Progress Made with PD Calls for Service at Wyndover, Chief Says

Things are getting calmer and safer at an apartment complex that has been the center of a for several years. That was the summation of Novato Chief of Police Joseph Kreins when he was asked to update the Novato City Council on Tuesday about progress at 136-unit .

“The property is making some excellent progress in regard to safety measures we’ve asked for such as safety gates and so forth,” Kreins said. “… All in all, progress has been significant, and calls have diminished quite a bit.”

In December 2010, police met with a few residents and the property managers at the complex at the corner of Diablo and Center roads. Fairfield Wyndover, which owns the buildings, agreed to create a Neighborhood Watch program and discuss several measures to reduce calls for service and increase the safety of the residents.

Fairfield Wyndover management agreed to hire a security guard, lock gates on pedestrian walkways, improve outdoor lighting, tow cars in the parking lot that were not registered to residents and hire a daily security patrol between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m.

Fairfield Wyndover also agreed to do more aggressive background checks on potential renters and conduct quarterly inspections to maintain code enforcement voluntarily.

Kreins said Tuesday several key drug-related arrests have been made in recent weeks at or near Wyndover, including one person who did not live at the complex and “we expect he will spend quite some time in prison” if convicted of the charges.

Novato resident Toni Shroyer, a vocal advocate of policy change at Wyndover, commended police for the progress but said she was not satisfied with the efforts by the City Council, city staff and the state to put more pressure on Fairfield Wyndover. This summer, the management company received a six-month extension from the state to adhere to a list of safety measures, she said.

“The police are doing what they can, especially with reduced staff, but I don’t think the staff and council have done enough to make (Fairfield Wyndover) have more accountability for the safety of their residents,” Shroyer said.

City Manager Michael Frank said crime in Novato is down 10 percent according to police statistics that compare 2010 numbers to those from 2009.

“Our police have been doing a wonderful job,” he said. “We live in an incredibly safe community and, as the chief said, no crime is acceptable, but we’re extremely lucky to live where we live.”