By Sara Beth Williams–
Citrus Heights last year saw double-digit increases in crimes against persons and crimes against society, according to an April 25 report from the police chief.
During the annual report, Chief of Police Alex Turcotte said crimes against persons increased 14 percent in 2023, crimes against society increased 17.5 percent, and crimes against property increased 1 percent.
Cases of rape rose 44 percent, robberies by 30 percent, and kidnapping by 19%. Homicides also increased to seven in 2023, up from four in 2022. Turcotte noted that most rapes and kidnapping incidents were cases between individuals who knew each other, rather than “stranger danger” type incidents.
Citing reasons for the increase, Turcotte noted the department has hired more staff and has been more proactive in encouraging victims and businesses to report crimes, to ensure crimes don’t go unreported. He also said the department switched over to new reporting criteria in 2022, noting that under the prior FBI Uniform Crime Reporting criteria the city would have shown an overall drop in crime last year.
Aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and theft all decreased from 2022 to 2023 according to the annual report.
Additional statistics presented by Turcotte showed an increase in felony arrests, from 715 in 2022 to 892 last year. Misdemeanor arrests also rose by nearly 50 percent, to 1,218. Homeless-related calls saw an uptick to 3,931, up from 3,445 the prior year. Traffic citations also increased from 2,147 to 3,710.
Overall, Turcotte reported that the department fielded 82,016 calls for service, with officer-initiated activity adding another 14,316 to that number. He also said the department acquired 14 new sworn police officers and 11 new professional staff members in 2023.
In an April 4 announcement on social media, the police department celebrated the addition of six new police officers, four dispatchers, two code enforcement officers, two program assistants, one community service officer, one intern and one volunteer.
“We’re excited to welcome them into the proud law enforcement profession,” the department wrote. All new staff took an Oath of Office in front of family, friends, and coworkers on April 4, according to the post.
During the annual report, Turcotte said the years since the pandemic were challenging because of budget constraints, and because many part-time police academies in the region shut down, which led to full-time academies being overburdened.
In a prior 2022 annual report, Turcotte said the police department is committed to hiring highly qualified officers. Only 22 percent of applicants make it through application screening, and only 6 percent are hired by the department.
In years prior, the Citrus Heights Police Department would recruit for the lateral transfer of officers from other jurisdictions. According to Turcotte, lateral officers only require a month-and-a-half of department training, whereas police academy graduates still require up to six months of department training before they can become a solo officer.
According to the department’s report, there has been an average of two to four lateral transfers between 2017 and 2022. There were no lateral transfers in 2023, but there has already been three lateral transfers in 2024.
Turcotte said the department has also been working to increase community engagement, and has command officers assigned to each neighborhood area, who attend neighborhood association meetings. Officers also strive to attend community events throughout the city.
Turcotte added that the department has been focusing on improving the quality of life in Citrus Heights and has partnered with the Citrus Heights Beautification Crew. According to the report, the Beautification Crew removed 76 tons of debris from city streets in 2023.
