Introduction

GALT, CA (MPG) – The Galt police chief shared crime statistics at the Sept. 5 Galt City Council meeting, in response to public comment from the chamber of commerce president on a series of smash-and-grab burglaries.

Business Owners Concerned

Madison Delbrugge, president of the Galt District Chamber of Commerce, said local business owners feel less secure because of the break-ins, in which burglars break glass at storefronts and steal the cash register or cash box.

ÔÇ£Business owners in our community are super concerned and worried, both members and nonmembers of the chamber.ÔÇØ

Partnership with Galt Police Department

Delbrugge thanked Galt Police Department for its work to educate business owners on how to make their businesses less attractive to burglars and easier for police to monitor. She noted two occasions on which the department and the chamber partnered to share the information.

ÔÇ£My question for you guys (city council members) is, are we giving the PD all the resources that we possibly can to prevent this from happening in the future? ItÔÇÖs happened over the course of several months, and for mom-and-pop businesses that make Galt what it is, itÔÇÖs really hurtful to their businesses, even if thereÔÇÖs not a lot of stolen property,ÔÇØ Delbrugge said.

She added that keeping businesses in Galt ÔÇ£is something weÔÇÖre struggling with.ÔÇØ

Recent Break-ins

The earliest of the break-ins occurred on July 5, and similar burglaries have occurred sporadically since then. On Aug. 31, police reported that Little Caesars on C Street was ÔÇ£possibly broken into by subjects in (a) gray van.ÔÇØ

Business Forums Planned

The city of Galt planned a pair of business forums about the burglaries at Galt Police Department on Sept. 13.

Police Response

Galt Chief of Police Brian Kalinowski addressed DelbruggeÔÇÖs question later in the meeting, saying that there have been about 12 business break-ins since the beginning of July.

I will say that this council unaninmously has supported all our requests. I dont believe weve ever asked for anything quote-unquote ridiculous, but things that we need to support the operation, Kalinowski said. And while it is true that weve had business burglaries since the beginning of July  where theres actually a loss of money out of cash registers,  four of those, there was no take.

He said the earliest burglaries appear to be by a different group than the later ones, which he believed were committed by ÔÇ£less sophisticated individuals.ÔÇØ He added that more businesses are now aware that they should leave the cash register open and empty overnight.

Crime Statistics

ÔÇ£To set some context,ÔÇØ Kalinowski read out statistics comparing Galt crimes through Aug. 1, 2023, with the same period in 2022.

Burglaries ÔÇö entering a building to commit a crime, including some of the business break-ins ÔÇö were about the same as last year, with 35 in 2023 and 34 in 2022. Motor vehicle thefts, simple assaults and robberies remained stable. Thefts have been higher this year (202 in 2023 vs. 159 in 2022), but Kalinowski said this year is tracking with the final totals in the past.

Kalinowski said he was most concerned about aggravated assaults (62 in 2023 vs. 16 in 2022), which are nearly four times higher so far than they were last year.

The police chief described ÔÇ£success storiesÔÇØ in which the department has made arrests for other crimes. He urged ÔÇ£the council and the community to have some perspective on the litany of things that weÔÇÖre charged to address.ÔÇØ

Council’s Concerns

In his own comments, Council Member Shawn Farmer ackowledged the work of the department and officersÔÇÖ frustration. However, he expressed disappointment in communication with the public. He felt that the department should do more to reassure community members, and that the advice for businesses implies that it is their fault if they are robbed.

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