Public Safety Director Larry Bracida told the Duarte City Council on June 24 that the city’s Part 1 crimes were down 23.2% year to date compared with June 2024, a decline he said compounds prior recent reductions: "We ended the year in 2024 with a 9 decline in our part 1 crimes" and an overall 15% reduction compared with 2023.

Bracida said the department will add directed overtime patrols in data-driven high-risk areas and expand patrol routes and time frames so deputies are visible during peak incidents. "If I'm gonna steal a car, or I'm not gonna have aggravated assault or do some kind of criminal activity when a cop is present and watching," he said, explaining the rationale for the strategy.

The department also plans to sustain its decline in larceny-theft through a business-watch program that includes patrols of parking lots and interior spaces, distribution of welcome packets, and two stickers—one from the district attorney’s office and a business-watch sticker—advertising prosecution and participation in the program. Bracida said the Flock camera network is nearly complete, with "11 of the 13 up," and credited camera footage and neighbor tips for a recent residential burglary arrest.

The council heard that the public safety team recently hired Erica Ramos as an outreach coordinator from a pool of 119 applicants; Ramos briefly addressed the council and said she was "very excited to work for a really nice city." Tony Hedlock, promoted to code enforcement and animal control after previously serving as outreach coordinator, was also introduced.

Council members asked about specific locations and resources. Councilmember McCain asked whether the Flock cameras were all operational and whether extra patrols are planned for July 4: Bracida confirmed two cameras remain to be installed, said deputies are doing overtime checks at problem businesses (including a CVS on Huntington Drive), and said the city will deploy uniformed and plainclothes officers and a drone to address illegal fireworks on July 4.

The report closed with Bracida framing the city’s two-pronged approach—outreach to offer services and a separate enforcement capability to maintain quality of life—as a strategy "built on compassion and accountability."