Police Captain: "San Carlos Is a Safe City In A Safe County"

San Carlos contracted out it’s police to the county nearly one year ago, leaving many to wonder whether the money saving effort would result in less police, or less safety.

Police Captain Greg Rothaus gave a presentation Monday night and called San Carlos a “safe city in a safe county” and discussed some key issues regarding public safety.

Burglary remains the most serious crime in the city, said Rothaus, citing complacency as the cities biggest fault.

“We live in a safe city and we think because it’s safe we don’t have to lock our car doors  or take certain measures, but we do,” he said.

The city – judged against other cities close to it’s size and population – has less crime than nearby Burlingame to the north or Los Gatos to the south, but still has more crimes than Belmont or Foster City.

Since the county took over police services one-year ago, deputies have made "significantly more felony arrests,” said police captain Greg Rothaus.

Traffic enforcement has also increased under the sheriff, said Rothaus, who explained that deputies wrote more citations last year than in the previous four years.

San Carlos randomly distributed 268 surveys to residents in an attempt to gauge satisfaction rating, 80 of which were returned. Each survey had four questions, giving residents 320 chances to judge the performance of the deputies. Rothaus said only five of those questions had an “unsatisfied” rating.

“People want to know that deputies care, that they’re competent and professional,” said Rothaus.”

Looking forward, Rothaus discussed the serious issue of prison realignment, calling it a “game changer” and one of the most important issues facing any public safety outlet. Rothaus also mentioned emergency preparedness initiatives and SMC Alert as future endeavors he hopes gain more traction as time goes on.