Despite budget reductions and recent layoffs in the police department, serious crime in Sacramento has dropped 18 percent over the last three years – the second largest decline in California among cities of similar size – according to a report that Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel presented to City Council Tuesday. Braziel told council members that the core mission of the Sacramento Police Department hasn’t changed since 2008 when he took charge. The mission, he said, is still “reduce crime, engage the community and provide excellent service.” What has changed, however, is the number of police personnel – 81 sworn officers were laid off in July – and a department budget reduced by $1

Team SacPD is on their home stretch. “Group B is on the way to meet group A for our final day of racing. On the way to the finish line!” was sent out on the team’s Twitter feed Friday morning. Having cycled just over 2,820 since Saturday afternoon’s start, Team SacPD has just 176 miles to go, however, embedded photographer Kati Garner stated, “…the last day of RAAM is not an easy ride for the racers…..they are in the Appalachians, full of ascents and descents for miles and miles.” Team SacPD is the first all police officer team in the history of Race Across America (RAAM), fully comprised of police officers from the Sacramento Police Department doing the race on their personal vacation

It’s all downhill from here… so to speak. Monday, in the Race Across America, Team SacPD concurred their highest elevation climb of the race. With their climb to nearly 11,000 feet above sea level Monday, the team has climbed a total of 55,952 vertical feet since the start of the race Saturday. From this point, the majority of the race is downhill except for a few smaller elevations climbs later in the race. At the time of this posting, the team is skirting the southern part of Colorado and is about half way across the state. At this point they have traveled almost 1,030 miles and have about 1,969 miles to go. The only significant challenge reported today was a racers blown tire shortly

Sunday was a long but rewarding day for Team SacPD in their second day of Race Across America. The team traversed north east through Arizona and at the time of this posting they are just north of Tuba City heading toward Utah. Team SacPD is now 33 hours into the race and have traveled over 615 miles. They have climed a total of 32,744 vertical feet and are presently around 5,000 feet above sea level and will reach around 11,000 feet in this assent.  The day was not without challenges. Early in the day one of the riders wasn't feeling well and had to sit out several relay rotations, but later returned to the race reportedly doing well. The same van that broke down Saturday developed mecha

Team SacPD, started the Race Across America (RAAM) Saturday afternoon. Starting from the pier in Oceanside, they already peddled over 170 miles with just under 2,830 to go at the time of this post. They have cumulatively climbed 8,789 vertical feet and reached a top elevation just over 4,000 above sea level. The team is now commencing a stretch in the race where over the next 750 miles they will ascend to an elevation of over 10,000 feet above sea level. Until they reach that elevation, they will be on a consistent climb with few brief downhill breathers. Shortly after the races start, one of the teams vans with relief riders on board, broke down with radiator issues. “1st crisis! One va

Oceanside, CA | Team SacPD starts pedaling across America, a 3,000 mile trek, at 2PM today and will end in Annapolis, Maryland. The first all police team to compete in the Race Across America (RAAM), Team SacPD, entirely comprised of officers from the Sacramento Police Department, assembled in Oceanside over the past few days, prepping and taking care of last-minute details heading into the big start at 2PM Saturday in Oceanside. Team SacPD is riding to raise awareness of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. “The eight member SPD Team will raise money and bring media attention to the National Law Enforcement Memorial, Washington DC. Working with the hundreds of federal, state,

Thirty-five police jobs were saved from proposed layoffs after the Sacramento Police Department received a waiver on a federal grant that funds officer positions, spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong confirmed late Tuesday night. The number of proposed layoffs in the 2011/2012 budget for Sacramento police officers has dropped from 81 to 46. The City Council will vote next week on proposed budget cuts that include layoffs of cops and other Police Department staffers. Council members were weighing whether to lay off 81 police officers, but the grant waiver means they will decide whether to lay off 46 officers. The council will also choose whether to lay off 68 civilian police department staffers – th

The local media is abuzz about the city’s proposals to lay off 80 sworn Sacramento police officers, among other police staffers, to help balance the city’s budget. But while information on the proposed layoffs has been reported, many Sacramento residents may not know the basic facts and salary information for police officers in Sacramento. The City Council, which is wrestling with a $39 million budget gap, is expected to approve the city’s budget for the 2011/2012 fiscal year on June 21. The recommendation to lay off cops – as well as other cost-cutting measures – comes from the city manager’s office. Here is a guide to help residents understand the salary and benefits for the average p

The Sacramento City Council members made it clear Tuesday night that they do not want to make the $12 million in cuts to the Police Department recommended in the proposed budget. But it’s unclear at this point how the council will lessen the cuts to the department. A crowd of police staffers and supporters, which swelled to about 400 at its high point early Tuesday evening, turned out for the City Council’s budget hearing. The city is grappling with a $39 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year. A total of 149 department staffers, including 80 sworn cops, would be laid off in the proposed budget, according to police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong. The city currently has 701 sworn co

Within the next three years, nearly 75 percent of the Sacramento Police Department’s staff, ranked captain and higher, will be eligible for retirement, according to police department spokeswoman Laura Peck. Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel will address the department’s succession plans and other concerns regarding top staff at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. City Councilman Rob Fong requested Braziel make a presentation, saying he was concerned over former Sacramento Police Capt. Daniel Hahn’s move earlier this month to become Roseville’s police chief. “Whenever there are openings in the region, people tend to look at our folks,” Fong said, adding that the city should ensure i

In the view of Sacramento community activist Kathy Jenkins, stronger parenting of youth is key to reducing gang violence. At a forum in Oak Park on youth and gang-related violence, Jenkins told a crowd of about 150 Sacramento residents, city staffers and police officers that assertive parents should influence the lives of young people. “This is called parenting, this is not policing,” Jenkins said. “If we could parent, and if we can raise,” she added, “and if we can encourage, and if we can take guns and give books, if we can give dolls instead of pimping ... If we could do these things, we could put (the police) out of work. I would rather see them writing parking tickets.” Jenkins was

In response to the December shootings at a south Sacramento barbershop, Mayor Kevin Johnson will host a public forum on crime and violence on Wednesday in Oak Park. “That was the latest spark, if you will, that brought the call for this particular meeting,” said R.E. Graswich, Johnson’s special assistant. City Police Chief Rick Braziel and Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones will attend the event, according to the press offices of the two law enforcement agencies. Graswich said the forum will include sessions for community members to discuss the causes of crime and violence in their neighborhoods and how those problems can be addressed. “Obviously, we can’t tolerate this,” Graswich s

At first glance, it appears that Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel is raking in the money this year. In just the last three months, he garnered an 8 percent salary increase and a new retirement perk. However, Braziel’s salary and benefit gains are not as simple as meets the eye. There’s a back story that involves the timing of Braziel’s raise. Police Department spokeswoman Laura Peck and city spokeswoman Amy Williams both emphasized that Braziel’s raise is not a new development, because the city has owed him the extra money for years. Peck said she could respond to questions without the need for the chief to comment directly to The Sacramento Press. To make sense of the information,

Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel announced Wednesday he has withdrawn his candidacy for the chief of police job in Seattle. The 30-year veteran of the Sacramento force will get an 8 percent pay raise city officials said had been promised to him when he was hired. But Braziel said the extra $15,000 was not the deciding factor for him. Instead, he decided that living and working in Seattle would not make him and his family happier. He was able to make the decision only after getting far enough along in the process to get to know the city of Seattle and its leaders, including Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, Braziel said. "I'm staying here. I love the (police) organization and I love this ci

City Councilman Ray Tretheway has claimed that opponents of his re-election campaign have stolen his online identity. In a May 21 letter addressed to several local agencies, including the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office, Tretheway alleged that the Sacramento Police Officers Association illegally registered the website domain name raytretheway.com. The police officers’ union acknowledged that it has registered raytretheway.com but said it has not violated any laws. Campaign statements show that SPOA provides financial support to Angelique Ashby, one of Tretheway’s competitors in the District 1 City Council race.  “It’s identity theft, clear and simple,” Tretheway said in an

Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel is one of three top candidates for a job leading Seattle’s Police Department. Braziel, who has served with the Sacramento Police Department for 30 years, has advanced past several other candidates for the Seattle position. "Tonight I was notified that I am one of three candidates still in the running for chief of police in Seattle,” Braziel said in a statement Tuesday evening. “Ultimately, Seattle Mayor McGinn will make a decision on who is the best fit for the city. I am honored to have made it this far in the selection process. My success is a reflection of the great work the men and women of the Sacramento Police Department do everyday.” In late A

Braziel in Seattle Police Chief Rick Braziel will be in Seattle on Saturday to interview for a job leading that city’s Police Department, Sacramento Police Department spokesman Norm Leong said Friday. Braziel is competing with 10 other candidates for the job. Leong added that the city of Seattle is expected to narrow the group of candidates to three on Tuesday. *** Billboards and dollars The Sacramento City Council will decide Tuesday whether to sign leases with Clear Channel Outdoor for four digital billboards to be placed on city property. The city would garner $330,000 in signing bonuses, according to a report by Tom Zeidner, senior development project manager.  During the first f

Police Chief Rick Braziel was just 19 years old when he joined the Sacramento Police Department. Now 50, Braziel said he has spent his “entire adult life” with the department. Braziel, who talked to reporters at a Monday night press conference, is competing for a police chief job in Seattle that would take him away from his 30-year career with the Sacramento department. Major city police chief jobs pop up infrequently, he said. “Knowing that I’ve been here 30 years, and there’s an opportunity that kind of intrigued me with Seattle, I went ahead and applied." He pointed out that he is an empty nester: None of his five children live at home. “So now is the time,” Braziel said. “If you’re

The following open letter from Sacramento Chief of Police Rick Braziel was just released by the Sac PD: "Hello, "Before you hear it elsewhere, I wanted to share with you a decision I made. Recently, I was approached by an executive search firm and asked to apply for the Seattle Chief of Police position. After considerable thought, I decided that this was an opportunity that I should pursue. "This has been a very difficult decision for my wife and me. I joined the Sacramento Police Department in 1979 and after 30 years of service, I continue to love and cherish each day here. I firmly believe that this is one of the most professional law enforcement organizations in the country. Any succ

The president of the Sacramento police officers’ union appealed to the City Council on Tuesday to fill 75 vacant officer positions at the Police Department. Brent Meyer, president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association, made his remarks at the meeting after Police Chief Rick Braziel spoke about the early release of 190 inmates last week from the county jail. Meyer asked the City Council to think of the department’s 75 vacant police officer positions as it evaluates the city’s budget this year. “I’m here to urge you to act,” he said. Braziel, meanwhile, presented information to the City Council about last week’s early release of the inmates from county jail. The release was the r