Concord Council OKs police report on use of military weapons

BEV BRITTON The Pioneer

The City Council approved the April 11 Police Department report on its stock of military equipment and each deployment in the past year.

By accepting the report as required by California law, the council acknowledges that the department complied with its own policies for equipment use.

The detailed document lists all equipment that falls under Assembly Bill 481, expected 2023 purchases and each individual use. The department says there haven’t been any complaints or internal investigations related to the use of military equipment in the past year.

“The Concord Police Department retains and employs limited equipment that falls under this legislation and subsequent law to safeguard its community,” Provisional Lt. Kevin Halm wrote in the staff report. “Concord Police Department officers, certified instructional staff and specialized units receive training throughout the year on the use of this equipment.”

A few residents spoke against the department’s use of such weapons, but Mayor Laura Hoffmeister said they are essential in some circumstances.

“I want our Police Department to have the right tools to respond to issues should they ever come up. And I hope and pray that they don’t occur in our community, but you can see what’s happening nationwide with active shooters,” she told the Pioneer after the meeting. “I don’t want our officers to say: ‘We’re waiting for equipment that’s in Livermore and it’ll be here in an hour.’ ”

The military equipment inventory includes:

A Transcend Vantage patrol robot. Equipped with non-recording cameras and a two-way radio, it can climb stairs, open doors and deliver chemical agents.

Unmanned aerial vehicles. Primarily used outdoors during high-risk situations, evidence processing, and search and rescues. “We’ve used drones for murder investigations, locating individuals who have walked away – lost children, lost elderly residents,” Hoffmeister noted.

Two armored rescue vehicles. Designed to provide ballistic protection during high- risk incidents. The city has already ordered a new Ford T350 ballistic van for $180,535 to replace an aging van.

Crisis Negotiations Team van and tactical dispatch van. Both donated by County Connection Bus Services.

AR-15 carbine rifles, long rifles and pistol caliber carbines. All used by trained/certified officers during appropriate situations.

Noise/flash devices, chemical agents, PepperBall launchers and projectiles. Used for crowd management, to divert attention or to dislodge barricaded subjects.

Long-range acoustic device. Used by Crisis Negotiations Team to talk with individuals who may be barricaded or otherwise unable to be reached.

Concord PD makes progress on resident’s security camera registry

KAREN JENKINS Correspondent

The Police Department has additional help available, thanks to residents and business owners who have registered hundreds of cameras that could help solve crimes.

specific area to immediately contact people who are already willing to share any images or videos, taking out the step of canvassing doorto-door and asking who might have video, Hart said.

their cameras, it doesn’t mean they have to share video,” Hart emphasized. “It just gives us an option to ask.”

The Concord chamber’s bus tour is an opportunity to learn about local businesses. A lot has probably changed since this 2018 event.

The Concord Business Insight Bus Tour is making a comeback on May 3, for the first time since 2019.

The Concord Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the city’s Economic Development Team for the fifth time to learn about current businesses and future growth of Concord.

Business and organization representatives will board a charter bus provided by Code 3 Limousine and Transportation, traveling through different districts within Concord to highlight the various industries in our community. The tour will begin and end at the event’s sponsor, Sunvalley Shopping Center.

After departing Sunvalley, participants will ride around Concord’s business districts –from the Monument to downtown and all the way through industrial North Concord.

Did you know the Kaanapali Kooler Lazy River at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor is the longest lazy river in Northern California? Or that Bay Alarm is headquartered in Concord?

Attendees will learn fun facts about business in Concord while hearing about businesses moving into the area. A community representative who participated in all four previ- ous tours learned something new each time. There will be two tour times offered, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with lunch overlapping in between at Sunvalley’s Food Court. Lunch is a great time to network with colleagues and make new acquaintances. Chamber staff always say: “You never know whom you will meet in the room, it could be your next power partner.”

Tickets are $50 and can be purchased on the chamber’s website.

For more information, call 925-685-1181, visit www.concordchamber.com or stop by the office at 2280 Diamond Blvd., Suite 200 in Concord.

The department launched a program that asks residents and business owners to voluntarily register their security cameras in order to create a map of locations with private video surveillance.

“We have 207 camera locations registered, including six businesses and 201 residences,” Concord Police Sgt. Adam Hart said. “We’re still building, but I would consider that to be pretty good for a young program like this.”

The registry allows officers investigating crimes in a

“This doesn’t give us any access to anybody’s camera or video,” Hart said. “If a crime occurs, officers are able to pull up the register to quickly identify those willing to share video. Even then, residents would be contacted, as police have no direct access to any footage.”

The online registration, through the police department’s website, identifies the terms of agreement and states clearly that “registering your security camera information simply lets us know that you may be willing to share your camera’s footage.”

“Even if people register

Police used the camera registry in March, when major crimes unit detectives investigated a homicide. Hart said a suspect was identified, but he was unaware of the extent to which cameras assisted with the case.

The department’s terms and use agreement also states that “under no circumstances shall the Concord Police Department utilize any information obtained to view footage/feeds directly from cameras owned by registrants. An individual’s personal information will be kept confidential by the department unless subject to disclosure by court order.”

Concord resident Jennifer Krnich said she supports the effort of the voluntary registry, but she doesn’t believe the registry should be the only way police contact residents or investigate crimes.

“It makes sense and I would (register) if it would help my neighbors,” said Krnich, who lives near the Concord BART station. She added that she shared video of a crime on her street prior to the voluntary registry.

“I understand the efficiency, but I’d also appreciate the door-knocking to seek information and to let us know what is known about an incident,” Krnich said. “I still want conversation and communication to happen.”

For more information go to www.cityofconcord.org/1001/Community-Camera-Registry.