Salinas PD makes dozens of arrests in Chinatown

An area known for crime and homelessness in Salinas is getting new attention, as police look to clean it up. Over the past week, officers say they’ve ramped up efforts to crack down on illegal activity.

“The Chinatown neighborhood here in Salinas is in redevelopment,” said Dorothy’s Place Executive Director Jill Allen.

In a place known for homelessness, drugs, and violence, redevelopment is something the City of Salinas says its been trying to work on in Chinatown for a long time.

Following a recent crack down, local shelters are noticing a difference.

“What we’re seeing very recently is a change in the way criminal activity has been handled. So there’s been a very welcomed relief,” said Allen.

That’s because over the past week, Salinas PD has has either arrested or handed out tickets to 86 people in the Chinatown area alone.

“Anything from camping to trespassing to drug violations to a DUI, various vehicle code violations. So all of those together are 86 just in that immediate area,” said Salinas PD Commander, Mike Groves.

About a third to half of those incidents resulted in arrests.

“People that live here, both the ones that are housed and the ones that are un-housed, look at this as a really welcome break from the threat of criminal activity here,” said Allen.

And it’s those people that local authorities are trying to cooperate with.

“When we deal with the people directly, we know we’re not down there, the goal isn’t just to arrest them by any means or give them citations. The goal is really to clean up that problem in that area,” said Groves.

“I know that Salinas PD is able to get quite a bit of information from the people here, mostly because they want to aid the safety of their own community,” said Allen.

Once the city and police department have made a major impact in cleaning up Chinatown, they plan to keep it that way.

“Increased patrol presence down there and actually maybe hiring officers overtime to come in and work that area specifically,” said Groves.

And for those that live and work in the area, the cleanup is a welcomed idea.

“We’re very happy to see any improvement that comes along, we’re happiest when we see that it is in a planned, organized manner that we believe can be sustained, and that’s what we’re going to cooperate with.is helping to create a community plan that can make a safer neighborhood in Chinatown for the long term,” said Allen.