Crime & Safety

One Officer's View of the Neighborhood Policing Program

Cpl. Gerardo Espinoza says he gets to know people who live in areas that don't normally get a lot of police calls.

Police Cpl. Gerardo Espinoza spends a typical day pretty much like other Martinez police officers — he responds to calls for assistance, tickets speeding drivers, arrests people he suspects of breaking the law.

But he spends a part of each shift attending to Area 4, which is the part of town chosen by Espinoza as his . That area is bordered by Marina Vista and Brown streets, and west of Berrellesa.

Since April, each officer has been assigned a Neighborhood Patrol Areas. The program is intended to acquaint each officer with a particular area and its residents, to enhance communication and interaction between the department and the community.

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“I’m enjoying it,” said Espinoza, who has been an officer for nine years, almost four with Martinez. “It gives me a chance to be proactive, to identify some issues and concerns and come up with long-term solutions.”

His particular area is not one that has a lot of calls, he noted, so residents don’t get a chance to interact with the police that often. But Espinoza sent a flier to each home in April that included his email and phone number to let neighbors know about the program and his part in it.

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Since then, he has received several calls. One of them was about increased foot traffic on Arreba Street.

“So now I can pay more attention in that area,” he said, “see if the problem is people getting drunk in public or maybe dealing drugs. Maybe the increase of my presence, and that of other officers, in that neighborhood may turn things around and help solve that problem.”

But it’s not just criminal activity that Espinoza is on the lookout for. He encourages residents to let him know about quality of life issues in their neighborhoods. For instance, he said, if a streetlight goes out or a stop sign needs replacing, he can help.

“I can call the corp yard and let them know to come out and fix things like that,” he said. “If someone feels they need a stop sign on their street, I can reach out to the safety commission. I can help with quality of life issues like that.”

Espinoza said that the ultimate goal of the neighborhood policing program is to encourage citizens to take ownership of their neighborhoods and to work with the police on a regular basis.

“If you have a life-threatening issue, call 911,” he said. “If you have an immediate problem that needs immediate attention, call our dispatcher. But if you have something you think we should be aware of, call the NPA officer.”


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