Modesto candidates' full responses

MODESTO -- QUESTION: There probably won’t be any more money in the Modesto city budget for police and fire next year. What will you do with existing resources to improve public safety?

RESPONSES District 5 Joe Cataline I think it’s a matter of working with the Police Department and refocusing, if you will. Some of the police officers I’ve talked with say the gang task force is typically finished by 8 p.m. To me that’s a mistake, because most gang activity takes place later in the evening. I like the idea of the gang injunction. I think there’s a lot of potential there. From the research I’ve seen, it’s worked well in other cities like Fresno. I’d like to see about expanding that into other areas. We also have to start putting more of an emphasis of working with the young kids in our community. We’re not going to see our long-term crime rates drop if we don’t put more effort into working with young minds. I’d like to see police involved with that.

Kristin Olsen Part of what I think we need to do is working closely with the Police Department to prioritize the functions within the department. I know (Police Chief Mike) Harden is working on that already. The police department has a patrol unit, a traffic unit, a gang unit, several units all working within the department. We need to prioritize those services so that the police department is able to be as responsive as possible to the citizenry, and also make strides toward fighting crime and curbing drug and gang violence. During the budgeting process, we need to be mindful of emphasizing core services as the top priority for budget funding, and public safety is the top priority in my mind. (Another) element would be continuing to focus on partnerships and how the city can work with the county, as well as businesses, churches and nonprofits to find a holistic approach to public safety.

District 4 Joe Muratore In making the most of existing resources, we have to use alternative methods for making our city safer. For example, with the La Loma Neighborhood Association neighborhood ownership model and private security patrol, we have an opportunity. It goes beyond just police and fire, it’s that neighborhoods are well lit, that Neighborhood Watch is happening, and that neighbors are keeping an eye out for each other. We have an effective model for this in the La Loma neighborhood that we’ve applied for several years now that’s perfect for times like these.

Jeff Perine Until I get a full grasp and understanding of the budget, it’s premature to determine what can be done. We’ve got to make our case loud and clear to the federal and state government to get grants. As the economy continues to worsen, I believe that crime will go up. I’ll do all that I can to make sure that police and fire are the last to be cut.

Robert Stanford The very first thing I would do is, I think The Police Department needs an overhaul. I believe their methods and their management is out of control. I’d probably start with chain of command. I don’t like to see a sergeant or lieutenant for every three street officers. That seems like overkill. I would look at how they prioritize calls, how many squad cars they send to each call. They send three cars for a jaywalker, I see it all the time. Something’s wrong there. I’d take a real good look at the gang task force and the Modesto Police Department’s relationship with the sheriff’s department and see what I could do to promote that relationship becoming a little more productive.

District 2 Dave Geer I’ll do whatever I can to maintain as many officers on the street as possible, and recommend cutting back at staff levels before I cut back on officers available to the public for their safety in the district. I’d do my best to encourage civic organizations to pick up the slack as much as possible, to encourage Neighborhood Watch programs and Crime Stoppers. Without the resources at the city level, you just have to enlist the assistance of the public and organizations like Crime Stoppers and Neighborhood Watch and do the best we can at that level. I definitely want to maintain the level of officers and patrol cars as much as we can. Knowing that we’re below 1.85 officers per 1,000 residents, we’re nowhere near that. So whatever can be done to not make it less than it already is, I would as a City Councilman try to maintain at least that level and look for funding sources that can maintain it.