CrimeBeat: How do Santa Rosa police compile the ‘Most Wanted' list?

CrimeBeat Q&A is a weekly feature where police reporter Julie Johnson answers readers' questions about local crimes and the law.

How does the Santa Rosa Police Department choose who's listed on its “Most Wanted” list?

Eight men are currently on the Santa Rosa Police Department's “Most Wanted” list.

Three are wanted for murder. One man is suspected of molesting five children in the late 1990s. Others are suspected of assault, attempted murder and gang-related crimes. They are between the ages of 23 and 64 and the crimes cover nearly three decades.

Not everyone with an arrest warrant ends up on the list. Santa Rosa police said they have 92 felony arrest warrants and 555 misdemeanor warrants still outstanding from 2016.

But most of the men on the current list are suspected of violent crimes, Sgt. Rob Reynolds said. Reynolds created the list about three years ago as a way of encouraging public tips to help detectives solve current and cold cases.

Reynolds said it doesn't have to be a violent offense that brings an individual to “Most Wanted” status. A suspected burglar could be named if detectives believed it might help curb a crime spree.

Unlike cities with higher rates of violent crime - there were five homicides in the city in 2016 and three in 2015 - Santa Rosa has more flexibility to include people suspected of a variety of crimes, and the current list includes weapons offenses and parole violations, he said.

Reynolds talks with the detectives bureau working on sexual assault, domestic violence, property and violent crimes, and chooses names from there.

“It's not everybody with a warrant,” Reynolds said. “It could be cases we're investigating currently, or a case from the past and we're seeking leads.”

One case involves the 1999 street shooting of Martin Emanual Smith, 27, in Santa Rosa's South Park neighborhood. One of three suspects - Oswaldo Prado Gallardo, 37 - is on the department's list.

“Some names won't appear on there because we don't want to tip our hand,” Reynolds said.

Santa Rosa's Most Wanted tip line is 707-543-4170. To view the Santa Rosa Police Department's Most Wanted list click here.

Submit your questions about crime, safety and criminal justice to Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 707-521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.