Delhi residents ask Merced County supervisors for more deputies

Delhi residents on Tuesday pleaded with the Merced County Board of Supervisors to take action and add deputies to help combat growing violence in the community.

Parents cited recent instances in which schools went on lockdown because of shootings in the area. The residents asked supervisors at Tuesday’s board meeting what citizens could do to help and to increase the law enforcement presence in the rural community.

“How can we get more police presence in Delhi?” Shannon Ward, 27, asked. “We don’t even want our kids to go outside and play because it’s just not safe.”

Carissa Loretto said she and her 8-year-old daughter are “terrified” because of the violence, which is largely attributed to gangs.

“I’m here to simply put a voice to the members and residents in Delhi who have children going to the schools – to say we need as much help as we can get over there,” Loretto said. “My 8-year-old, she comes home from school and she’s terrified. It’s not good for her mental health. I’m terrified for my children’s safety and my own. No parent or child should have to feel that way when they’re going to school.”

In the same meeting, officials identified public safety as Merced County’s No. 1 financial priority.

Jim Brown, the county’s executive officer, said serious felonies in the county are on the rise and there are staffing challenges on the prosecution side of law enforcement.

“There have been some efforts, but I know the tide is changing and there is still work to do there,” Brown said.

Brown also noted that in 2014 the county reopened the Delhi sheriff’s substation.

Just last week, sheriff’s deputies investigated two shootings within 24 hours in Delhi. On Friday, sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement agencies conducted a gang task force in Delhi, resulting in at least seven known gang members being taken in for questioning and at least seven illegal guns being confiscated. Sheriff Vern Warnke said on Monday that shots were fired at another Delhi home near a school.

“It’s a lot more frequent than I’d like to have,” Warnke said, “but we’re doing what we have with what we got.”

The sheriff’s office recently has struggled with a high vacancy rate and is working on training new deputies.

Adolfo Melara, Delhi Unified School District’s superintendent, said he and other district staff members have noticed an increase in crime in the past six months, including gang-affiliated graffiti. He confirmed that schools, particularly Schendel Elementary, have gone on lockdown because of violence directed at homes across the street from the school. The most recent instance was Friday, during the gang raids, and the worst case was in February when one school had two lockdowns in one day.

“It’s been very nerve-wracking for everyone involved,” Melara said. “We ask that anyone involved in these incidents remember that our children are at stake here, and they are our most precious gift.”

In 2014, the school district contracted with the sheriff’s office for a school resource officer, Melara said.

Melara said each time a school goes on lockdown, an automated message is sent out to parents as soon as possible.

“We want to ensure parents that we take care of our children at school the same way we would take care of our own children,” Melara said.

Warnke said the sheriff’s office has only one deputy to patrol the area around Delhi, the outskirts of Livingston and Ballico.

“It’s a huge territory to cover with one deputy,” he said. “The supervisors are very aware of it, but have done little to nothing to help.”

Supervisor Deidre Kelsey, whose District 4 encompasses Delhi, said during the meeting that the community is in need of extra law enforcement services.

“It’s really a matter of having the revenues to pay for that,” she said. “We do have problems, and we need to address them.”

Warnke said the sheriff’s office needs the community’s collaboration and asked residents to call in anonymous tips.

“We don’t have a crystal ball,” he said. “We need citizens to help combat this venture.”

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Delhi residents ask Merced County supervisors for more deputies."