In Wake of Fatal Gang Fight, SRPD Urge the Community to Report Suspicious Behavior

San Rafael police officers told local residents to be vigilant about reporting suspicious activity to the police as they prepare for a possible retaliation from gang members due to .

“You’re the ones who really know what’s going on in your neighborhoods,” Chief Matthew Odetto told the members of the Federation of San Rafael Neighborhoods in meeting Wednesday night.

Odetto was accompanied by Detective Chris Duncan and Cpl. Todd Berringer in last night’s meeting, where San Rafael neighbors voiced their concerns about gang members hanging out in local parks and the downtown area. Last week, a gang fight that resulted in the fatal stabbing of a , ended up on the doorstep of a Gerstle Park resident.

“There are people in San Rafael who feel that we’ve lost our parks,” Federation President Steve Patterson said, “that they’ve been taken over by hoodlums, thugs and in some cases gang members.”

Despite the concerns, Berringer assured the residents that the gang members who ended up in Gerstle Park got lost and were not battling over new territory in their community.

Last week’s gang fight resulted in the arrests of Carlos Eduardo Gutierrez, 18, and three juveniles. Gutierrez will appear in court today, according to District Attorney Ed Berberian.

Facing budget cuts, the San Rafael Police Department eliminated around 20 positions in recent years, according to Odetto. In one year, they receive approximately 41,000 calls.

“There will always be more eyeballs in the community than policeman,” Duncan said. “So, it’s very important to be a presence and report what you see.”