Q&A: April Luckett, Deputy of the Year

If you live in Ashland or Cherryland, you already know her face. If you commit crimes there, the two of you are on a first-name basis.  

In her decade of service with the force, Alameda County Sheriff's Deputy April Luckett has become a fixture in the community. Residents gush about her. Recently, the sheriff got to gushing about her too. 

Last week, Luckett was honored at the ASIS International San Francisco Bay Chapter's 49th Annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Event for her outstanding service to the community. We sat down to chat about the award and her hard work.

Patch: How did it feel to receive this recognition? 

Deputy April Luckett: I hate talking about it, because it makes me feel so ... I love a thank you, but I hate all the attention.

They  recognized 11 officers from around the Bay Area for outstanding services. The sheriff nominated me for this award for three things that I did.

1. 396 Sunset 

One of them was 396 Sunset — it was a refuge for all the gang members and drug addicts in the Cherryland area.

We were going there constantly, arresting people for various crimes. There was a wanted felon hanging out there.

Finally last year, I did this whole workup and took it before the county counsel to be pursued as a nuisance property. 

It was weird because the house was in a trust. The person who lived there was the beneficiary of the trust, but he was a drug addict, and he was the one facilitating all  of this activity. We took it before  the property owner, and we basically entered into a contract with her saying she would not allow certain activities to happen there. 

She made everyone leave, the beneficiary of the trust ended up in rehab. He’s been in there since the house was empty.

The house is empty and boarded up now, so it doesn’t look that great, but the Ashland Cherryland Arts and Garden Network is entering in the lease to turn it into a clubhouse. 

2. Crime Free Multi-Housing Program

I started the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program in our area.

The Crime Free Program is an international program that is basically a neighborhood watch for apartment communities. We have consistent problems in our apartment communities. It helps build partnership, working with apartment managers and apartment owners to show that the sheriff is working to keep their community safe.

It’s a three-phase program. The managers have to go through an eight-hour program, recognizing crime prevention through environmental design, how to make apartments look safer and feel safer to the community.

The second phase of the program is when we do the actual inspections, where we identify places that are unsafe, and things that can make it target hardening, so that criminals don’t want to go there and commit crime.

The third phase is a safety social, where we invite the people from the community to come out and meet me. We explain the program. so that they understand that it’s about making the community safer and not just having this police presence.

3. Paradise Neighborhood Watch

In the Ashland area there’s a neighborhood watch over on Paradise.

I started a neighborhood watch there last September. Basically, it got a lot of recognition because a lot of people that lived there felt a sense of change. They wrote letters to the sheriff saying they could go outside and talk to their neighbors.

We got rid of a lot of people who were renters who had been problems in the area. (Before) we were chasing people through their neighborhood only basically because of two or three houses. 

It was a good year. It continues to be busy. It's not something that changes overnight. I'm still in Paradise every day. The people who were living there that had any kind of criminal record know me by face, know me by name.

What makes the sort of work you do different?

AL:  When I was on patrol, I could aways go somewhere and put a BandAid on it. In the Cop Shop, if I see a problem, I can work until I can find a solution to the problem. It’s not just a BandAid, it’s something that’s gonna be solid for a long time. 

What do you like best about the community that you serve?

AL: I like the fact that it’s very diverse. It reminds me a lot of where I  grew up. Growing up in a working class/middle class neighborhood in Los Angeles, it's a lot of the same issues. There’s people who live here who want to enjoy their property and not have to look at blight and abandoned cars. It reminds me of home. I feel comfortable here, and I feel like the people feel comfortable with me being here.

I do enjoy taking people to jail— it’s my job, it’s fun for me. Especially if it’s in my neighborhood where I don’t want to see prostitutes walking up and down the street, or people committing crimes. Sometimes it’s about education, going out and just talking to people.

Where's the award now?

AL: It's sitting on my mantel at home. I’m really happy and really proud that I got it, but I was really surprised.