Calistoga police report shows drop in many crimes; residents press department on Flock Safety data and access
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Summary
Police Chief McCaffrey presented the Calistoga Police Department's 2025 annual report noting declines in several crime categories and faster-than-target response times; public speakers raised privacy and transparency concerns about the city's Flock Safety automated license plate reader contract, and the chief outlined a public "transparency portal" and cases where alerts aided investigations.
Police Chief McCaffrey presented the Calistoga Police Department's 2025 annual report at the Feb. 17 City Council meeting, highlighting staffing changes, response-time metrics, crime statistics and community programs.
The chief told the council the department added two dispatchers and a part-time officer in 2025, took over dispatch services for the city of St. Helena, and continues to pursue state and federal grants to supplement the general fund. He said average response time from call receipt to officer on scene is "just over 2 and a half minutes," below the industry standard goal of five minutes.
On crime trends, McCaffrey said the department can now compare three years of data and that many categories showed declines: "crimes against persons" and "crimes against property" both fell substantially, and traffic collisions were down about 31 percent; he cautioned that increases in some measures, such as DUI arrests, reflect small baseline counts (DUI arrests rose from 8 to 11, a 100% increase in arrests but small in absolute terms).
Public concern focused on the department's use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) operated through a Flock Safety contract. In public comment, Dan Herndon urged the city to cancel an automatic $17,500 annual renewal and alleged the system widens surveillance, retains images beyond what the police department keeps, and lacks transparent access to training and authorized-user lists. Herndon said he had sought records and was denied and argued the program threatens privacy.
Chief McCaffrey defended the department's use of ALPRs as a crime-solving tool and said the department maintains a public transparency portal that lists agencies with shared access (limited to California agencies). He cited examples in which ALPR alerts expedited responses, including a kidnapping investigation and a serial burglar who was tracked through vehicle descriptions and departmental alerts. McCaffrey said some of the specific documents Herndon sought do not exist in the format requested, and that the department's designated contact for the program is the chief.
Councilmembers and residents also asked about projected uses of artificial intelligence for report writing and a possible departmental drone program; McCaffrey said staff were monitoring pilot projects at larger agencies and evaluating in-house needs and constraints before adopting such tools.
The chief said the department will publish the full annual report to the community in English and Spanish and is available for follow-up questions. Several councilmembers thanked staff for their community engagement and public-safety programs.