood a year and a half ago,
I thought a neighborhood would be safe. Boy, was
I wrong. Seeing someone
arrested in my driveway twice, hearing about
break-ins, dealing with cars parked on
street that never move, I feel like I’m living in
a ghetto. It’s a shame that Discovery
Bay has neighborhoods like this.
29. Patrol
gated community and Lakeshore
·
Have
speed watches on Bixler and Point of Timber
·
Tow
unlawfully parked vehicles and fine owner
·
Observe teens and groups of teens for unlawful activities and bullying.
·
Enforce all laws to the fullest
·
Provide officers with body shield protection and safety protection.
30. People passing
thro Hwy 4 come into our area and start drama with our
neighborhood kids (regulars) who have been in
this area forever.
31. Just being
visible is very good.
32. Tyler Memorial
Park is a breeding ground for crime! There is
always
broken
glass, beer bottles, vandalism, and trash. I
have even found bottles that kids
“huff”paint out of. I feel that patrol needs to be stepped
up in order for this to stop.
Tickets should be given to all violators of
parking trailers on the street….not just some
people. If you’re going to ticket one person you
have to give them all tickets.
33. If you have a
community service officer or technician, who could canvas
neighborhoods and compile a list of homes with
high shrubs, bushes and trees that
block entrances to their homes and recommend they
cut/remove so potential burglars,
rapist, etc don’t have a place to hid and catch
the homeowner off guard.
34. Would like to see
that most or all violent criminal activities are being
addressed or taken care of.
35. More drunk
driving prevention programs or harsher punishments are
implemented especially for young drivers.
36. My impressing
is from those who have contacted you that a less than
important emphasis is placed on those who
have done something wrong—especially
young people—note the Christmas tree fiasco
of several years ago. Appropriate
action should be taken. A night in
juvenile hall could be a real eye opener. I know
you’re strapped for funds and staff, but a
firmer approach is definitely in order. By
the way, where did the money come from for
this survey?
37. The presence of
members of the sheriff’s office at our board meetings
seem far better than forming another body
to weigh the problems that might arise.
What needs to be done is orienting board members
to proper conduct at public
meetings. If the board has a problem they
should appoint one of their members to
meet with the sheriff and discuss the
problem and find a solution. I don’t feel there is
any public outrage in Discovery Bay about the
services of this department. What it is,
is the conduct of a few of our residents against
any type of controls. Keep up the
good work.
38. I have lived in
Discovery Bay for 20 years now, and have seen the
“cycle” repeat itself 3 times. “Cycle” meaning theft,
vandalism, drugs,
and youth related crimes. It seems the 4th
cycle is coming soon than
normal. If there was a more, often, and visual
law enforcement patrol,
I’m sure this would help prevent the rate of
incidents.
39. I’m the
principal of Excelsior Middle School that serves Byron and D.B.
I’ve always been pleased with the response from
sheriffs. I would love to see us have
the resident deputy back. When DB had that, the
sheriff spent time on our campus
and was a positive role model for kids. We do
have issues w/drugs, alcohol, and
bullying that a sheriff could really help with.
These behavior carry over into the
community (I live in DB also) so having a
presence at school would be a proactive
step.
40. There has been a
bone of contention for many years with people here
feeling that their tax money doesn’t come
back to benefit Discovery Bay.
41. Balfour Rd. has
become a thoroughfare and it’s an unsafe road. It needs
to be improved.
42. I think
patrolling Discovery Bay is a crime preventative measure. I was
very upset about the vandalism in the park
and other areas. The kids need the
community center we’ve been trying to get
started. I’m irritated with how the area is
looking with all the boats, cars, and
trailers all over. I used to think this was an up
scale neighborhood and moved here for that
reason. If people can afford to live here,
they can afford to pay for storage and hire
someone to keep their property looking
half-way decent. Thanks for helping our
neighborhood.
43. I believe in
peace officers, not just someone to report a crime to. We
need to work to that means.
44. It is
absolutely wonderful to see that our sheriffs are patrolling the
neighborhoods. However, they really should
not be speeding unless they are
responding to a call. Every time I see a sheriff
which is quite often, he/she is speeding,
especially on Newport Dr. I would certainly hope
that Discovery Bay does not have
this many “calls” that would require a sheriff’s
attention. In any case, please ask the
sheriffs to set the example by complying with the
speed limits themselves. Otherwise,
this problem will never go away.
45. Focus on issues
that pose a threat of bodily injury, financial and property loss to
residents and the community.
-
problem with
speeding (is this a CHP responsibility?)
-
fireworks (loss of
property from fire damage as well as injury to users.
-
Drugs (damaging
family life in general
-
Theft/burglary
(encourage people to close garage doors and secure boats, etc.)
-
Youth crime and
vandalism is not surprising as adults don’t set a good example by
violating the above items.
46. Patrols are
needed daily by the post office, shopping centers, etc. on a
regular basis probably once a day in the
p.m. Local telephone # is needed
on a 24-hour basis. Even if not available a
number is needed for the
substation. Need information desk on occasion at
public events or centers. Good will
and cooperation always desired.
47. My main concern
is the Timber Point School. In the mornings and
afternoons you can not get down the street due to
all the cars parked out in front of the
school. At times you have to drive on the other
side of the street to get home. My
concern is if a fire truck has a call they will
not be able to get through. Even with the
no parking signs in place, everyone still parks.
48. I am concerned
about safety, crime, and marine patrol. Do not waste
time on parking and other non-life threatening
issues. The DPBOA is a political group
of old, greedy, unemployed blowhards. Safety
first – politics last: DBPOA is political
and impressed with themselves. Contra Costa
Sheriffs first, DBPOA last.
49.
I
find it disturbing to try to sit on my deck in the good weather and enjoy
the views
and serenity of Discovery Bay….but the
“peace and tranquility” is so frequently
disturbed by the ceaseless barking of
dogs, which is not controlled or heeded by their
owners. What can you do to control and
lessen this “invasion”. We do have
ordinances!
50. I live
at the end of a court and whilst being/working in the front area of
my house, I am disturbed and curious about the
number of vehicles which drive in and
out of the court – without stopping. It give me
the feeling (they can’t all be real estate
people) that we and our property are being
“cased” for some nefarious scheme
consider the mailbox violations and the items
that disappear from the front areas!!
51. Would
like information posted about possible child abusers in the area.
52. We live
in a gated community and most of these concerns listed on the
survey are not relative to us.
53. Patrol,
Patrol, Patrol! Less seat belt tickets inside neighborhoods.
54.
Although I have heard about drugs and a few crimes, I haven’t seen nor
have I been a victim of it. I have,
however, heard loud music quite often in our
neighborhood by Safeway and had to call to
have someone out. The response was
very quick. Thank you.
55. CHP cars
and motorcycle officers seem to find it convenient to hid in
shadows to catch a speeder. Does the state
really need some more tax dollars? I also
do not see helmet laws on bicycles being
enforced. It may be a question of priorities.
56. It might
be appropriate for the Sheriff’s dept. to set up an in home
meeting with families to hear first hand the
concerns of the residents of Discovery Bay.
57. If we
had received this survey last year, our answers would have been
different as we lived on Cove Ct. We have since
moved and feel like
we’ve moved to a different town. We had to call
the Sheriff’s Office because of
malicious vandalism at our home on Cove Ct, and
our experience with the
representative was outstanding. After talking to
him we decided it was time to move
to another neighborhood.
58. I live
in Oakland and have a second home in Discovery Bay. When I lay
in bed (in Oakland) I hear gunshots. Discovery
Bay is marvelous! No one bothers our
home there. No one should rely on you for
prevention. Residents need to take a
proactive neighborhood watch approach for prevention,
and only rely on you to
respond to actual events. And parents have to watch and
keep their children engaged.
You can’t baby-sit!
59. I
recently moved to Discovery Bay from Stockton/Weston Ranch and
specifically picked D.B. because I felt it was a
safe place. I was
burglarized in Stockton and felt police response
was completely unsatisfactory. The
prior 14 years I had also felt the police service
was wholly inadequate. While I
haven’t seen much police/sheriff presence in the
2 months I’ve been in D.B., I have
also not experienced any problems. It just
“feels” safe and comfortable here. I have
friends who have lived here for 20 years and they
report virtually no crime exists here.
Once their mailbox was vandalized by youth, but
that’s it. They are happy here and
happily recommended D.B. to me. I am very,
very happy with D.B., its safety and its
law enforcement. This survey reinforces my
impression that you’re dedicated to
meeting the needs of the community and keeping us
safe. Thank you.
60. I would
like to se people be more responsible about cleaning up behind
their animals…also take charge of dangerous dogs.
61. What
about a volunteer program similar to STARS in San Joaquin
County. I’m semi-retired and would be
willing to participate.
62. Have
more family days. Say hello to people/kids or wave hello to the
kids playing in the neighborhoods. Maybe
stop to remind them (kids) who they are
and ways to stay safe. This allows kids
not to be scared of officers and learn that
officers are good people who help those in
trouble as opposed to running away from
cops.
63. The real
estate companies in Discovery Bay are not screening their
prospective renters property. This is one of the
problems we have on Marina Drive
with renters. We have formed a small group of
owners on the street to combat this
problem. We have forced 3 rental homes with drug
problems off this street with
letters to owners, property managers, and we have
an attorney. We monitor the traffic
and when we see drug paraphernalia, we call the
police. We know your hands are
tied in many circumstances, but you are doing a
great job within your limits. Thank
you.
64.
Discovery Bay is growing because of the new homes. I just hope it will
not get crazy like Antioch and Pittsburg. WE
want D.B. to maintain a small town
atmosphere. You should have sheriff patrol along
the road for speeders and violence.
65. I would
like to see representatives from the Sheriff’s Dept. meet
regularly with the Discovery Bay Board that they
are currently refusing to meet with.
The DB Board represents us and we need a way to
adequately communicate with the
Dept. Refusing to do so is inexcusable. This
community deserves better from your
Dept. than this childish behavior.
66. I would
like when there are laws and rules that everyone has to follow
them, not just a few!
67. We
appreciate your patrolling our street. Once, we got ticketed for
having one car on the street for more than
48 hours. Shortly following
that a neighbor’s truck had been parked for
5 days with no ticket. If certain area are
the focus, make it consistent.
68.
Discovery Bay has become a large town….a party town! Parents here
just let their kids go anywhere – there is no
supervision. The parties (adult) go on
every weekend loud until 3 or 4 a.m. I am
awakened by loud music and speeding
car! I am sick of it! People need to be
responsible for themselves and their kids. The
Sheriff needs to enforce. It just seem like
people can do anything because of lack of
authority here. There needs to be accountability
for their actions. We need more
police here! We are not a little quiet town.
69. We are
retired Deputy Sheriffs. We know the problems facing deputies
in patrol. We also know there are many
deputies working in the jail willing to work to
solve crimes. If a street deputy is not
willing to work (do police work, investigate,
collect evidence, write crime reports) they need
to be transferred. If a small crime is
properly investigated, it is probably it will not
grow into a big crime. We have no
doubt your officers do proper investigation in murder
cases, etc. But the smaller cases
need to be addressed before they grow into
something out of control and ultimately
causing resident to develop vigilante type
groups.
70. Current
service is adequate.
71. Please
come into our park more often – Camino Mobile Home Park,
14530 Byron Hwy, Byron.
72. Roadside
dumping, mail theft, staking out homes, and large orchard
parties are a common thing out here. Once
someone figures out that we are not hardly
ever patrolled by the police, we are easy picking
for any of the above. A few times we
have notified the police of heavy drinking
parties in the orchards…it has taken police
over 20 minutes to respond.
There are
never arrests for minors drinking. Everyone gets sent home – “driving
under the influence”. People speed through these roads so fast that it
makes it difficult to plan a family walk or bike riding day in the
country. We are used as a daily dumpsite for all types of garbage.
73. The 20
minutes it takes to write a parking ticket you could have patrolled
at least half of Discovery Bay. You
complain there’s not enough sheriffs to cover the
whole area, but I consistently see 2
parked side by side at Safeway (most of the time
at night) – ever think of staggering the
breaks? Parties are a way of life in Discovery
Bay. They are not against the law! Within
reason all residents should be advised that
they need to respect the rights of others.
74. Given
the fiscal money issues, service is adequate. Some of the
disgruntled want miracles w/o optimal
resources. With regard to July 4 problems, the
homeowners are the ones planning for
these “shows”. The parents must monitor the
teenagers who somehow acquire the
fireworks.
Teenage
problems and burglaries must be addressed with parental control. Parents
lack of their control over them is a problem. Demographics have changed –
involve the parents!!
75. I would
like to read or be informed of police reports of crime and/or
arrests printed in the local paper.
76. It is
very difficult to locate the phone number for the Sheriff’s office that
covers Discovery Bay. It is not in the local DB
phone book any more. I thought it
used to be in the front of the book along with
Fire, etc. Perhaps distributing a sticker
that residents can adhere to a phone book (or
whatever) along with a letter of who to
call would be a quick fix until you can get back
in the book.
77. Do not
dismiss what we have to say when we call you. What we think is
very important you may feel it is ordinary.
78. I feel
very safe in Discovery Bay. I moved from Fremont 5 years ago,
and have seen our community change with the
addition of DB West because of the
influx of people and cultures. With a larger
community we do need more law
enforcement to keep people feeling safe and
protected. Right now I am more
concerned with the bullying that appears to be
happening at Excelsior Middle School.
Perhaps a community meeting with police present
would be advised!
79.As a
Lakeshore resident, I would like to know how and what kind of
measures can be taken so the Sheriffs Dept can enforce
all violations
(especially moving violations). The Sheriff’s Dept
assistance is greatly
needed in this community.
80. I am
embarrassed by our town Board’s rudeness with regards to the
Sheriff’s Dept.
81. I
believe the Sheriff’s Office attendance at community meetings is very
important. All my interactions with the
Sheriff’s office has been very
positive.
82. Animals:
leash laws should be enforced and neighbors on Beacon have
reported a Pit Bull terrorizing other dogs.
Could be very dangerous to
humans, especially small children playing
in the street.
83. The Sheriff
represents authority and crime dissipates when continual
enforcement
is mandated. Problem people fear the Sheriff and wrong doers are afraid
of
arrest and detention. People are getting away
with violations of different issues because
they know the Sheriff does not come into our area
(gated community).
84. Noise is
an issue for me. Most cities have ordinances that don’t allow
loud music, etc. after 11 p.m. Since D.B. is
unincorporated, I guess we
have to put up with it. Questionnaire was a good
idea.
85. Noise
curfew rules are not clearly stated and not followed. Parties on
back decks echo across bays and cause a
substantial nuisance to residents trying to
sleep. Calls to the Sheriff have not changed the
actions of those causing the problems.
86. Noisy,
late parties are often the start of trouble.
87. Focus on
these additional concerns: out of area door-to-door solicitation
seems to be increasing and creates opportunity
for theft/vandalism. People driving in
our affluent area to “sell” door to door is a security
risk and allows observation of
homes for future theft activity. Many homes are
vacation properties and thus empty.
Thank you for asking for input.
88. I’d like to see
less focus on parking violations and more focus on “real
issues” such as burglary, vandalism, and drug
related issues. It seems a waste of time
and our money to be ticketing all the time when
you could be solving or preventing real
problematic issues that affect our safety.
89. Problems:
-
Fireworks problems
– fire hazard, dangerous
-
parking violations
– constant
-
noise is a big
problem – car racing, motorcycles, etc.
-
RV parking
illegally.
-
residents parking
personal cars long term
-
youths milling
about outside @ residences
Thanks for the
opportunity to give my opinion.
90.
Visibility on Bixler,
Hwy 4 Discovery Bay Blvd, and Newport Dr. is a
problem especially early in the morning and
pick up time at schools. Too many
drivers do not heed the speed limit, and
want everyone to go too fast. I find most
folks with fancy or BIG vehicles
have a tendency to try to push other drivers. I’ve
been behind drunk drivers numerous times and have
flashed my high beams to tell
them “you’re over the line”. Good luck and
thanks.
91. I believe our
neighborhood is relatively safe. While a minor issue,
basketball stand, etc. left permanently on the
street cause irritation and in high winds
blow over and block the street.
92. I live alone and
recently am a widow, so I do not feel as safe as I would
if my husband was alive. The speeding on Newport
is horrible and hardly ever
patrolled. Trash is everywhere. I walk everyday
and pick up trash all the time.
Graffiti is awful and the town will do nothing
about it. Shopping carts are everywhere
and Safeway does not care. I am tired of talking
with them about it. Teenagers are
out of control. Too many road salesmen coming to
our homes and trying to sell
something and religious groups. Thank you for
this survey.
93. I live in
Lakeshore, a gated community, so less concerned about many
of these issues. No complaints re: level of
service from your department.
Thanks for doing the survey.
Back to top
1. We need more
Sheriffs in Discovery Bay.
2. More Sheriff
visibility would be good. Bored teenagers have nothing to
occupy time so they get into trouble.
3. Just being
around more often and seen could reduce most law enforcement
issues such as gang activity, vandalism, etc. (I would
certainly join in on a
neighborhood crime prevention watch, etc. if needed.)
4. With the money I
pay in taxes, I would like to see a full time Sheriff at
the annex on Discovery Bay Blvd. I feel that a
visual presence would
help enforce reduced crime.
5. More presence.
Hire more deputies!
6. Need more
sheriffs now that more people live here!!! With people
moving in from other area, it has brought
problems of crime that a
lot of us ran away from.
7. We just think
that D.B. needs more patrolling. We have a lot of
bored kids out here who cause problems – vandalism,
malicious
mischief, etc. More patrolling could deter some of
that and deter
some more serious offenses.
8. It would help
deter any crime if it were known that a Sheriff’s car
was in the town 24-7. A meeting of the Sheriff’s Dept. and
town of
Discovery Bay to let people know how to set up a
neighborhood
watch program would help.
9. It would help to
know an officer was here, i.e. around. Our problems
aren’t great compared to other communities, but they
are important to us.
Just be here.
10. I think the
community probably feels disconnected from the Sheriff’s
Deputies. Discovery Bay is now a community of
10,000 residents. The community is
now large enough to justify full-time patrol
coverage. I certainly support a property
tax assessment to assure law enforcement
coverage. One insurance deductibles $500,
would cost more than the prevention that could be
provided by full-time patrol
coverage.
11. Show more of a
presence in community.
12. D.B. needs a law
enforcement presence in the community to discourage
illegal and dangerous behavior and to provide
rapid response to curtail
wrongful and inconsiderate activity that has occurred.
13. I would like to
see more presence in Discovery Bay.
14. More patrols in
shopping and business areas.
15. I think the
presence of Sheriff’s vehicles patrolling on the streets on a
regular basis would do the most for the
neighborhood. We rarely see patrols
especially at night. We see kids wandering
around late at night and people driving like
it’s a drag strip. There’s a “feeling of
lawlessness” when there’s no presence of
authority. For now, as far as feeling safe, I
feel fairly safe from violent crime, but I feel
very uncomfortable with the way
things are going. I see more and more signs of things
getting worse.
16. We would like
the resident deputy back as he worked well with the
youth – as a role model (a positive one) he was a
youth related crime
deterrent.
17. Discovery Bay
shopping center is not well patrolled. In back of Safeway
our cars have been broken into 4 times, in last 7
mo. business broken into. Very
rarely do we see patrol cars.
18. I have one
concern; and that is of fairness. We in Discovery Bay
probably pay $25 million yearly in property
taxes. Do we get a fair
return in services? Surely this must pay for
many resident Sheriffs
that are being used elsewhere. If we pay we
should get a fair
return. With this much paid in, maybe we should
have full-time
resident Sheriffs or at least be told why we
don’t.
19. Get us a police
station or at least bring back the amount of our
patrollers that we use to have for our safety.
Gangs, youth
burglary, alcoholics, crazy drivers, and people
in the parks after dark
doing drug deals and vandalism is happening every
day all the time
because we don’t have enough law
enforcement to help us.
20. Discovery Bay
does not need maximum Sheriff’s presence in the mornings
and afternoons who have nothing to do but
give parking tickets and minor traffic
violation citations to little old ladies.
We need the Sheriff’s protection in the middle of
the night when all the vandalism and
robberies take place.
21. Insufficient
number of officers for the increasing growth in Discovery Bay.
22. The Sheriff’s
department needs to place a sub-station in either Discovery Bay or
Byron. This would better suite the needs of
Disco Bay because Disco Bay is a
growing town. More homes are being built which
means more people and children
need to feel safe in their communities. I would
like to see more patrols in the area.
With a sub-station in the area, means more deputies can
do pro-active patrolling. If a
burglary occurs in my home, I would feel safe
knowing the cavalry is en-route rather
than one lonely deputy o scene. Bottom line is--We
need more deputies.
23. More presence in
the neighborhood, maybe some meet and greets with the
neighbors.
24. I feel that more
presence felt/seen would deter a whole lot of kids
hanging around and their activity. I don’t feel safe
walking in the morning before
daylight, but I need to do it anyway. We need more
Sheriff Deputies in our area, with
all the growth I our area we need more patrols, we also
need more speed patrols. I
live on Clipper Dr. and drivers think it is a Hwy 4
bypass.
26. Keep a sheriff
full time at the Discovery Bay substation (or within the D.B. area).
27. We need our
deputy sheriff back. Disc. Bay has become to large to get
by with the limited sheriff presence we
currently have.
28. At least 2-3
times weekly, all year round at the Marina parking lot we have
cars spinning and doing doughnuts in the parking
lot. This activity occurs from late
afternoon – early morning hours. We realize
kids will be kids, but were the last
house across the marina parking lot and hear it
all the time, it wakes us up and we
work early morning hours. Otherwise, if we could
get more patrol, that
would be great.
29. The few times I
see the Deputy Sheriff is always in the middle of the day or Sundays.
Rarely when we need them. From 4-8 Discovery Bay
Blvd. i.e. speed, screeching
tires by Short Stop. Friday and Sat. nights
when parties are taking place - or some
teens looking for trouble. The few times I
have called the response was very slow.
But when have, they were friendly and
professional. Granted, we’re a low crime area,
but for our tax dollars we receive very little.
That probably won’t change until we
incorporate.
30. More frequent
evening/late night-morning patrol.
31. We would really
welcome 24 hour on-site protection. This area is getting
larger by the day and with more population
we have more crime. When people know
there in no law enforcement immediately
available they become more daring. As
residents we must be responsible as well.
32. I feel that we
are very vulnerable as we do not have a police station here.
The response time to get police out here from Brentwood may
be too late.
We would really benefit having our own law
enforcement.
33. There needs to
be more follow-up work done. If they need help to do this,
get them help.
34. Patrol more,
follow through on suspicious behavior.
35. A more visual
impact on area, including night and weekends. There is a feeling
that our concerns will not be addressed so why
contact the department unless
there is no other option….or are we on our own?
I think Discovery
Bay needs one dedicated patrol car 24/7. We pay enough in property taxes
to allocate an appropriate salary, including expenses for vehicle, etc.
36. More officers
on patrol in the Discovery Bay area needed.
37. Would like to
see more community patrol in neighborhoods, especially in the
summer time.
38. At the present
time, we feel a Sheriff’s substation at the Sandy Cove shopping
center would be more centrally located and
would positively impact nuisance loitering
and vandalism.
39. I would very
much like to see a greater presence of sheriff’s deputies in the area
especially at night.
40. Your department
is under staffed! For such a growing community, you need
more deputies – for officer safety, and for
the community. It would be nice to
see more deputies patrolling. Maybe include a
K-9 with a deputy to assist when being
under staffed. I know this can be
expensive, but you need more tools of the trade.
Being under staffed will not be able to
help your deputies safety and the community in
which it serves.
41. Would like to
see more patrols in the gated community.
42. Be more visible
in our community.
43. Presence and
response. We’d like to see more Sheriff’s presence. Response
times will always be of critical concern.
44. Because I live
in a gated community I assume that I am not exposed as others
to theft or vandalism. But with the size of
Discovery Bay, it would seem an impossible
task to adequately cover the whole town with the
resources currently assigned.
45. I believe the
officers are being put in a difficult position when they have to spend
so much of their time on small parking violation
issues instead of concentrating on the
real problems of D.B. Theft, vandalism are
caused by our communities youth hanging
around the centers with nothing to do. Being
able to have time to write burglary
reports and have time to investigate them is
important. These are the real problems of
this community. The only parking violations they
should be concerned with are the
ones about safety, crime, or abandoned vehicles.
46. I would be
willing to pay more in taxes for a full time sheriff’s office in
Discovery Bay.
47. Have residents
increase tax dollars with a bond to pay for extra sheriffs.
48. We live in the
Lakes community and would like to see more routine patrols
in the neighborhood in an effort to reduce
unwanted foot traffic and deter thefts and/or
burglaries. I would be nice if a rep from the
Sheriff’s dept. would attend one of our
Home Owners Assoc. meetings.
49. We are happy
with your service, but we have had some incidents of crime.
It would be nice to have an officer in
Discovery Bay 24/7.
50. More visibility
and patrol in Discovery Bay is needed. Do you have a
substation that you can have here even a few
hours, or a couple of days a week?
There are law-abiding people, but also people who
do “their own thing” here. It will
get worse if we don’t keep a handle on
patrol and involvement.
51. We need our own
dedicated patrol units 24/7, 365 days per year. Sharing
officers for all of East County does not
work for a town of over 10,000 residents.
52. What is
important to me and my family is for the Sheriff’s Dept. to have
more of a
presence on our streets and the waterways
around our home.
53. Enforce the
intent of the law not the letter of the law…long description of a parking
ticket which occurred about 2 years ago.
54. Every time I
have seen a Sheriff’s officer in Discovery Bay, the officer is
parked in the Safeway parking lot for the duration that I
am in the parking lot.
I would love to see the officers in the community,
interacting with the residents,
and also roaming the neighborhoods. It would be
nice to see a deputy driving through
the neighborhood every once in a while. Being
married to a police officer, I
understand the length of calls and paperwork. I
would like to see more involvement in
the community though, and not just in the Safeway
parking. Thank you for all you do!
55. We live in a
gated community and have not heard of any trouble here by our
lake, except once, next door. We had a little
vandalism last year – scratching words
on a wall – which was removed. We have a very active
Homeowners Association and
meet they meet regularly. We can phone them if we have
a problem.
56. They should stop
and talk to people a little more often and ask how are things
around the neighborhood, etc. Also tell
the people to quit throwing their cigarette
butts on the street in front of their
house…it looks sloppy.
57.I contacted the
police in regards to an attempted fraud. I received a phone call
saying I had won a contest and my account information
was needed. I have caller ID
and gave the officer the phone number. (I spoke to the
office via telephone) He said
there was nothing he could do because probably a lot of
people lived at the home
where the phone number was registered. When I told the
officer I worried about older
people who might fall for the scam, he stated that they
had to watch out for themselves.
58. Focus on crime
prevention and forget parking enforcement if lack of deputy
time and funds are truly an issue. Also please
note that Barry Hinds and David Piepho
do not represent all of Discovery Bay!
59. More night
patrols – patrol side roads for speeders (Balfour/Bixler/Hwy. 4.
60. Reduce patrols
from 5 a.m.-2 p.m. Increase patrols from 2 p.m.-1 a.m.
Don’t let people, especially kids, off.
61. Since we have no
other police protection available, we need to have more Sheriff’s
office presence. If this is done and noticed by
all people, then I believe there will be less
desire and opportunity for problems to occur.
Neglect will increase and embolden bad
behavior whether its gangs, kids, or
criminals or even parking by fire hydrants. If
enforcement is absent, then these acts will
increase.
62. Be more visible
– people speed all the time and litter mostly beer cans along
my street and others. More visible patrols will
help deter all or most crimes.
Thank you!
63. As taxpaying
residents of the county, we want sufficient, efficient, and
responsive
service from the Sheriff’s Department equal
to that of our county in direct relationship to
our community population figures. In our area of
Lighthouse Place, we don’t seem to
have the vandalism and parking violations like
some other areas. However, water or
street or county laws already applicable should
be enforced!! Also we would appreciate
being notified (by a newsletter preferably) if
gang or drug activities or vandalism is taking
place in our neighborhood. Thank you for
providing us with this survey.
64. More coverage.
65. Be visible –
drive every street every day – stop and talk to people.
66. It would be
better to have neighborhood patrols more often.
67. More patrol.
68. We would like to
have law enforcement presence and a feeling that they are one of us.
69. Neighborhood
patrols after dark.
70. I would like to
see more presence in the community. We have lived here over 3 years,
and we have seen a representative of the
Sheriff’s Office a total of 2 times!
71. I rarely ever
see a sheriff’s car anymore. Actually, I see CHP more frequently
(but not
that often). WE NEED MORE POLICE PRESENCE.
72. We would like to
see more officers. We see maybe about 3 or 4 sheriff cars
a year in our neighborhood (Byron – not D.B.)
73. Be visible in
our community!
74. More patrols @
later hours. Check out of area vehicles. Relax speeding citations.
75.Given the growth
with the new parts of Discovery Bay, it would be ideal to have more
patrol cars available at all times.
76. We would like to
see more of a presence in our neighborhood (The Lakes)
77. We feel overall
we get very little for our tax dollars. Perhaps more patrol visibility
would help both on roads and DB waterways.
78.
Maintain/increase patrols to deter mischief/crime.
79. With the
increased growth, a greater sheriff’s presence is needed – on the
streets as well as on the water!
80. Implementing a
resident deputy or assigning officers to our area for longer
periods would assist in identifying problem
individuals faster because they would be
familiar with the area. I don’t believe there is
any such thing as zero crime, but solving
crime quickly should be the goal.
81. Would like to
see more patrols, but understand you are tied to a budget.
82. Would like to
see more of a Sheriff’s presence with patrols.
83. Overall, I
think that your agency has done a good job with the available resources.
The deputies have always been professional,
courteous, and approachable.
I do feel that it is important to keep a
resident deputy.
84. The reduced
Sheriff’s patrols are of concern. While the reduced patrols are a
concern, the long range outcome could be very
detrimental to crime rate in
Discovery Bay.
85. I suggest the
following:
·
a
dedicated Sheriff assigned in the community and/or camera
surveillance along
traffic lights that will monitor cars and or trucks passing by.
·
telecommunications contractor, i.e. SBC/AT & T/Comcast, etc. br
monitoring their
activities.
86. We chose to live
in a gated community due to the perceived lack of officers dedicated
to
Discovery Bay.
87. We do need more
officers for our area. We have grown and it does not appear
we have any additional units.
88. We are most
concerned with the lack of police presence or patrols in a
community in which most homes are empty during
the day for long periods.
Neighborhood watches would be helpful, but if no
one is home, who can watch? Also,
the youth in the community are home w/out
supervision during long periods which can
be problematic and may lead to an increase
of problems. We need more police
presence! and patrols!! to stop problems before
they get out of control.
89. I think having
deputies visible is a great deterrent to crime. So the more patrols
I think the lower the potential for crime. Thank
you for conducting this survey.
90. Cruise our
neighborhood between 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. more often.
91. Just more
patrols.
Back to top
1.
Cut down on speeding.
2.
Speeding in neighborhoods.
3. Driving too fast
on streets (mostly women). The parking on the street is
wrong
way or half in street.
We need to do something about
speeding and other traffic
violations. I walk every day and have a fear about
using crosswalks, even at
the 4-way stops. Drivers will not stop for you at the
school crosswalk.
4. Traffic
control and speeding problems are huge on Newport Drive especially from
Timber Point School to Newport Lane. Car theft/garage
theft is a problem especially
when new homes are being built in the area.
5. Speeding violations in front of Safeway Shopping Center (Highway 4).
Passing on
right
side of road. Race Track!!
6. The Sheriff
Dept. should take over traffic from the CHP. I live by Timber
Point
School and do not see either dept. issuing traffic
violation citations. The Sheriff is
usually only here to write parking tickets and
citations for the building inspector for
boats. There is a lot of speeding by the school, as
well as other violations, but
neither agency is policing it. I have made requests at
the CHP and county sheriffs
office but have seen nothing.
7. I live on Clipper
Drive and would love to see more enforcement of the 25 mph
speed limit. I have been told the Sheriff’s office is
not responsible for traffic
(that I need to contact the Highway Patrol). I think
it sends a bad message when
there is law enforcement visible ( A Sheriff’s vehicle)
but people are allowed to
travel at between speeds of 35-50 mph without even
being pulled over and given
a warning! I realize the Sheriff’s office wants the
Highway Patrol to handle traffic
issues. I would like to see the agencies work together
to reduce speeding.
I bet most citizens in Discovery Bay don’t realize if
the Highway Patrol is not
around they wouldn’t be cited. I’m sure a warning from
a sheriff would be
taken seriously.
8. We just need to
see law enforcement officers in our neighborhood. Just to slow
down traffic and safety. We live on Windward Point! Let
the CHP take care
of traffic problems and parking problems. We need the
sheriff’s office to protect us
and handle crime and potential crime problems.
10. I would like to
see more traffic control on our street. We have numerous speeders
and with the kids in the neighborhood, we don’t
feel safe with the kids playing
outside. We live on Dolphin Pl., between our
street and Sand Point there is
never any traffic patrol!
11. Speeding is a
problem on Discovery Bay Blvd. Vandalism (youth crime) is an
ongoing issue.
12. After midnight,
people race their cars and bikes-motorcycles. This is very
disturbing especially on the weekends.
13. Traffic control
seems non-existent. I have watched a 4-way stop for about 1 hr
and noted that of 30 or so vehicles using the
intersection, only 5 or so actually
stopped. My wife has had more than a few close
calls at this intersection and others.
When crossing on foot she has to watch traffic to
ensure she sees vehicles approaching
stop. She knows not to step into the
intersection, even when no vehicles are present,
since many do not stop. Too many drivers are
approaching stops with no attention to
driving. They are using cell phones, putting on
make up, reading, or doing something
which draws their eyes off the road ahead. If
this is considered a problem for the
CHP, pass it on.
14. My concern is
primarily children’s safety (crosswalks, bike riders) vs auto!
15. With the growth
in the area, I would like to see more patrols in area to keep
problems in check. I would also like to see a
crack down on speeders.
16. We see Sheriff
vehicles out here pretty frequently – which is very nice – however, the
speeding problem on Newport Drive is
really bad.
17.
Seems like an additional officer could be funded on speeding ticket
revenue?
Or-can we as citizens do something to help, i.e. radar gun?
18. Ideally, the
portion of Discovery Bay from Clipper and Newport through to
Newport Place would be a gated community area.
Would hate to see speed bumps –
but if it would stop the speeding problem,
it might be necessary. There are
motorcycles that are so loud they make the
car alarms go off.
19. An area of
concern is the very young people (under 16) who drive motorized
scooters, miniature dirt bikes, and golf carts on
the streets. As far as I know there
have not been any injuries but I feel it is just
a matter of time before someone’s child
and a car meet in the street.
20. Would like to
see commercial traffic kept off Newport Dr. The street is falling
apart in places.
21. I know that
there are only a few vehicle code violations that are enforceable
within the Country Club Gates. What has
been an escalating problem during the
“good” weather is the total recklessness of motorcycle
riders within the gates.
Numerous times I have turned a corner to find an
off road biker speeding toward me.
They are a constant problem doing “wheelies” up
and down Cherry Hill Dr. The bikes
are extremely noisy. No helmets, speed in excess
of 60 mph, many riders appear to be
under the legal age to possess licenses. I have
been trying to locate the residence
where they come from to speak with a responsible adult,
but have not been able to
locate it.
21. We have a huge
speeding problem on Discovery Bay Blvd. HUGE!
22. Are officers
allowed to patrol the “Lakeshore” community? I’ve never seen
them in my development. Speeding vehicles in the
Lakeshore community and the rest
of Discovery Bay is my primary concern. The stop
signs in this community are
completely ignored as vehicles make no
attempts at stopping at them.
23. Our limited
experiences with the S.O. have always been pleasant. Just wish we
saw more of you to act as a deterrent with
some of the problems we have here!
24. We live on one
of the cul-de-sac’s and see to many people speeding. Mostly
residents going to and from work. We need “no
wake” signs on our streets too.
25. Parking
correctly on courts and at corners is important for safety.
26. We live in the
DB Country Club area. Many kids from outside the country club
enter the private streets through
pedestrian gates with their motorized bikes so that
they can ride without helmets and the
chance of being cited. Step up street patrol to
enforce speeding, no helmets, reckless
operation of go carts, motorized mini bikes,
and golf carts by those less than 16.
27. I’m worried
about traffic control and long term plans to accommodate the
tremendous growth seen in Brentwood and
Byron. It seems that Highway 4 (Byron
to Brentwood) can’s handle much more.
28. There needs to
be some speed control on Bixler. More of a safe crosswalk.
29. I would like to
see more speeders caught. We are not sure if this is your
responsibility or that of the CHP. We live
on Discovery Pay Blvd., and the speed
limit is 25 mph with many people going
35-40+ mph. We can barely turning our
driveway without getting hit. Need speed bumps.
Need a stop sign at Discovery Bay
Blvd. and Beach Ct./Cabrillo Point.
30. I am tired of
speeders on Newport Dr., though this may be a CHP issue.
31. Speeding down
Discovery Bay Blvd. is a major problem! It’s going to take a child
getting killed before someone will do
something about it!
32. I live on
Regatta Drive, and I have lived here for 4 years. People drive down my
street at race speeds! I have two boys who
love to play outside and with the way
people drive on Regatta I do not feel it is
safe. I have spoken to the sheriff before
and sometimes they will sit on the street
but not at the right times. Mornings are bad
but 2:30 p.m. through 6:00 p.m. is unreal.
If you would put an officer out watching
for speeders on Regattta Drive, you could
make a million dollars with the price of
citations.
33. Discovery Bay
drivers are a joke…they speed up and down D.B. Blvd., and
they show the same disrespect for laws on the
water. We have called on that at least
3 occasions to report issues on the water and on
our street with, from my standpoint,
very little response from the officers
patrolling our streets. My wife and I are
concerned that if assertive action is not
taken crimes will escalate in our community.
34. I personally
have concerns about the traffic by the middle school during the
beginning and the end of school. The trucks have
no concern. They seem to speed
through this area during those high traffic
times.
35. I do a lot of
bike riding. The speeding, regardless of the street, is so out of
control it is unsafe to be on the street. I have
not seen your “your speed is” trailer
for many months. It seems that drivers learn their
driving tactics in Discovery Bay,
then take and use them on Highway 4, Byron
Highway, and Vasco.
36. I would like to
see better traffic enforcement. Not for people doing 30 in a
25 mph zone, but real speeding like 60 mph or
more down Willow Lake Rd. I have
been passed twice in the last year on Willow Lake
Rd. In the summer months these
extreme speeds are a daily occurrence. Friday
and Saturday nights are the worst.
Please do what ever it takes to stop these people who
have o regard for safety on our
streets.
37. I feel there
needs to be more control of speeding on Discovery Bay Blvd. and
adjacent streets. I rarely see officers issuing
tickets.
38. We have people
speeding on Willow Lake, kids and animals are on this road…
we had our car window broken on our street
many times, with cars broken into and
things missing.
39. If we had speed
bumps, speeders using Newport Dr. and other thoroughfares
in the DB areas would most likely avoid use
of these streets and go where posted
speed is 50-55, not 25 mph. (just to not
have to slow down for the speed bumps.)
WE are told we cannot get speed bumps
because the county will not allow them…but
Brentwood and other cities have numerous
residential area with speed bumps—
Fairview Dr. is a perfect example.
40. There needs to
be more traffic enforcement in the area of Discovery Bay Blvd.
and Riverlake Rd. There are many vehicles
that violate the vehicle code such as
VC22350 & VC23109. These violations that
are broken every day are dangerous
and cause noise problems.
41. I live on
Newport Drive and the speed is out of control. I have called to make
reports and never any help. Always push it off to
the CHP – WHY? Can’t the Sheriff
Dept give tickets? Also the Sheriffs speed down
Newport just like everyone else!!
42. Speeding – often
it feels like a drag race on Discovery Bay Blvd. and Willow Lake
stop sign. Is there a prize for who makes it to
Highway 4 first? Add women on cell
phones with children in the car. That really is
multi-tasking. Lastly, stop signs! Living
next to one I see more Hollywood stops. Maybe it
should read “pausing okay” That
goes for police cars too! Younger drivers 20 mph
seems acceptable. I keep looking
for the fire, but there isn’t one!
43. Speed limit
enforcement – Clipper Dr. as an example- could be stepped up.
44. Small
motorcycles run up and down near Cove Street – definitely over the speed
limit.
45. On New Year’s
Eve I saw at least 5 Sheriff’s cars patrolling our neighborhood
looking for firework culprits. I
feel that they should focus on the drunk drivers and
speeders as there are many around our
residential streets.
46. Cars are driving
too fast up and down Willow Lake Road and Discovery Bay Road –
also lots of loud cars.
47. We really need
to be more strict on speeders along Newport Dr. There are many
children biking and/or walking to school
here. I live along Newport Dr. and I
personally see highway speeds on this street.
48. Speeding seems
to be a big problem on Newport Drive.
49. I understand no
agency patrols the County Club area for traffic law enforcement.
I very much would like to see that change. On
through streets it is like a race track.
50. We live on
Newport Dr. and speeding is a major issue. If it is allowed to
continue, a
speeding driver is going to hit (I hope not kill)
someone, walking, running, or riding a
bike.
51. Place more stop
signs on Newport Dr. or speed bumps on Discovery Bay Blvd.
52. Mini cycles and
go-carts are a problem. They are so low they are hard to see
when going out of a driveway. The constant
back and forth is a noise problem.
I am on Starboard Drive.
53. I firmly believe
that the whole community is very tired of listening to non-muffled
motorized skateboards ridden by 12-16 year olds
who have no respect for anyone but
themselves. Somehow our community laws are being
grossly abused. To summarize,
let’s get those damn machines off our community’s
streets.
54. One bone I need
to address is the scooters (gasoline driven-extremely noisy). The
problem has been going on for 3 years or
more I confronted the deputy and his reply
was that it is a Highway Patrol problem.
This a “catch 22” situation – neither party
enforced the illegal situation. They are
out at all times of the night. You can hear
them, but you can’t see them. Sooner or later
one of them will be hit by a car – then
major lawsuits will occur. The speed limit on
Disco Bay Blvd. is 25 mph. Most
people drive 35-50 mph.
55. Speeding and
running stop signs within Lakeshore community, which is gated, has
become a real problem. The Sheriff’s office told
me I hat to contact the Highway
Patrol, but the CHP says it is private property.
Something needs to be done before
somebody gets hurt or killed. Please help!!
56.There are a lot
of neighbors that own Harley Davidsons that come home late and
rev their engines early in the morning. It can get
very annoying. But the biggest issue in
our neighborhood is speeding. I would like to see
speed bumps put in to discourage
speeding. There has already been an accident since we
moved in (April ’05). There
are lots of kids that play in the streets, and it
worries me. We live on Regatta Drive in
Discovery Bay. I would appreciate if it this issue
could be looking into.
57.Lots of kids
walking to school – construction trucks going too fast!
58. The
biggest problem we have on Newport Drive is the speeders. The
speed
limit is 25 mph but no one seems to want to
go that slow. I don’t know if the Sheriff’s
office gives out speeding tickets or not. I
would really like to see speed bumps put in.
59.Traffic on
Discovery Bay Blvd. is getting bad and the speeds are too high.
60.Traffic flow,
speeding, etc. are becoming more of an issue as population
increases.
61. We walk
our dogs down Newport and Clipper, and the amount of cars that
actually do the 25 mph speed limit is very
few! From 5:00-6:30 p.m. the speeding is
uncontrolled. We very rarely see any law
enforcement agency at those times. We
would like to see some further measure on Newport
Dr. to slow down traffic. Please!
62. I live on the
main boulevard where traffic is expectedly higher. However, the
amount of speeding that occurs right in front of
my house is incredible. What does it
take to have the radar signs that displays a
driver’s speed placed in our neighborhood
for several weeks?
Back to top
1. Improve response
to Sheriff for Assistance. Responding in 1 – 1 ½ hrs. is not
acceptable. This happened on a noise disturbance call.
2. I’m very
concerned about response time to emergencies. Numerous accidents
around us occur from excessive speed and basic traffic
violation. I feel prevention
is critical to a safe environment. Increase patrols
would greatly deter violators.
3. Have an officer
nearby in case there is a problem. If we have to call we would
expect a quick response.
4. It is very
simple. “Just do your job”. Neighborhood watch does not work in
Discovery Bay – response time is a problem. We need
patrol.
5. Witnessed a car
break in – called 911 – took 1 hour to respond. “No police
after midnight” in Discovery Bay – Unacceptable –
Pay taxes to protect.
6. Deputies seem to
ignore obvious parking violations during routine patrols. They do
respond when a resident reports or complaints.
7. All generations
know it takes “x” amount of time before the sheriff’s department
responds to an incident. Therefore, they know how long
they have to act!
8. I have just moved
to Discovery Bay so I haven’t had any reason to contact the
department as yet and hope I don’t see a need in the
future. However, I have heard
that response time isn’t good here in Discovery Bay and
that things aren’t important to
the department. I sincerely hope that isn’t true.
Perhaps this will help and I hope you
get lots of response.
9. We feel that the
presence of a patrol in our area is very beneficial.
10. Be more readily
available when the need arises. Have a quick response to calls.
11. My only real
concern is how long the response time would be by the Sheriff’s
patrol to my home if I needed them in a hurry./
I have lived in Discovery Bay for 25
years, and I feel safe here. I have not needed
to call the Sheriff and I hope it stays that
way. This is a place to feel safe.
12. After our home
alarm went off about 3:00 a.m., it took a deputy 45 minutes
to get to
our home.
13. Have made a
couple of phone calls. One to report unsafe driving on my street.
Another to report noise disturbance. While the
Sheriff’s office did respond, response
was very slow.
14. Response time
was very poor – too long.
15. High visibility
and quick response times to incident call ins usually result in
lower crime
and other law violations.
16. I feel the
attitude out here in Discovery Bay is you can do anything andget away
with it because by the time enforcement is called
and they arrive out here, the guilty are
long gone. People know we don’t have our own
police – that delay gives so much
opportunity to do the crime and go. The speeding and
tires laying rubber is horrible.
In front of our house – it’s how fast can we take this
corner?
17.
In Disco Bay it takes way too long for a Sheriff to respond. They
seem to be around but not when you need them.
18.
Quicker response time.
19.
The response time to D.B. has been over 20 minutes.
20.
Faster response to neighborhood disturbances.
21.
Slow response time to calls to Sheriff’s office, especially during
July 4.
Back to top
Youth Crime/Issues
for activities
1. Nothing for
teens to do except “hang out” that turns into some trouble and then,
real trouble. We need a teen center or something.
2. Try to get
something for the youths to do or something for them to join in the
evenings. I know our church has a youth group, but
youths do not need religion
pushed down their throats. They need a large hall, and
different games, etc. to occupy
their minds. And need a good leader so they won’t need
drugs or get into trouble,
mischief is made with idle hands.
3. My feedback
would be to curb teenage gangs and vandalism and burglary,
there have been many garage robberies as we all know
off. I believe there is no
place for teen age kids to go in Discovery Bay, and
that in it self can be a big problem.
4.
Would like to see more prevention programs that deal with youth
violence and drug activities at all local schools – elementary, middle,
and high schools.
5. Living in a rural
area young kids have very little to do. We need programs and a place
for teens to hang out…. “idle hands…”
6. Any suspicious,
large groups of teens/young people should be immediately monitored
or broken up. There has been a large number of “home
invasion parties” where the
residents are not home and the kids use the vacant
homes for partying. Also, a
surveillance camera should be placed in the back of the
Safeway shopping center to
thwart the constant car vandalism and robberies.
7. My main concern
is in the youth loitering in the shopping centers-- Hwy 4 and the
Discovery Bay centers. They’re noisy and dump over garbage
cans, do donuts in the
parking lots, etc. One of the businesses that moved in to
the center had their bathroom
vandalized, and loitering kids picked up the toilet next to
the dumpster and smashed it
on the ground. They are loud and so is the music in their cars.
The base rattles our
walls in the town home complex.
8. Patrolling the
neighborhood in our area of Lakeshore a few times seems reasonable.
But the area across from Safeway at Bixler is very
questionable. Please patrol them as
often as possible. When driving through to a playground, it
seems to have a lot of
unsupervised teens and thugs just hanging out.
13.
Regulate/watch Section 8 renters – lots of young kids in and out of the
park –
loitering – especially at night!
14. It seems like
the parks in Discovery Bay are a popular hang out for teenagers
at night. It would be great to know that the
Sheriff’s office patrols the parks a lot.
Thanks for all you do. We’d love more sheriff
deputies in Disco Bay!!
15. Wild parties at
1942 Windward Pt. – mostly under-aged kids parked and walking
up and down the street drinking beer. Have seen
on two occasions guys urinating in
the street. Also they are speeding and disrupting the
whole neighborhood. The next
day there are beer cans and cigarettes all over the
street. Have been told by neighbors
on their side that pot is being smoked on their deck.
Have called the sheriff many
times. They might drive by but have done nothing as
far as I know.
16.There should be a
curfew for kids.
17. The young kids
roaming the streets, knocking down mailboxes (happened last year)
is a problem. More patrol presence maybe
help with cars speeding where kids
are out. I have lived out here 13 years
and have had very few problems directly.
However, I hear of many involving young
kids. Thanks for any support you can give
to us.
18. In the 24 years
I have resided in D.B., the biggest problems I’ve been aware
of rose and fell over the years depending on how
many unsupervised youth were living
on my street. At times I became fearful of them,
but they and their parents eventually
moved away. When these problems arise now
and then, I am hesitant to report them
because I am an older woman living alone.
I understand that a complaint would
require my stating my name – which would
leave me vulnerable to reprisal.
19. We need more
neighborhood patrol. Also the Dash Market needs more patrol
as well as the shopping center. Young kids
always are hanging around blocking
people from trying to get in and out! I
live on a dead end block. Too many cars
driving through. My tire caps are always
stolen. We are full time people here…and
lot are weekend people.
20. Gangs and
vandalism also seem to go hand in hand. By pushing out gangs
you reduce the tendency of teens to commit
vandalism. Disco Bay parents should be
told that gangs are not cute and they are liable
for their teen’s activities.
21. If you could
check the Discovery Bay shopping Center by Aladino’s Pizza, kids
smoke and loiter there and also at the Vallero
gas station. Thank you.
22. We called about
some youth related vandalism, and the officer gave us the
impression and feeling that we were a
bother.
23. We
own a business in the old Disco Bay shopping centers and have witnessed on
MANY occasions kids back there – I am positive drug deals go on back there
because I drive up and kids turn around with terrified looks and then get
in their cars and take off.
24.
Harbor Bay Condo residents have a problem with loud and rowdy
teenage parties. We do have a problem with enforcing our CC& R’s. We
understand that the law cannot help us with most of our problems.
25.
I leave my home at approximately 3:45 every day. In the spring and
summer there are many groups of young (12-17) kids all over the streets
just roaming around. If I see it every day why doesn’t the 2 deputies
that patrol out here see them. Also, the cars speeding around at night
burning rubber, racing and wake me up at night (all night). If I can hear
them 1-2 miles away, why can’t the 2 deputies? We are too easy on the
young punks out here.
26.
See lots of graffiti, spray painting, etc. off Newport. This
indicates lots of gang activities.
27.
Juvenile crime has caused much damage to the community and should
be dealt
with harshly. Many kids involved have not been punished for their crimes
for
whatever legal reasons. A strong deputy presence may help reduce these
crimes
since they are not going to be prosecuted.
Back to top
Theft/Vandalism
1. As the city and
its citizens grow and prosper, it is perhaps inevitable that we
will suffer being the target of theft, both from
individuals within the area and
outside the area.
2. There are
particular vulnerabilities from water and road, and we should consider
changes and other measures (such as technology) to
safeguard our homes and
possessions. Garage theft of the hit-and-run variety
is a particular concern.
3. Try to stop
vandalism.
4. I have had my
truck broken into 2 times, my home vandalized one time, and my
boat stereo stolen once in 15 years.
5. Lots of new mail
theft.
6. I am a resident
and I work in D. Bay. My home is on a fairly quiet cul-de-sac
but I work at the shopping center. (1540 D.B. Blvd.)
and we have huge vandalism
issues. Our parking lot is always a mess in the
morning. Monday mornings are the
worst. The Hofmann Co. has added a brighter light and
that hasn’t seemed to slow
down the vandalism.
7. We are not there
all the time (Disco Bay). We are most concerned that we do
not have burglary when we’re gone. Also, I keep
my garage door closed when we
are there because I heard of theft into the garage when
the door is left open in the past.
8. I have had quit a
few items left out for charitable organizations stolen before
organization pick up! I will change my method of leaving
these items out in my
driveway from now on.
9. My husband and I
have lived in Discovery Bay since 1989 and have always felt safe
until the last 2 to 3 years. Since then we’ve had our
car vandalized, an attempted
break in of our garage in the middle of the
night, and over this Christmas Holiday our
mail stolen out of our mailbox All of this – and
we live on the Golf Course with a
Guard! I’m not sure what can be done but possibly a
greater presence would help.
10. With so much
construction and remodeling we have outsiders who can “case”
the area for burglary opportunities. We need for
them to know Discovery Bay has
zero “O” tolerance for crimes.
11. Need to control
vandalism.
12. Need more
neighborhood patrols late at night. Car wheels and vandalism have
been noticed. Drive bys of Latinos have
been noticed. This is not south side L.A.!
13. Theft and
destruction of property are the items of greatest concern.
14. This survey
listed a lot of the main problems in our neighborhood. I think a
lot of our crimes are related to
teens vandalizing and stealing. My children attend
Discovery Bay Elementary and our school
gets vandalized a lot—especially during the
breaks and on weekends. Some examples in
the past 2 years have been vulgar
words written around campus, bonfires that
have been set over the weekend, and a
huge mess left from it, fecal matter rubbed all
over classroom doors, and our school
sign has been vandalized several times. I think
there should be patrols in the school
area during, after school hours, and on weekends.
15. The reports of
theft and vandalism seem quite high tone considering our location
and the higher income level required to live
here. I have lived in higher density
locations and suburbs with significantly less or
almost no criminal activity.
16. I would like to
see a reduction in theft. My house as broken into and nothing
was done and no attempt made to catch
persons or keep this from occurring to
others. It is a big problem, much more than
traffic violations. I’m not sure if this isn’t
more of reflection on the detectives who
are not part of the D.B. Sheriffs, but maybe
it should be because cars are being stolen
houses broken into, in part because of the
reputation for nothing being done out here.
17. My car was
stolen at 9:30 a.m. I was referred to the CHP even though a deputy
was in the sub-station—thus a delay, and 4
hrs. later the vehicle is recovered totally
stripped. I’m told by the CHP this is a
big problem in the area. However, it is not
accurately reflected by the Sheriff’s
office as they handle these repots. The morning
my car was taken, 4 others were taken as
well. 4 others were recovered that were
stolen from other areas and stripped. If
we had better patrols, we could not be as
vulnerable to vehicle thefts and vehicle
burglaries/larcenies. My neighbor’s car was
been broken into 4 times in 1 year. He
have given upon the system. It appears more
time is spent on parking complaints, kids
skateboarding, and hanging out.
18. We just had our
stone mailbox smashed the night of Jan. 13, 2006. No trace
(4795 Discovery Point) We enjoy the community and
welcome the patrol cars
with a friendly wave.
19. Car burglary is
way too high out here and needs much more attention. I don’t feel
I could live out here and feel safe without
owning a gun of my own, so I can protect
my family when your men are off patrolling
Bethel Island.
20. Just because we
are a gated community does not exempt us from Sheriffs Patrol
and Assistance. We have had numerous
break-ins and robberies. There is also
traffic irregularities and wrong parking,
etc. Our HOA stinks. They are too busy with
strife amongst themselves to pay concern to
our safety and rules being enforced.
21. We need more
night time presence. We have too much vandalism occurring
in the evening hours.
22. My car has been
stolen twice since we moved in. My truck has had a rock
thrown through a window in an attempt to
steal the contents. My neighbor had a
trailer stolen. I caught someone
sealing my neighbor’s Christmas decorations. All of
this occurred between 12 midnight and
6 a.m. This would be the best time to patrol.
My neighbors and I have discussed
installing video cameras. We are all willing to
participate in a neighborhood watch program
and would welcome any help the
sheriff’s office has to offer.
23. We live on St.
Andres Ct. – our mail was torn open and strewn on the street
before Christmas. Two weeks later someone
delivered another letter of ours found
opened and wet in the road. This is a concern.
Apparently it also happened on
Augusta Ct.
24. As you
know many of the homes in Disco Bay are occupied part time. I do watch
over my neighbor’s property – the biggest
concern I have is theft and burglary. Autos
sometimes are stolen. But burglary is very
high on my list as I don’t want burglars in
my home – it’s intrusive.
25. Our main
concern is auto theft/break-ins in the area and people leaving cars in the
parking lot for extended periods of time.
26. There
seems to be people cruising and engaging in crimes of opportunity
(theft from
vehicles).
27. Most
important is crime prevention like theft and burglary. I feel safe in
Discovery
Bay, but we need law and order at all
times with common sense and good judgment.
28.
My wife and I manage Discovery Bay Storage. Theft and vandalism on
vehicles,
boats, and RV’s has been a big problem and continues to get worse at each
of our
parking lots located on Newport and Bixler.
29.
More patrol in golf course – car broken into in driveway – we
chased off the
people. Electric scooter stolen from driveway. People are coming in
w/o reason and waiting until dark to burglarize houses. Also hopping over
wall backing up to Hwy. 4, then burglarizing houses, and driving toward
Stockton.
30.
Theft seems to be a common problem as I have 2 neighbors who have
been robbed.
Back to top
Boat/RV/Trailers/Parking Enforcement
1. Many times you
will see large boats and trailers parked on the main streets
(Discovery Bay Blvd. and Willow Lake Dr.) This makes
an unsafe condition. With this
condition, coupled with all the people who walk on the
street (not on the sidewalk),
I’m shocked no one has been killed.
2. Enforcement of
long-term motor home parking is okay but should be waived for
visitors. I have family who visit from 5-7 days once a
year, and they are hassled every
time.
3. There has been a
car with a flat tire on my street for 2 weeks (Pelican Court).
4. Don’t be
concerned about the letter of the law – re: ticket for parking RV 1 ft.
onto my
driveway to relieve traffic and not destroying pavement
with jacks – which are needed
if I park further into street.
5. There is not
enough parking enforcement in our neighborhood. I’m still seeing trailers
parked on the street for days at a time.
6. There is not
enough parking enforcement in our neighborhood. I’m still seeing trailers
parked on the street for days at a time. Problems with
motorcycles (4-wheelers and
mini-bikes) running up and down our streets…one if from
3977 Seagull Ct. and the
other from 3561 Sailboat.
7. There needs to
be a focus on the violations of boat, and RV trailers and what the
Discovery Bay code is. We live in the Edgewater
subdivision and on Cambridge alone
there has been a double jet ski trailer parked on the
street for 2 months. There is also
a white SUV limo that is either taking up its full
share of the road or blocking the
sidewalk. The people store it @ their residence. This
is just a couple of violations.
8. On street
RV/Boat parking should be allowed but limited to 72 hours (3 days). Boat
trailers should be allowed on driveways for up to
5 days. A Disco Bay small sub-
station would be good with the growth of the
area.
9. There is not
enough parking enforcement in our neighborhood. I’m still seeing trailers
parked on the street for days at a time.
10. Suggestions:
when calling regarding parking violations (re: Big Trucks, RV’s,
etc)
·
Should not
make you feel it is not important.
·
Also should
not tell offenders who complained.
·
Offenders of parking should get a bigger ticket. Some people just keep
parking there Big Trucks and RV –no matter how often you complain.
11. Parking
enforcement is also important to me, but feel that crime and neighborhood
patrol are the most needed and time well spent
12. Do not enforce
trailers in yard laws. This is a waste of our tax money! Be more
concerned with real crimes.
13. We live in the
gated country club area so street parking of boats, RV’s, etc. is
not a big issue for us. Also because we
are gated, we have very little than traffic
to worry about.
14. Driving through
the main parts of Disco Bay, on street parking of old vehicles,
boats, RV’s etc. continues to be a major
eyesore and is the main reason we
chose to buy a home in the country club.
We see much more partying and
problems also in these other areas of
our community.
15. I am not
concerned about minor parking violations.
16. As to parking,
I know for certain local neighbors park for days without a
citation. Just because we live in a court should
not be an excuse. You should
patrol more often.
17. I’ve seen
derelict cars and trucks with trash parked on streets for months near
Discovery Bay/Beach Ct.
18. A very important
issue is that of illegal parking of recreation vehicles in the street.
19.
Problems with parking, boats, and R.V.’s
20.
Discovery Bay is a unique community and should be treated as such.
Boat trailers, RV’s, etc. parked on people’s property is ok by me even if
it doesn’t conform to county standards.
21.
Problems with boat trailers on streets, utility trailers on
streets, dual wheel vehicles parked on streets.
22.
I feel that enforcement is not happening with boats and vehicles
being parked on the street off of Cove. These are the streets off of Cove
that have cars parked all over and some never move.
23.
Street cleaners are unable to clean the streets because of cars and
boats parked on the street.
24.
I live on Foghorn Way and as indicated I would like to see parking
enforcement. I feel all cars should be parked off the street. It is hard
to back out of your driveway when vehicles on the street obscure your
vision. Also, the neighborhood looks trashy with cars parked everywhere.
I there are covenants to cover this, then a warning should be issued and
after that I would like to see people ticketed.
25.
Parking violations: probably should be more selective. Junkers at
the curb or in a drive way too long is not good. Trailers in driveway
should be okay if small and not left too long. Short term parking on the
wrong side should be okay especially on side streets.
26.
Far too much emphasis is put on the “recreational vehicle” parking
issue. We are a recreational community. I would rather see those efforts
put toward crime prevention and educating youths.
27.
Our major concern is parking of commercial or recreational vehicles
on Windward Pt. Some homes keep numerous inoperative vehicles in their
driveways which begins to look trashy if they remover over a long period
of time. Presently a dumpster is on the street near the corner and it
protrudes into the street, and if it were foggy, cars could easily hit
it. I feel the dumpster should be kept in the driveway of the home, not
on the street.
28.
Parking of business vehicles, boats, R.V.’s and trailers is a
major problem. Please ticket all violators.
36.Assist CHP in
enforcement of illegal vehicle use on streets; such as motor driven
skateboards, mini motorcycles, etc. Education for
parents about use of thee types of
vehicles is also needed.
Back to top
Fireworks
1. We have fireworks
all year log. It has gotten worse. We (my husband and I) have
been in Discovery Bay 20 years. The last two years it
is terrible---meaning fireworks.
2. Work on stopping
illegal fireworks.
4. I think one of
the major problems is fireworks/gunshots. We live at Lakeshore
and we hear them from across the bay behind our home.
I talk with Discovery Bay
folks and they say the same problem.
5. Noise and
fireworks only seem to occur on Holidays – 4th of July – Xmas
and New
Year’s.
6. July 4th
and New Year’s fireworks got “way” out of hand this year. The worst we’ve
observed since 1988.
7. Reduce noise on
July 4th.
8. The “no
tolerance” policy re: fireworks was a real joke. Had the Sheriff’s Dept.
put one patrol boat on the D.B. waters,
they could have written citations all night
on 7/4. Offenders can only be located from the water
since fireworks are discharged
from docks.
9. In regards to
fireworks, if there is a complaint against someone, the Sheriff’s
department should be allowed to fine and arrest that
person.
10. Leave the
fireworks of individuals alone on the 4th of July. It is the
only day to
enjoy…let them enjoy. Noise/disturbance is too broad.
If it is music, leave it alone.
If it is barking dogs, fines need to be imposed.
11. On the July 4
weekend of 2005, there was excessive amounts of illegal fireworks
in Lakeshore. I had remnants in my pool
and on the roof of my 2-story home. And
w/fireworks comes minors and underage drinking in
the street. Those streets being
Cumberland Way and Bridgeport Loop –hint, hint!
Speeding on the
water/Marine issues
1. Concerned over
speed violations in water (5 mile/hr “no wake zone).
2. The jet skis or
boats that don’t adhere to the 5 mile zone is of concern. Seems most
of them are younger in age – and just don’t seem
to care. Any help here would be
great.
3. Marine patrol is
good, but worry more about the fast water sloughs than the local
bays, another waste and just hassling people.
4. The only time
most boaters obey the no wake area is if they see the marine patrol
and all they get is a warning. If there was a
“0” tolerance on wakes it would sure
slow people down and make the foam under the
docks last longer. I would love to
have a sheriff sit at my dock (out of sight) for
about 2 hours in the evening when all the
boaters that have been drinking all day and could
care less about the laws and rules
come back in and are in a hurry to get home.
Thanks.
5. D.B. is a “no
wake area” . This is no longer being enforced. Ski boats and
wave runners along with fisherman are always in a hurry
to get to fast water. The no
wake infraction ranges from minor to 40-50 mph at 2
AM. We need a marine
presence in Discovery Bay before someone gets killed.
My mistake – someone
already has – it was a little girl with no life
jacket. She was overcome by carbon
monoxide and fell off the back of boat.
6. The marine
patrol should enforce the no wake speed (5 mph maximum) by stopping
violators and warning them. Then sometimes other
violations would be apparent i.e.
drinking, safety, noise (loud music), etc.
7. We have no
protection at all on the bayside of our homes. I have caught people
trying
to seal canoes and kayaks off of my dock. I was
told by the Sheriff’s office when I
called that there is not much they could do and
it would take 2 ½ hours to get the
coast guard out there. To make it short, it is
someone’s responsibility to protect the
residents on the water side and it is not done.
8. Tough boating
rules and enforcements would make our waters safer.
9. Far too many
people are “under the influence” while driving boats.
10. Marine patrol –
would like to see the no wake zones enforced on Indian Slough,
Kellogg Creek, and Warner’s Cut.
Back to top
1. No emergency
evacuation procedures in effect for this area.
2. Are there plans
to provide emergency services in the event of a national
emergency such as a pandemic as a result of a global
avian flu outbreak? Is
there a plan? Who controls the plan? How is your
department involved?
3.
You need to devise a plan for schools (students, teachers,
administration) for an “active shooter”. Include a pre-plan prior to your
arrival at the scene.
Back to top
1. Drugs and
sales/parties are the cause of both above. Please fight the
drug problem in adults as well as kids – re:
crank. Thank you.
2. I feel there is
a real problem with drug use here.
3. From what I have
read perhaps the Sheriff’s office might consider an undercover
drug operation to keep predators away from our young.
4. The Sheriff’s
office seems to be focusing a lot on parking enforcement
and boat
violations. Yet drug sales seem to happen in pain
sight. It could lead one to believe
that the focus in on revenue not safety.
5. My
daughter, who is now almost 22 years old, married, and settled, has
told us
some horror stories regarding drugs here in
Discovery Bay. During her teen years and
up to about 2 years ago, she claims, and still
claims, you can get any kind of drug you
want “right here is Discovery Bay”. This
concerns me greatly. She has told me that at
parties she attended here in Discovery Bay, there are
people in their 30’s and 40’s
who attend and also sell and do drugs. Drugs should be a top
priority for the Sheriff’s
Dept. There is a lot more drug dealers here
than anyone thinks!!
6. Patrol the park
(Cornell) more often especially during the summer time. Kids are
drinking and doing drugs, and under age kids are there a lot
after 10:00 p.m.
7. We are new to
Discovery Bay, and on the outside everything looks beautiful.
However, I have an 8th grader (new to the
public school system) and he has witnessed
several students attempting to sell drugs (which he as
reported to the principal
anonymously). He also has seen teasing and bullying at
Excelsior take place. This the
amount of new residents, the crime and drug rate
(although lower than most areas) will
continue to be a problem. Just thought you ought to
know.
8. Drugs are
probably the single largest cause of burglary – when you deal with
one you effect the other.
9. Other than theft
and burglary, the #1 priority should be narcotics and drug sales.
10. We need a
proactive plan for illicit sales and use of drugs at schools.
11. Get rid of the
dope dealing and cooking people on Kelso Rd. and Islands near
Byron so we tax paying people can live a
peaceful life without having triple locks on
everything and guns at hand.
Back to top
1.
I have lived in Discovery Bay for 17 years. Considering the
financial constraints the department has, I appreciate the additional
coverage the sheriff’s office has tried to place in Discovery Bay. When I
first moved out here you very rarely ever saw a sheriff deputy’s car. I
see them all the time now. And this is with Discovery Bay having a very
low serious crime rate. The department is doing a good job.
2.
Thanks.
3.
Appreciate the form and asking for our opinion!
4.
The Sheriff’s Department has done a good job in Discovery Bay.
5.
Thanks for letting us offer some feedback on our neighborhood!
6.
We think they are doing well with such a short staff.
7.
You have excellent service!
8.
You are very visible on my street (Discovery Bay Blvd.) It makes
me feel safe and helps with the speeding. Thank you!!
9.
Thank you for providing us a safe neighborhood!!
10.
Thank you!
11.
Great Job
12.
Thanks and Happy New Year!!
13.
I think the Sheriff’s office is doing a really good job.
14.
Jason Ingrassia is a wonderful Deputy and one of the most
professional I have met.
15.
Keep up the great job!! My family and I know you are all
extremely busy, and risk a lot every day on the job, but you are much
appreciated.
16.
I very much appreciated your attendance and reports at our Town
Council meetings. It is with embarrassment and disappointment that I
witnesses a Mr. Barry Hinds (Council Member) personal statement that was
negative and addressed to the Deputy in attendance – totally
uncalled for and an embarrassment to the council and residents. He has
since resigned for the Board – rightfully should have done so. Keep up
the Good Work and we look forward to increased budgets!!!
17.
Thank you for all that you do!
18.
I have had to call a few times and I really appreciate the help I
have received.
19.
All of my contacts with the sheriff’s dept. over 15 years as a
homeowner in Disco Bay have been positive. Please don’t let a few old men
with nothing better to do in their life but complain set the tone. Most
residents I’ve spoken with realize the situation we’re in. The only way
to remedy some of the problems is more sheriffs.
20.
Thanks – we know you are doing the best you can with the budget you
have to work with - more money – more protection.
21.
Gentlemen, you are doing a fine job, response is very good.
22.
Given the amount of personnel that can work our area…the sheriff’s
department does a pretty good job. I believe Sheriffs presence in the
area acts as a deterrent…..just need to see more of you. Thanks!
23.
The police are doing something right (compliment) because I rarely
hear of crime or trouble in our neighborhood. Making people aware, through
the newspaper, is a great way to help prevent crime. I feel I am
consciously aware and read that it is out there, so I do what I can to
protect my family. Thank you to the department! This survey made me feel
good; it showed me that our community matters.
24.
From what I have experienced in the last 2 years here in Discovery
Bay I would say that you guys are doing a great job.
25.
Thanks for the great work!
26.
Having lived in Fresno, Discovery Bay seems like a “breath of fresh
air”. I am concerned about keeping it nice. That is why police patrols
are great!
27.
Keep up the good work. Please continue to work with the SMAC
group. After the Discovery Bay town meeting of 1-4-06 I can see why the
Sheriff and officers would be reluctant to attend ever again. Please
accept our apologies.
28.
I think they do there job well. I’m happy with them so far. And I
have no complaints.
29.
Thank you for the survey. What a great idea to help involve us!
30.
Being a sheriff can be a very challenging job. Keep up the hard
work.
31.
Good job. Thank you!
32.
The Sheriff’s department is doing a good job!
33.
The Sheriff’s department does a fine job and they are around
enough. The people who complain are all over 50 with nothing else to do.
34.
Thank you for your participation in our community. this is a
valuable part of the service you provide. If the treatment at meetings is
ever unprofessional, please take steps to let the citizens know. WE can
elect different, more professional representatives. I apologize for the
past behavior of our community representatives.
35.
I found the deputies I have come in contact with to be very
courteous and knowledgeable.
36.
Realizing the nature of this community and the relatively small
population, I feel we receive optimum support service, protection, and
response from the Sheriff’s Dept. It is most appreciated. Semper fi.
37.
Used to live on Marina Rd. – Sheriff response was always good – now
ingolf course – different clientele
38.
I am generally happy with the service provided.
39.
You are doing a good job! We just need more of it.
40.
Overall the Sheriff’s Dept. does a great job. No complaints.
Thank you all for your service. Best wishes for a safe 2006.
41.
Keep up the good work and bless you for helping to protect us.
42. Thanks for all
you do! Thank you for your hard work. It is appreciated.
49.Thanks
for the extra patrol recently. It’s great to see your friendly faces on
patrol!
50. Most
important!! Your officers appear regularly and frequently in
the neighborhood.
They are pleasant, professional, and friendly,
and we try to let them know that were
are pleased with their presence whenever
possible. Keep up the excellent work!
51.The
Sheriff’s policing force is good. The men are very gracious and
professional.
52.
Considering the manpower, I think the Sheriff’s department does a good job
in
Disco Bay.
Negative comments:
1.
Stop harassing visitors in motor homes and night time walkers.
2.
Not everyone who walks streets late at night are a problem. Quit
stopping them especially when you know who they are.
3.
The Sheriff’s deputy who responded to vandalism on the whole
block of mailboxes was uncaring and basically told me and my neighbor
both that if we wanted to catch these people we need to buy a security
camera – get evidence and then call the Sheriff! His attitude made me
feel like because I live here I should spend the money for the camera.
We don’t even bother any more. Our mailbox was robbed at X-mas – oh
well – I don’t have a camera!
4.
I have lived in this neighborhood for 3 ½ years and have see
Sheriff’s patrol car maybe twice. Fireworks around holidays a set off
consistently. Younger neighbors who have move recently congregate I
their garages with noise, cars screeching tires, etc. One has to
wonder why there’s no sign of any law enforcement.
5.
Sheriff’s need to patrol streets more. We live on Newport Dr
Speeders often 45-55 mph. Need to stay out of Starbucks and do their
jobs we the tax payer for….We have been ticketed for parking of the
street or more than 72 hours, when others park boats, cars, and motor
homes for days even week at a time. Not a thing DONE. We lived
here for 15 years, it use to be a great place to live. Wow its like
living in a big city something most people don’t like it. The Sheriff’s
need to start doing there job not just park on the street or at the
coffee shop. Please try to stop speeding on are streets. I lose 6 cats
to driver going way to fast. Please put an end to those a.s.a.p. Thank
you for your time to read this.
6.
Stop harassing kids on their go-peds!!
7.
Lighten up on strict enforcement of fireworks “law” in Discovery
Bay on 4th of July (Save it for farming communities).
8.
Sheriff’s service is terrible.
9.
A sheriff was called to my residence due to a possible domestic
violence situation. My ex-husband and I at the time were legally
separated. He showed up late at night harassing me. The sheriff that
came told us that he could stay at the home and if he had to come back
to the residence again that night one of us was going to jail. I told
the sheriff that my ex was driving here on a suspended license and he was
under the influence of narcotics. Nothing was done by the sheriff and
luckily enough my ex left on his own free will. I lost faith in our
county sheriff’s dept. after that.
10.
I was robbed and the sheriff thought I was lying and it was just
another drug deal. They never got any of my things back and I was never
informed about what happened. They didn’t even find my stolen car. I
did and got lip from the officer because he had to print it late @
night.
11.
The Sheriff’s Office seems more concerned with fireworks and
shutting down parties in the neighborhood. They have walked in to my
house uninvited and have not been justified in their actions. I
understand that they have to respond to noise complaints but they take
it too far. Perhaps noise complaints at 10:00 PM on a weekend –
especially a holiday weekend should be handled differently.
12.
I live on a cul-de-sac so rarely see a Sheriff on this street.
We fortunately have had no problems/thefts, but a friend on a street
near us had a recent middle of the night robbery which the Sheriff
caught them and released them after finding stolen credit cards in his
pocket. He still roams the streets of Discovery Bay but has not been
picked up or prosecuted. WHY??
13.
We called several times about illegal fireworks next door –
nothing was done. I saw some little wannabe gang-bangers hit another kid
– ½ block from Sheriff’s office – no one around – called 911 – I was
told that the Sheriff’s Office was familiar with the group, but I didn’t
see any consequences. I was not contacted.
14.
My one interaction was on Discovery Bay Blvd. I had forgot to
buckle my seat belt (I always wear it-simple mistake) six years ago. I
had no accidents or tickets ever on my record (20 years +).
The Sheriff did a
U-turn across 4 lanes of traffic – almost hitting another car to give me
a ticket. He was very rude – comments like “son, don’t you know
how to follow the rules” – yet this officer was extremely
overweight – well beyond standards – at least 100 lbs. overweight – a
rude, complete slob! Embarrassing. I don’t think he knows how to
follow the rules (weight standards).
15.
The lack of law enforcement presence in a town this size is
appalling.
16.
Officers tend not to take calls to seriously. They should
enforce the law more vigorously.
17.
Do not be arrogant
-
Treat us with
respect – do not “put down” or dismiss our concerns or complaints.
-
Offer us options
to resolve the issue
-
Do not tell us
“there is nothing we can do”.
-
We are not all
rich in Discovery Bay – don’t act like our concerns are petty.
-
Don’t tell us
everything is a “civil matter”.
18.
15 bikers were lighting off illegal fireworks on Sailboat. I
went there to meet the
officer and identify the group of bikers lighting off the fireworks.
When I drove to
Sailboat from my house I was confronted by the bikers before the officer
arrived.
One of the bikers jumped on my car causing damage. Just at that time the
officer
turned the corners and tried to arrest me for hitting the man with my
car. The police
should do their jobs and not go after the innocent.
19. I
am a recent new resident in discovery bay. I have moved here
from San
Leandro. Since I have moved her, my
car has been
broken into and items stolen,
I have been harassed by the
neighbors on the street because they don’t like my car,
and recently Contra Costa county
sheriff came by (I’m assuming called by some
neighbor) to ticket my car for no
front plate – a fixable violation. But instead of
knocking on the door to ask if
someone could fix the problem before ticketing – the
office simply stuck the ticket on my
window. I have always had a great
relationship with the police in my
old town and am really disappointed that the
Contra Costa Sheriff made no attempt to
contact me as I was home at the time of
the ticket being written.
20. My last phone
contact w/a female sheriff on the phone about loud noise and bombs
going off was not good. She was rude and
not very accommodating. She acted as
though she didn’t want to be bothered. WE
have a big problem on our street w/loud
noisy parties, and bikes @ 1839 Dune Point
Way. We’ve had vandals and car theft. I
don’t like being yelled at or having to make
excuses about my complaints.
21. I’ve had two
encounters w/sheriffs that they’ve had bad attitudes. One was speeding
through our neighborhood to catch someone riding
a dirt bike…risk vs reward wasn’t
there. I flagged him down and told him we have
kids in the area and to slow down.
22. The
Sheriffs need to hear both sides of a problem. They make a decision
hearing one side of an incident, and
not hearing the other side. I had this problem.
Then they act like a jerk, treating you
like dirt, without hearing both sides. They need
to listen more, not judge. They are peace
officers, not problem makers and judges.
They need to know who is paying their wages. I
am. Please be nice to people. It
starts with you. If you want respect, you
must give respect to get it.
23.
Encounter we experienced with a deputy – approximately 5/1/05. We
called the
sheriff’s office regarding some serious threats
(bodily injury) made by a neighbor to my
husband. After the deputy went to talk with the
neighbor, he came back and told us
we don’t own the street. This neighbor came on
our property and threatened us, and
this was the response we received! He would not even
take a report! So needless to
say, we have no confidence in your department.
24. Been
stopped twice – not coming to “complete” stop – both late at night –
with no
traffic. They seem to have nothing else to do
but lay in wait for someone to justify
their existence. Also, they should practice what
“they preach”! Last night 2
motorcycle cops “flew” by me and between another car –
startling me, turned on their
lights to run stoplight (Hwy 4 & Balfour) then turned
off their lights – sped down Hwy
4 and pulled into your Brentwood Office complex about
6:15 p.m.
25. I do
not see any police services associated with “to serve and protected”.
The slogan
should be changed to “to deceive and site.” I
see it as a revenue based organization
aimed primarily at giving tickets. The police
are not friendly. They are not concerned
with your well-being. On my way to work at 3:00
a.m. (my shift starts at 4 a.m.) I
was followed on Marsh Creek for 2 miles. I
slowed down, he slowed down. I sped
up, he sped up. It ended up being an officer who
scared the living daylights out of me
and sited me for 65 in a 55. I am a 50 year-old
single woman, and the police in my
opinion show drastic need for improvement.
26. The
Sheriff was rude, arrogant, rough, unkind, and impolite. I asked him to
take off
his shoes, and said he doesn’t take them off for
God. After fingerprinting, he left a
mess. We never got the result – was told it was
not a priority. I would never call
them again. Also they were prejudiced . My
husband was from Europe, and a doctor,
and was asked how can he afford such a nice house,
thinking he was a dumb Mexican.
27. I was pulled over in my
golf cart on the way to the County Club, not breaking any laws,
and was treated very rudely. I was told next time
my cart would be impounded. I am
37 and felt like I was being talked to like a 5th
grader.
28. I received a citation for
illegal parking and expired registration in front of my own home!
I explained that we just moved here,
my registration was late via new mailing address, so
I did not have my tag yet. But I was forced to
pay a fine and no one listened to my
explanation. The car was parked about a foot in
front of my own driveway and I
received my ticket. I feel your department
disregarded me as a citizen and resident. I
I suggest your department determine/consider
situations prior to not considering the
facts!! Please share this with your supervisor.
29. Send a deputy who is
eager to do his/her job in our community and who is assertive and
proactive. Someone who finds things to do not
just sit at the coffee shop or office. I
never seen a deputy doing any proactive of
self-initiated work. They just sit in their
vehicles in a closed off area being lazy.
30. Dispatch personnel can be
more polite and concerned. Show up at meetings and act
and be more concerned with law-abiding citizens.
The sheriffs sometime act like they
really don't care and there are too few of them
for how big Discovery Bay has become!
31. I have received 3 tickets in front of my home for no reason. One
time my husband had
pull up fast and when I went to move the car the
right way, an officer was out there and
said too bad. Well we have had our cars broken
into twice and every person on our
street at least once. Where you then? There are
kids always getting high in the park.
Where are you then?
32. It is upsetting to receive this survey. We don't think it's to help
your office improve
services. We feel it's self serving to help Rupf
excuse poor service. Rupf, you are far
to arrogant to be a public servant. When a team
fails too much, the coach should be
fired.
33. Unfortunately you could have taken care of things a long time ago in
our neighborhood.
Tim and Darrel have stolen from our families, our
kids, and our homes. All you have
done is watch it happen. You say your hands are
tied. I have had photographs of
them with stolen merchandise and you do nothing.
When will you do something? I
know Tim and Darrel are gone now, but not after
thousands of dollars are lost, $7,000
from me personally.
34. I feel that your officers do not make the extra effort to enforce
the law - where you
have parents who allow parties where underage
children are drinking and they know
it. And it happens constantly. And you do nothing about
it. Why even make the effort
to come out to Windward Pt. to the Cook resident.
Arrest the parents!
35. Giving my son "repeated" parking citations for the same violation
during the same week!!
36. Sheriff was no help at all. I feel in the future I'll have to take
care of myself and not
depend on our local law enforcement for any help.
Back to top
Return to Home Page
|
