2016 Annual Traffic and Crime Reports

Foster City is a wonderful community known for its beautiful parks, excellent infrastructure, engaged citizens, and dedicated City Council & City staff. It is also one of the safest cities in the nation. In my monthly meeting with Police Chief Joe Pierucci, he shared the 2016 Annual Traffic and Crime Reports. Both reports contain useful information regarding statistical data, trends, and prevention efforts made by our staff. I would like to take a moment to highlight a few significant points from each report as a quick reference.

2016 Traffic Report

• 220 collisions occurred in 2016, up slightly from 212 the prior year
• Over the past five years, we have averaged 215 collisions a year 
• 40 people were injured in collisions in 2016, which is fewer than the 58 injured in 2015
• There were only six collisions between vehicles and bicyclists in 2016 – all of which were low speed/low impact with injuries deemed minor in nature. 
• There were only six collisions between vehicles and pedestrians in 2016, again with no major injuries occurring and similar vehicle speeds involved. 
• FCPD Officers continue their efforts in DUI detection, seatbelt enforcement, distracted driver enforcement, regional enforcement, and directed enforcement

2016 Crime Report

• Overall “Calls for Service” increased by 3% during 2016. This is the third consecutive year that “Calls for Service” has increased
• Foster City experienced a drastic reduction in residential burglaries during 2016 (18 total). There were 43 residential burglaries in 2015. This was a 59% reduction!
• The general category of “Theft” increased during 2016 (179 total) as compared to 106 in 2015

According to Chief Pierucci ...

"This is a trend being experienced by Law Enforcement agencies throughout the State of California. Recent changes in legislation over the last few years (Early release of prisoners; reclassification of numerous “felony” crimes to “misdemeanor” level offenses; the threshold for felony theft being raised to $950; the reduction of numerous narcotics violations from felony level crimes to misdemeanor level; and the knowledge by criminal offenders that being caught for one of these new classified criminal offenses will result in a citation and release with a later court date of six weeks or more in the future (rather than an immediate incarceration at the County Jail) has empowered many criminals with the thought that the “gain” from their crimes far outweighs the “risk” of being arrested. Frequently, these criminals will continue committing crimes and fail to appear for their court dates. Once again, the need for our agency to emphasize the importance of removing “opportunities” for criminals to commit crimes here in Foster City through education, crime prevention and active patrol work remains one of our main goals." 

• In summary, Foster City saw decreases in residential burglary, graffiti, vandalism and stolen vehicles. There were increases in theft related crimes and commercial burglaries. Retail stores remain heavily impacted by theft.

Public safety is a priority as we continue to assure that Foster City is a great place to live, work, and play. So stay safe Foster City and I can assure you that when you engage with our Foster City Police Department, they will provide you "Excellent service, every call, every contact, every day, and then some!"

Excellence in Governance & Economic Development Update

Excellence in Governance Program

Throughout any organization, and especially in municipal government, a universal goal is to provide excellent service in what we do everyday. Here in Foster City delivering good governance is not only a core value characterized by our City team but continues to be ingrained in the work culture & environment.

In September 2016, the City launched the “Excellence in Governance” Program with the purpose of capturing achievements made by our City staff, including those related to City Council policy.  Each department provides a monthly recap structured around five (5) focus areas:

• Sound Financial Management
• Effective Community Planning and Neighborhood Preservation
• Effective and Efficient Municipal Operations and Services
• Positive Community and Governmental Relations
• Effective Professional Development

The reports received from the various departments are then compiled and refined to create one complete snapshot of the City’s accomplishments over the course of a quarter – encompassing anywhere from daily interactions made with our constituents to reaching a milestone in a major project.

It is with great pleasure that I present to you the first quarter summary of Excellence in Governance - FY 2016/2017 2nd Quarter Accomplishment Highlights. We will bring you this report on a quarterly basis as we work to serve our community and keep our citizens informed.

Economic Development Update

There have been several exciting updates in terms of Economic Development efforts in Foster City. The partnership with Scoop Technologies to bring the carpooling app and $2 rides to Foster City has yielded outstanding results. There have been 8,858 fewer trips in and out of Foster City since launching in October of 2016. This is the equivalent of 102,200 pounds of CO2 saved during the same time. Additionally, in 2016 City staff spent 40 hours assisting Foster City businesses solving problems and helping to negotiate resolutions as part of the Office of the Ombudsman out of the City Manager’s Office. City staff also conducted 50 business visitations, directly reaching out to Foster City’s thriving business community.

Coming up this year are more sustainable initiatives to help residents and businesses live, work and play in Foster City including the launch of a Kiva.org – Foster City micro-lending program and two new websites. The first new website is www.connectfostercity.com, a connection portal linking anyone travelling in and out of Foster City with the myriad of transportation alternatives available. Sustainable.fostercity.org will also be launched this year as part of Sustainable Foster City, where anyone interested in Economic, Environmental and Social initiatives can go to learn more. 2017 promises to be an exciting year.

Have a super weekend and enjoy the game on Sunday! I hope the team you are pulling for is excellent and "Plays Like a Champion!"