OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Belmont Police Chief Quarterly Report to City Council - June 22, 2026

City Council — Monday, June 22, 2026
BodyBelmont, California
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, June 22, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 24:36
Transcript — Verbatim
0:33

I'm going to read something here really quickly.

0:35

Officer Dela Cruz joined the Belmont Police Department in 2024 and quickly distinguished himself as a dedicated and hardworking officer.

0:44

Since joining the department, Austria de la Cruz has consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic, professionalism, and a willingness to take on any assignment.

0:53

I could personally speak to that.

0:55

He approaches his duties with a calm, compassionate demeanor that reflects positivity on both the Belmont Police Department and our community.

1:03

In 2025, Officer De La Cruz led the department in DYRS, earning recognition from the mothers against drunk driving Bayer Area chapter.

1:13

Through his proactive enforcement efforts, he has helped remove impaired drivers from Belmont streets, reducing the risk of preventable collisions, and helping to ensure the safety of our residents, businesses, and visitors.

1:27

His commitment to keeping the Belmont community safe, combined with his dedication, initiative, and professionalism exemplifies the highest standard of the Belmont Police Department.

1:38

For his outstanding performance and valuable contribution to the safety and well-being of the Belmont community, Officer Dalek Cruz deserves this congregation.

1:48

Congratulations.

2:24

Okay.

2:26

He left, but I wanted to just say congratulations to him again.

2:28

Thank you for your service.

2:30

He works nice.

2:35

It's okay.

2:37

Sorry.

2:38

All right.

2:38

Item for public comments and announcements.

2:42

We're going to limit this to 15 minutes with a maximum of three minutes per speaker, and is for items of interest not on the agenda.

2:49

If your subject is not on the agenda, we can recognize you at this time.

2:53

Do we have any public comment?

3:06

No, if you get public comments.

3:12

Approval of minutes.

3:14

I'm reporting.

3:16

I second.

3:19

Motion made motion seconded.

3:21

And approved.

3:23

Thank you.

3:24

Item six general business.

3:26

Uh, item A, police police chiefs quarterly report.

3:35

I want to welcome our new police team.

3:38

Welcome to this meeting.

3:40

Appreciate it.

3:40

Thank you.

3:51

So a little bit about myself.

3:53

Um I have a connection to Belmont, which uh it was an honor to come back and uh work for the city that I grew up in.

4:01

Uh in the 70s, I uh was born in Belmont and lived on uh uh Lassen and Tahoe uh with my family.

4:09

My uh dad was uh in real estate in Belmont and uh all my siblings went to school here.

4:15

So the connection here is uh very strong with my family.

4:18

So I did uh very much appreciate coming back and working for the community that means so much to my family.

4:24

Um I went to Sarah High School and graduated uh many years ago.

4:29

Um I have a bachelor's art in history and major coursework in business administration from Santa Clara University, uh including finance and accounting and uh macro and micro accounting, all that stuff.

4:42

Uh worked for the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office for 26 years.

4:45

I retired as a captain.

4:47

Uh upon retirement, I was in charge of the uh coast uh contract, Halfham Bay and the unincorporated areas of that jurisdiction, as well as Woodside Portola Valley and Redwood City contracts.

4:59

I've been honored, as I said, to uh work for now assistant uh city manager Ken Stenquist uh as when he was police chief as a captain for the last four years.

5:12

It's been an honor and privilege to work at an agency that uh has a very high ethical standard and cares about the community in a very positive fashion.

5:24

So this is kind of the why.

5:26

This is the new thing.

5:27

I just uh went to a class for two weeks.

5:30

Um in 1986, Annette Thor on the left um hitchhiked in Ben Lohman, um, an area in Santa Clara County, and uh she wasn't seen again.

5:42

She was found a day later on Skyline, deceased, and this case was cold until 2012.

5:50

In 2012, myself and um detective Map Road had an opportunity to reopen this case, and um, we were able to do DNA and interviews, uh, identify this gentleman, uh John William Kelly, uh, as the person that killed her.

6:09

He also killed a number of other people in uh Humboldt County and Del North County.

6:15

Um, so it definitely a scourge to the community, and it affected both San Mateo County as well as the rest of the state.

6:24

Going into the next thing, this is Ilva Hagner, which is a little means a lot more to the Belmont community.

6:32

Ironically, uh Ilva worked in this building before it was the police department.

6:39

Um she actually worked in an office just over here that is currently the Belmont Police Department, which is uh uh a very small coincidence that uh we can't take lightly.

6:51

This case has been open since 1996.

6:54

We still have not found her, but as you can see, uh the two pictures on the right, there's a continuous and dedicated amount of work, um, especially with our investigations bureau to constantly be working towards uh finding Ilva and bringing closure to her family.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety████████████████████████████████████████40%
Fiscal Sustainability████████████████████20%
Community Engagement███████████████15%
Procedural█████████████13%
Technology and Innovation██████6%
Traffic Safety██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Belmont Police Chief Quarterly Report to City Council - June 22, 2026

The meeting on June 22, 2026, began with a commendation for Officer Dela Cruz for his outstanding contributions to traffic safety and community policing. After public comment, the council approved the previous meeting's minutes. The main agenda item was the Police Chief's quarterly report, which covered his background, cold case investigations, technology use (ALPRs and drones) with transparency measures, training statistics (1,645 hours), upcoming community events, and grant funding. Council members asked questions about ALPR guardrails and the mental health clinician program, and expressed strong appreciation for the department's work.

Recognition

  • Officer Dela Cruz was commended for his dedication, professionalism, and leading the Belmont Police Department in DUI enforcement (DYRS) in 2025, earning recognition from MADD. Council members congratulated him for his service.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made during the designated public comment period for non-agenda items.
  • During discussion of the chief's report, one speaker (likely a council member) congratulated the chief and requested an update on the future of the mental health clinician program. The chief responded that the program has been extended for at least six more months via county funding.

Discussion Items

  • Police Chief's Quarterly Report: The Chief (a Belmont native with 26 years at the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office) presented his "why"—a commitment to solving cold cases, including the 1986 Annette Thor case (identified the killer in 2012) and the ongoing 1996 Ilva Hagner missing person case. He emphasized ethical use of technology: automated license plate readers (ALPRs) have assisted in 60 serious arrests; the sharing network has been reduced from over 200 to under 100 agencies and is being narrowed to a 40-mile radius; internal audits require a case number for each search. Training hours increased significantly from 1,200 to 1,645, including e-bike safety events. Upcoming community engagements: Coffee with Cop (July 8, Docks Bagels), Community Academy (August 26), National Night Out (August 4, with 5 sites so far), and a Centennial drone show in October. Grants: Office of Traffic Safety $37,000 for enforcement and education; CHP Cannabis Tax Fund for equipment; and a pending Board of State Community Corrections grant of $1 million over 5 years to cover 47% of a detective corporal position.
  • Council Q&A: A council member inquired about ALPR guardrails—the chief detailed the audit process, case-number requirement, and transparency portal showing usage logs. Another council member noted the department's proactive approach to e-bike safety and interdepartmental cooperation. The chief confirmed the mental health clinician extension and highlighted that training exceeds state minimums.

Key Outcomes

  • Approval of previous meeting minutes (motion and second, passed).
  • Commendation for Officer Dela Cruz unanimously supported.
  • Council acknowledged the police department's grant successes and budget-conscious strategies.
  • The mental health clinician program will continue for at least six months via county extension.
  • No formal vote on the quarterly report; it was received as information.

Meeting Transcript

I'm going to read something here really quickly. Officer Dela Cruz joined the Belmont Police Department in 2024 and quickly distinguished himself as a dedicated and hardworking officer. Since joining the department, Austria de la Cruz has consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic, professionalism, and a willingness to take on any assignment. I could personally speak to that. He approaches his duties with a calm, compassionate demeanor that reflects positivity on both the Belmont Police Department and our community. In 2025, Officer De La Cruz led the department in DYRS, earning recognition from the mothers against drunk driving Bayer Area chapter. Through his proactive enforcement efforts, he has helped remove impaired drivers from Belmont streets, reducing the risk of preventable collisions, and helping to ensure the safety of our residents, businesses, and visitors. His commitment to keeping the Belmont community safe, combined with his dedication, initiative, and professionalism exemplifies the highest standard of the Belmont Police Department. For his outstanding performance and valuable contribution to the safety and well-being of the Belmont community, Officer Dalek Cruz deserves this congregation. Congratulations. Okay. He left, but I wanted to just say congratulations to him again. Thank you for your service. He works nice. It's okay. Sorry. All right. Item for public comments and announcements. We're going to limit this to 15 minutes with a maximum of three minutes per speaker, and is for items of interest not on the agenda. If your subject is not on the agenda, we can recognize you at this time. Do we have any public comment? No, if you get public comments. Approval of minutes. I'm reporting. I second. Motion made motion seconded. And approved. Thank you. Item six general business. Uh, item A, police police chiefs quarterly report. I want to welcome our new police team. Welcome to this meeting. Appreciate it. Thank you. So a little bit about myself. Um I have a connection to Belmont, which uh it was an honor to come back and uh work for the city that I grew up in. Uh in the 70s, I uh was born in Belmont and lived on uh uh Lassen and Tahoe uh with my family. My uh dad was uh in real estate in Belmont and uh all my siblings went to school here. So the connection here is uh very strong with my family. So I did uh very much appreciate coming back and working for the community that means so much to my family. Um I went to Sarah High School and graduated uh many years ago. Um I have a bachelor's art in history and major coursework in business administration from Santa Clara University, uh including finance and accounting and uh macro and micro accounting, all that stuff. Uh worked for the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office for 26 years. I retired as a captain. Uh upon retirement, I was in charge of the uh coast uh contract, Halfham Bay and the unincorporated areas of that jurisdiction, as well as Woodside Portola Valley and Redwood City contracts. I've been honored, as I said, to uh work for now assistant uh city manager Ken Stenquist uh as when he was police chief as a captain for the last four years. It's been an honor and privilege to work at an agency that uh has a very high ethical standard and cares about the community in a very positive fashion. So this is kind of the why. This is the new thing. I just uh went to a class for two weeks.

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