2 minute read
Why Property and Personal Crime Costs May Increase
www.BlackhawkLivingCA.com @BlackhawkLivingCA #BlackhawkLivingCA
By Aaron “Wally” Barger, Resident since 2012
Residents in California have experienced an influx of crimes over the past five years. Blackhawk residents, unfortunately, have experienced a similar, although not as dramatic, rise over the same time frame. Property and Personal crimes fluctuate from year to year for various reasons.
The California penal system has experienced an overwhelming increase in the number of felons incarcerated in our State prison facilities. California state prisons’ inmate population has been as high as fifty (50%) percent or more above the accepted standard prison population. The California courts have ruled that the State’s prisons avoid inflicting “cruel and unusual punishments” upon the inmate population by restricting the number of inmates held to no more than one hundred (100 %) percent of a prison’s legal capacity, which has reduced the number of inmates they house.
In 2011, California voters passed AB 109 (Realignment), which allowed the diversion of persons convicted of less serious felonies from prison to county jails. This has lead to placing more nonviolent criminals in county jail facilities for short-term incarcerations. In the case of Proposition 47, the courts downgraded the seriousness of the theft of property valued less than nine hundred and fifty ($950) dollars to less than a month of jail time.
Such actions by state legislators and court officials have lead to a predictable rise in crimes. Further, casework and fieldwork in many criminal cases is compromised because of the increasing workload of officers.
What does all this have to do with Blackhawk? Well, even though most of us are living in gated communities with private guards and a dedicated police force provided by the County Sheriff’s Department, the costs for such services are increasing. In 1984, the County Board of Supervisors formed the P2-A County Service Area to provide enhanced police services and funded the service area through a Special County Parcel Tax. The purpose of this tax was to fund and provide additional law enforcement services, beyond those routinely provided by the County Sheriff’s office to unincorporated areas. This directly affects all residents living within the P2-A boundaries, which includes several HOAs and the businesses in the Blackhawk Plaza.
The County Supervisors, in 1985, formed an Advisory Committee of local residents in the service area to advise and assist the county in providing police services. Today, because of increasing demand for additional protection, the County has three officers and a Chief providing police services.
The parcel tax for each residential home was increased in fiscal year 2006-7 to two hundred and eighty ($280) dollars per year and has remained at this level since then. The County staff and the P2-A Advisory Committee are considering a variety of options to sustain the level of operations in the area. Over the next few months the County and the P2-A Advisory Committee will be developing a ballot for a special election possibly with a vote in August to raise the parcel tax.
The P2-A Advisory Committee and other public interest organizations will be disseminating additional information on this ballot measure over the coming months. If you have any questions you can contact me at aaron.barger@yahoo.com.
