Chief's Community Update - April 9, 2023
Thank you for visiting our website and taking a moment to read this community update.
Last week we launched our new and improved Online Reporting platform, available in both English and Spanish. The link is available on our Police Department web page at Police Department | City of East Palo Alto (cityofepa.org).
On April 4, our Officers responded to a Shotspotter activation on the 2500 block of Farrington. Their neighborhood canvas turned up video footage of the suspect driving down Farrington in a silver Lexus firing 6 rounds into the air. The team also located 5 expended 9mm casings on scene. Later the same shift, the team was on a traffic stop when they noticed the Lexus driving by. They quickly shifted focus and went after the Lexus, which they found parked and abandoned in Bell Court. The patrol team searched the area and found the suspect hiding behind a parked car with a loaded 9mm handgun. During further investigation, they found the 6th casing on the Lexus. During questioning the suspect admitted possessing the handgun and shooting it in the air from the Lexus. The suspect was later booked into the County Jail.
On April 9, Officers responded to the report of a man with a gun on the 1900 block of Cooley. Officers saw a parked car with 2 people sleeping in the front seats with a visible firearm. Both people were safely removed from the car and detained. A search of the car revealed a loaded 9mm handgun, a spare loaded high-capacity magazine for the pistol, and an AR-15 style rifle loaded with armor piercing ammunition. During questioning, one suspect admitted to possession of both the pistol and rifle. The suspect was later booked into the County Jail.
I received our monthly Shotspotter report this past week and found gunfire, when compared between March 2022 and March 2023, decreased by 60%. Let’s continue working together and sharing information to further decrease Shotspotter activations.
Anonymous tips and immediate service
We appreciate all the anonymous tips we have been receiving. It is important to note that anonymous tips are not a resource for immediate police response as it is not monitored 24/7. For immediate police response, either call 9-1-1 or our non-emergency phone number 650-321-1112. For complaints related to property violations, please contact Code Enforcement department, which operates under our building department (https://www.cityofepa.org/building/page/code-enforcement).
When providing information to the police, we need specific information about the crime or criminal. As an example, if you are reporting someone for dealing drugs, we need to know:
- where and when they are selling the drugs
- a detailed description of them (white female, blue jeans, red jacket, baseball cap)
- any description of a vehicle
- any other information you have about the crime.
While we don’t expect you to jeopardize your safety to get this information, it is very important information if we make an arrest. Not only will your tip provide us with accurate information about the suspect, but we are also able to serve as a witness to the crime and we can testify in court. Please use these options for providing an anonymous tip.
You can make an anonymous tip to the police by calling or texting to (650) 409-6792.
If there is a topic you would like addressed in the next update, please feel free to send an email at jliu@cityofepa.org.
Thank you,
Jeff Liu
Interim Chief of Police
