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Acting VPD chief and Solano sheriff report crime declines, faster response times; deputies deployed to Vallejo beats
Summary
Acting VPD Chief Bob Knight and Solano County Sheriff reported drops in several crime categories (murders down ~32%, shootings down ~25%), improved average priority‑1 response times (~9 minutes), and increased officer‑initiated enforcement. The council pressed for continued recruitment and solutions to abandoned‑vehicle backlogs and tow capacity.
Acting Vallejo Police Department Chief Bob Knight and representatives of the Solano County Sheriff’s Department gave a 60‑day public safety update March 26 that emphasized improved staffing and crime‑reduction trends while flagging persistent challenges.
Knight said the department has rebuilt some patrol capacity since the staffing emergency declared in 2023: patrol officers rose from 35 to 39, and the department has multiple academy classes scheduled that could bring the force to about 88 sworn officers if recruits pass. He highlighted operational initiatives — increased officer‑initiated activity (traffic stops up ~94%), expanded use of ALPR technology tied to stolen‑vehicle reductions, and new community engagement such as a community police academy.
On crime metrics, Knight reported murders down about 32% year‑over‑year and shootings down roughly 25%. Larceny, auto burglaries and stolen vehicles also declined significantly; however, domestic‑violence incidents and officer assaults increased. Average priority‑1 response time for the 12‑month period through January 2026 improved by about 36% to just over nine minutes; priority‑2 and priority‑3 times showed larger percentage improvements.
Solano County Sheriff representatives — deployed under the county contract to serve Vallejo beats — described response‑time performance on their beats and reported activity indicators (arrests, traffic stops, area checks) during January 21–March 1 deployments. Councilmembers asked for aggregated multi‑beat metrics and urged quarterly reporting to quantify how Sheriff deployments and redeployments of VPD officers affect citywide response times.
Abandoned vehicles and tow capacity drew sustained attention. Knight said the city reduced SeeClickFix abandoned‑vehicle entries from over 4,000 to about 1,590 and proposed short‑term measures (tow sweeps, revisiting tow‑rotation requirements) and longer‑term options (expanding tow yards outside the city, revising contractual rotation terms) to lower backlog. Councilmembers asked for more data validation, a clear timeline for contract revisions and an estimate of resource needs.
The council welcomed the partnership with the sheriff’s office but stressed the need for recruitment, retention and service‑provider capacity as longer‑term requirements. Staff said they will return to the public safety subcommittee and the council with more detailed, periodic reports and action items.
