Windsor crime stats tell different tales

When it comes to crime, Sonoma County's youngest city likes to portray itself as one of the safest.

Windsor has the lowest per capita crime rate of cities in the county, according to information presented to the Town Council last week.

"We have a little more of a family-oriented community. That's the biggest basis for it," said Mayor Steve Allen.

But a closer look at the 2009 statistics cited in the report reveals a slightly different picture.

Windsor did have the lowest per capita rate of serious felonies, including both violent and property crimes.

But when it comes solely to violent crime, Windsor actually comes out with a worse rate than Sebastopol, Petaluma, Sonoma, Healdsburg and Cloverdale, based on an analysis of state Department of Justice statistics.

That category encompasses homicides, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

Windsor Police Chief Chris Spallino said Friday he compared overall serious felonies instead of just violent crimes because "the numbers are so small, it's hard to get a realistic overall picture."

If only violent crimes are scrutinized, slight variations can affect the outcome disproportionately, he said.

Windsor did have the lowest rate in the county when it came to property crime - defined as burglaries, motor vehicle theft and grand theft (more than $400).

Since its incorporation almost 20 years ago, Windsor has contracted with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement.

Both Windsor and sheriff's officials point out the relatively low cost of the $5.4 million contract for the town of more than 25,000 population.

"We value our collaboration with Windsor," Sheriff Steve Freitas told the Town Council. "Windsor still has the lowest crime rate for the lowest cost."

Windsor has the lowest per capita cost for law enforcement, about a third below the average of other cities in the county, according to Spallino.

The report to the Town Council comes as Rohnert Park is debating whether to outsource its law enforcement to the sheriff's office and dissolve its police department.

Windsor Councilwoman Debora Fudge said she forwarded the report to her Rohnert Park counterparts.

Rohnert Park is in a unique position in Sonoma County because its public safety officers serve a dual role as police officers and firefighters. As a result, it's difficult to compare per capita police spending to other jurisdictions.

Sonoma is the only other municipality in the county to use the sheriff's office for law enforcement services.

Windsor is currently in the fourth year of a 10-year contract with the sheriff's office.

Police acknowledge there are gangs in Windsor and the city gets its share of vandalism associated with a younger population.

"We're very aggressive on the investigation of gang crimes and we're a small community; we're able to know gang members and the population," Spallino said.

He said a lot of Windsor officers volunteer in sports and school programs and have good rapport with the community.

Periodic surveys conducted by the department since 1997 show a steadily increasing percentage of Windsor residents say they feel safe in their neighborhoods, and also report high satisfaction with the police department.