Six Questions For Saratoga's Sheriff's Captain Kenneth Binder

Saratoga Patch: How's the West Valley Patrol Division doing in terms of combating local crime?

Kenneth Binder: We're doing well. As you know, we patrol in the contract cities over here on the west side of the valley and the unincorporated areas, but we've really been able to take full advantage of all of our resources like our crime analyst to try to suppress crime.

Patch: What types of crimes are you fighting?

Binder: Some of the usual property crimes such as commercial, residential and auto burglary, theft ... continue to occur, but we've been able to make a lot of arrests over the last year.

Patch: Who have you worked with to decrease DUIs?

Binder: We've worked with Mothers Against Drunk Driving regarding DUI enforcement. I'm happy to say that West Valley sheriff's deputy Leo Gonzalez received an award from MADD earlier this year at their annual state convention in Sacramento for his efforts in combating DUI enforcement. Last Dec. 28, he organized a DUI checkpoint in Cupertino, which checked thousands of drivers and resulted in a couple of DUI arrests. Throughout the seasons we do targeted DUI enforcement to really help the public be safe.

Patch: How well staffed is the West Valley Division?

Binder: We're doing really with regard to staffing. There are always retirements and the need to fill those positions, but we're fortunate that we're not short-staffed. Our numbers are strong. We have more than 80 personnel assigned to the West Valley Division.

Patch: How do you like serving in the West Valley Division?

Binder: I've been here for about a year and a half and I'm enjoying the assignment. I've really gotten to work hand-in-hand with the city managers for Saratoga, Cupertino and Los Altos Hills. I've really taken a community oriented policing strategy to try to help solve crime. We've also brought on an analyst full-time. We originally had one with a grant, but it ran out. We were able to find a way to continue this service to find out where exactly the crimes are occurring and what the patterns are and really do some targeted enforcement in those areas. It's called predicted policing.

Patch: What can the community do to help the West Valley Division of the Sheriff's Office?

Binder: Saratoga has a nextdoor.com program set up. We really recommend that. We want the neighbors to get involved and get to know one another. They can network on a site like that. Neighbors that trust each other and share information can be very valuable. They can report there anything they see suspicious. We would also like people to be vigilant and pay attention to what's happening in their neighborhood. We hope residents will call the sheriff's office if they see anything suspicious. We hope they don't hesitate. Please call us while it's occurring, not afterwards so we can come out and make contact with the individuals. We would also like to remind people to keep their doors and windows locked. If people come knocking on your doors, let them know you're home, but don't answer the door, talk to them through the door and tell them you're not interested. All three cities we patrol require solicitor's permits from those who are selling door-to-door in their neighborhoods.