A suspicious man on a bike has members of the Denair community questioning the safety of their neighborhood.
Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson addressed a number of public concerns of residents of Denair at Tuesday's Denair Municipal Advisory Committee meeting.
Numerous people spoke about a man that rides through the streets on his bicycle with a large backpack and his arms full at all times.
“I was drinking my morning coffee and saw him ride past my house with either a small television flat screen or a large computer monitor,” one woman said. “I called the non-emergency phone line to report the incident and they’re not helpful—they’ll just tell ya, ‘Ma’am a guy has the right to ride down the street with stuff in his hands.’”
The Sheriff reinforced the importance of calling in these types of incidents and made it clear that he will make sure each call receives an appropriate response.
“We are here to serve you, do not feel like you can’t call—there is great value in calling,” said Christianson. “With your help we can have a consensual encounter with the individual and see what’s going on.”
Christianson went on to talk about the negative affect Proposition 47 has had on crime in the entire county. Prop 47 allowed over 1,800 people to be released from custody in the area. Most of these individuals are fueled by addiction, said Christianson, which correlates with the burglaries in the area to source their addiction.
“I feel like his hands are tied because there’s not a whole lot he can do legally because of Prop 47,” said Lesa Steiner, a Denair resident. “It’s a big frustration here in Denair, we have a small community so we all know what’s going on and that’s why it’s frustrating.”
Christianson urged Denair residents to recognize in comparison how safe their community is in regards to crime per capita, even to their local neighboring community of Keyes. He asked for their patience and reminded them how helpful their Neighborhood Watch Facebook page can be to the Sheriff’s office as well as the community.
“That’s a great thing to have,” said Christianson. “It’s important for the communities to band together, communicate and help us help you.”
