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Published on January 15, 2025
Turlock Police Department Launches New Street Crimes Unit to Tackle Thefts and Gang ActivitySource: Facebook/City of Turlock - Turlock Police Department

Residents of Turlock may soon witness a heightened police presence as the Turlock Police Department prepares to launch a new street crimes unit in February. Aimed at reducing thefts, robberies, gang-related crimes, and repeat offenses, the unit will consist of three officers and one sergeant, all of whom are current members of the department transitioning into these specialized roles. According to a statement obtained by KCRA, Dominion Sanchez, the Turlock police public affairs analyst, said, "They will be making proactive enforcement stops. Checking in on, you know, probationers, parolees, and then just going head-on with any kind of street crime that we have going on here."

With an initial assignment duration of four years, this proactive approach to policing is not entirely new to Turlock, which had a previous iteration known as the CAGE unit. However, earlier efforts were disbanded due to staffing limitations. The new street crimes unit seeks to fill this void, focusing on crime prevention while increasing police visibility in the community. In 2024 Turlock faced 388 drug-related crimes and nine drive-by shootings. By establishing this unit, the goal is to see these numbers diminish through focused intervention, according to CBS Sacramento.

Lieutenant Dave Shaw, who has extensive experience with street crime units in the county and will oversee the newly formed squad, remarked on the efficacy of proactive policing. "Any street crimes unit that isn't responding to calls for service necessarily that can proactively combat crime through intelligent policing, proactive— always seems to curtail violent crime," Lt. Shaw told KCRA. The department also hopes to expand the unit in the future, incorporating more officers to strengthen its impact.

Lieutenant Russell Holman, communicating the unit's strategy, emphasized community connection and visibility as central tenets of the operation. "They're going to be in uniforms. They're going to be in black and whites [cars], a couple of undercover vehicles. So we want the public to know, and we want the people that we're trying to have an impact on to know that they are out and about. And hopefully, that will keep them minding their manners and following the law," Lt. Holman explained in a CBS Sacramento interview. Holman encourages local residents to engage with the unit, reiterating, "You guys see something, or you guys have a particular issue that you think would be relevant for us to know about, please let us know."

The move comes after the city suffered a spate of nine back-to-back robberies over the last month. With the new street crimes unit in place, Turlock police hope to not only reduce crime rates but also provide a sense of security to the community members they're sworn to protect, as informed by spokesperson Dominique Sanchez and Russell Holman's statements to CBS Sacramento.