Last December 13th I posted a report entitled “Note of Caution. Auto theft in Orange County.” That post, which can be found in the Dec 2006 archives, was issued purely to alert Orange County shoppers to be sure to lock our cars and hide packages out of public view. What I did not cover deals with the issue of the delayed reporting. At that time I did not look at the police blotter to get a sense of the details related to the thefts.
I have submitted the following letter to the Register as follows.
Were there political reasons for delaying the warning of auto thefts in Mission Viejo, recognized as one of the safest cities in the nation? In the January 10th Local section the report “SUV thieves set up shop” it states that 13 SUV’s were stolen in June from the Shops at Mission Viejo yet our chief of police services did not issue an internal memo to our council and staff until December 12th, a full month after the elections of three incumbents who each bragged about our safe city ranking during their campaigns. In Lt Bernardi’s memo it stated that 24 SUV’s were stolen between May and November. Although a Neighborhood Watch bulletin was to be issued on December 13th, we might have averted some of these thefts if we were warned back in July after 50 percent of these SUV’s were stolen.
There are other issues that must be addressed. Your thoughts on this post are truly requested and appreciated.
Did the city council know of the thefts prior to the issuance of the above referenced December 12th memo of which I have a copy
Was our chief of police services negligent in failing to send out his warning for six months after June?
Was his delay politically motivated?
Did the city manager know of the rash of thefts prior to the December memo?
If so, why didn’t the city include a warning in our Quarterly Outlook Magazine or on the city web site?
Why didn’t anyone from the city mention these auto thefts at a city council meeting?
Why didn’t Lt. Bernardi alert the public by speaking about the thefts at a city council meeting up to and beyond the election?
Note: Our council meetings are broadcast live locally and can be accessed anywhere in the world by computer.
While every city council member has worn out the saying that “public safety is job one” the citizens of Mission Viejo and everyone who shops the MV Mall have been let down.
Further, the comments to CBS news reporter Dave Lopez, who covered the story yesterday, to “stay off the property,” does not indicate a customer friendly attitude.
While a prior city council approved a multimillion dollar redevelopment authorization to construct this new parking structure, our city braintrust has failed to provide adequate safety measures such as camera’s but that’s being a Monday morning quarterback and today is already Thursday.
From a citizen in Mission Viejo
“It seems to me that the public should have been made aware of the thefts about 8 months ago. It is only after somebody in the public discovered these statistics that the word got out.
There have also been many car break ins as of late in neighborhoods in Mission Viejo. This was kept from the public, thus it has also continued.
Both of these statistics should have been printed in the newspaper, even if it meant that we would lose our safest city status. A warning should also have been posted at the parking structure at the mall, which is owned by the city.
We are only safe on paper, and the citizens deserve the truth.”
Forwarded by Larry Gilbert
From another MV resident I received the following response:
“Hi Larry,
One of the questions that has not been answered is what are they doing to stop the thefts. Similar thefts occur all over OC and I know that Irvine put together a task force when they were getting hit around the airport last year. They actually observed, arrested and served search warrants in LA County on the suspects they arrested. Is the OC Sheriff in MV talking with their partner agencies? Just a thought.”
Comment posted by Larry G
Additional e-mail input from a MV resident:
“Larry, The Stoneridge drug bust also reeks of playing dumb by the city. They simply reported the crop without staking the property to catch the perpetrator. DUH! To have that kind of conviction would surely taint Mission Viejo’s reputation. As it stands, it’s pie in the sky and we just look stupid for not using our brains in setting up an investigation. We may have a relatively safe city but no awards for brains.”
Posted by Larry G
Cook the books to create favorable statistics? I’m shocked!
The crime stat’s, if and when they are reported timely and accurately, are simply what is reported to the police – not necessarily what is happening in a community. At best, a barometer of statistical record keeping on reports, not necessarily a true picture of what is going on – of incidents.
Larry,
This has every sign of a politically motivated cover-up in Mission Viejo, and the OC Sherriff’s Dept has put one more nail in the coffin in MV. Our cheif of police, Bernardi let the incumbents take credidt for the safest city while they were hiding the rash of car thefts from the public. The public voted, and they had the right to know about these thefts in June, not 6 months later. My neighbor had their car stolen, and certainly would not have parked in that structure if a warning had been issued. I think that she has the right to sue the city for hiding the facts from the public, as do dozens of other residents.
In the recent city council election, our mayor Mac Lean , council members Ledesma and Kelley sang the praises of our safe city status and used this on their mailers, while unsuspecting shoppers had their cars stolen. Neither the cheif of police (Bernardi), nor the city council notified the public of this rash of thefts. This is a cover-up in the best (worst) form. Also, I understand that our mayor was caught stealing private property during the election, a report was made, he apparantly was caught red handed, yet our police dept chose to cover that up as well. If I had known this information at the time, I never would have voted the way I did in the recent city council election. And knowing what I do now, I also think it is time throw the OC Sherriff’s Dept out of our city. Time for a real police dept, like Irvine has. The citizens of Mission Viejo deserve better all around.
bernardi states at the end of his december 12 e-mail that was addressed to the city councilthat police presence at the mall has resulted in a dramatic drop-off in thefts: “in fact we haven;t had any in the past month”, he wrote. however, the crime statistics show that december had a theft of 15 vehicles, the second highest total of the year. was the dramatic drop-off in thefts at the mall the result of shifting resources from the residential neighborhoods that have suffered the hardest from the car theft ring? cathy schlicht
SUV thefts in MV.
MV has no police dept.
Larry:
The Orange County Sheriff operations in Mission Viejo is a big fat joke. The Mission Viejo based OCSD based operations has been cooking the books for years.
It started with Dan Joseph and Stan Jocko ( prior to Bernardi as Chief)who where two peas in a POD. Joseph told Jim him the numbers he wanted, Jocko made sure they fit what Dan wanted.
Bernardi can’t even protect a political sign no less a city that dishes over $12.0 Million a year to the Orange County Sheriff for “their services”.
Safest City–I don’t think so–highest revenue city from exploiting the citizens–I think so.!!!
I would go to the M.V. mall to shop–but I am worried my Lexus ( bought right here in M.V.)would be in Mexico no sooner than I was at the Nordstrom counter.
Thanks Steve Bernardi (OCSD)–your doing a hell of a job.!!!
Jim Placon