E-Mail: Deputy Greig
 
 

Dear Santa Cruz Mountains Resident,

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department is proud to provide services to you and your fellow Santa Cruz Mountains neighbors. We would like to take this opportunity not only to introduce ourselves, but to also share with you a goal we hope to accomplish. We are out patrolling your neighborhood 24 hours per day, and responding to calls throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains. As deputy sheriffs we address various concerns and problems that change depending on where we work. Our goal is to address concerns and problems you have in addition to those we may have. Having a working relationship with you will enable us to address the individual needs of your community.

The traditional practice of law enforcement consisted of officers, "walking the beat." This allowed them to communicate with the residents and become familiar with the overall concerns of the community. Unfortunately over the years, as crime increased and the calls for police service became more consistent, the relationship between the community and officers deteriorated. The new age of law enforcement is known as Community Based Policing. This concept is focused on reintroducing the traditional practice of law enforcement and working together with the community. By encouraging the residents to voice their concerns and problems, local law enforcement is able to provide a higher level of service.

The Sheriff's Office has adopted the concept of Community Based Policing. As deputies assigned to serve the Santa Cruz Mountains, we hope to establish the relationship necessary to address your concerns and problems within your community. Each of the deputies assigned to serve the Santa Cruz Mountains take great pride in our jobs and look forward to working with you and establishing a working relationship. Please feel free to contact us for any questions or concerns you have. If we can't solve a particular problem, we can provide resources that will point you in the right direction. All of us share the same goal. Remember we are here for you and our service can only be focused on your concerns if we work together.

Here is a list of deputies assigned to the Santa Cruz Mountains. Please feel free to contact any of us individually at the Sheriff's West Valley Substation, 24 hours a day at (408) 867-9719. If we are in the field or on a day off, leave a message on our voice mailbox. Our mailbox numbers are listed below. You may also contact us via the Redwood Estates Substation at (408) 353-9606. We will check and return your message as soon as possible. We may also be contacted through our non-emergency dispatch phone number, (408) 299-2311 or by clicking on our highlighted names above to send us a direct E-Mail.
 

Sincerely

The Santa Cruz Mountains Deputies
 

Dep. Kevin Greig & Marco (x316)  Dep. Julie MacPherson & Scooby (x362)

Dep. Dibert
 

The Sheriff's Office has many programs designed to help the residents of our communities. To find out about these programs go to the Programs page. If you need further information, please feel free to contact one of the deputies or the West Valley Division and we will provide whatever assistance necessary.

One problem I have been getting calls on is vehicles blocking the roadways. These calls are primarily in the Beardsley Rd, Aldercroft Heights and Chemeketa Park areas.

I realize the roads in these areas are narrow and parking is very limited, but we must all remember that a fire truck needs at least 10' of unobstructed roadway to get through. In an emergency they don't always have the time to wait for someone to come out and move their vehicle off the road. I have been told by Redwood Fire they will be getting a new fire truck in the near future. This fire truck is going to be a little larger than the current truck in use. With this in mind it is going to be very important in the future to keep the roadways unobstructed especially in the narrow portions of these communities.

Yes, we now have a Sheriff's Substation at Redwood Estates. The Sheriff's Office now has a substation in the office with the Redwood Mutual Water Company at the Pavilion. This gives the Sheriff's Office a presence in Redwood Estates and the surrounding mountain communities. Hopefully this will give everyone a way to contact us for non emergency type information. We expect to see the deputies in and out of the office during their shift. This substation is not a staffed type substation like our office in Saratoga, but is a place we can meet people to deal with specific problems and a place for you to get messages to the deputies without having to go through the 911 system.

The phone at the substation has now been in use for over six months. Many residents have made use of this phone to get messages to us or to contact us directly. The answering system installed on the phone has proven to be very useful in getting messages to us. If you need to get a message to us you can leave a message on the system and we will return your call. We try to check the messages several times a day, but sometimes this is not possible, but we will get your message and return your call as soon as we can.

Phone number for the substation is 408-353-9606

If your problem is an emergency or requires immediate response dial 911. This phone is not replacing anything. It will be just another way to contact us.

The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office has received many inquiries about the rules of use for scooters that  are powered by gasoline or electric motor.  The use of these scooters is on the rise. Most of the scooters are ridden by young teenagers, and it is apparent that neither they nor their parents is aware of the laws of use that apply to these scooters.

Motorized scooters have two wheels, a steering handle, and either a gas or electric engine. In order to operate one  of these scooters on the road, the operator must be 16 years old and must wear, at minimum, a bicycle helmet. The operator does not need to have a driver's license or permit.

The rules of the road that apply to cars also apply to motorized scooters, but there are even more restrictions. some of the most important rules are listed below:
* The driver must be at least 16 years old
* The driver must wear a properly fitted helmet (a bicycle helmet is acceptable)
* The scooter must be equipped with a brake
* Scooters may only be operated on a road with a 25 MPH speed limit, unless it is within a bike lane.
* Scooters must be ridden on  the right edge of the road.
* Scooters may not be ridden on the sidewalk.
* No passengers may be carried on the scooter.
* The driver must be able to keep at least one hand on the handlebars.
* The scooter must be walked when turning left from one street to another.
* The scooter may not exceed 15 MPH
* Scooters must meet the same lighting requirements as a bicycle when being ridden during darkness
   (headlight, taillight, and side reflectors).  These may be attached to the rider instead of the scooter.
* Exhaust systems may not be modified if the noise level is increased.

These rules are outlined in the California Vehicle Code, which is available through the Department of Motor Vehicles or the local library. Anyone with further questions regarding the rules of use of motorized scooters may contact the Sheriff's Office at 867-9715.  For Cupertino residents call 777-3177.

One crime that seems to occur all to often is the home burglary. This crime is one that affects your entire household and their feeling of security in their home. Most burglaries occur when you are away from your home. With that in mind, there are several things you can do to make your home more secure.

I would encourage everyone to have deadbolt locks on the exterior doors and to use them. A properly installed deadbolt lock actually goes into the frame of the door. This makes it harder to force the door open. The next item is your windows. If you have sliding windows, a block placed behind the sliding portion of the window will prevent someone from slipping the lock and sliding the window open. The last thing is light. Plenty of light does help to deter crime. I have never caught a burglar or prowler in a well lit area. Last, but not least, be aware of who is in your neighborhood.  Join your Neighborhood Watch. If your neighborhood doesn't have one, start one.

Congratulations to the residents in the Santa Ana area of Redwood Estates. They had their first meeting of their Neighborhood Watch. Deputy Theiman from the Sheriff's Office Community Services Unit made the first presentation to their group on 8/30. The Neighborhood Watch signs will be installed for their area by County Roads.

There are many more areas in Santa Cruz Mountains that can form a Neighborhood Watch program. If your neighborhood is interested in forming a Neighborhood Watch you can contact any of the deputies listed on this page or the Community Services Unit at the Sheriff's Office. Check out the Programs Page at this web site for further details.

In the past several weeks we have seen Rave Parties trying to be started in the Santa Cruz Mountains. One of these parties had over 135 people attending and more on the way. Generally these parties are on someone's private property who don't  even know they are hosting a party on their property. The parties are usually in remote areas. The parties are announced by word of mouth and Internet Web Pages. They will draw people from all over the Bay Area and sometimes Northern California.

One of the main problems with these parties is that property damage to private property occurs and the participants are not really conscious of fire safety. Both Santa Clara County and Santa Cruz County have had these parties in the mountains. At one such party in Santa Cruz County several weeks ago there were several assaults and strong-arm robberies committed during the party.

If you see something you think is one of these parties starting in your area please call 911 and let us check it out.