The Rancho Cordova Police Department’s station also houses the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office East Division, which now includes Rancho Murieta and Sloughhouse in its primary response area. The change was made to improve service to the community. Courtesy photo

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has quietly implemented a geographic change to reduce lengthy response times to Rancho Murieta, an issue that area residents have railed about for years.   

The Sheriff’s Office has moved Rancho Murieta and the surrounding area, including Sloughhouse, out of its Central Division (District 8) into its East Division (District 7).

Until May, a deputy dispatched to Rancho Murieta from District 8 could take up to an hour and a half to arrive, particularly if coming from Isleton or Sherman Island. The issue was further exacerbated by the limited staffing in District 8, where only two deputies were assigned per shift to cover a vast and predominantly rural area in the South County.

Now that Rancho Murieta is part of District 7, two to three deputies who work with a sergeant are potentially available for calls. They are also likely to respond from areas such as Rosemont, Vineyard, Gold River or even Rancho Cordova. That’s because District 7, also known as the East Division, operates as a joint command with the Rancho Cordova Police Department, both based at 2897 Kilgore Road. 

Sheriff’s Captain Matthew Tamayo, who commands the East Division, also serves as police chief for the City of Rancho Cordova. The Sheriff’s Office has provided contracted police services to the city since 2003.

Lt. Reid Harris, the operations commander of the Central Division, said that his commander, Capt. Vanessa Vaden, proposed moving Rancho Murieta into the East Division to improve response times and to better serve the community.

 Lt. Reid Harris, operations manager for the Sheriff’s Office Central Division, announces that Rancho Murieta has been moved to the East Division as Lt. Nick Goncalves, the assistant commander of the new division listens. Harris was speaking at a July 31 open house celebrating the reopening of the Sheriff’s Service Center in Rancho Murieta. Photo by Gail Bullen

“We had discussions with the Rancho Cordova Police Department and the East Division Sheriff’s Command and decided to initiate a trial (that began in May),” Harris said.

One of the factors considered in the decision was the low volume of calls originating from Rancho Murieta. This suggested that the East Division would have sufficient resources to handle them. According to Harris, this proved true during the trial period. When asked if he had statistics on the number of calls and response times during the trial period, Harris stated that he did not have that information.

Nor is a map yet available showing the expansion of District 7, Harris said. The boundaries of the newly-encompassed area, extend from Grant Line Road east to the Amador County Line and from Meiss Road north to the El Dorado County line.

The first official notification about the East Division’s assumption of the primary response to Rancho Murieta was made at July 31 open house at the Rancho Murieta Community Services District building. The event celebrated the reopening of the sheriff’s service center in collaboration with the district and the introduction of two new VIPS (Volunteers in Partnership) with the sheriff.

Speaking at the open house, Harris explained that the Central Division had partnered with the Rancho Cordova Police Department and the East Division to take over responsibility for the Rancho Murieta area.

“It’s going to be a lot easier for them coming from Bradshaw Road than for us coming from the Antioch Bridge,” Harris said.

Harris also introduced Lt. Nick Goncalves, highlighting his dual role as the assistant police chief of the Rancho Cordova Police Department and the assistant commander of the East Division.

Goncalves told the small crowd that they were very excited about taking over the area.

“Rancho Murieta is a community that is near and dear to our hearts,” he said. “We are excited about continuing excellent service to this community.”

Also in attendance was Sheriff’s Lt. Greg Coauette, a long-time Rancho Murieta resident who is currently serving as a day watch commander for the Central Division.

 Sheriff’s Lt. Greg Coauette, a longtime Rancho Murieta resident, expects response times to improve. Photo by Gail Bullen

The Independent contacted Coauette after the meeting to get his perspective on the transition. He said the sheriff’s office moved Rancho Murieta into District 7 in 2016 but then reverted it back into District 8.

Coauette said he has supervised and managed both districts.

“I feel the proximity of the D-7 units are more consistently closer for a quicker response time,” Coauette said.

However, Coauette cautioned, response times will always vary, depending on the type of call and whether deputies are on another call and available to respond.

“Theoretically, the response time should be better (in District 7) since they have two to three deputies working with a sergeant,” Coauette said.

Tim Maybee, president of the district’s board of directors, said that Rancho Murieta was more appropriately served from Rancho Cordova.  He also described the improved response times and increased resources as a bonus for the community.

Maybee said another bonus was the reopening of the service center and the VIPS program. He sees it as another communications pipeline to the Sheriff’s Office.