Benicia Police Department

Meet the newest member of the Benicia Police Department - K-9 Enzo!!! Enzo is a two-year-old Belgian Malinois who will serve this community as an explosive detection dog. He will be able to help our officers recover weapons, firearms, and even bombs. He can also track scents, which will be helpful to find suspects as well as missing people. Enzo wishes you a happy and safe Halloween tonight. He and his two-legged partner Officer Peters will be out and about to keep Benicia a great community that it is!

Wondering about these new signs popping around town this past week? They are part of the City’s Evacuation Plan to ensure that all Benicia residents are prepared in the case of emergency. The city has been divided into FIVE zones and each zone has its own evacuation route. Get to know your evacuation zones here: https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/index.asp... In the coming weeks, you’ll also receive an envelope in the mail with more information about the Evacuation Plan, including physical maps. Be prepared and stay safe!

***MEDIA RELEASE*** The Benicia Police Department is pleased to announce that it has solved the identity of a torso found off the Benicia shoreline in 1979. The case was reopened in July this year when the Doe Network contacted Solano County Coroner’s Office advising that a body found in 1979 might have been matched with an identity. However, after further investigation our detectives determined that the identity was not related to the torso.... Benicia Detective Sergeant Kenneth Hart continued his quest on the case and expanded the search of missing women in 1979 from the areas of Sacramento to San Francisco. While 11 results returned similar, one stood out: Dolores Wulff. On July 31, 1979, 45-year-old Dolores Wulff vanished in the middle of the night from her home in Woodland, Yolo County, Calif. At that time, her husband was looked at as a prime suspect and was arrested, but ultimately the case was dismissed due to lack of evidence. He died in 2005. Dolores left behind four kids and a community of friends who over the years worked to find answers. Working with the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office, Sgt. Hart requested their assistance in obtaining a DNA swab from one of the living children. After an extensive investigation and with the cooperation of the Solano County Sheriff's Office, the body found in 1979 was exhumed and matched with the DNA swab. On October 20, 2020 Benicia Police Department was notified by the Department of Justice DNA lab that the femur bone from the partial recovered body was in fact Dolores Wulff’s. We are so glad to be able to bring a sort of closure to the Wulff family after decades of uncertainty, Interim Chief of Police Mike Greene said. I am also proud of Sgt. Hart and his team’s tenacity on this case. This case has haunted my office and, in fact, all of Yolo County since 1979. Countless hours were spent investigating Dolores Wullf’s disappearance. It is my hope that this provides some closure to the family who has suffered so much. I am grateful for the dedication and professionalism of our law enforcement community who made this identification possible, including the members of the Benicia Police Department for their incredible efforts, Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez said. The Benicia Police Department would like to thank the assistance from the Wulff family, the Doe Network, Solano County Coroner’s Office and Yolo County Sheriff's Office on this case.

Apparently it’s Flock the Police Day! What a great surprise to see this in our front yard today. And don’t worry, K-9 Apollo has deemed them safe for the community. The flocking is part of a fundraiser benefitting Benicia Middle School - BMS Viking Band.... Thank you to the kind citizen who thought of us!

Yesterday, California State University Maritime Academy - Cal Maritime Police Chief Donny Gordon on behalf of the California State University President presented the Benicia Dispatch Center with a Certificate of Recognition for their efforts during the Glen Cove Fire one year ago. The Glen Cove Fire burned approximately 150 acres and affected Vallejo and Crockett. The Cal Maritime Academy along with residential homes in the area had to be evacuated and were threatened with the possiblity of a total loss. Due to the efforts of all agencies involved, there was no loss of lives or buildings.

We all need human kindness once in a while. Benicia Police Department personnel work closely with our unhoused population by getting to know them, understanding their story, and offering whatever resources we can to get them services they need. As an extension of this, our Family Resource Center has initiated a Backpack Program for the transient and unhoused community in Benicia. The backpacks were created for our Officers to distribute when there is contact with people in ...need providing basic needs to those most vulnerable as the colder fall and winter months come. The backpacks contain a number of personal hygiene products, snacks, socks, blankets, rain ponchos, knit cap, face masks, hand sanitizer, water and first aid products. Some of the items were donated to FRC, and the bulk of the expenses were covered through a grant from Travis Credit Union.

It’s FriYAY!!!! We know 2020 has been particularly crazy for many of us. But we really didn’t expect to find our Detective Sergeant in his office like this. #WaitingForCovidToEnd... #LearningHowToUseZoom See more

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You’ll see our officers with their pink patches this month to honor those who survived, are battling, and succumbed to the disease. This year we are not selling our Pink Patches, but anyone can still donate to the cause and find more information on how you can help from the American Cancer Society. ... #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth #PinkPatch

Police officers - here in Benicia and across the country - are often faced with unpredictable situations, including those involving firearms. Just earlier this month, our officers responded to a call of a man in distress with a gun. Our officers were able to talk to him and get him to comply without any incident. He was then taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. In another call for service, our officers responded to a feud between two people that resulted in a ...party taking the other person’s firearm, which has no serial number and a high-capacity magazine. Officers were able to locate the suspect and recover the weapon safely without any incident. An arrest was made and charges against the owner of the gun were brought to the District Attorney’s Office for consideration. These incidents could have turned dangerous quickly for all parties. However, we believe our officers are more equipped to handle these calls and to better serve this community with an emphasis on de-escalation and continuous training. We truly care for this community, and we are fortunate to have your support.

Today, Officer Ticknor and Community Services Officer Teel, who are both super moms, provided personal donations of baby clothes, diapers, towels and a stroller to Shelter, Inc. in Fairfield. Shelters Inc. assists families who are in residential transition. Shelter Inc. welcomes donations in goods or financially through their website. Please contact them to schedule drop offs. For more information please visit https://shelterinc.org/programs/shelter-solano.html If you are seeking emergency shelter and homeless services or needing to refer someone, please call the Solano County Coordinated Entry System, Resource Connect Solano, at (707) 652-7311.

In the recent months, our officers have been deployed to neighboring areas that have been victim of wildfires to help out in various capacity. It’s been humbling and an honor to be able to do so for our neighbors. Coincidentally, today is National Do Something Nice Day. We know it doesn’t, and shouldn’t, take a made-up day for all of us to do something for someone. But this could be a good reminder for all of us to always look out for each other. It could be as small as a nic...e wave to a stranger or a check-in call to a loved one. Let’s be nice! We all need it. #NationalDoSomethingNiceDay

***PLEASE SHARE*** Due to some technical error, a Fire Alert that was intended for Napa County residents were sent to a number of Benicia residents. The Alert was intended for Napa County residents ONLY, there is no current fire danger in Benicia.

Please see this message from the Benicia Fire Department. Stay safe everyone!