Front Page  »  

Is Paso Robles fabricating crime statistics?

February 23, 2012

Lisa Solomon

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” — Phrase popularized by Mark Twain

By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN

Paso Robles Police Chief Lisa Solomon is proclaiming a dramatic drop in crime under her watch, but the numbers she provides to back up her claim don’t match those furnished by the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI.

Local law enforcement agencies regularly report accumulated crime numbers to the DOJ which sends them on to the FBI.

Solomon claims credit for an 11.7 percent drop in the city’s crime rate since she became chief in 2007. However, according to FBI crime totals for Paso Robles from 2007 through 2010, the eight major crime categories have risen an average of 2.2 percent per year and violent crimes such as assaults, rapes, and murders have actually increased 16.74 percent over four years. (Data for 2011 is not yet available.)

City officials have provided data that appears to show the total numbers for major crimes in Paso Robles from 2002 to 2006 were higher than totals provided to CalCoastNews by the Justice Department and the FBI. Then, immediately after Solomon became chief, crime totals provided by the city were significantly lower than those the city reported to the DOJ and the FBI.

Crime statistics can vary slightly between what is reported by the DOJ and the FBI because of the difference in federal and state government classifications of crimes such as rape, according to officials from the FBI, the DOJ and local law enforcement. However, in these cases, the numbers reported by the DOJ and the FBI are primarily the same, and simply do not coincide with numbers the city provided as its FBI report numbers.

The crime statistic discrepancy comes amid swirling allegations that Solomon sexually assaulted several of her officers; the claim of a drop in crime has been offered by Solomon to local media outlets as evidence of her job performance.

Solomon responded to a CalCoastNews public records request by delivering a graph showing Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) from the FBI’s reported crime numbers for Paso Robles from 2002 through 2011. The graph appears to support Solomon’s claim that the city’s crime rate has dropped 11.7 percent since she became chief.

However, while many of the crime numbers align with the FBI’s reported numbers, large discrepancies in burglaries are common, with as many as 54 more burglaries a year reported before Solomon was appointed chief.

In comparing only the eight major crimes Solomon used to back her claim, FBI numbers show an average 2.2 percent increase per year in Paso Robles.

Solomon did not respond to questions asking why the crime numbers provided the media by her department do not match those provided by the DOJ and the FBI.

A representative from the DOJ Criminal Justice Statistics Center confirmed that the number of burglaries reported by Paso Robles to CalCoastNews are not consistent with the numbers reported to the state. But, “There has been no manipulation of the data by our agency,” the DOJ representative said in an email.

Even data from the FBI does not accurately portray the crime levels in Paso Robles because responses to crime in the city by other agencies are not listed under the Paso Robles’ police department’s crime statistics. Rob Bryn, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff department’s public information officer, said that sheriff’s deputies assist the city of Paso Robles more than any other municipality in the county.

“The sheriff is aware of the budget issues throughout the county and will assist if resources are available,” Bryn said. Last year in Paso Robles, deputies responded to “30 verified calls total including two requests by CHP due to PRPD not having a unit to back them in their city and one call traffic collision/non-injury that PRPD would not respond to. Deputies handled removing the vehicles from the roadway.”


Loading...
Subjects:             
Related:


92 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

No response equals no report equals no incident equals a lower crime rate. I bet Chief Soloman understands all of those gambling games, odds and parlays!


0

Exactly.


0

DOG PILE!!!


Does everyone remember that term from their childhood. Back in the day it was not a real nice thing to do to someone (to dog pile on top of one) but in this case I APPROVE OF IT’S USE!!! You can’t hide stats to make you look like you are doing a great job when you suck at being Chief of Police. I have some scientific data to back up Velie’s view. It’s common knowledge from coast to coast, so listen close:


When the economy goes in the toilet, those marginal workers that teeter between employed citizen and part time criminal lose their jobs. When they lose their jobs they do what they do best; steal, rob, and burglarize cars, homes and businesses to get by or to by their drugs… So don’t tell me crime is down in Paso Robles. When the building in Paso Robles stopped all those laborers in the construction industry when back to their old ways! See, you learned something and I didn’t even charge you or grope you!


I can assure you there has been NO DECREASE IN BURGLARIES in Paso Robles since Solomon took over. It got so bad there just a year or two ago they put together a little mini-task force from there own department to try and stop all the daytime burglaries but that didn’t work.


I also heard that a little over a year ago one of the officers went home for lunch and surprised two burglars inside the officer’s own home!!! Now that takes balls… The suspects must have figured the officer would not be home for awhile because he was trying to get his monthly QUOTA OF TRAFFIC TICKETS and win the Disneyland Tickets!!!


That’s how bad that town is, no respect for the cops and NO RESPECT FOR SOLOMON!!!


There is no doubt the city will make a change soon by removing Solomon from her post. It truly is the right thing to do, and I even hear the Paso Robles City Council is finally growing a set and starting to ask questions instead of sitting in the dark closet being fed horse manure by App.


They need to start all over with new blood from an outside agency. I know there is probably some good guys worth promoting at PRPD but App must break this cycle of PROMOTE FROM WITHIN mentality as it has spawned INBRED PERSONNEL like Solomon with no conscience, integrity, or honesty. Again, all you have to do is look at the fact that Solomon and her management staff concealed all of her and the teams violations of City Policy (over 40 violations) and Criminal Law from their supervisors (City Hall and App) but continued to hammer the poor cops working mandatory overtime on a weekly basis.


I hate to say as the Comment Monitor will eventually delete it but there is a new saying at the Paso Robles Police Department: “SHIT IS FINALLY ROLLING UPHILL”!


I need another bong hit so I can further my diatribe of justice and weed for all!


0

highdude, about 3 yrs ago, there was a rash of residential burglaries in Paso. They were occuring between 3-5pm. Turns out it was 3-4 juveniles who were casing homes, hopping fences & entering through open doors/windows. Many homes were robbed & residents were on edge.


One evening around 5, the fam & I were in the front yard & a police chopper, 4 Paso PD cars, and 2 sheriff’s cars were in our normally quiet neighborhood! We were freaked out & wondered what was happening. Turns out a burglary-in-process had just occured.


Well, GUESS WHO lived in that home. A cop. [not Chief Lisa] SHE was home when the punks broke in and she scared the #($% out of them when she drew her weapon on them. She apprehended 1 kid, the 2nd kid got caught by the responding officers, and the 3rd boy ran away (he later got caught.)


Don’t get me wrong–I’m glad they got these kids but do you think you or I would get such preferential treatment if it were OUR home being robbed? A police helicopter?!! Doubtful. 2 sheriff’s cars plus 4 squad cars? No way.


0

BTW, the boys were not armed so it wasn’t like her life was in danger or anything.


0

Obviously, this incident didn’t occur during the period of time when she left her vehicle unlocked, with her weapon inside, and it was stolen….


0

You people are so ridiculous. Most of you have no idea what you are talking about and blab away. No idea what a ticket quota is, no idea about what cops do, no idea of available resources like helo’s, etc. You just like to point fingers and fire away. Like when Cindy wrote about how she “crunched the numbers” and “discovered” that the PRPD Officers were getting OT because they worked 12 hours a day, not 8 like most people. Guess what, she was completely wrong and uninformed as usual. CCN is the tabloid of the Central Coast where people can get their torches and pitch forks and chase perceived monsters to their hearts content.


0

Highdude says, “They need to start all over with new blood from an outside agency.”


It’s too early for me. I read that as, “… a new blond from an outside agency.”


0

QUOTING HIGHDUDE: “I know there is probably some good guys worth promoting at PRPD but App must break this cycle…..


App has done nothing to oppose the policies and actions of Lisa Solomon. Indeed, he has enabled her to continue the very actions that have harmed the PRPD officers, the department as a whole, and the residents of Paso Robles.


App is a big part of the problem, just are the members of the city council.


If there is to be real change, Solomon, App and the city council members must all be drop-kicked like yesterday’s trash…which is what they are.


0

For a change I am proud of LE officers.

I see a successful lawsuit that the city will have to pay the officers, the city will have to lean on county, state or federal aid to pay it, and I do not mind paying additional taxation to compensate these fine officers

especially the lawsuit involving frivolous citation quotas, this is a crime against the public, I am sure the officers know when to give an indisputable citation.

Thank you officers for protecting the public from both the external crime outside and invisible inside crime within your agency! Thank you for your belief in the Officer’s Code of Ethics.

I pray you prevail with a large judgement, you deserve it!


0

Once again, if you ignore the calls from victims or witnesses reporting crimes, the stats will be inaccurate.


It is a sad day to know you cannot count on your police department to protect you even when you pay them to.


0

How about the Sheriffs Department having to respond to a PRPD, where the county deputies were required to push a vehicle out of the way of traffic (in Paso Robles, mind you) following a non-injury accident that the officers were not allowed to respond to.


Is Lisa Solomon trying to prove to the world that she and the officers under her leadership are worthless?


Of course, I don’t blame the PRPD officers–they must do what she says or risk her harassment, retaliation and termination.


But where is Lisa Solomon’s pride? Where is the pride of the city council? the city manager?


0

Chief Lisa’s a Rotarian. The Rotary service club claims to value “high ethical standards in their professional lives.” *cough* yea, right… The phrases “high ethical standards” and “Paso Police Chief Lisa” just don’t go together.


Moreover, the Rotary motto is “Service Above Self.” Chief Lisa’s supposed to follow the “The 4-Way Test” in her professional life:


Of the things we think, say or do:

Is it the TRUTH?

Is it FAIR to all concerned?

Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?


So, as police chief and Rotarian, Chief Lisa has allegedly sexually harassed her subordinates, retaliated against whistleblowers, filed bankruptcy & screwed local businesses out of thousands of bucks (when she & hubby earn more than $300K/year), and NOW supposedly provided phony crime stats… All of this tarnishes the police force, our community, and a respected service club like Rotary.


Lisa or Chris Chitty: If you’re reading this, do the FAIR, BENEFICIAL and TRUTHFUL thing: have Lisa resign (unlikely!) or at *least* go on paid admin leave.


0

All due respect to the majority of the Rotarian’s, but there’s more than one of them that dosent have a clue what service above self means. Service for self is more like it with the support of plenty of your cronies.


0

I agree. I’m an old-schooler & frankly, once women were allowed…I lost some respect for them. [such a politically incorrect statement–let the lynch mob hunt me down!] Why can’t a club be men-only? I don’t see a bunch of whiny men storming the doors of womens-only functions.Regardless, the men *and* women of Rotary do a lot of good works in Paso but too many of them are shameless self-promoters.


0

Make $300k and spend $301k. What a concept of bookkeeping!


0

Speaking of fabricating crime statistics…check out the current add for police officers found on the city website.

“The Paso Robles Police Department is a modern, well-managed department in a new state-of-the-art emergency operations center, with 46 budgeted sworn personnel. Rotating specialized assignments include K-9, SWAT, Detectives and Field Training Officers.


Looks like we have 46, not 27. Fabricating?


http://www.policeone.com/careers/4813230-Police-Officer-City-of-Paso-Robles-Paso-Robles-CA


0

There’s also a youtube video from 2007 which encourages applicants to consider PRPD. The title is “Come Home to Work.” LOL! It should’ve been titled “Come Get Groped!”


One officer says you can expect “great relationships with the people they work with” at PRPD. Poor guy probably said that under duress.


And you gotta watch Chief Lisa starting at :38. She just HAS to promote herself, once again.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4N-qk9TsvY or type paso robles police in you tube’s search engine.


0

Didn’t you just love the officer, right before Chief Solomon’s expected face-in-the-camera routine, who said there’s the same kind of action in PR an officer would find in a big city?


Too bad Chief Solomon won’t allow her officers to respond to the “action”–unless its in a hot-tub.


0

LOL! It was a professionally produced video. I wonder how many taxpayer dollars went into paying for it? My favorite parts are the sirens blaring…lights flashing…evidence envelopes aplenty! They make it seem like the cops are busting criminals left & right around here. Obviously it was filmed pre-Safe Streets when the sheriff had to come & help out because of Lisa’s incompetent leadership.


0

From the above article: “The crime statistic discrepancy comes amid swirling allegations that Solomon sexually assaulted several of her officers; the claim of a drop in crime has been offered by Solomon to local media outlets as evidence of her job performance.”


Excuse me? I don’t give a rat’s tush if she all but eliminated crime in the area, if she’s harassing her staff she needs to go.


I hope the facts mentioned in this story are discussed at the new City Council meeting and an explanation is given. While it is important we can trust our elected officials, it is is essential that we be able to trust the head of our police force.


0

I bet the rate of sexual assaults in Paso Robles went up after Lisa Solomon became chief.


0

The only thing we can trust from city government is they won’t do the right thing, only support someone’s political agenda.


What it comes down to, is we need to quit referring to the people as officials. They are employees, We are the officials.


0

Here’s a statistic for you. If even 1/2 of the allegations about this lady is correct, she has no business still being in office.


0

True, fhill123. But Lisa’s no “lady”…not by a long shot.


0

I will be on the Dave Congalton Show today at 6 p.m. to discuss this issue. Turn your radio to 920AM or listen live at 920kvec.com.


0
1 2 3 4