EL CAJON
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They voiced concerns about gangs, graffiti and vandalism. But most complaints from a crowd of more than 60 people at a Monday night forum on public safety centered on the homeless living in the canyons and riverbeds near their homes.
Residents warned that the homeless often started campfires that could spread into wildfires, and said the down-and-out regularly rifled through their trash for recyclable materials and other items placed in bins along their streets for collection by garbage trucks.
“We don't know who these people are,” one woman said during the meeting at the Ronald Reagan Community Center. “They could be convicted child molesters. . . . They could be trying to steal our identity.”
El Cajon police Lt. Jim Redman, who helped moderate the forum, responded that police do their best to crack down on such offenses.
The meeting was part of a long-term effort called The Project aimed at tackling major problems in El Cajon, police Chief Pat Sprecco told the crowd.
“This is just the first step to get us together to develop a long-term strategy for solving problems,” Sprecco said.
A police sergeant told the crowd that “homeless camps are a major problem, not just in El Cajon but nationwide.”
“Every time they make a move, we make a counter move,” the sergeant said. “Give us a call, and we'll have a team come up to handle the problem.”
Janet Carlson, a retired teacher who lives in the Olive Hills area near the city's eastern border, was among many who complained that police had often been slow to respond to calls about transient activity and burglaries.
“By the time cops get there, they're gone,” Carlson said. “I've supported police here since 1958. You know, gang, we love you, but something needs to be done. We're tired of being at the end of the line.”
Violent crime in El Cajon – including assaults, robbery, rape and murder – has increased 24 percent during the first nine months of 2008 compared with the same period last year, Redman said. Property crime – including burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft – has dropped 17 percent, he added.
From January through September this year, there have been 242 assaults, 155 robberies, 26 rapes and one murder. During the same period, people have reported 404 burglaries, 1,497 thefts and 635 vehicle thefts.
Redman and others urged people at the meeting to review the department's new Internet Web site at elcajonneighbors.org. New features include a section that allows people to report crime online, and a list of active cases with surveillance photos that seeks help from the public to catch suspects.
The crowd praised managers of the police Web site, and many said it was very helpful. However, some residents noted that many folks don't have home computers and therefore don't have easy access to the site.
Mark Arner: (619) 542-4556; mark.arner@uniontrib.com
