Modesto police hold forum to address crime decrease and community concerns

The Modesto Police Department held a community forum at the King-Kennedy Memorial Center on Wednesday to address crime and other issues within the city.

The two-hour gathering covered topics including crime rates, fentanyl use and scams. More than 30 people attended the forum, which was moderated by police Lt. Michael Hammond.

Ahead of the forum, the department provided a QR code on social media posts, linking to a five-question survey that included which part of Modesto they live in, topics they’re interested in hearing about and a write-in on what they believe are some of the city’s pressing issues.

MPD crime analyst Chylo Williams began the forum by comparing citywide crime rate data from the first four months of 2024 to the first four of this year. It showed a 19% decrease in reported crimes, from 974 to 786.

The data included seven major crime types: aggravated assault, auto theft, homicide, robbery, vehicle larceny, commercial burglaries and residential burglaries.

Auto theft fell nearly 50% from the prior year, from 257 to 135 incidents. However, residential burglaries went up, from 92 to 101 incidents.

South Modesto in particular also saw a decrease in the first four months of this year compared to the same period the year prior. Overall major crime incidents have decreased from 288 to 246 incidents, according to the data presented. Similar to citywide, auto thefts have gone down 33%, from 87 to 58 incidents.

The pattern the department noticed in the auto theft incidents was “people are just leaving their vehicles unlocked,” Hammond said. He recommended attendees lock their vehicles, close all windows and sun roofs completely and hide valuables from plain sight.

Justin Rocha, an investigator with MPD’s Major Crimes Unit, led the discussion about fentanyl use and what attendees should know. He said 2 milligrams is considered a lethal dose and 0.25 milligrams could lead to an overdose.

The Bee reported in April that illegal fentanyl resulted in 101 poisoning or overdose deaths in 2024, according to Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office data.

Forum attendees also were warned of a recent rise in scam reports. Jacob Hook, a property crime detective, offered an example: someone impersonating a representative from a bank. Residents have reported receiving text messages that they owe $30,000 and need to provide their Social Security number and checking account information.

He urged the attendees to be wary of who is sending the messages. “If you receive text messages, phone calls [or] emails, truly, truly take a look,” Hook said. “Make sure that it is, in fact, a representative from that organization,”

Hammond brought up Immigration Customs and Enforcement, saying the Police Department has heard the community’s concerns about the agency’s actions.

Police Chief Brandon Gillespie said his department doesn’t do general immigration enforcement or enforce immigration laws.

He said his department works with ICE only when there are people who meet the criteria under SB 54, or California Values Act, a state law that restricts state and local law enforcement from working with federal immigration authorities except in cases involving violent offenders.

MPD will host another community forum on Aug. 13 at Congregation Beth Shalom.

This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 2:58 PM.