Jackson cops have cracked every high-profile crime to hit their city this year, though new budget cuts are forcing their numbers to dwindle. Photo by: Scott Thomas Anderson

It's Wednesday afternoon and Jackson Police officers Mike Collins and Victor Capaz are looking for thieves. Two break-ins in 24 hours equal yet another frustrating case to confront.

While the Jackson Police Department has recently tracked down and arrested numerous burglars, robbers and violent felons, as of Monday night, Jackson will have fewer boys in blue.  

During the second week of December, the Jackson Police Department announced it had arrested alleged serial burglar Aaron Vance, alleged smash-and-grab thief Phillip Bach, and the alleged leader of a Central Valley theft ring named Michael Oneill. Although breaking the three separate cases is good news for locals, the officers themselves are working in the hardest conditions they've faced in a decade. The city's ongoing budget problems have left the department with the lowest number of officers it's had since the 1990s - just as crime in the foothills appears to be on the rise.

News that a cluster of recent criminal investigations by Jackson PD all resulted in arrests began when Vance, who's believed to have ransacked and looted more than 10 cars in the city last August, ended up in handcuffs. The collar was largely the result of Jackson Police Detective Douglas Grey bringing video surveillance of the break-ins to every allied law enforcement agency in two counties until he ascertained who Vance was. Vance later cracked under questioning by Grey.

Another important case Grey and Jackson Police Sergeant Chris Mynderup had been working on was the robbery of Coldwell Banker in January. During the commission of that crime, Coldwell Banker lost $25,000 in computers, jewelry and personal items. The two Jackson detectives soon pieced together that the suspects had been staying at the nearby Jackson Lodge on New Year's Eve.

Over the course of the following months, they identified a small, organized ring of four likely burglars. Oneill, a 27-year-old Ripon man, was believed to be the group's leader. Stolen items from Coldwell were found on Oneill and one of his partners, when the two were cornered by Tracy police officers, all but proving the Jackson detectives had been tracking the right men. A total of four suspects now face charges in the Coldwell robbery. All have been linked to numerous break-ins across the Central Valley.

One of the stranger crimes Jackson saw last month was also solved by the city's police officers - with the help of a fellow cop in Ione. Around 4 a.m. Nov. 23, a Sacramento Bee employee and a Sutter Creek resident both witnessed a suspect steal a Sacramento Bee newsstand within Jackson city limits. The man pulled the bulky metal stand into his vehicle and sped off. When Jackson law enforcement put out a be-on-the-lookout alert for the suspect, officers got an instant hit from Ione Police Sergeant Rocky Harpham, who'd noticed what he thought was the same vehicle as it came through Ione.

"It was just good old-fashioned police instincts that made him notice it," Grey said of Harpham. "He encountered that vehicle before word had gotten out about the newsstand; but his gut told him there was something suspicious about its driver. And he remembered as soon as he heard."

Harpham did some investigation of his own and soon discovered the identity of the driver: Phillip Bach of Ione. On Dec. 6, Collins caught sight of Bach driving through Jackson and arrested him. While searching Bach's car, Collins and Grey discovered that Bach, already a convicted felon, had a loaded pistol under his front seat. They also found burglary tools and pieces of evidence that linked Bach to the newsstand robbery. Bach is being charged with felony grand theft and vandalism.

"Surrounding agencies like Ione PD help us out a lot," Collins said. "When you work well with cops in other jurisdictions, it makes it a lot easier for everyone to solve their cases." 

Working with allied law enforcement agencies will be more important than ever for Jackson cops. At the Dec. 14 Jackson City Council meeting, the department learned that a dwindling General Fund nightmare meant that they could not fill a desperately needed officer position that became open when Todd Breedlove moved away.

"It won't be easy," Jackson Police Chief Scott Morrison told the city council that night, "because crime's not getting any better."

He went on to explain that Jackson Police staffing would now be at its lowest level in 10 years. "We can do it, and we will do it; and we'll continue to do what's needed for officer safety and public safety. But this is a step backwards. The citizens need to know about the situation, because it's going to affect their services in some ways."

Morrison's department started off 2009 by bringing convicted rapist Larry L. Smith to justice and ending a countywide manhunt for violent felon Anthony Kessler at gunpoint.

Though he's concerned about the number of men he'll have on patrol, Morrison closed Monday night's address on a philosophical note.

"While this is pretty hard on my officers, I think they understand the need for sacrifice right now," Morrison said. "Any time I've come to this council over the years with a specific need, you all have been very gracious. I really appreciate that we've never had a problem getting the support we need from this council. You've been there for us in the good times, and I don't forget that in the bad times. All I can say is that we're going to work really hard for you and the public."