Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "sacpd"

Commute interrupted, vehicle crashes into downtown business

2011-12-13T19:29:41Z

Sacramento, CA | Busy morning Downtown commute interrupted Tuesday morning when a vehicle crashed into a building.

Close to 7:30 Tuesday morning, the busy downtown commute was interrupted when a woman driving east on J Street, reportedly felt sick and passed out behind the wheel. Her vehicle hopped the curb and crashed into "Patino Building" at 1010 J St. The driver was transported to hospital via paramedics.

More 'Occupy' arrests in Sacramento

2011-10-26T08:57:58Z

Occupy Sacramento participants once again stood their ground at Ceasar Chavez Park in Downtown Sacramento. At midnight, an hour after the park is officially closed, dispersal orders were given and 4 (including one in a wheel chair) were arrested peacfully.

Budget cuts impact resources for major hazmat incident in South Sacramento

2011-07-07T01:43:59Z

Sacramento, CA | A level 3 Hazmat situation shuts down a large industrial area in South Sacramento. Budget weakend hazmat team has to reach out with unusual mutual aid requests.

Wednesday morning, the Sacramento City Fire Department was called to Mike and Sons Inc, in the 8500 block of Elder Creek Road, for a commercial trailer fire. When firefighters arrived “they realized the doors were shut and there was a very pungent odor; so they turned this into a level three hazmat which is the highest level of hazmat response that we have”, Niko King, Assistant Chief for Sacramento City Fire Department stated.

As things progressed, they contacted the shipper and the property owner discovering that there were over forty household products in the trailer, King stated. “For some unknown reason, something happened in there and there was a chemical reaction taking place.”

Evacuations began immediately. King stated that as a result of the off-gassing of the product and wind direction, over fifty-five business were evacuated which equated to 520 people. Reverse 911 was utilized to assist with the evacuations. Traffic was backed up all the way down Young Creek Drive as area workers vacated the industrial park. King stated that the evacuation was in place for about four hours. King also stated that a seven digit hotline was put in place to update evacuees and let them know when they could return to their businesses.

One person, who reportedly inhaled a good amount of the vapors, was transported to the hospital via paramedics.

Large fire suppression lines were put in place in the event they had to fight fire, and measures were taken to protect storm drains from potential contaminated water runoff as a result of firefighting efforts.

“What’s unique about this, Sacramento Fire department just experienced some budget cuts; it cut our hazmat team right in half,” King stated sternly. “…so, we had mutual aid resources from Metro Fire, Hazmat 109 come in. And what was really unique, we had to reach out and get Roseville’s hazmat team to come into the City of Sacramento to assist in mitigating this incident.”

It was finally determined that the substance was some sort of refrigerant oil. The assumption is that due to the warm rising temperature in the trailer, the container of product exploded then mixing with other materials in the trailer.

Many agencies responded to this incident to assist Sacramento City Fire, such as: Sacramento Metro Fire, Roseville Fire, and CERT to name a few. The Red Cross also responded with their Disaster Relief unit.

King stated that all the hazards had been mitigated and the incident would be turned back over to the shipping company.

VIEW MORE PHOTOS>>

RAAM UPDATE: Team SacPD on final push through the Appalachians

2011-06-24T19:26:29Z

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 time with a goal to bring support and recognition to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

“The Sacramento Police Department is embarking on a unique adventure that will bring national attention to the nearly 19,000 law enforcement officers who have been killed while protecting the communities of this nation,” Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel stated.

The Chief further stated, “On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 53 hours. As a racing member of Team SPD, I encourage you to help us at the Sacramento Police Department honor America’s law enforcement officers as we work to commemorate the sacrifice of our fallen comrades.”

As the team rides their final leg Friday, the time clock is shadowed by their passionate mission. Todd Carr, crew person, stated “it is stressful because of tough navigation, little sleep and the climbs. This past week has taken a toll on our racers. We can’t see the end of the tunnel because we have major mountains in our way.”

As the team members trade off in the relay, they’re able to get messages from the crew members who are monitoring their Facebook and Twitter feeds. You are able to cheer them on through this last leg by messaging them directly.

TeamSacPD’s Twitter: CLICK HERE>>
TeamSacPD’s Facebook Fan Page: CLICK HERE>>

Meet the entire team volunteer support crew at their RAAM web site>>

RAAM UPDATE: It's all downhill from here

2011-06-21T06:49:28Z

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 after the start of the day.

RAAM UPDATE: Team SacPD has strong second day

2011-06-20T07:14:00Z

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 mechanical trouble again Sunday near Sedona, Arizona, forcing the team to shuffle some crew and gear around.

Overall, the crew and team remain strong and in good spirits. They have aproximately 2,381 miles to go.

RAAM Update: Team SacPD starts strong Saturday afternoon

2011-06-19T06:10:01Z

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 van died…. We will be flexible and work through it,” the team stated on their Facebook page.

And they're off... Team SacPD starts trek across America Saturday

2011-06-18T20:19:36Z

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, and local law enforcement agencies along the route, Team SPD will honor law enforcement officers killed by carrying their names, visiting local and state memorials, and encouraging media coverage of our efforts,” Chief Rick Braziel stated.

Friday the team was busy with preparatory activities: Chief Braziel and another officer were interviewed for a documentary of their RAAM experience, per embedded Maverick Photographer, Kati Garner. Teams also went to see the first part of the race and posed for team and individual photos. Participant support vehicles were inspected yesterday as well as their bikes, shoes and helmets for safety.

For more information about Team SacPD, read their bios and learn more about their mission, you can visit their site here>>

Follow Team SacPD’s progress here>>
locate Team Sacramento Police in the category dropdown menu on the top right.

More photos from Friday>>

TeamSacPD's Facebook Page>>

Follow TeamSacPD's Twitter>>

Violence and bottles break at downtown Parlare Euro Lounge

2011-05-22T01:01:00Z

Sacramento, CA | Fists and bottles fly early Saturday morning at Parlare Euro Lounge, leaving one person in serious condition.

Just around midnight Saturday, a fight started at the Parlare Euro Lounge on the corner of 10th and J Streets in downtown Sacramento.

“The fight spilled out from the club into the street. One of the security guards was hit in the head with a bottle, subsequently fought with the original suspect who in turn, turned and fought with another suspect who was also hit with a bottle,” Sargent Wendy Brown, Sacramento Police Department stated.

Later the area was deemed a tapped off crime scene with CSI collecting evidence and photos as one of the injured person’s condition worsened. Per Sargent Norm Leong, Sacramento Police Department’s Public Information Officer, the subject is now listed in serious condition.

Vist the scene via raw footage and hear from Sargent Brown about the incident>>

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Capitol Garage shooting

2011-05-21T23:52:00Z

Sacramento, CA | Friends were saying good-bye for the evening downtown when shots rang out and two people were injured.

As friends were enjoying the wonderful evening air outside Capitol Garage early Saturday morning and getting ready to part ways, a black male wearing a hoody walked by and shot into the crowed, per Sargent Wendy Brown of the Sacramento Police Department.

Brown stated that two women were struck by the shooters bullets. One sustained a significant gunshot wound to the leg while the other woman was grazed in the leg. They were transported to the hospital via paramedics.

“We are assuming the women were not the intended targets. There were no problems going on at the club,” Brown stated.

Officers discovered one slug that had lodged in the trunk of a tree.

The shooter remains at large on got away in a maroon, four door Dodge Intrepid with chrome rims.

Hear from Sargent Brown and visit the scene [video]

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Mercy's Mock Mayhem Medical Emergency

2011-05-15T19:53:35Z

An 'armed suspect' began firing upon people in Mercy General Hospital on J St. yesterday. A 'bomb' had to defused.

Sacramento Police Department partnered with Mercy General Hospital, Sacramento Fire Department, and the City/County Office of Emergency Services by staging the mock emergency.

"The purpose of this exercise is for the participating agencies to practice the use of a Unified Command System." Norm Leong, Sac PD Public Information Officer said. "During the exercise, personnel will focus on coordinated efforts, critical decision making and support roles between all involved agencies."

"Unfortunately, workplace violence is a reality and exercises like this help prepare our emergency personnel for similar real life situations" explained Leong.

DUI driver injures three in Downtown crash

2011-04-17T03:35:58Z

Sacramento, CA | An alleged drunk driver crashed into an occupied taxi cab early Saturday morning in Downtown Sacramento, next to City Hall.

Early Saturday morning, at the intersection of I St. and 10th St., a drunk driver crashed into an occupied taxi cab.

Two people were transported to the hospital in critical condition, a third was transported with minor injures.

Being struck by the alleged DUI driver, the taxi cab careened across the front lawn of City Hall and came to rest on against a light pole and across the sidewalk next to the steps of City Hall.

After being given a field sobriety test and refusing to take an in field breathalyzer test, the driver was arrested for DUI.

See more Downtown action>>

Lavender Angels keep the peace in Midtown when drunk subject gets unruly

2011-04-16T23:35:15Z

Midtown, Sacramento, CA | A drunk and violent male gets chased down, pepper sprayed and apprehended by a Lavender Angel.

Friday night, a drunk subject smashed the back window of a car in the back lot of Hot Rods near 20th St. and K St. in Midtown. Ashley with the Lavender Angels chased, pepper sprayed and apprehended the perp on 22nd St between J st and K st. after the perp took several swings at her and attempted to take her cell phone while she was contacting police.

Sacramento police officers arrived and took the unruly male into custody. While in the back of the police car the subject started kicking and spitting. Officers had to place a hood over his head and strapped him down.

Paramedics responded to flush the subjects eyes after being pepper sprayed.

Visit the scene and hear from Lavender Angel, Ashley>>

Photos/Video- Ryan Petersen, SacMav.com
Photos/Video- Ed Fogle, SacMav.com

DUI driver injures several in Midtown wreck

2010-12-31T02:35:12Z

Sacramento, CA | A drunk driver with passengers collides head-on with a Taxi minivan leaving several injured in Midtown early Thursday morning.

At approximately 1:47 am Thursday morning, a black compact car collided head on with a taxi cab minivan at 20th and N Streets in Midtown. Occupants in both vehicles were injured and transported to area hospitals with non threatening injuries, per Sacramento Police department. more from this incident and about Midtown DUI checkpoint >>

Drive-by shooting. Help solve the crime.

2010-10-20T18:52:39Z

Sacramento, CA | A drive-by shooting in South Sacramento leaves one wounded and area homes pelted with gun fire.

A drive-by shooting occurred in the 5500 block of Sampson Blvd Tuesday night in the evening. The victim was making a U-Turn in front of his home on Sampson when suspects in a dark colored sedan opened fire on his vehicle with a large caliber weapon, per SacPD spokesman. Several rounds hit the victims vehicle shattering the passenger and drivers side glass. One round went through the passenger side door striking the victim in the butt-ox. The victim was transported to UCD via paramedics. Rounds did travel across Fruitridge Blvd striking a home on the other side of the street. These rounds easily could have struck passing vehicles on the busy road.

If you were in the area of Fruitridge Blvd and Sampson Blvd, Tuesday evening between 9:30 and 9:45 or have information pertaining to this crime, you are encouraged to contact the Sacramento Police Department.

Hear from the crime scene>>

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Downtown parking garage shooting

2010-08-27T16:02:55Z

Sacramento, CA | After two groups leave a Downtown night club, an argument ensues and a female is shot.

Early Friday morning, two groups leaving a downtown club, per SacPD, got into an altercation in the parking garage off L st. between 10th and 11th Sts in Downtown Sacramento. When officers arrived they found that a female victim had been shot. She was transported to UC Davis via Paramedics. The suspect fled on foot and remains at large.

See video coverage of this incident>>

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Transient flees when his fire burns out of control

2010-07-28T17:37:03Z

Sacramento, CA Local transient fled the scene when his fire burned out of control Tuesday evening.

Aprox 8:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, SacCity Fire was called to a vegetation fire between the Sacramento River and the bike path off Jiboom by the water treatment plant. On arrival, firefighters found a blaze burning upsloap from the beach area toward the bike path. The fire was brought under control quickly. Witnesses in the area saw a transient leaving the scene. He's described as a white male, mid 30's to to early 40's, aprox 5'8" and dark brown shoulder length hair. He was wearing blue jeans and a small dirty red backpack. SacPD Officer Gunville and area Park Rangers had detained a couple of potential suspects, however they proved not to be the suspect and were immediately released. The suspect was last seen fleeing the area running south on the bike trail from the water treatment plant area. If you have information or see anyone in the area matching this description, you are urged to call the Sacramento Police Department or Sac City Fire.

CLICK HERE TO SEE INCIDENT VIDEO>>

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DUI driver makes wrong turn onto RR tracks, UP trains delayed

2010-07-28T11:57:21Z

Midtown, Sacramento, CA An early morning, wayword, DUI driver, gets his car stuck on the tracks.

Per Sac PD at 2:11 a.m. Tuesday, they responded to a call for a vehicle stuck on the railroad tracks at the 19th and N street railroad crossing. When officers arrived, they discovered a vehicle that had made a right turn onto the railroad tracks and high centered on the tracks, delaying Union Pacific trains until 3 a.m. The driver was arrested for driving under the influence.

Follow our SacMav Breaking News Twitter

Market robber gets LoJacked

2010-05-07T05:09:43Z

A 44 year old Sacramento man robs a convenience store but gets dooped by technology Wednesday afternoon.
Sacramento, California

According to Sacramento Police Department spokesman, Conrad Vonschoech, 44 year-old Colon Carmelo is the suspect being held for the robbery of the Fast Stop Food Stores, at 5600 Wilkinson Dr. in South Sacramento Wednesday afternoon. He was booked into Sacramento County Jail at 7:32PM Wednesday evening for felony robbery.

Per police radio traffic Wednesday afternoon, at the time of the robbery, the store clerk was able to insert a tracking device into the money bag before handing it over to Carmelo. A short time latter, officers began picking up the signal from the device in the area of Lemon Hill Ave. After Carmelo stopped at a residence on Nona Way near 37th, officers honed in on the suspect finally stopping him at 41st Ave. and 44th St. taking him into to custody without incident, with the cash still in the front seat of the vehicle.

Another team of officers stood ready to access the residence on Nona Way to search for additional weapons and potential evidence.

Carmelo, with a list of aliases including Mike Carmelo, Michael Johnson, Carmelo Jones and more, has a history of petty theft, charged once in June of 2003 and again in March of 2004. Carmelo also has a charge in October of 2009 for providing alcohol to a minor. Carmelo is currently being held on $175,000 bail all according to county records.

A Tragic End to a Former SacPD Officer

2010-05-03T00:34:31Z

I have come to the conclusion that most local new outlets do not commit enough resources to the difficult task our Sacramento Police Department faces everyday: maintaining order in a large modern city comprised of many different neighborhoods. I wouldn’t attempt to postulate if the lack of committed media resources is due to design or a natural evolution, but I have found it lacking for quite sometime, and have begun to use other methods to gain information on local Police activity. Since the first day of it’s inception I have read Sacpd.org’s Daily Activity Log. I have found it to be a fascinating read, full of stories and crimes you may not hear about on the television news. Many times I will see the a story on the Daily Activity Log regurgitated on the Sacramento Bee’s web site many hours after first appearing on Sacpd.org, only to then be copied almost verbatim on the T.V. newscast the next day. Going straight to the horses mouth, so to say, removes the filters that pick-and-choose the most sensational stories to feed to viewers, and allows me to paint a better mental picture of what our city’s fight against crime really looks like.

Another tool I’ve come to use recently is an Ipod app called “5-0 Radio Pro” which allows me to monitor the Sacramento Police Department’s main radio channel. With this tool I have heard numerous fascinating events, as they happen, live over the streaming internet feed; From DUI arrests to Domestic Disturbances, potential probation violations to all-out manhunts. I also listen to the mundane events like traffic control for weekend charity races and numerous other acts of civil service. When I hear “Air-1”, the police department’s helicopter, flying near my house, I turn on my Ipod to find out information about the situation. If I hear sirens coming from the main streets around me, usually I can follow the events as they happen, in real time. I highly recommend this app.However, reading the police blotter the day after an event and listening to the police radio from the comfort of my home is hardly the end of the story.

About a month ago I decided to take the next step and I applied for and was accepted into the Sacramento Police Ride-A-Long program. The Ride-A-Long program is pretty much just what it sounds like: for about six hours I was going to be allowed to sit in a police cruiser with an officer as he or she went about their daily business. This was to be a first-hand look at what our police force deals with regularly. I say “was” because unbenounced to me, the day I was in for was going to be anything but regular.

In the pre-dawn hours of May 1st 2010 I drove myself to the William J. Kinney Police Facility on Marysville Boulevard, the home of the North Sacramento and Natomas Police Districts. My instructions were to arrive at the facility a half an hour before the beginning of the Day Shift, which was to start at six a.m. Once greeted at the facility by an officer, I was told to wait in the roll call room to meet the officers who would be working that shift. The roll call room reminded me of a class room: bulletins on the walls with confirmed gang members mugs shots, charts and graphs displaying statistical crime data, a podium from which the shift commander would address the officers, and tables and chairs facing that direction.

As the officers arrived one by one into the roll call room, a noticeable buzz was in the air. The officers seemed to be a little preoccupied. A few started to speak about the discovery of a gun at a disturbance the night before. Another officer reaffirmed that he had completed a thorough search of the house, and that there was no gun when he searched it. Yet another deducted that the gun must have been hidden in a nearby car that remained unsearched. I was beginning to get a feel for the atmosphere of the room. I was witnessing a genuine and frank discussion of the previous nights events, and the people talking to one another seemed to show a mutual respect and level of professionalism that put me back. I don’t know what I was expected, but I was pleasantly surprised by everyone’s demeanor. Then the lieutenants walked in for the morning briefing.

The topic of the morning briefing was about an former Sacramento Police Department officer who had brandished a gun the night before. Her name was Jeanette Areiz, and in a matter of hours she would be dead at her own hand. Apparently she was arrested the day before for a number of felonies, the most important one being a 273.5, which is Domestic Violence. As the lieutenant went on, a tragic picture began to emerge. Officer Areiz retired from the force a few year prior, after a fall down a stairwell on-the-job left her permanently disabled. A disk in her lower back was injured, and she had to undergo surgery to have a titanium disk implanted. To help with the injury she was on some pretty serious pain-killers, which may-or-may-not come into factor later.

Jeanette and her domestic partner both had prior arrests for Domestic Violence on one another, and officers comments amongst themselves about the “cycle of violence” that comes with that. I felt a sense of helplessness in the officers comments when they discussed Domestic Violence. It seemed like all they could do was react to it, and that there was nothing they could do to prevent this crime. What could they do? It is not an officers job to make sure we’re all in healthy relationships. All they do is pick up the pieces when problems erupt.

After Jeanette was arrested, the lieutenant went on to say, she posted bail within a hour and made her way back home. At that time she contacted a current member of the Police Department and made suicidal threats. That officer, in fear for her friends well being, alerted the department and a call went out to do a welfare check at her residence. Officers were advised that she sounded to be under the influence of alcohol, and to approach with caution. Sure enough, when officers arrived at the scene around 10 pm the night of April 30th, Jeanette emerged from her garage with a gun to her head, and advanced on officers. I got the feeling that if not for the fact that she was ex-SacPD, she easily could have been shot right there. The officers showed an incredible amount of restraint and took their own safety into risk in efforts to defuse the situation, and retreated to fall-back positions to buy time and hopefully allow tempers to calm. Despite their best efforts, this was in vain.

Jeanette retreated to her home, and officers set up a perimeter far enough away from her house to be just out of sight. A morning shift officer took it upon himself to begin writing a warrant so Police could extract her from her home for her own well-being, and because she had committed further infractions of the law by brandishing the weapon in the presence on officers. I could tell that while the officers were worried about Jeanette’s welfare, they feared the outcome would not be favorable. As the warrant was being written, I headed off with my ride-a-long officer to relieve those who were on the perimeter from the graveyard shift. We sat for about half a hour, just out of sight of the house with five other officers nearby.

At this point I was being told over and over again that this was a big part of police work: waiting. We sat and we watched. We hoped that Jeanette was asleep in her home, possibly passed out from drink. The plan was to wait until the warrant was completed and hopefully peacefully take her into custody. I was told that it the warrant could take up to six hours to complete, and that it was going to be a boring day. That’s when Jeanette went and changed everything.

Suddenly a call came out on the radio: “Subject has come out the house with a gun.” I muttered an expletive I can’t repeat here. “Is that right now?” I asked the officer I had been sitting next to, just chatting with mere moments before about the weather and local life. “Yep.” he replied. “You better get out.” I got out of the car and he and the other cops nearby closed in on the house. Jeanette retreated inside her home. The stand-off was on.

Within what seemed like a few minutes, a flurry of police commanders, negotiators, and a SWAT team arrived. Police dogs and even a robot were on their way. A community “Club House” was commandeered and became the police’s tactical center. Everyone seemed focused on bringing the distraught woman out her home safely. Pretty soon word was spreading that she was sending text messages to her loved ones, saying that she was sorry but she “had to do this”. Officials became worried that they were not going to be able to entice her to come out and disarm. The time was about 8:15 a.m.

I have to admit, at this time I felt extremely fortunate. I had signed up for this ride-a-long to see the street work police perform in their cruisers. Instead I was treated to witness a play-by-play account of our cities finest navigate a delicate situation first hand. The coordination between the negotiating team, area commanders and SWAT was truly amazing. We should be so lucky as to have men and women such as I saw working for us in our fair city. Even as police officers would come up to me and apologize for the less-than-standard ride-a-long I was experiencing, I could not help but respond to them by thanking them for allowing me such incredible access to the inner working of a stand-off. These people had nothing to hide and it was evident by the manner they treated me and the amount of freedom they allowed me during this whole ordeal. I was in the shadow of many important figures and not once did I feel unwelcomed or like a burden. I want to thank everyone on the scene that day for that.

Unfortunately, around 11:00 am, after making contact with Jeanette via telephone a sound was heard coming from inside her home that sounded like a single gunshot. Police deployed a robot to her front door and gained entry to the residence. Upon entry the robot camera viewed everyone’s worst fear: it appeared that she was laying on floor , suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. All the efforts of the men and women that morning were in vain, as the pain of one person’s problems became too much. Although she was still alive at the time, Jeanette would die that night at the hospital. The tragic end to a surely complicated story, one that no amount of training or police hardware can prevent.

I signed up for the ride-a-long program hoping to gain further insight to my city and it’s daily tribulations. Instead I bore witness to the end of a citizens life and the amazing efforts of our police department to save it. I walked away from this experience with a deeper respect for of city’s protectors, and the comfort that they are there for us when we need them.

Ongoing neighborhood feud escalates to shooting

2010-02-11T20:27:23Z

Ongoing neighborhood feud escalates to shooting Wednesday afternoon
East DelPaso Heights, Sacramento, CA
February 10, 2010

Wednesday afternoon, an ongoing neighborhood feud escalated to somone being shot.

A small portion of Conifer Way was taped off Wednesday afternoon as CSI collected evidence and officers untangled details. Just prior to this incident, a home invasion robbery took place nearby causing some confusion at first whether the two incidents were related or not.

VIDEO>

Shots fired on Bamford Rd. leads to Panos Ct. home

2010-01-28T18:38:38Z

Shots fired on Bamford leads authorities to a Panos Ct. home and a SWAT operation
January 28, 2010

Shots rang out Wednesday afternoon near theSamuel Jackman Middle School on Bamford Rd. Juvenile subjects allegedly fired the weapon in the air causing the school to go on a full lockdown for over an hour.

The subjects fled to a home on Panos Ct. where neighbors stated is the center of neighborhood trouble. Neighbors stated that the woman living at the home is always bringing the juveniles to her home and was just released a few days ago on gun related charges.

Sacramento Police department, including the SWAT unit and K9, moved in on the house, front and rear, safely taking several juveniles and the woman into custody. [SEE VIDEO OF WEDNESDAY'S INCIDENT]

According to neighbors, shots were fired near the school just a few days ago as well and on December 16th of last year a subject was detained for having/brandishing a handgun next to the school [SEE VIDEO] .

See our live and archived web video channel for the news the News doesn't show you.

Trick or Treat Safety Tips

2009-10-28T18:58:26Z

The Sacramento Police Department wants to wish everyone a safe and ghoulish night. We encourage everyone to take a few moments and review the following safety tips, especially with your children.

For Trick-or-Treaters:

• Stay in your own or a familiar neighborhood
• Bring a flashlight or glow stick
• Stop only at houses with their lights on
• Don’t go into strangers’ homes for any reason
• Make sure your costume doesn’t drag on the ground
• Carry only flexible knives, swords, or other props

For Parents:

• Feed your children before heading out
• Accompany your children
• Inspect your child’s candy
• Plan the route ahead of time
• When driving, watch for children darting between cars
• Take a cellular phone or walkie-talkies
• Avoid taking shortcuts in alleys. Stay in well lit areas
• If your child’s costume is common (super hero character etc..) mark it with a colored tape or have your child wear a bracelet so you can identify your child

For Motorists:

• Don’t drink and drive
• Use caution when backing and entering into a driveway
• Drive slowly down residential streets

For Homeowners:

• Keep pets away from children
• Use a glow stick instead of candles on your front porch
• Remove obstacles from your front yard, and clear a pathway for trick-or-treaters to get to your front door
• Call the police if you observe any suspicious activity

Sacramento Copwatch

2009-10-16T20:33:50Z

Stumbling upon the Copwatch website researching police activity in and around Sacramento I emailed Josh Cadji about some cop problems I had been having in Folsom. He suggested I file a complaint, assuming enough of these will lead to a review of the police officer. I didn’t, it sounded futile.

Police officers undo themselves by going over the cliff, getting drunk and fighting in public, crashing their cars high on barbiturates into a Starbucks at 9 am, or funneling raunchy pornographic films of children to some freakish online perverts.

Turns out Cadji started Sacramento Copwatch a couple months ago in August and is trying to get the word out enough to get “shifts” going on in Sacramento.

Copwatch originally began in 1990 in Berkeley as an all volunteer group of individuals to monitor police in hopes to reduce police violence, and educate the community on their rights.

Cadji a young believer of honesty and power checking, started Copwatch Sacramento because, “Like any other city to have people within the community come together to monitor and observe police behavior in hopes of keeping the streets safe from violence and injustice.”

Given the recent hubbub with the homeless here in Sacramento being shuffled from the banks of the river to abandon fields to a shelter at Cal Expo which was nothing more than a transparent media stunt for our great leader KJ, the homeless have been repeatedly targeted and arrested by our boys in blue.

Now they’re being arrested for camping violations. An easy target to facilitate gentrification they lack money, power, and representation.

According to Cadji in an e-mail, “homeless people are most vulnerable to rights abuse and physical violence on behalf of the cops…they need people out there who can watch the police and make sure that they are not doing anything illegal…as the police try to ensure that we don’t do anything illegal.”

Cadji invited me to participate in the first Copwatch mission Friday night. Joining the two man team we took off at dusk from Temple Coffee, without a police scanner or much of a plan other than walking around K St. and talking to people about Copwatch.

The leader of the pack Cadji was carrying around a backpack and wearing a black and white Copwatch shirt. I personally thought this was bringing too much attention to the three of us…I didn’t say anything about it.

This isn’t going to separate us from any other pedestrian on K St. sure as hell not going to help us if we find our selves in trouble. Being just another guy has gotten me out of some sticky shit, it’s just my M.O. these days.

As full of advice as Cadji was there is a huge difference between study and practice, what to do and what not to do. Cadji, “One of the main things is to not interfere.”

Friday night, it was dark, and the weirdoes were coming out. Copwatch’s chance to tell the community it cares about it. We were armed with a video camera, in a part of town that no one goes to at night, a part of town that last saw its glory days in the 90’s.

As we are walking on K St. a Sacramento Police Officer pulls up on the sidewalk and puts a black male in his car while conversing with the light rail security about the situation. The two copwatchers took off guns a blazin’ video camera out.

I stayed across the street pretending to be inconspicuous, talking with the local flavor on the bench. I didn’t want to have anything to do with being that close to authority on a Friday night, surrounded by night dwellers and the stench of desperation and cigarette smoke. Things could get ugly, and no video camera was going to do us any good to protect us from such standard operation turned volatile.

The security guard was yelling at the copwatchers to turn the camera off they yelled back and refused, slight bickering went back and forth. The police officer gave scant recognition to the Copwatchers as he put the black male in his squad car.

Four ladies of the light rail patronage approached my bench. They each pulled a cigarette out lit ‘em and began,
“What’s going on?”
“They had that kid all jacked up.”
“They had ‘em jacked up why?’
“Ahh dunno.”
“And those kids is video taping it, ha.”
“The police don’t like it when you video tape em.”

The two copwatchers put on reflective green vests for some reason and continued to film. The police officer let the male go citing him for a light rail infraction. The two copwatchers followed him down the street. I waited.

The copwatchers met back up with me at my bench and started passing out the green flyers for Copwatch to the ladies sitting there and explained why they were filming and what their mission was here in Sacramento. They seemed enthused.

We decided to head down K St. and saw the security guard, Cadji introduced himself and the Copwatch entity.
“I don’t care! I’m just doing my job. I don’t care what you are.”
This went nowhere fast, and we kept on.

We headed to the intersection of the Hard Rock café on K St. The streets looked run down, cyclone fence everywhere, no lights, and that hotel that all the pervs from Megan’s law register at is right next door. We approached a group of probably ten black males in their late teens early twenties, shooting craps in the dark in a piss smelling cove of rotted plywood.

They were decked in fancy obnoxious sweaters with all the razzle-tazzle you can fit on a sweater. I tried to thread the needle while the Copwatchers introduced themselves. I was thinking to myself these guys aren’t going to give a half a shit about Copwatch.

They kept talking requiring our attention, I’m thinking these guys are sizing us up. They kept talking about how they’re all on parole and how they’re going to shoot a cop if they come to their house. One kid lifted up his shirt boasting of a firearm in his waist, sans firearm.

We began walking away, “Second place! What’s that supposed to mean?”

Super… here we go.

Clint the cameraman, “What?”
“You said second place what’s that supposed to mean?”
“I didn’t say second place. Hold up listen. I didn’t say second place why would I say that?”
The situation was only defused by us walking away, luckily that’s all we had to do.

What does that even mean and why would that guy get pissed about that? I don’t know but I’m not shooting craps in the dark with piss smells abound. I was immediately less sympathetic to these thugs and this type of needless aggression.

We began making our way across the street to the Hard Rock and the Greyhound station. We got to an intersection and it was Friday and I needed a beer and some food, and that needed to happen quick. I split from the two, who were going to continue the journey of policing the police. I haven’t heard from them since.

Sacramento Copwatch currently has four volunteers and is looking for more. There will be more Copwatch shifts usually on Friday nights and “know your rights” training in the future if anyone is interested. Please contact Josh Cadji at saccopwatch@yahoo.com. Or for more information please take a gander at the website, http://saccopwatch.wordpress.com

Justin Smith is a freelance journlaist based in Sacramento. He can be reached at justinsmiths@gmail.com

Action news capsule: for the night of Wednesday, September 16, 2009

2009-09-17T20:48:11Z

#1. WEST SAC- West Sacramento police and Davis SWAT served warrants on several locations in West Sacramento related to recent
gang activity occurring in the city including the fatal shooting at the Ortega's Night Club. Two people were arrested and a medium sized
marijuana grow was located during the operation.

#2. SOUTH SAC- A shooting occurred in an apartment on 44th Ave near 39th St in south Sacramento. The victim was shot once in the
leg and transported to Kaiser South Trauma Center. Further details were unavailable at the time.

#3. SAC COUNTY- A shooting occurred at an apartment complex on Tuolumne Dr near La Riviera Dr in Sacramento County. One victim was shot in the arm while standing outside the apartment and another victim holding a small child was shot in the arm when a stray bullet
came through the wall of the building. The first victim was self transported to UCDMC before officials arrived and the second victim
holding the child was transported by ambulance to UCDMC, the child was not injured.

#4. RIO LINDA: A shooting occurred in the area of Rio Linda Blvd and Rivera Dr in the Del Paso Heights area. The victim was shot
five times in the upper body and transported to UCDMC. (No Photos)

#5. SOUTH SAC- A hit and run crash involved a vehicle and a sheered off fire hydrant that caused a geyser of water to shoot high
into the air on 65th St and 53rd Ave in south Sacramento. The driver of the vehicle ran on foot from the scene and was found at his home by
CHP and arrested.

#6. FAB 40's- A large play structure was burned in the backyard of a home on 44th St in Sacramento. The structure was a total loss and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

MEDIA SOURCES: Full photos, video and write-ups available by emailing media@maverickphotography.us or calling 916.340.1926
Photography by MaverickPhotography.us, Available Video by Andrus Media
Incident briefs by Calvin Andrus

Body identified, SacFire helps family through process

2009-07-25T02:09:37Z

Sacramento- "After 9 o'clock this morning, we received a report from a guest at the Embassy Hotel that 'there's a body floating in the river'" said Capt. Jim Doucett, Public Information Officer for Sacramento City Fire.

Per Doucette, crews arrived and found a body in the water next to the docks on the south side of the Tower Bridge, behind the Embassy Suites Hotel in Old Sacramento.

The Coroner's office responded, and with the assistance of Sacromento Police and Sacramento Fire, removed the body from the water. Per Sgt. Norm Leong, PIO for the Sacramento Police Department, the Coroner's office has identified the body to be that of 18 year old George Ho.

The Elk Grove resident and recent graduate of Monterey Trails High School, was enjoying the water Sunday at Discovery Park, when a boat's wake took him under the water. Ho never surfaced.

Doucette advised that the Fire Department Chaplain and a gracious social worker are aid the family the this experience and process.

View origional article here

Body discovered on the American River in Discovery Park

2009-07-24T04:23:06Z

Sacramento, CA- While training on the American River Thursday, Sacramento City Firefighters, aboard Sac Fire Boat #5, discovered a body floating amongst the logs across from Tiscornia Beach, per Capt. Jim Doucette.

Doucette stated that they do not believe this is the body of George Ho who drowned just a few hundred feet downriver Sunday. Ho was wearing shorts at time he disappeared in the water; dark pants and footwear were on the body that was recovered today.

Per Doucette, "the Sacramento Police Department and the Sacramento County Coroners Office responded. Firefighters assisted with the retrieval of the body."

The case is currently under investigation.

Broadway China Buffet robbery, employee injured

2009-07-14T09:09:41Z

Sacramento, CA- Around 9:30 P.M. Monday night, Sacramento Police received a call that the China Buffet on Broadway at 14th St. was robbed by three men. Per Sac PD dispatcher, an undisclosed amount of cash was stolen.

One of the employees was sustained minor injuries when he was hit in the back of the head by one of the suspects. He refused transportation to the hospital.

The suspects fled the scene in a white sedan and remain at large.

Older man stabbed on Broadway, during rush hour

2009-07-07T03:33:43Z

Sacramento, CA- Early Monday evening, at about 6:30 P.M., Sacramento Police and Sacramento City Fire and Paramedics were called to a stabbing at the front of New Station Seafood in the 1800 block of Broadway.

Firefighters and police found a 54 year old man sitting on the bus bench bleeding from the chest. Per the on scene police sergeant, the man sustained a 3 to 4 inch deep laceration across the chest and was very intoxicated.

Due to the man's level of intoxication, authorities were having challenges getting accurate information from the victim. Per the sergeant, police do have a couple persons of interest in the case. It appears that the subject also took the victims cash he had on hand from his SSI.

Police will be tracking down the alleged subjects to make an arrest.

Weapon wielding transient threatens kind hosts

2009-07-07T00:44:38Z

Sacramento, CA- Shortly before 3 P.M. Monday, in the 1500 block of 19th Street, two apartment occupants were kind enough to allow a transient woman to hang out with them and relax for a bit in their apartment.

Per the occupants (who wish to remain anonymous), as the woman was getting ready to go, she asked to use their home phone. When they declined to allow her to use it she pulled a knife and began to threaten them insiting on using the phone. The two occupants restrained her as an on site worker called for police.

Police responded rapidly, however were initially given the wrong address by the onsite worker, which put officers several blocks away searching for the incident. On dispatch call back, dispatchers were able to obtain the right location and redirected responding officers.

As officers arrived, the woman got loose and led officers on a very brief chase. The fleeing woman was captured in the backyard of the apartment building.

The occupants stated that the woman was also very drunk.

More juvenile burglars strike the south area

2009-07-02T08:53:31Z

Sacramento, CA- Two juvenile burglars remain at large Wednesday night. Witnesses approached a friends house in the 7900 block of Deer Creek Drive Wednesday evening, near 11 p.m. When they noticed that the people they could see in the house were not their friends, they called police.

Sacramento police arrived rapidly, however the black, male juveniles had already fled. Police set up a perimeter and found several subjects in the area that matched the description of the subjects. Police drove witnesses by the detained subjects in a "field show up" (the equivalent of a line-up in the field) to identify the burglars; however none of the detained individuals were positively identified.

Public address announcements were made in the area as K-9 units went to work in an attempt to track the seventeen and eighteen year old burglars. Air support was not available to assist with heat imaging of the area.

Any one with information should contact the Sacramento Police Department.

Oak Park warrant search ends with two detained, one transported to hospital

2009-07-01T23:04:33Z

Oak Park, Sacramento, CA- A warrant search in Oak Park ended with two in custody, one at large today. Sgt. Norm Leong, spokesperson for the Sacramento Police Department, stated that "a loaded gun magazine, scale, packaging and dope were found in the residence". One of the detained was transported to the hospital.

As police conducted a warrant search in the 3600 block of 19th Street, three black, male occupants attempted to flee from police. One was immediately detained, the second was detained after running face-first into the wall he was going to scale, knocking himself unconscious. Transporting paramedics stated that the individual did not remember the incident and had minor bleeding from the face.

The two in custody are 33 and 18 years of age. The third suspect is still at large and may be armed. A loaded gun magazine was found in the house, but no gun. It is assumed that the suspect at large has the gun, per Leong

Juvenile burglar apprehended by police K9

2009-07-01T00:02:13Z

Sacramento, CA -- Police K-9 "takes a bite out of crime" today and apprehends a juvenile after a brief man hunt.

Two juveniles were seen trying to break into a Freeport home in the Belleau Wood Lane area, late Tuesday morning. When police arrived in the area, the would-be burglars ran.

One subject was apprehended immediately while the other led police on a neighborhood foot pursuit. When the subject evaded officers, a tight neighborhood perimeter was established by inbound officers.

After officers verified and had evidence that a crime had been committed, public address announcements were made warning neighbors that the police dog was going to be deployed and to give the evading juvenile a chance to give up.

When the police dog was deployed, he quickly picked up the sent and led officers to the location of the hiding youth in the area of Atherton Street and McLaren Avenue. After the youth was given a chance to surrender, the dog was sent in to do his job. Seconds later the subject was in custody.

Neighbors who witnessed the capture recognized the youth as a local neighbor who lives in the area with his family, and grandparents also reside in the neighborhood.

Things got "spirited" at American Spirit Bar

2009-06-27T05:30:47Z

Sacramento, CA- Friday, in the very early morning hours, a bar argument ends with one shot by security officer.

Early Friday morning, an argument with multiple patrons began in the American Spirit Bar at 3270 Northgate Blvd. Witnesses stated that the bouncer succeeded in getting the disturbance moved outside in the small strip mall.

From his patrol car in the parking lot, the private security sergeant, from Northern California Impeccable Security, saw what was happening and moved in to assist. Per the security officer, when he moved to break up the disturbance, one of the subjects engaged him in a physical altercation. As the security officer wrestled the subject to the ground and got one hand cuffed, his two back up security officers moved in to control the rest of the scene. While the second security guard was engaged in a wrestling match, his pepper spray canister rolled loose. The first combatant grabbed the pepper spray canister and discharged it on the security sergeant in the face.

The Sergeant stated that at that time he warned for everyone to clear as he pulled his side arm and shot the subject in the leg. Per transport paramedics, the bullet entered the upper leg and exited around the knee.

CSI was on scene collecting evidence and Sac PD retained the security sergeant's weapons. A supervisor for the security company was contacted today, however he stated that they could not comment per the District Attorney's office. He stated that they were not trying to be evasive and would be more than happy to answer any questions in a couple of days when they are allowed to speak on the situation.

"JP", spokesperson for American Spirit Bar, refused to comment on the incident which started with the patrons in their establishment.

More information on this incident will be posted as it becomes available.

Jaywalkers Beware!

2009-06-09T02:40:11Z

If it wasn't a serious situation, it would have been almost humorous today as a Sacramento Police Department motor officer stopped Jaywalkers left and right at the railroad crossing on Broadway between 19th and 20th Streets.

Some may say it's just revenue for the police department, while others contend that the Jaywalkers coming and going from the Broadway Light Rail station are a true traffic hazard as they weave in and out of vehicles.

According to the California Vehicle Code, "Between adjacent intersections controlled by traffic control signal devices or by police officers, pedestrians shall not cross the roadway at any place except in a crosswalk." The citing officer stated that fines vary depending on the individual's driving record, given that this falls under the Vehicle Code.

Given the location of the Light Rail station, it is easy and almost natural for people to want to cross the street right at the railroad crossing. However, signs plainly direct pedestrians to adjacent crosswalks at the intersection of Broadway and 19th Street.

The almost-humorous part was watching people cross right in front of the officer, who was already citing three people who were waiting their turn for their little yellow piece of paper. Pedestrians found themselves without excuse as the officer pointed to the clearly posted sign that even directs people to the crosswalk just a few feet away.

In the end, pedestrians have a choice: Cross at the railroad tracks and become part of the city revenue stream, or walk a few feet to the corner to cross safely and legally.

Confused Demonstartors

2009-05-02T03:55:32Z

Sacramento, CA
Friday, May 1, 2009

Several Sacramento Police officers formed a blockade at the front entrance of the Five Fifty Five building on Capitol Mall today as demonstrators gathered to let their voice be heard by Bank of America officials. The downtown branch of Bank of America is located on the ground floor of the Five Fifty Five building. Bank personnel guarded the back ally entrance to be sure that those entering were there for bank business and not part of the demonstration. At this location the demonstrators were voicing their opinion of alleged misuse of bailout funds handed to the banks, and calling for the CEO of BofA to step down. When we attempted to question bank officials, we were met across the board with “no comment”.

Demonstrators dispersed peacefully and continued marching down Capitol Mall under police escort to the sidewalk in front of the Capital on the West side. We took this opportunity to talk with demonstrators. As we inquired as to the purpose of their demonstration, there seemed to be a bit of confusion; it seamed each demonstrator we talked with had a different mission for being there. We did finally discover that the main purpose of the protest was for laborers’ rights and that these protest were taking place in several locations throughout California.

We caught up with Albert Rojas (pictured in white t-shirt) at the demonstration. Rojas shared with us how he felt the misuse of bail-out funds impacted all tax payers. He stressed how it was his opinion and event organizers that immigrants should be a working, tax paying part of the American Society rather than tapping into the welfare system. Rojas is a student majoring in business. He stated that he purposed to fund his schooling rather than taking out student loans that he may not be able to repay. We asked Rojas about the inflatable characters they staged on the sidewalk; he stated that “they are symbolic to give a face to the mentality behind some of the bankers.”

While there did appear to be some confusion in the mission and purpose of their demonstration, it was clear that each person had definant opinions and missions. Each came to exercise their freedom of speech and right to be heard. Not only did they get that opportunity, their rights were literally protected as officers stood by to keep the peace.