Efforts by Lafayette Police Officers Help Keep Crime Low

Lafayette, Calif. – The City of Lafayette, with a population of 25,000 residents, funds 17 sworn police officer positions. Police Services account for $7.65 million of the City’s budget in FY2024-25, which is 35% of the City’s General Fund expenditures. In addition to five civilian employees, sworn personnel include the Chief of Police, three sergeants, nine patrol officers, two motorcycle officers, and two detectives.

The chart below shows Lafayette’s ratio of police officers per resident compared to other cities in Contra Costa County:

In 2023, the Lafayette Police received 12,007 calls for service, filed 1,168 police reports, made 302 arrests, and issued 1,022 traffic citations. “Overall, violent crime decreased by 39% over the past decade. "Crime continues to remain low in 2024 due to our community's collective efforts," Lafayette Police Chief Benjamin Alldritt stated.

The City’s Police Department effectively prevents crime in addition to undertaking a variety of community safety projects and programs. "Lafayette has a small yet highly effective Police Department. We make it our mission to be visible and proactive to maintain community safety," Chief Alldritt continues.

Lafayette contracts with the Contra Costa County Sheriff for law enforcement services, and all sworn personnel are members of the Sheriff’s Department. City Manager Niroop K. Srivatsa stated, "We've had a successful partnership with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office for more than 30 years and as a contract city, we have access to all the County Sheriff's office resources as well as reaping additional benefits that ultimately save us money.” Some examples include:

• The City has no direct long-term pension obligations, the City pays only the fully-loaded annual cost of each officer and that obligation ends when the officer leaves Lafayette.
• The County defends any legal actions initiated against police officers and the costs of litigation and/or settlement are not charged to the City.
• All the human resources functions for sworn personnel are handled by the County.
• All officers are POST (California Commission on Peace Officer Standards & Training) graduates and have received basic training before being assigned to a contract city like Lafayette.
• The City does not have to carry the costs for officers who are out on long-term leave, such as workers’ compensation or disability.
• The City has access to mutual aid resources, such as equipment and technology that the City does not have to purchase specifically.

Chief Alldritt emphasizes that “Our ethos is the belief that no crime is acceptable and that public safety is a partnership between the department and the community.” Chief Alldritt continues, “The Department has effective methods for apprehending criminals, and the primary way we do that is through proactive policing. When a crime occurs, our officers respond and work diligently to investigate, identify, and apprehend the suspect.” When leads point to possible perpetrators in other cities, Lafayette officers coordinate with the other jurisdiction, including traveling to other cities and towns to make arrests.

Some of the services provided by the Lafayette Police Department include:

• Performing complimentary vacation home checks
• Installing and maintaining a series of situational awareness cameras throughout the City to enhance public safety and help solve crimes
• Conducting emergency preparedness activities including Emergency Operations Center (EOC) drills, setting up and maintaining wildfire cameras, participating in twice-yearly joint training that includes fire and emergency personnel, and managing periodic neighborhood evacuation drills.
• Holding community events like the annual safety fair and coordinating security for events such as the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival and the Lafayette Res Run for Education.
• Hosting the Citizens Police Academy to strengthen cooperation and collaboration with residents.
• Assisting local schools with safety drills.

The City currently faces an ongoing, annual structural deficit of more than $2 million, and the Lafayette City Council has placed Measure H, the Lafayette Sales Tax Measure, on the November 5, 2024, ballot for Lafayette voters to decide whether to approve a local sales tax increase of 1/2% (half a cent for every taxable dollar) to maintain the current level of City services and programs.

If Measure H fails to secure a simple majority vote, the Lafayette City Council will have to consider, as part of the budgeting process, possibly cutting back or discontinuing some City programs and services.

City Manager Srivatsa points out, “One option for addressing the $2 million budget gap would be to make 10% cuts across all City departments. Although no specific decisions have been made yet, staff did present to Council, at its meeting on June 10, 2024, a scenario of what 10% across-the-board cuts may entail.” In that scenario, 10% cuts to the Police Department’s budget were achieved by reducing the number of officers by 2.5, as well as eliminating support to Lafayette Elementary School District for the crossing guard program.

For more information about Measure H, please visit the City of Lafayette’s website at LoveLafayette.org/MeasureH. Additional information about the City’s financial situation is available on the City of Lafayette’s website at LoveLafayette.org/FiscalSustainability or by emailing LafayetteListens@lovelafayette.org.