2018 RSF Patrol report: Crime down in Covenant

Burglaries are down in the Covenant, according to the annual Rancho Santa Fe Patrol report provided by Chief Matt Wellhouser at the Rancho Santa Fe Association’s Feb. 7 meeting. Total burglaries dropped from 26 in 2017 to 16 in 2018.

The Patrol had 4,448 calls for service, which represents a 12 percent increase from 2017. Wellhouser said calls went up from residents reporting suspicious vehicles or people, “We continue to get calls of that nature, which is a good thing,” Wellhouser said.

The 16 total burglaries in 2018 included 13 residential, two commercial and one vehicle burglary. By comparison in 2017, there were 15 residential burglaries, four commercial burglaries and seven vehicle burglaries.

Four of the 13 residential burglaries last year were attributed to a crew from Inglewood that included a pair of half -brothers and one of the brother’s mother, uncle and girlfriend. The crew was arrested in August in Poway in connection with multiple burglaries throughout North County.

As most crimes in Rancho Santa Fe are opportunistic in nature, Wellhouser encouraged residents to use their security systems and lock doors and windows.

Wellhouser reported that the Patrol responded to 27 injury collisions in the Covenant (down from 40 in 2017) and 79 non-injury collisions. Excessive speed was the major contributing factor in most of the accidents, with inattention accounting for 20 of the collisions and 15 related to driving under the influence.

The Patrol’s response time is 6 minutes and 29 seconds. Last year they drove over 122,000 miles and conducted 39,000 vacation security checks.

“I’m really proud of the guys that work for me,” said Wellhouser. of the officers who are always out in the Ranch providing a visible presence, play an active role at community events and provide support at R. Roger Rowe School. “They do a fantastic job.”

To contact the RSF Patrol dispatch, call (858) 756-4372. For emergencies, call 911 or the Patrol at (858) 756-9966. To request a vacation check, visit rsfpatrol.blogspot.com