Plumas Lake Key Issues: Public Safety

This is the second in a three part series that will look at those key issues of interest to the residents and homeowners of Plumas Lake. Our third and final installment will focus in on current local government actions.

Public safety is an issue for any community throughout the nation and recognizing this concern is what helps Yuba County law enforcement keep residents informed of what is happening in their neighborhoods.

For the past several years, the Yuba County sheriff has come out to Plumas Lake several times a year to let residents know what they should be aware of in and around their homes. This past month, Sheriff Steve Durfor spent some time with residents letting them know of new outreach the department was undertaking and giving some common tips on how to stay safe in the community.

“It is always a unique opportunity to be able to come to an evening with your sheriff, and we want to let you know how we run things here,” said Durfor.

Even though the county and the state are in challenging times, the sheriff assured town hall participants that they will be unwavering in their commitment to a high level of service and have been fortunate to not have to reduce or eliminate any programs – including patrol.

The region is seeing a continual down shift in crime of 25 percent in 2009 and the sheriff’s department has just recently released its annual report, which is available online, detailing exact percentages for types of crimes. 

The department mines all its electronic data in order to see the trends occurring in neighborhoods, identify crime spots and link crimes to others. It is in the process of developing a strategy to use that information to its fullest, Durfor said.

The sheriff’s patrol has used this data to identify high crime areas in the county and has spent time going to homes in these regions and leaving informational door hangers to inform residents of crime in their neighborhoods. This information has also been used to ensure patrol staff in the areas when it makes the most sense to avoid further crimes, Durfor said.

The sheriff has many programs and information available to help residents stay safe and keep their homes protected. A recent grant given to the department has helped to initiate an “offender” program that allows residents to determine if a sex offender is within a mile of their home address and also gives individuals the option to sign up for e-mail notification if an offender moves within those parameters.

To find out if any offenders are in your area and to sign up for the email notification, visit the sheriff’s Web site at: http://sheriff.co.yuba.ca.us/offenderwatch.html.

The department also has created an “If I Were a Thief” sheet that they distribute to residents to help them understand simple steps they can take to make their homes and property secure.

“We just ask residents to use common sense,” said Durfor. “Ironically, one of the biggest issues we have here in Plumas Lake is residents leaving their garage doors open at night.”

Durfor said crimes of opportunity are what the department sees the most. He strongly urged residents to make sure car doors are locked and garage doors are down at night. The sheriff’s patrol has been known to knock on doors no matter what time at night to inform residents their garage doors are open and deputies have even closed doors themselves if no one is home.

Durfor and his department also continues to address issues that have been of concern to residents in the past such as graffiti.

“Residents should continue to report graffiti immediately,” said Durfor. “We will take care of it.”

Durfor stressed that the department has an open-door policy.

“We exist to serve you,” he said. “Please visit our Web site to get information on current activities we are undertaking and call us to report any concerns you might have.”

PlumasLakeLife.com correspondent Michele Perrault can be reached at 763-3380 or e-mail her at mperrault@plumaslakelife.com