Owner-Applied Numbers

Sheriff’s Department Urges: Report All Ag Crime

By Liza Teixeira, CFBF Rural Crime Prevention Intern

What’s the biggest problem County Sheriff’s Departments face when it comes to rural crimes?  It’s not the fact that thieves are relentless and will steal anything they can turn a buck on, or that rural crimes happen in remote, sometimes hard to reach locations—it’s actually property owners who don’t take the time to report crimes when they occur.  Only 10% of crimes related to agriculture in California are reported to law enforcement each year, making it impossible for your Sheriff’s Department to even know that a crime has taken place, much less be able to solve it. 

 So why should you report a crime on your property?  Detective Donnie Schwandt, President of the California Rural Crime Prevention Task Force says, “We need to have as many pieces of the puzzle as possible to solve a crime, make an arrest and get a conviction.”  

Even though the few brass valves that went missing from your property last week don’t seem ‘report worthy’, they may offer clues that help a detective catch the criminals who have been stealing copper wire, fuel or tractors from the area before they have a chance to come back for more.  “Complete knowledge of what’s going on in a county allows officers to recognize a pattern of activity or a ring that may be operating on a larger scale.  With only a portion of the information available, that task is next to impossible,” added Schwandt.   

The first thing to do when you suspect a crime has been committed on your property is to stay away!  Just walking the site to checkout the damage could destroy evidence like a shoe print or other indicator.  Know the number to your local Ag Crimes Task Force or the sheriff’s department and call them immediately.  A deputy will contact you to take a report and investigate the situation.   

Finally, Detective Schwandt says it’s important to report crimes and suspicious activity because law enforcement resources are allocated based on calls for service.  “Statistics talk and the only way to justify and maintain funding to keep deputies assigned to rural areas is to show the true extent of agriculture crime in California,” said Schwandt.   

You can report an agriculture crime online with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department at http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/sheriff/rep_crime.asp