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Council thanks departing Captain Walker; police report fewer fireworks calls, steady crime figures
Summary
Council and community members thanked Captain Walker for his service as he prepares for a transfer; the police department reported June statistics including a 3-minute average emergency response time and fewer fireworks complaints after expanded enforcement and a new app reporting feature.
The City Council publicly thanked Captain Walker during its July 28 meeting as he prepares to transfer to a different assignment on Aug. 9. Council members and community leaders praised his partnership with schools and community groups and presented him with a recognition before the council’s regular agenda.
Police leadership delivered the department’s June statistics to the council: 3,189 calls for service for the month, an average three-minute response time to emergency calls, 75 arrests (63 adult bookings) and Part I crime counts that included two robberies, 22 aggravated assaults, five burglaries, 19 theft-related incidents and two grand theft autos. The department said narcotics offenses, domestic violence incidents, warrant arrests and trespassing were among the most common arrest types.
The department’s traffic enforcement activity was reduced in June because personnel were reassigned to support county demonstrations; one traffic officer wrote 111 citations for the month, and the department investigated 30 collisions and six DUIs. The department’s soft-team and outreach work included 31 transient-related calls, more than 40 park patrols, 22 business contacts and updates to nine letters of agency required under new state rules.
Fireworks enforcement was a major focus: staff said they issued citations, deployed a range of field resources including drone reconnaissance and county fire investigators, and used the city’s Yucaipa mobile app. The app feature for illegal-fireworks reporting launched June 19; staff said the city received 73 fireworks reports between June 19 and the end of June and that the summer enforcement push produced a noticeable decline from prior years.
Captain Walker told the council he valued partnership with the schools and the community and that he would remain a Yucaipa resident. Mayor Thorpe and several councilmembers credited the department’s leadership and community policing approach for regional recognition; one councilmember noted a study that ranked Yucaipa highly among similar-sized California cities for safety.
The department reminded the public that National Night Out is set for Aug. 5 and encouraged residents to attend.
