Tuolumne County Sheriff's Meeting


July 12, 2018

Last night Sheriff Pooley came up the hill and met with residents from Strawberry, Pinecrest and Cold Springs.
He let the audience steer the agenda. Many folks asked about the increased number of break-ins and whether or
not there have been added patrols as a result. The answer wasn't real encouraging. The number of sheriffs on
patrol has not increased since the 70's while the number of calls requiring response has quadrupled. However,
the sheriff does send a patrol up here once a day and when there is an increase in problems being reported in
a given area then they send patrols more often. But the short of it is that the residents are truly the best
source of info for them. There are several things that can be done, establishing a neighborhood watch for one.
That would require someone to step up and take the lead, establish a group and continue to get neighbors together
on a regular basis. The sheriff is more than willing to support those neighborhood groups by attending functions
and offering advice but it comes down to the community needing to drive it.

Secondly, the sheriff indicated that the increased use of home security cameras has helped them solve or deter
crimes. Our residents can help by registering their security cameras with the sheriff's office. In the event
of a burglary in the area or other type of crime, the sheriff will know who to ask for permission to view
security footage.

And third, the sheriff wants residents to call and report suspicious behavior or any other potential problem
be it criminal or just a parking problem. The more calls reported may help in getting more patrols and more
money to the sheriff's budget to hire more deputies. It all comes down to being noticed and letting someone
know that there are issues here in our community that need to be addressed. If we don't call they don't
know there's a problem.

There was much discussion on the issues at Pinecrest and also regarding an Evacuation Plan for our area. The
Evacuation Plan is currently being worked on by many agencies in this County. However, it is a slow process.
In the meantime, the fire dept has some handouts that I offered to share with anyone who wishes to contact us.

And that leads me to the last item. Dave Holland who is the President of the Board for Friends of Pinecrest
(FOP) was at the meeting last night. Afterwards, he approached me with an invitation for all Strawberry
Property Owners. The FOP has their general membership meeting on August 11th at Dodge Ridge, 9:00 AM. Dave
would like as many Strawberry property owners as possible to attend. Cold Springs and Peter Pam will also be
in attendance. This isn't the first time that Dave and I have discussed the many common issues we share in
Pinecrest, Cold Springs and Strawberry. One of the biggest concerns of course is the fire departments, both
Pinecrest and Strawberry, and the lack of support from Tuolumne County during tourist season. We know that
those communities coming together with a combined voice will go a lot further in solving some of the issues
we experience in our communities. This is great opportunity to begin getting to know others in our area
and identifying common issues that can be solved together.

Dee Martin
SPOA Board Member and
Strawberry Fire Protection District
Board President