Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Police and fire chiefs report higher January call volumes; fire chief highlights $900,000 hazard‑mitigation grant application and Firewise outreach
Summary
The police reported 3,959 January calls for service, an average 6‑minute response time to emergencies, and traffic/DUI enforcement operations funded by the Office of Traffic Safety; the fire chief described training, AED installations at the library, and a roughly $900,000 hazard‑mitigation grant application for post‑fire recovery work.
At the Feb. 24 council meeting Captain Walker presented the January 2025 police report and Chief Malinowski delivered the fire department update. Captain Walker said the department handled 3,959 calls for service in January (an increase compared with prior reporting), with an average emergency response time of about six minutes. Part I crimes reported for the month included 20 assaults, seven burglaries, 24 theft-related calls and eight motor-vehicle-theft reports. The department reported 106 arrests for the month (82 resulting in adult bookings) and six DUI arrests; targeted traffic and DUI operations (five operations funded by the Office of Traffic Safety) and 85 extra patrols were also noted.
Captain Walker described the SOP (specialized outreach) team’s work: 36 transient contacts for the month, six subjects who accepted some assistance, one placement, 36 arrests by the team and five citations issued; staff emphasized outreach and efforts to help individuals connect with services.
Fire Chief Malinowski said January was unusually busy with a variety of incidents including a trash-compactor fire with significant property damage avoided and technical rescues. Malinowski reported city staff and fire personnel installed AED equipment at the city library (the library is jointly served in part with the county) and held structural-testing and mental‑wellness training. He told council the city is pursuing what he characterized as an approximately $900,000 hazard‑mitigation grant that would fund fuels reduction, hazard tree removal, soil stabilization and treatments near the Pendleton low‑water crossing to support post‑fire recovery. He also summarized Firewise community workshops and the state “Safer from Wildfires” insurance‑discount program that ties mitigation actions to homeowners’ insurance discounts; he said some neighborhoods already are pursuing Firewise status.
Council members asked clarifying questions about how Firewise communities form, whether deep‑infill neighborhoods can participate and whether AED and other program costs are being tracked. Chief Malinowski and staff committed to offer a Firewise workshop and to return with additional guidance and next steps; staff announced a Firewise workshop scheduled Feb. 26 at the Yucaipa Community Center.
