Supervisor Glover Credits Community Policing for Lower Bay Point Crime Rate

PITTSBURG — The crime rate for Bay Point went down 11 percent, said Lt. Paul O’Mary of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office during the monthly meeting of the Bay Point Municipal Advisory Council on Feb. 4.

Bay Point also recorded zero homicides, he said.

“The reduction in the crime rate can be attributed to greater community involvement and aggressive policing strategies by the Sheriff’s Office,” said Supervisor Federal Glover, whose district encompasses Bay Point.

O’Mary agreed. “I attribute this decrease with the re-formation of the Neighborhood Watch program (that was lost a few years ago due to budget cuts) and incorporating it with the Bay Point Municipal Advisory Committee’s Bay Point Neighborhood Committee program,” he said. “Another contributing factor is the strong emphasis the Office of the Sheriff places on its Community Policing Program.”

O’Mary said the largest percentage drop is in residential burglaries with a 37 percent drop from last year. Assaults with deadly weapons are also down 28 percent, he said, the lowest in five years.

Counterbalancing the drop in some crime categories, there was an increase in strong-arm robberies by 80 percent and a 17 percent hike in armed robberies. O’Mary says the increase may be due to the increased reporting because of trust developed between the deputies and residents.

Upon hearing O’Mary’s report, applause broke out among the 40 people attending the MAC meeting.

The Neighborhood Watch program has spurred more community activism by being proactive in protecting their homes and streets, said Glover. “I notice that more citizens are stepping up to the plate to keep their neighborhoods safe and clean through Neighborhood Watch and the county-initiated Adopt-A-Road program.”

Promoting the sense of community has been one of the goals of the Municipal Advisory Council, an advisory body to the supervisor.

“All the credit goes to the Sheriff’s Office and their partnerships with various county agencies and residents,” said Glover. “When it comes to public safety, we are all in this together.”