News & Announcements

Alarm Program

Effective January 1, 2012, CRYWOLF False Alarm Solutions is responsible for the City of Salinas False Alarm Billing and Alarm Permit Tracking. The Salinas City Council implemented new fees for false alarms that go into effect January 1, 2012. The current fee for alarm permits will remain the same. Click here to download more information.

2010 Report to the Community

The attached report is Chief Louis Fetherolf's 2010 Report to the Community.

180-day Report to the Community

The attached report is Chief Louis Fetherolf's 180-day Report to the Community.

90-day Report to the Community

The attached report is Chief Louis Fetherolf's 90-day Report to the Community.

City Tip 411

The Salinas Police Department has launched a new, modern way for the community to report crimes anonymously by sending a text message.  This is in addition to We-Tip and other crime reporting hotlines. 

A company called Citizen One Observer, based out of St. Paul, Minnesota provides a service called Tip 411. Tip 411 is an internet based tool that enables the public to text message an anonymous crime tip to the Salinas Police Department, and to allow the Salinas Police Department to respond back in an anonymous chat format.

Your crime tip by text is guaranteed to be anonymous, as your cell phone number is coded and scrambled once received at Citizen Observer, with the crime tip forwarded to the Salinas Police Department utilizing a combination of numbers and letters. The Citizen One Company and the Salinas Police Department will not be able to find out who you are.

Anyone with a cell phone can send an anonymous tip to the Salinas Police Department with the code “SPD831” to “847411” followed by a text message. Please note that Text message charges may apply to your account, depending on the terms of service.

Cell phone set up is easy:
1) Under Contacts on your cell phone, establish a new group titled “847411” and save. 
2) Now go to your text messaging as you would to send a text message to someone.
3) In the “To” block (who your going to send it to), type in “847411”. 
4) Drop to your text box – once in text box type in “SPD831” followed by a space.  Letters do not need to be case sensitive.
5) Then type in your crime tip and push send once your crime tip is complete.

An example tip would look like this:

SPD831 I know who shot the house at 123 Main Street.  His name is Joe.

Once crime tip is sent, you will receive a message from Citizen Observer indicating the message is received by Citizen One and forwarded to the Salinas Police Department.

The Salinas Police Department can respond to the sender to ask for additional information. If the sender does not want any further contact, the sender only needs to push the “stop” or “end” button on their phone and the contact between the citizen, Citizen Observer and the Salinas Police Department is broken.

Crime tips received will be monitored by the SPD Community Services Unit and forwarded to the appropriate
investigating unit.&

For anyone calling in an emergency they should always use 911. Using the Citizen One Observer - Tip 411 does not replace any other crime reporting hotline such as We-Tip or any of the crime reporting numbers established by the Salinas Police Department.

Questions should be directed to Sergeant Jay Malispina at 758-7247.

Anonymous Crime Reporting - WeTip Hotline

Anyone wishing to anonymously report gang activity, crimes of violence or other any other crime are encouraged to call WeTip at 1-800-782-7463 (1-800-78-CRIME). Your call to WeTip is totally confidential, as you never have to give your name or other identifying information about you. Your phone conversation is not recorded or traced. The Salinas Police Department just wants your crime tip information.

When you call We Tip, you will be speaking with a live operator. Because WeTip is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you can call anytime, day or night. There are bilingual operators available as well.

Of course, if you are reporting any in-progress crime you should always call 911. In addition, you may also call in a non-emergency crime tip on the following numbers: 758-7321, 775-4222 or 758-7400 (Monterey County Joint Gang Task Force). These phone numbers are available to those that do not wish to speak to a live operator but desire to leave a crime tip.

If you have any questions feel free to contact Sergeant Jay Malispina at 758-7247 or CSO Jenny Bryant at 758-7044.

We-Tip Crime Reporting Hotline

The City of Salinas and the Salinas Police Department are now participating in We-Tip, a nation-wide crime reporting system that allows citizens to anonymously call in crime tip information using one of the below listed toll free 800 numbers:

1-800-78-CRIME
1-800-47-ARSON
1-800-DRUGS
1-800-US-FRAUD

The benefit of We-Tip is that each of these numbers is staffed 24/7 with operators (including bi-lingual) which allows the reporting citizen to establish a dialogue with the call taker, in the hopes of obtaining more detailed crime information. We-Tip operators use questions specific to law enforcement, which are used as part of the process when speaking to citizens wishing to report a crime. The more detailed the information, the better the chances for a successful investigation.

Citizens using We-Tip never have to give their personnel information; instead they are issued a We-Tip case number exclusive to them. Because We-Tip offers a reward of up to $1,000.00 upon arrest and conviction, citizens are additionally given a 3-part code (in addition to the case number) should the citizen want a reward.

The focus in using We-Tip is to get the citizens in Salinas more involved in the crime reporting process while ensuring their identity is protected.

Use of the above listed We-Tip numbers do not replace any of the existing crime tip lines at the Salinas Police Department or Monterey County Joint Gang task Force (JGTF), nor does it replace 911. However, should a citizen utilize a We-Tip number to report an in-progress crime, We-Tip will route that call to the Watch Commanders office or to Monterey County Communications.

Using the above 800 numbers, citizens that call We-Tip will be providing crime information to the national headquarters in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Once the crime tip is received it will be routed to the appropriate department unit for further investigation.

Crime Tip information provided to We-Tip reaches the Salinas Police Department the same day it is reported. Crime tips using We-Tip have already been called in and are currently being investigated.

Questions concerning We-Tip can be directed to Sergeant Jay Malispina at 758-7247.

Neighborhood Watch/Business Watch

The basic fundamentals of Neighborhood Watch and Business Watch are to get people talking with each other and working within their neighborhood or business environment in partnership with the Salinas Police Department toward the goal of community security and safety. This effort ranges from developing neighborhood walking patrols, business and homes watches and the reporting of suspicious circumstances or criminal activity to the police.

In addition, both Neighborhood and Business Watch programs also provide many useful suggestions concerning personal security, home and business security along with other safety tips. Neighborhood and/or Business Watch can be used in any environment and usually involves a small number of homes or businesses in a small geographical area, to include business malls, apartment complexes and schools. A well-established Neighborhood or Business Watch program sends a signal to the criminal element that they are outnumbered, and not tolerated and that they will be reported to police.

Recent studies have suggested that with the declining economy, there is a high demand for Neighborhood or Business Watch because of the number of vacant houses and or business areas.

The basic starting point for any watch program is to get a small group of individuals together to take charge and get the process started. From that point it is a matter of developing and maintaining established goals within a watch environment with the help of the Salinas Police Department.

If you would like more information concerning Neighborhood and/or Business Watch please contact Community Service Officer Jenny Bryant at 758-7044 or Sergeant Jay Malispina at 758-724