Santa Ana : Police Cite Foot Patrols for Decline in Burglaries

Police say the foot patrol program that was started last October has cut burglary rates by enabling police officers to make arrests that probably wouldn’t have been made by officers patrolling in vehicles.

Sgt. Dan McCoy said that many of the 3,462 arrests made to date are the result of officers interrupting crimes.

“We’ve walked right into robberies in progress,” he said. “On some of the narcotics violations, we’ve walked in as they’re actually injecting the heroin.”

Eighteen officers and three sergeants are assigned to the foot patrols, which cover the downtown area 24 hours a day and nine other areas on a rotating, 16-hour-a-day basis.

The patrolled zones have a combined population of 44,000 people and account for 40% of calls for police service, McCoy said.

A survey of 850 residents revealed that about two-thirds of them knew about the program and more than 18% had seen or spoken to the officers.

Of the arrests, 716 were for narcotics charges, 654 for alcohol charges and 475 for other crimes, which include burglary, assault and robbery.

The most dramatic difference is in citywide burglary rates, which dipped 10% in the first quarter of 1985 and 30% in the second quarter, McCoy said..

In the first four areas (the other five were gradually phased in), rates fell by 29% and 61% in the first and second quarters, respectively.

Santa Ana’s program is unique in California, McCoy said, because no other department has neighborhood foot patrols, although some walk downtown areas.

One of the most important aspects of the foot patrols is the improved police-community relations.

“The first day we went out last November, there were a lot of people out and they actually applauded as we walked down the street,” McCoy said.

The Orange County Grand Jury released a study of the program in February that praised Police Chief Raymond C. Davis and City Manager Robert C. Bobb for starting the patrols.

The panel also predicted a “significant reduction in crime,” a more attractive business district and increased revenue for the city.