Crime Related Information/Links

We will do our best to bring current information which our community may find informative and helpful. These will be verified information links from a variety of sources, such as Federal, State resources or other specialized agencies like FEMA, Homeland Security or other similar links that come to our attention. Our desire and intent is to keep you informed regarding certain topics that might be of assistance to you.

Nextdoor Neighborhood

Nextdoor is a private social network where people living in a particular area may sign up to be a part of which enables them to communicate with others living in the same area or block. This can be a great tool to use to watch out for one another’s property, to alert when a block party may be organized or becoming alert to crimes that may be occurring in your area as well.

The Shafter PD is a member of Nextdoor where participants can forward their conversations, concerns, questions, etc. to the agency which can provide alerts of suspicious activity or other important intelligence information. Please subscribe to us at: SPD Nextdoor. If you have questions about this access, please feel free to email Sergeant Stephens. 

Scammers and Suspicious Calls

The police department receives calls frequently from the community over concerns of phone scammers pretending to be government employees. They will often attempt to scare or trick you into giving them your personal information and money. They may even threaten you or your family and may even demand immediate payment to avoid arrest of other legal action. 

Law Enforcement recommends firstly that you hang up. Secondly, DO NOT give them money or personal information. And if you know that a particular scam was directed to a particular entity, such as IRS, or Social Security, report that scam directly to those governmental entities. For many corporations and large businesses, a "reporting fraud" internet search coupled with the business name usually can get you pointed in the right direction.

For reporting a suspected or suspicious scam related to Social Security, go to the Office of the Inspector General here: OIG.SSA.GOV

For IRS related scams, check out the IRS reporting site at the Internal Revenue Service site.

If you have other questions or need help, please contact us so we can take a report, be aware of what may be going around, and provide any guidance we are able. 

Please check out the:  Social Security Administration Scam Warning Flyer

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

Recently the FBI warned Americans to be on the lookout for cyber-based romance scams (see the article HERE FBI Warning Article).  

Many people do not know that there is an online internet crime complaint center that accepts online internet crime complaints for an actual victim or from a third party. The Shafter Police Department would like our community to be appraised of this resource and take time to report these incidents to the FBI as it can benefit all of us in the community and even with the possibility of extending to all American citizens. 

To get to the complaint center, go to: IC3.GOV. It will take you to the following webpage:

FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center webpage








From here you can click on the "File a Complaint" button and it will take you to the reporting feature.

You can also access additional information through the site. If you have questions, please contact us.


Central California Intelligence Center (CCIC) - Ransomware Resource

A new website has been launched by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to help organizations reduce their risk of ransomware.

StopRansomware.gov is the homepage for federal government agencies to pool resources that can give businesses and organizations of all sizes the opportunity to better protect their networks. The website will also highlight the latest ransomware-related alerts from these agencies.

Ransomware cases rose again in 2020 with a 300% increase in the amount of ransoms paid, compared to the previous year. Ransomware incidents have become more destructive and impactful in both nature and scope. Malicious cyber actors target critical data and can propagate ransomware across entire networks. These cyber criminals also increasingly use tactics, such as deleting system backups that make restoration and recovery more difficult or infeasible for impacted organizations. The economic and reputational impacts of ransomware incidents, throughout the initial disruption and, at times, extended recovery, have also proven challenging for organizations large and small.

The new website will enable organizations to enhance their network defense while helping organizations be more aware and prepared to deal with malicious cyber actors.

StopRansonware.gov includes information about the critical steps that should be taken to respond to and recover from a cyberattack. This includes a comprehensive Ransomware Guide and Cyber Hygiene services that are available at no cost to help organizations with vulnerability scanning, web application scanning, penetration testing, and phishing assessments. These services can help to assess, identify, and reduce exposure to cyber threats like ransomware.

We recommend that all organizations visit StopRansomware.gov to help mitigate ransomware risks. 

Department Crime Statistics and Reports

Many in our community are interested in what is going on in Shafter, and we have two access points that should provide information you are looking for.

First, you can go to the Department Reports page here: DEPARTMENT REPORTS and find year-end reports and crime statistics.

Second, you can access the Department CitizenRIMS page which will provide you with both current and past searchable categories pertaining to: past activity, crime, most wanted subjects, stolen vehicles, arrests information, crime charts, and an option to sign up for alerts.

If you have questions, suggestions, or need help, please email Administrative Sergeant Joshua Stephens.