Rancho Santa Fe Patrol presents annual report

Rancho Santa Fe Patrol Chief Matt Wellhouser provided his Annual Patrol Report at the April 6 RSF Association board meeting.

Most crimes in the Ranch are opportunistic in nature and Wellhouser reminded the community again about being vigilant about locking doors, setting alarms, avoiding leaving valuables in sight inside their cars and reporting any suspicious activity.

In 2016, there were 16 total burglaries in the Covenant, 10 of them residential, two commercial and four vehicle burglaries. These numbers are fairly consistent with 2015, which also saw 16 burglaries, nine of them residential and seven commercial.

Under miscellaneous felony, the annual report included the Patrol’s response to the June 27 double-homicide on Via de la Valle where three women, including a teenager, were killed in a double-homicide and suicide.

The report also included the Patrol’s assisting the sheriff on several crimes committed in December when a suspect was shot and a sheriff’s dog stabbed as a man held a resident at knifepoint in his village home.

There was also an incident in April in which a woman was robbed as she left Mille Fleurs at night — the thief took a purse and a $25,000 diamond necklace off her neck. Wellhouser said the robbery was not reported to them, so it wasn’t included in the report; however, the sheriff did make the Patrol aware of the incident.

The Patrol responded to 24 injury collisions and 65 non-injury collisions in 2016, a decline from 35 injury collisions and 75 non-injury collisions in 2015 and an overall decline from a peak in 2004 when there were 158 collisions. Wellhouser said this is the result of a directed effort with the California Highway Patrol for speed and traffic enforcement.

An example of a targeted area is on El Montevideo, suggested to the CHP for additional enforcement after the street saw two traffic collisions. As it is one of the straighter streets in the Covenant, there is an issue with excessive speeding. Wellhouser said a CHP officer sent him a citation given the day before for a driver going 86 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone — the targeted presence is effective.

The Patrol’s response time is six minutes and 45 seconds. They drove over 110,000 miles and conducted over 37,000 security and vacation checks, one of their most popular services.

To request a vacation check, visit rsfpatrol.blogspot.com.

For Patrol Dispatch, call (858) 756-4372. For an emergency, call (858) 756-9966 or 911.