Santee to Have Skywatch, Special Holiday Patrols

Sheriff's Department "Skywatch" apparatus

Sheriff's deputies in patrol cars, on bicycles and peering from above in the portable "Skywatch" tower will be trying to put a lid on crime in Santee over the holidays.

The Community Oriented Policing  and Problem Solving (COPS) unit will initiate a high-visibility patrol today (Nov. 27) at the Santee trolley station. 

The first of three special bicycle patrols will begin Thursday, Nov. 29 and return on Dec. 20 and Dec. 27.

The same crime-fighting unit will be patrolling the Santee Swap Meet the first two weekends in December.

The department will deploy its highly visible Skywatch surveillance unit on Dec. 5 at the El Cajon Walmart at 13487 Camino Canada. 

The Skywatch unit, which looks like a guard tower mounted on a cherry picker, is designed to deter would-be thieves from burglarizing vehicles or snatching packages from unaware shoppers.

The bullet-proof  tower is equipped with a high-resolution surveillance camera that can capture video of  suspicious persons prowling cars in shopping center parking lots. The camera can zoom in on vehicle license plates and, using night-vision technology, can also detect weapons and other suspicious items hidden in bags or pockets.

Skywatch will be in Santee on Dec. 12 at Trolley Square, 9884 Mission Gorge Road, and again on Dec. 21 at the Santee Walmart, 170 Town Center Parkway.

Deputies from the Santee station will also conduct DUI saturation patrols on Friday and Saturday nights throughout the holidays at various locations. Special sweeps are also planned to target minors attempting to buy alcohol and those in violation of curfew laws.

Click here to read crime prevention tips posted on the Sheriff’s Department website.