Concerned about crime trends? City invites residents to three public safety meetings

From a City of Piedmont press release on Sept. 12:

The City of Piedmont and Piedmont Police Department invite residents to learn about recent crime trends and the City’s work to effectively respond at three upcoming meetings: a quarterly crime report at the Sept. 18 City Council meeting, a community town hall on Wednesday, Sept. 27, and a Public Safety Committee meeting on Thursday, Oct. 5.

Regional news about rising crime as well as several recent high-profile incidents in Piedmont have created heightened concerns about public safety among our community. The City and Police Department encourage residents to attend, learn, and voice their concerns at one or all of these upcoming meetings. The City Council and Public Safety Committee meetings will focus on presentations about recent crime data and the Police Department’s strategies to combat trends while the town hall meeting offers community members an opportunity to engage in a
more open dialogue directly with Police Department and City officials.

Quarterly Crime Report to City Council: Monday, Sept. 18

Police Chief Jeremy Bowers will present his quarterly crime report to the City Council at their Sept. 18 meeting. The presentation will provide crime statistics through June 30, 2023, review local trends, and discuss the Police Department’s strategies to combat crime, including high profile patrols, ongoing training, and leveraging technology such as Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs), which led to 18 arrests and the recovery of 31 stolen vehicles through June 30.

Bowers will also update the Council on new initiatives to enhance public safety, including the upcoming activation of public safety cameras strategically placed at five locations around Piedmont and efforts to hire an additional dispatcher, a role that will provide critical support to Piedmont Police by allowing the department to maximize the benefits of technology investments including the public safety cameras and ALPRs. The additional dispatcher position was added by the City Council in the most recent budget cycle.

Community members can watch and provide comment at the meeting in-person or via Zoom:

• Monday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m.
• Piedmont City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue
• Zoom: piedmont-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/82622468552

Each participant will have the opportunity to speak once on the crime report after the Chief’s presentation and before the Council discussion. The City Council will set a time limit for individual comments based on the number of participants.

Community Town Hall on Public Safety: Wednesday, Sept. 27, 5:30 p.m.

A town hall meeting on Sept. 27 offers community members an opportunity to engage in an open dialogue about public safety with Police Department and City officials:

• Wednesday, Sept. 27 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
• Piedmont Community Hall, 711 Highland Avenue

The meeting will begin with a brief overview of recent crime data and the Police Department’s strategies to combat regional trends, presented by Police Chief Jeremy Bowers. Following the presentation, the meeting will take a Q&A format. City officials are looking forward to an open and transparent discussion about public safety and encourage community members to speak frankly about their experiences, concerns, and ideas.

Public Safety Committee Meeting: Thursday, Oct. 5, 5:30 p.m.

Concerned community members are also encouraged to attend the Oct. 5 meeting of the City’s Public Safety Committee, a volunteer body of residents charged with investigating ways to increase public participation in crime prevention and providing a forum to share comments, issues or concerns regarding public safety.

• Thursday, Oct. 5 at 5:30 p.m.
• Piedmont City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue

At the meeting, Chief Bowers will provide another presentation on crime data and strategies to enhance safety in Piedmont and share insights from the dialogue at the Sept. 27 town hall. Attendees will each have an opportunity to provide one comment before the Committee discussion. The Committee will set a time limit for individual comments based on the number of participants.