VALLEJO – A Vallejo woman is calling on the state government to send California Highway Patrol officers to Vallejo as the city faces rising property crime and a slow police response.
Elin Delgadillo, the general manager of Alexis Formal Bridal, said burglaries have become a regular part of doing business in Vallejo. A robbery of one of its stores costs the company up to $250,000 in damages.
‘A large part of our cases deal with criminals in the city. And of course the police aren’t really responding,” Delgadillo said. “It’s not like, it’s not like they, you know, their lack of not wanting to respond. I mean, I understand that.”
Delgadillo has taken his security into his own hands by installing a lock on the front door that only opens from the inside. Guests must come in to shop. Still, Delgadillo fears thieves could break the windows.
“I think we’ve sent out a broad communication, you know, to the greater Bay Area saying, ‘Hey, come to Vallejo,’” Delgadillo said. “You know, they’re not going to do anything.”
The FBI Crime Index shows a spike in property crimes in Vallejo from 2020. Paula Conley, a native of the city, said crime and a lax approach to it are killing her community.
“Everyone is in danger all the time, and unfortunately, you know, for a variety of reasons our city has not been able to get a handle on the situation, but at some point someone has to,” Conley said.
Conley asks the CHP to assist the Vallejo Police Department. VPD is facing a serious shortage. Conley said she has seen the CHP at work in Oakland and is asking for the governor’s support as a last resort.
“The word just needs to get out because we can’t keep living this way. Something needs to be done to stop this kind of violence and crime,” Conley said.
The petition has been gaining momentum since Monday with approximately 3,000 signatures. City officials are now on board with the effort.
A police spokesperson wrote: “As we continue to rebuild, we remain open to exploring additional formalized police support that increases public safety for our community.”
Conley said the city can’t wait much longer for reinforcements.
