Roads & Infrastructure

Councilman Scott Peters shakes hands with Carmel Valley Community Board Chairman, Frisco White.

Councilman Peters speaks to Carmel Valley residents about the importance of Public Safety at the Northwestern police station ground breaking ceremony.

Carmel Valley Northwest Area Police Substation

Breaking Ground on the Northwestern substation in Carmel Valley
By Scott H. Peters

I am pleased to announce that on March 12th we broke ground on the new Northwestern police substation in Carmel Valley. It has taken a lot of work from scores of community members to get to this point and I want to thank the community and police for their tremendous effort on this project. In addition to the official groundbreaking ceremony we held "Police Day" after the groundbreaking which allowed families in Carmel Valley meet officers and see some of the equipment that they use. We had patrol cars, a K-9 unit, mounted police, and a SWAT vehicle for people to view and Chief Lansdowne and I discussed policing issues with community members. We appreciated all that came out for the event.

Carmel Valley is blessed with outstanding schools, great parks, a magnificent trail system, and quick access to our coast. It also boasts one of the lowest crime rates in San Diego. But there have been appropriate criticisms that response times can be improved and police presence in Carmel Valley needs to be enhanced. Since taking office in 2000, I have been working to raise the awareness amongst my Council colleagues and the police department that it is important to devote resources to this area to deter potential crimes, and more quickly respond to the ones that occur.

Earlier in my first term, the previous police chief was unwilling to commit any resources to the northern part of my district. Our new chief, Bill Lansdowne, and Captain Dan Johnson of the Northern Division have reevaluated force deployment and we now have more cops per crime than other parts of the city. Additionally, with Captain Johnson’s leadership, we have increased the number of patrol officers on duty in Carmel Valley to better police response times.

Before 2000, the community was undecided on the location of the new substation, and whether it was even needed. By working with the police and community leaders we were able to move beyond the discussion and locate the substation in the heart of Carmel Valley. The substation will support an average of 20 sworn police officers per watch, greatly enhancing response times and creating the desired presence in the community.

Reviewing fire protection in Carmel Valley has also been a priority for me. Last year I worked with Fire Chief Jeff Bowman to move two fire stations planned for development in Pacific Highlands Ranch (east of Carmel Valley), further south and west to improve response times throughout Carmel Valley. The original locations were next to Rancho Santa Fe, and it was my belief that the taxpayers of San Diego should get the increased benefit from these stations, not those in Rancho Santa Fe.

Despite the financial challenges faced by the City, we have continued to make public safety our highest budget priority. In last year’s budget the Council increased funding for the Police department by $36 million dollars (12%), which will increase the number of police officers on the street and ensure full staffing for our new police substation.

View photos

Read Councilman Peters' Memo to the Police Chief (PDF: 76K)

Read Police Chief's Response (PDF: 72K)