OFF THE WIRE
Members of the Sheriff's Analysis Driven Law Enforcement, or S.A.D.L.E., team stand outside of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department headquarters in San Diego. From left to right: Deputy William Munch, Deputy Jaime Rodriguez, Deputy Richard Sanchez, Deputy Karla Taft, Sgt. Chris May, Deputy Anthony Tripoli, Deputy Ruben Medina, Deputy William Liniewicz, Deputy Ryan Wisniewski. Photo courtesy of the Sheriff's Department.
A new team of sheriff's deputies has been tasked with using crime analysis to identify patterns and solve crimes in unincorporated areas of San Diego County.
The Sheriff's Analysis Driven Law Enforcement, or S.A.D.L.E., team is a group of nine deputies who work with data analysts and detectives throughout the department's jurisdictions to identify "hot spots" for crime, and patterns to help solve cases, sheriff's officials said Thursday. The team works across jurisdictions, supporting deputies where related crimes have happened or are expected to occur.
"We're using an intelligence-led policing model ---- looking at patterns and putting the team where it's needed, when we're needed, to disrupt the crimes and the series that are taking place," Sgt. Chris May said Thursday.
Since starting work in January, the team has focused on property crimes such as burglaries and vehicle thefts, May said. Some of the team's projects involved narcotics and other types of crime.
Crime analysts at the department help direct the team's efforts, scouring data to identify places that have an inordinate number of similar crimes, May said. The team then works closely with area detectives while providing a highly visible law enforcement presence in the community.
The team may stay in a community for four or five weeks, May said.
"If we're looking at a (hot) spot, it took time to develop, so it will take time to fix," he said.
An ongoing investigation of vehicle burglaries at fitness centers in 4S Ranch resulted in an arrest in March, May said.
The team identified patterns in the thefts, and found crimes that fit the pattern in other North County jurisdictions, May said. When deputies arrested the suspect, whom May did not name because the investigation was ongoing, they recovered property from 12 thefts in jurisdictions from San Marcos to Ramona.
After the arrest, the number of crimes with the specific modus operandi involved in the series dropped off dramatically ---- an encouraging sign that deputies caught the culprit, May said.
"Unfortunately, what we're finding in these series is that these suspects are involved in sometimes dozens of similar crimes," May said.
Pulling criminals off the streets, solving cases and returning property to victims who thought they'd never see it again has been rewarding, May said.
"It doesn't take away from the great work being done every day by the rest of my department, but we are that extra help that's needed when the crime trends go above normal," May said.
The Sheriff's Analysis Driven Law Enforcement, or S.A.D.L.E., team is a group of nine deputies who work with data analysts and detectives throughout the department's jurisdictions to identify "hot spots" for crime, and patterns to help solve cases, sheriff's officials said Thursday. The team works across jurisdictions, supporting deputies where related crimes have happened or are expected to occur.
"We're using an intelligence-led policing model ---- looking at patterns and putting the team where it's needed, when we're needed, to disrupt the crimes and the series that are taking place," Sgt. Chris May said Thursday.
Since starting work in January, the team has focused on property crimes such as burglaries and vehicle thefts, May said. Some of the team's projects involved narcotics and other types of crime.
Crime analysts at the department help direct the team's efforts, scouring data to identify places that have an inordinate number of similar crimes, May said. The team then works closely with area detectives while providing a highly visible law enforcement presence in the community.
The team may stay in a community for four or five weeks, May said.
"If we're looking at a (hot) spot, it took time to develop, so it will take time to fix," he said.
An ongoing investigation of vehicle burglaries at fitness centers in 4S Ranch resulted in an arrest in March, May said.
The team identified patterns in the thefts, and found crimes that fit the pattern in other North County jurisdictions, May said. When deputies arrested the suspect, whom May did not name because the investigation was ongoing, they recovered property from 12 thefts in jurisdictions from San Marcos to Ramona.
After the arrest, the number of crimes with the specific modus operandi involved in the series dropped off dramatically ---- an encouraging sign that deputies caught the culprit, May said.
"Unfortunately, what we're finding in these series is that these suspects are involved in sometimes dozens of similar crimes," May said.
Pulling criminals off the streets, solving cases and returning property to victims who thought they'd never see it again has been rewarding, May said.
"It doesn't take away from the great work being done every day by the rest of my department, but we are that extra help that's needed when the crime trends go above normal," May said.