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Ross police report: full staffing, elder-abuse investigation, and stalled license-plate-reader procurement
Summary
Chief Pada told the council the department is fully staffed, described a complex elder-abuse investigation with alleged $300,000 theft now under prosecution, and said the town’s planned license-plate reader contract is delayed because vendor Flock will not provide the town-required insurance and interoperability with neighboring jurisdictions is a key factor.
Police Chief Pada briefed the Ross Town Council on department staffing, casework and enforcement activity.
The chief said the department is fully staffed for the first time in years and that succession planning is under way. He highlighted recent complex elder-abuse investigations, including one in which an elderly resident is alleged to have had about $300,000 taken by caregivers; investigators prepared warrants, interviewed more than a dozen people and are pursuing prosecution even though the victim has since died. "It was discovered that they had taken about $300,000 from this resident," Chief Pada said, praising officers and volunteer forensic-accounting partners who helped assemble the case.
The chief also reviewed traffic and parking enforcement: 82 moving violations in the first 71 days of the year, multiple speeding citations on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard (32 cited to date), and increased parking enforcement in problem neighborhoods. He encouraged drivers to slow down on Sir Francis Drake.
On license-plate readers (LPRs), staff and the town manager explained the procurement is on hold because the vendor Flock has declined to provide the insurance required by the town, and because a countywide Flock network allows interagency sharing that a standalone vendor could not match. Chief Pada cautioned that standalone systems would make the town "an island" without data-sharing benefits. Town Manager Krista Johnson said staff and the town attorney have pursued alternatives but legal and liability questions have delayed a contract.
No policy action or contract award occurred at this meeting; councilors asked staff to continue exploring vendors, insurance solutions and interoperability implications.
