City invites residents to learn and engage on public safety at three upcoming meetings
Published September 11, 2023 | Updated September 27, 2023
UPDATE: September 27, 2023: View the presentations from the September 18 City Council meeting and September 27 Town Hall:
The City of Piedmont and Piedmont Police Department invite residents to learn about recent crime trends and the City’s work to effectively respond at three upcoming meetings: a quarterly crime report at the September 18 City Council meeting, a community town hall on Wednesday, September 27, and a Public Safety Committee meeting on Thursday, October 5.
Regional news about rising crime as well as several recent high-profile incidents in Piedmont have created heightened concerns about public safety among our community. The City and Police Department encourage residents to attend, learn, and voice their concerns at one or all of these upcoming meetings. The City Council and Public Safety Committee meetings will focus on presentations about recent crime data and the Police Department’s strategies to combat trends while the town hall meeting offers community members an opportunity to engage in a more open dialogue directly with Police Department and City officials.
Quarterly Crime Report to City Council: Monday, September 18
Police Chief Jeremy Bowers will present his quarterly crime report to the City Council at their September 18th meeting. The presentation will provide crime statistics through June 30, 2023, review local trends, and discuss the Police Department’s strategies to combat crime, including high profile patrols, ongoing training, and leveraging technology such as Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs), which led to 18 arrests and the recovery of 31 stolen vehicles through June 30th.
Bowers will also update the Council on new initiatives to enhance public safety, including the upcoming activation of public safety cameras strategically placed at 5 locations around Piedmont and efforts to hire an additional dispatcher, a role that will provide critical support to Piedmont Police by allowing the department to maximize the benefits of technology investments including the public safety cameras and ALPRs. The additional dispatcher position was added by the City Council in the most recent budget cycle.
Community members can watch and provide comment at the meeting in-person or via Zoom:
Monday, September 18, 2023, 6pm
Piedmont City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue
Zoom: https://piedmont-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/83193313769
Each participant will have the opportunity to speak once on the crime report after the Chief’s presentation and before the Council discussion. The City Council will set a time limit for individual comments based on the number of participants.
Community Town Hall on Public Safety: Wednesday, September 27, 5:30pm
A town hall meeting on September 27th offers community members an opportunity to engage in an open dialogue about public safety with Police Department and City officials:
Wednesday, September 27, 2023 5:30-7:30pm
Piedmont Community Hall, 711 Highland Avenue
The meeting will begin with a brief overview of recent crime data and the Police Department’s strategies to combat regional trends, presented by Police Chief Jeremy Bowers. Following the presentation, the meeting will take a Q&A format. City officials are looking forward to an open and transparent discussion about public safety and encourage community members to speak frankly about their experiences, concerns, and ideas.
Public Safety Committee Meeting: Thursday, October 5, 5:30pm
Concerned community members are also encouraged to attend the October 5th meeting of the City’s Public Safety Committee, a volunteer body of residents charged with investigating ways to increase public participation in crime prevention and providing a forum to share comments, issues or concerns regarding public safety.
Thursday, October 5, 2023, 5:30pm
Piedmont City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue
At the meeting, Chief Bowers will provide another presentation on crime data and strategies to enhance safety in Piedmont and share insights from the dialogue at the September 27 town hall.
Attendees will each have an opportunity to provide one comment before the Committee discussion. The Committee will set a time limit for individual comments based on the number of participants.