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Cardroom Crime Report Alleges Underreporting

"`Crime persists at both cardrooms operating in the city of San Jose,' the annual report said. `Contrary to our agreement and the city ordinance, the cardrooms failure to report all suspected crime enhances concern.'

"The report comes as San Jose continues to consider the possibility of shutting down the clubs in the aftermath of a 1999 grand jury investigation that yielded scores of indictments. Officials at both clubs deny that their operations are breeding grounds for crime, and one rejected the new police report as politically motivated.

"…The department's annual report to the council shows Bay 101 generated 101 calls for service from the police department during fiscal year 2000-01, a 26 percent increase above the previous year, resulting in 84 reports actually filed by officers. In all, 31 arrests were made by law enforcement agencies.

"Garden City generated 82 calls, up 49 percent from the year before. The calls resulted in 51 reports, down seven from the previous year. Nineteen arrests were made in 2000-01.

"…The report's examination of the clubs' own security logs found a higher number of incidents occurring in which police were not advised. Bay 101's logs show 172 incidents, and Garden City's logs show 133.

"Most unreported incidents at Bay 101 involved assaults, disturbances, theft, minors gambling or on the premises, the report said. Many at Garden City involved vandalism, disturbances, unattended children and theft.

"…The report also hints that more criminal activity may be associated with the clubs. The statistics, it notes, `do not capture some crimes that emanate from the cardrooms, but occur away from the cardrooms' physical location,' such as an assault by loan-sharking or extortion…"

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