By Brooklynn Wong
Captain Frank Nunes of the Buena Park Police Department presented the 2018 Buena Park Police Department Update at this week’s City Council meeting.
And according to the numbers, times are good.
The number of major crimes was down, and the way police responded to them was more efficient.
Said Nunes, BPPD has become “more proactive with less people.”
The department responded faster to more calls for service in 2018.
There were no homicides in the city last year, overall crime was down eight percent and Part 1 crimes (murder and non negligent homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, larceny-theft and arson) were down 12%.
He says the overall success of the past year has not been accidental; he attributes it to intentional programs that have been implemented to strengthen the relationship between the community and the police.
They’ve focused on positive community relations with young children and their parents, with Cops ’N Goblins, the Halloween community outreach that takes place yearly at the PD.
They’ve reached out to students at schools in the city with the School Safety Program, which includes recognizing a Student of the Quarter, on the merits of good behavior, school performance and community involvement. Nunes said he has particularly enjoyed getting to have lunch with the winning student each quarter.
The Public Safety Task Force is now in its second year, and Nunes said it is having a positive impact in the areas of homelessness, youth diversion and offender re-entry into the community.
Officers now wear Body Worn Cameras, which Nunes said has led to reduced complaints and more transparency and greater public trust.
Engagement with neighborhood watch groups at events like pop-up town halls has empowered citizens to be more vigilant in their own communities and feel like they have an ally in the police.
Council member Fred Smith summed up feedback to the report when he said, “You guys are doing a wonderful job and it just seems to get better every year.”
