Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "sacramento police department"

Ask Officer Michelle - Officers Using Cellphones While Driving

2012-02-05T20:08:43Z

Posted by cyd evans

I saw an officer talking on a cell phone while driving a marked car yesterday. Don’t the same rules apply to police officers as the general public regarding only using hands free devices?

Dear cyd evans,

Police officers are to abide by the same rules of the road as citizens. However, there are some exceptions to these rules – for instance, when talking on a cell phone while driving, California Vehicle Code Section 23123 (d). This section does not apply to an emergency services professional using a wireless telephone while operating an authorized emergency vehicle, as defined in Section 165, in the course and scope of his or her duties. This translates to, if the officer is using the phone for official business then this law applies. If they are talking to their spouse about non-police business for example, then they are in the wrong.

Police do a lot of business on their cell phones, and our cars are like our offices. We use the computers and cell phones for every call for service. We coordinate with other units, with dispatch, records, get additional information from victims, talk to citizens, Deputy District Attorneys, supervisors, and coordinate with outside agencies all on the cell phone. Thank you for your post.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - What To Do About a Friend Who's Using Drugs

2012-01-08T19:02:36Z

Posted by MartinM

Hi,I suspect that my friend Is using drugs,I am almost sure he is using some kind of drugs.Should I report him? After all I am not 100% sure,but he has had some problems before.

Thank you.

Dear MartinM,

It sounds like you have some concerns about your friend using drugs. You may be right. Have you discussed this with your friend? He may need help and police involvement may not be the best route. Your friend may need some intervention from friends and family. There are many drug and alcohol clinics in Sacramento and in the outlying region where your friend may seek help.

If your friend is selling drugs or furnishing the drugs to others, then you should call the police. Being under the influence of a narcotic or drug is a misdemeanor in this state. If they are operating a motor vehicle, or are involved in caring for children while under the influence, it could be a felony, especially if it your friend gets into an injury accident.

If your friend is on probation or parole, his agent should be notified. It is a violation of the conditions of the probation/parole if the subject uses illegal drugs during the time they are on this status.

Your friend may also have a mental condition such as bi-polar. People with this condition may act strange, have mood swings, have disrupted sleeping patterns, and change their social behavior which may present much like a person on drugs. They may distance themselves from their friends and family. I am not a physician, but I do work with people with mental illness every day, and have been working with them for 21 years, so I do have some exposure.

Several years ago, I did a series on our blog entitled, "Drug Trends and Teens." I laid out some the different types of drugs that are often abused. Attached is the link: http://blog.sacpd.org/2007/02/09/drug-trends-and-teens-2/ You may want to read the article and familiarize yourself with the different types that fit the behavior of your friend. I hope you will be able to help your friend. Keep me posted.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Unusual Use of ATM Card after a Night of Drinking

2011-12-18T20:18:16Z

Posted by dram13

Hello,

I went out Friday night with some friends and had a bit too much to drink. We took a taxi from the bar and the next day I find out from my bank that over $700 was taken from my account. I had zero money in my wallet and it was shown that money taken out from multiple ATMS before I got home. There are three possibilites I see happening. A) I was guided by the people I was with to take money out while I was intoxicated B) People took my password and card out of my wallet while I was asleep and took money out C) Taxi driver did either A or B. I know that under the law if a girl is intoxicated and a male sleeps with her, it can be considered rape since she was not in the right frame of mind; can the same logic apply to my scenario? My bank is willing to reimburse me but I have to file a police report. Is it reasonable that I do so, at least to find out what happened?

Dear dram13,

There are so many reasons not to get so drunk that you lose control of your faculties – especially for a female. I am glad that you are alright.

Go online at sacpd.org and file a police report. Some banks can provide footage of the ATMs where your card was used, thus exposing which one of your acquaintances used your card. You will also want to annotate the cab company that you used and any specific information about the driver if you can remember, in your report.

Taking advantage of a person who is incapacitated is morally wrong, but it sounds like you don’t have any recollection of the night at all. Do you know if you gave consent to use your ATM card, or did you draw money out before you became impaired? You may regain some of the memories of the evening and hence be able to put some pieces of the puzzle together. Thank you for your post.

Officer Michelle

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.

Ask Officer Michelle - Concerns About Kidnapper out on Parole

2011-12-11T19:11:38Z

Posted by cherylwin

Can I complete a restraining order on someone without providing my location? This is a person who was in prison for kidnapping me years ago and is now free and off parole as of yesterday.

Dear cherylwin,

It must be unnerving for you knowing that the man who once victimized you is out. Here’s what you should do. His parole agent should have already put those conditions on his parole prior to getting out of prison. You may want to call Parole and make sure the condition to stay away from you was added. He must only know your name and you don’t need to supply your address. If you see the man anywhere near you, call the police. If he attempts to contact you via telephone, mail, or text, call the Police Department and his parole agent. He will be detained and his parole agent will promptly be called and his parole will be violated thus sending him back to jail.

In the meantime, let your neighbors know about your situation. They can be a lookout for you when you aren’t there. You might also want to invest in an alarm system. Keep me posted on this.

Officer Michelle

Copper thefts hit city neighborhoods hard

2011-12-09T04:13:12Z

Some thieves steal cars, others rob banks. In Sacramento, the big-ticket item lately is copper wire, and local copper thieves have hit the central city hard.

Why steal copper wire?

“Because it’s easily accessible,” said Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit Thursday, “and there is plenty of it.”

With miles of copper wire found in streetlights, electrical boxes, buildings and vacant foreclosed homes – places thieves won’t usually be deterred by watching eyes – copper wiring is easy pickings.

And, at roughly $2.75 per pound, copper theft can be a lucrative business.

According to a recent district letter from City Councilman Rob Fong’s office, copper wire thieves hit more than 175 neighborhood locations throughout the city over the course of the last several months.

Damage has been done to schools, irrigation systems, traffic signals and streetlights – often leaving entire blocks of homes in the dark.

Repairs to a single location can take from one to three days depending on the severity of damage by the thieves, the letter states, and at least three to five new sites are reported weekly.

The city’s Department of Transportation spent nearly $200,000 replacing copper wire so far this year, including $95,000 for contractor costs, $86,000 in copper wire stock and $90,000 in pull box security lids to repair the damage created by the thefts.

“Copper wire isn’t worth anything unless you’re remodeling your house,” Pettit said, “or you have a buyer.”

The most common buyers of copper wire are local recycling centers – collection sites that pay customers per pound for bringing in recyclable materials such as aluminum cans, glass bottles and scrap metal.

Many recycling centers also pay for copper – some take in as much as 2,500 pounds a week, according to Matt Braswell, yard manager at D.C. Metals and Recycling in North Highlands.

“We get (copper) in every day,” Braswell said Thursday.

Because recycling centers are the primary buyer of scrap copper, Pettit said, they are the main line of defense against theft of the valuable metal.

“There are laws in place that (recyclers) have to follow,” Pettit said.” As long as they do, it will go a long way to curb copper theft.”

The state laws Pettit referred to passed in 2008 and spell out fines and penalties for recycling centers that purchase stolen copper – or that allow employees to aid copper thieves.

According to state law, if a recycling center accepts stolen copper, the first offense nets a $1,000 fine. The second offense brings a $2,000 fine and a 30-day closure of the center. A third offense gets a $4,000 fine, and the business is closed for a year.

Any employee involved in any offense is fined $1,000 and gets three years’ probation.

“They are pretty stiff penalties,” Braswell said.

Some of the preventative measures recycle centers are required by law to take include verifying each customer’s current photo I.D., taking customers’ thumbprints and maintaining a detailed database of all transactions.

But the laws are not the real deterrent, Braswell said. Enforcing the laws is what will really make a difference.

“If the police would come out and enforce the laws,” Braswell said, “that would be the end of it. We wouldn’t have a problem.”

Braswell said that, although there are some recycling centers that willingly take stolen copper, there are plenty of centers that work hard to remain in compliance with the law.

If local law enforcement would focus on the centers that flaunt the law, Braswell said, there would be no market for copper and no incentive for copper theft.

“Public opinion is that the recycling yards are the fences. That’s not always the case,” Braswell said. “It only takes a few bad (operators) to make everyone look bad.”

Pettit said it’s not as easy to enforce laws as just showing up and arresting a recycler with a few pounds of copper wire in a bin.

“We have to prove that they knew it was stolen, or should have known it was stolen,” Pettit said. “Without having someone sharing information about the organization, or actually being there to monitor their every transaction, it’s really hard to catch them.”

Copper theft has increasingly become a problem in the city, and city leaders are encouraging residents to be on the lookout for suspicious activity in their neighborhoods.

“It appears that copper thieves are hitting our community hard,” said Luis Sumpter, Alkali Flat/Mansion Flats Neighborhood Association president in an email Sunday.

“If you see anyone/anything suspicious, always call 911 (emergency) or 311 (non-emergency),” Sumpter said.

Pettit affirmed that calling the police is the best course of action when residents think some activity on their street isn’t quite right, such as workers who aren’t wearing uniforms or don’t have a vehicle with the city seal on it.

“Definitely give us a call,” Pettit said. “People are apprehensive to call, but they can remain anonymous. The worst that will happen is the (suspicious) person is doing their job and will confirm (to officers who respond to the call) they are supposed to be there.”

Pettit said the Sacramento Police Department is working with other local agencies to crack down on copper theft throughout the city and county. The effort resulted in at least three arrests in the last three months – the most recent occurred on Nov. 30.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Ask Officer Michelle - Camping Ordinance In Front of Stores?

2011-11-28T18:37:40Z

Posted by Jib916

Good Morning Michelle.
I had a question regarding how you plan on handling the occupiers/campers camping in front of best buy and other big box retail stores for black Friday.

If Sacramento has a no tent policy, isn’t it only fair that these peoples camping equipment shall be confiscated, just like the protesters? After all the law is the law.

Any response would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You
Justin Buell

Dear Justin,

The “no tent” policy you are speaking about refers to occupying a camping space on city/county property. When people camp in front of stores in anticipation for stores to open or to get prime tickets at a box office, they are occupying space on private property. We typically don’t enforce the city ordinance on private property unless the business owners have an issue with individuals causing a specific problem. We will enforce the law if the store owners have a “no loitering” sign posted.

There are other issues that go along with the camping ordinances. Sometimes, people bring their children out to camp out. If the conditions are such that it is posing an unsafe environment for a child, officers can enforce the 273 code of the California Penal Code which is basically the code referring to child endangerment. I mean, have you seen the news footage where some people are nearly trampling each other to get inside the store when it opens?

I know that some of the stores are only allowing an allotted number of people in every 15 seconds to alleviate this problem. Thank you for your concern.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Police Arrest Two in Connection with Beating a Mentally Challanged Woman

2011-11-20T22:26:31Z

Posted by ron_lopez2011

Please extend my personal thanks to the officers involved in the arrest of Rasaan Zawadi. I hope you get his accomplices too. That story just bugged me to the core; thank you for what you guys do.

Dear ron_lopez2011,

Thank you Ron! For those of you who aren’t familiar with Rasaan Zawadi, he was one of two bullies who were shown in a viral video taunting and punching a handicapped woman in front of a South Sacramento store. Zawadi was seen harassing and punching the female victim several times. Another suspect, 19-year-old Donnell Wade, who was seen punching the female in the face and knocking her out, was also arrested for the crime.

According to a recent press release, “We received calls from throughout the country inquiring about the investigation. Detectives assigned to the case discovered that patrol officers had responded to an assault call on October 1, 2011, at approximately 12:11 p.m., near Center Parkway and Mack Road. The officers arrived, finding that the suspects had fled the scene and the victim, a 42-year-old female, did not wish for prosecution at that time.”

On November 12, 2011 police were called to the area of Omaha Court and Seyferth Way in South Sacramento regarding a weapons call. Upon arrival Donnell Wade began to run from police. He was taken into custody without incident for his involvement in the attack. The weapons call was not related to Donnell.

The Sacramento Police Department urges anyone with information pertaining to this suspect to contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP (4357) or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.”

Ask Officer Michelle - Reporting Suspicious Subjects

2011-11-06T17:11:12Z

Posted by ted bas

Greetings! I enjoy reading these archive articles. Thanks.
In my neighborhood, I suspect 3 individual who are, I believe, are in constant plans to rob empty home. One of them daily eye on certain vehicles which would have left their residence. I believes he communicates this to his partner and then determines who else is left behind on a house they plan to steal from. Yesterday I went out to the area where he usually observes. when he saw me, we walked away like guilty for some reason. Today, he is out there but in a more secluded area, eyeing or in a look out for some vehicle while he talks to his friend in the cell phone. Need your advice. I am willing to help to prevent any crime. Thank you for your help. Incidentally, I usually call the non emergency number, however, this may be trivial. Thanks.

Dear ted bas,

What you should do is call the police department and report a suspicious subject. Be ready to describe the subjects to the dispatcher from head to toe, (ie., height, weight, race, hair color/style, clothing description, etc). If there is a vehicle involved, be ready to describe the car as well. It would be optimum if you had a license plate, but try to get it without putting yourself in any kind of danger.

If there has been an increase of home burglaries in your neighborhood lately, let the dispatcher know that as well. You are probably right. These subjects are doing what we call “casing.” They’re looking for opportunities to victimize people. By calling us, you may be preventing a crime-in-progress. You are to be commended for being such an astute neighbor. If you don’t already have an established Neighborhood Watch group, I would suggest that you start one. There is information on our website at www.sacpd.org on how to establish a Neighborhood Watch.

Officer Michelle

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.

Expired medicine disposal

2011-10-25T05:03:23Z

Gather up your expired and unneeded prescription medicines and bring them to the Public Safety Center at 5770 Freeport Blvd. from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. this Saturday for safe disposal.

The Sacramento Police Department, for the third time, is offering a collection site as part of the DEA’s National Take Back Day.

According to the DEA’s website, “More than 376,593 pounds (188 tons) of unwanted or expired medications [were turned in] for safe and proper disposal” this past April.

There are many reasons to participate in this important program, including limiting access to children. According to the DEA’s website, “Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet.”

Unexpired medicines should also never be given to others to use because medicines react differently for each person. Doctors take many factors into consideration before prescribing. Weight, age, other medical conditions, other prescriptions being taken, and past allergic reactions are just a few.

Yet another reason is that using expired medicines “is risky and possibly harmful to your health,” according to the FDA. Expired medicine may become less potent. It is also possible that the chemical compositions may have changed, so the FDA also recommends proper and safe disposal of medicines.

If you can’t make it to Saturday’s event, Sacramento county residents may bring their expired medicine to the North Area Recovery Station or place them in the trash. Disposal in waste cans should conform to the guidelines set forth by the FDA. Although the FDA provides a short list of medicines that may be flushed, CalRecycle states, “Do not dispose of any waste medication down the drain or down the toilet.” Always check with your local jurisdiction before disposing.

Ask Officer Michelle - Shared Duplex Debate Over Medical Marijuana Smoke

2011-10-23T16:38:22Z

Posted by logsmom08

Hi Officer Michelle!

I am a renter in the Sacramento area. I live in a duplex and share the other half of the house with someone who has a ‘medical card’. My neighbors and I share a garage wall in our duplex and I am assuming that they smoke in their garage because when I walk in my garage, the stink about knocks me over. Do I have any rights to ask them to stop smoking in the garage or anywhere where I and my family can smell or be effected by it?

Dear logsmom08,

The best thing you can do about that is to speak with your landlord. Some landlords have their renters sign a marijuana smoking clause now. The law about smoking marijuana regardless if it is for medicinal purposes is that it can’t be smoked in a place where the public has access. Now, even though the garage is a part of his/her residence, it is still a common area to you and your family. If there are children who live in your or your neighbor’s residence, that could also change things.

Medicinal marijuana can be ingested in different ways as well as not to have the smoke permeate into your home, or linger in the garage. If you are on good terms with your neighbor, you may want to ask them to smoke it when you are not home, or suggest that he/she ingest it a different way. Keep me posted.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Citizen Concerned About Neighbors' Pitbulls

2011-10-16T17:43:23Z

Posted by neighborwatch

Hi Michelle,
We recently had new neighbors move in the house behind ours. They have a few dogs, 2 of which are large pit bulls.
The first thing we noticed were the dogs barking for extended periods of time, all hours of the night. The tenants are home, but seem to ignore the barking. Recently we’ve witnessed 3 instances where the largest dog is attacking the other dogs/other possible animals in their backyard. Vicious attacks which leave their deck stained with blood.

The most recent incident involved the woman trying to separate the dogs, and she was thrown to the floor and screaming. I called 911 as I felt her life was in danger. Unfortunately I don’t know what happened next because the police never came to question me. It looks like the dogs may have been taken in by animal control, but I’m not certain.
My big concern is what happens if they return? I have 3 small children who I no longer allow to play in the backyard for fear that the dogs could breach the fence. I am terrified after witnessing a woman being attacked by her own dog.
What type of recourse do I have?
Another factor is suspicious activity surrounding the basement area of their home. Shady characters are lead through their back door to an area of the backyard which I cannot see from my vantage point. We can’t figure out if dog breeding is going on, or drug activity or what? I’m feeling a little out of my league here :)
Any suggestions are appreciated.

Dear Neighborwatch,

It sounds like Animal Control handled the situation. You were right in calling 911 on them. Chances are that once Animal Control takes the dogs, they won’t be coming home. You can call Animal Control (dial 311) and voice your concerns. Since the dogs have already exhibited aggressive behavior, you don’t want to take any chances with 3 small children. If you believe that they are illegally breeding and selling dogs, you would also express that to Animal Control.

As far as the suspicious behavior, you need to be more specific. If you think your neighbors are involved in illegal narcotics, call our Narcotic’s Tip Line at 808-5796. Are there any suspicious smells like chemicals emitting from the residence? Are there people coming and going at all times of the day and night? Have you seen any drugs, scales, packaging materials, money transactions?

It sounds as though you have really strong instincts about this residence, and may very well be right.
Thank you for your post.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Video Taping Police on Duty

2011-10-09T14:46:22Z

Posted by GARYA73

Is it illegal to video record an on-duty peace officer?

Dear GARYA73,

In the State of California, it is legal to video tape a peace officer, if you are in public and have a legal right to be there. You must not impede the officer in any way while they are in the course of his/her duties. If a crime scene has been established, members of the public may not cross it, even to film. This may lead to contaminating evidence within the crime scene.

This happens all the time. Everyone has a camera phone or a video recorder and officers are constantly being scrutinized. The other issue is that people often post their videos on social media networks.

I am of the philosophy that if you are doing what you are supposed to be doing, it is not a problem. I however, don’t want to be on a media website without my consent. Public perception is very important, but what people have to understand is the whole picture. Say I get a call for service about a man who is aggressively panhandling and harassing citizens downtown. Say this person is a repeat offender and they have an extensive background with the police. I contact this subject and begin asking him questions about his identity and what he is doing. Say he gets indignant and begins talking about his rights and police harassment. Say a bystander starts taping at that moment before they know the whole situation. This is what concerns me. When things are taken out of context, the public’s perception of the police, based upon the video, is biased.

If the public is going to video a cop while they are in the course of their duties, it should at least be done responsibly.

Thank you for writing.

Officer Michelle

“Hot Spot” Policing Reduces Crime

2011-10-04T20:01:38Z

The Sacramento Police Department conducted a 90-day “Hot Spot” study that has shown to reduce crime.

During the period between February 8, 2011 and May 8, 2011, police used evidence-based policing by combining research with local crime data to create effective crime-reducing strategies. Two different areas of the city were examined; Downtown and East Sacramento. Police identified 42 “hot spots”, or street segments which generated a high amount of calls for service. Often these calls were associated with violent crimes. Of the 42 “hot spots”, 21 were randomly designated as treatment areas, in which officers proactively spent 15-minute periods each day. Within this time frame officers took a highly visible proactive approach to combating crime. The other 21 were designated non-treatment areas and received traditional patrol services.

The study results support the premise that focusing police efforts on high activity crime locations, “hot spots”, reduced the amount of violent crimes and calls for service in the treatment areas. Displacement of criminal activity was not a significant issue and call response times to the untreated locations did not substantially change. In fact, officer initiated productivity increased.

Professor David Weisburd, of the George Mason University Center for Evidence Based Crime Policy monitored the study to ensure its validity and statistical significance. The “Hot Spot” study was one of the best he has ever seen conducted by a police department without additional funding and without active academic participation.

Successful completion of this study could not have been possible without the cooperation of the George Mason University and the willingness of our officers to participate in this new study. We hope that by focusing our police services on areas of high crime and calls for service, we will continue to reduce crime through this creative way of policing.

Sacramento gets $19.4 million from feds to rehire peace officers

2011-09-30T01:37:48Z

Sacramento city and county were awarded a total of $19.4 million in federal funding grants Wednesday – enough to put 25 police officers and 25 sheriff’s deputies back to work for the next three years.

The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program is a competitive grant program through the U.S. Department of Justice that provides funding to state and local law enforcement agencies to hire, rehire, or retain police officers.

This year, 2,712 law enforcement agencies requesting more than $2 billion to fund the hiring of 8,999 officers were considered for COPS Hiring Program funding, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Selection for awards was based on an applicant agency’s overall need for federal assistance, local crime rates, current commitment to community policing and their proposed community policing plan.

The Sacramento Sheriff’s Department received an award of $11,306,450 – the largest single award in the nation under the COPS program this year.

The Sacramento Police Department received $8.1 million in grant funds. It is the largest COPS grant the city has received in the three years that Sacramento has been selected for an award, and was the third highest COPS grant awarded in the nation this year.

Each grant provides funding for the salaries and benefits of officer positions for three years, with the requirement that agencies maintain the positions for one additional year at the end of the grant funding period.

The Sheriff’s Department grant will fill 25 deputy positions, department spokesman Jason Ramos said Wednesday. Those deputies will be assigned to a new youth and gang violence unit in Sacramento county.

Sheriff Scott Jones said in a press release Wednesday that his department plans to take a “comprehensive approach” to combating youth and gang violence by expanding enforcement efforts of gang unit detectives, adding a school component with school resource officers and partnering with youth-focused community organizations.

“It feels like Christmas in September,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said in a press release Wednesday, referring to the $8.1 million grant award to the Sacramento Police Department.

Huge budget cuts to the police department forced the city to lay off 46 sworn officers in July. The new COPS grant will allow the city to rehire 25 of those officers.

Representatives for the police department and the Sacramento Police Officers Association could not be reached for comment.

"We had to watch officers turn their badges in for the first time in our city's history,” Johnson said. “Now we have an opportunity to pin those badges back on our officers and get them back on the street."

Johnson declared the award “a big win” for Sacramento and emphasized that public safety must continue to be the top priority for the city.

Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) called the grants “wonderful news” for Sacramento residents in a statement released Thursday.

“This federal funding will strengthen our community’s law enforcement’s ability to keep us safe, and ensure that budgetary shortfalls do not eliminate these critical positions,” Matsui said.

Only 238 of the 2,712 grant requests were ultimately funded – roughly 9 percent of the total number of applications – for a total of $243,398,709 in grants, funding 1,021 officer positions nationwide.

In all, the Sacramento region – including $19.4 million for Sacramento city and county and a $2.58 million award for Placer county – was awarded the largest combined dollar amount in the nation.

Grant funds will be available to the Sacramento Police Department after the City Council formally accepts the grant at the next council meeting.

The Sheriff’s Department grant is expected to receive formal acceptance by the County Board of Supervisors in early October.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Ask Officer Michelle - A Personal Assistance Shady Request

2011-09-18T18:01:33Z

Posted by gigglebabe

this may be silly but need some info
My daughter looking for summer work decided to place a ad on craigs list. she received a replay from a guy and said he needed a personal assistant she was all caught up in making her on money she said she would do what ever it was he needed long story short her first task was to take these money orders and cash them , then western union the money, thought it was weird but told her the bank or post office would be able to tell if they were fake well they were, i just want to know that she wont be in trouble for taking them to the post office (they kept them and said they would be turned over to the investigators) and should we contact this person and tell them we got them cashed I for one would like this person caught and dealt with.

Dear gigglebabe,

It sounds to me that your daughter was caught up in a possible counterfeit/money laundering scam.

Personal assistants pick up dry cleaning, groceries and run errands; they do not cash money orders. This man was taking advantage of your daughter. What will happen now is that the postal inspectors will contact your daughter to get more detailed information and corroborate what she told them. They will continue their investigation from there. Since the US Postal Service is now involved, this is a federal investigation and your daughter must be truthful and tell the postal inspector what she knows. I don’t know the extent in which your daughter is involved, the status of this case and I am only responding to information you are giving me.

Meanwhile, if your daughter needs a job, there are more legitimate companies who look to hire personal assistants. Be wary of ads in the back of local free newspapers that advertise for personal assistants or personal escorts. They are often fronts for prostitution. Word of mouth is best, or tell your daughter to place applications marketing her skills to legitimate businesses.

It is great that your daughter is motivated about trying to earn her own way. Hopefully your daughter has learned from this. Thank you for your post.

Officer Michelle

Ask Office Michelle - Dealing with an Unpredictable Neighbor

2011-09-11T22:30:15Z

Posted by Rocky427

We’ve own our home for 4 years and know almost all our neighbors very well. We get along with almost all our neighbors. The homeowners that lives across the street are a very kind and elderly couple who has 2 or 3 adult sons (in their late 30s to early 50s) that live with them. We’ve said “hello” to the family in passing, and has never had any problems with them. We’ve seen the police at that house late at night occasionally, and learn that there are problems between the family members.

Last month, one of the sons (who is in his 50s) was pacing in front of his house. As we were coming back from our walk, he became very paranoid. He wanted to know why we were talking about him, and quickly came towards us to fight. We got away and no one was hurt. We have NEVER spoken with this son prior to this incident except to say hello in passing. We don’t know anything about him. We later found out that he was a “problem child” and had a history of extensive drug abuse in high school. We didn’t speak with that family about this incident because we weren’t confident that the elderly parents can do anything about this. We felt that confronting them with this could make him more paranoid and more dangerous to us. We also didn’t report this incident to law enforcement because we’ve never had a problem with this individual in the 4 years that we’ve lived there. We thought this might be an isolated event.

Today, as we were driving down the street, the same son was on his driveway. When he saw us, he glared at us and threw both arms in the air as if to challenge us to a fight. I’m not sure what to do at this point. I feel like I should report it to start documenting his behavior, but I’m afraid he’ll become more paranoid and violent if the cops are involved. Should I have reported the incident the first time? What do I need to do now to protect my family?

Dear Rocky427,

Definitely start documenting these occurrences. If you feel threatened by this man like you did when you were driving into your driveway, call the police. The police can stop and detain him, speak with him and evaluate whether he is being a danger to himself or others. Don’t handle this guy by yourself. He is obviously unstable and therefore unpredictable.

If you happen to see this man’s parents, you may want to mention something to them. I’d be interested to see how the parents are doing. Are they being over –run by their three adult sons? I’ve seen this before. Let me know, and keep me posted.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Getting Possessions Back From an Ex

2011-09-04T22:14:36Z

Posted by kvv2002

I have a friend who recently broke up with her ex and she would like to get her stuff back out of his mother’s house. Both the mother and son are being uncooperative and all my friend wants is her stuff. How can she go about getting her items, if they are unwilling and ‘playing games’?

Dear kvv2002,

This is a pretty common dilemma. She can either set up a meet time which is convenient for her ex and his mother to get your belongings or she can take the her ex to small claims court to get her belongings. The latter may be a long and expensive process but she could mention it if she gets resistance.

Depending on what possessions were left there, it may not be worth the hassle. If your friends’ belongings consist of a vehicle, or official documents, it would be worth her while. If it is a duffel bag of clothes, non-essentials, let it go. Perhaps in time, your friend will be able to have a more civil relationship with the ex. The only other concern I had was whether your friends’ ex has a restraining order against her. That is a monkey wrench that complicates matters. Have your friend contact me so that I can get specifics. Thank you for your post.

Officer Michelle

Surveillance cameras help prevent crime on Regional Transit

2011-09-03T02:18:23Z

The new cameras that were installed at several Sacramento light rail stations in May have helped prevent crimes and improve passenger safety, according to Doug Voska, a Sergeant with the Sacramento Police Department.

“People want to feel safe when they ride transit,” said Voska, who has a contract position with RT. “If they don’t feel safe, they’re not gonna do it.”

Because the cameras were primarily funded by the federal Department of Homeland Security, their main focus must be on terrorism prevention. But according to Voska, this has many crossover benefits when it comes to crime prevention and passenger safety.

“Even without a uniformed police officer, somebody is keeping an eye on things,” he said. There are officers monitoring all the cameras at the stations, and Voska said he hopes that by the end of the year, there will be people monitoring the cameras on the trains and buses as well.

Voska said that the cameras have helped officers solve numerous types of crimes, from graffiti to robbery.

The videos are often used for prosecution purposes, and the police department even uses the cameras to locate suspects who have fled from a crime scene via bus or light rail. Still, he maintained that “crime is not that high on RT, so they are primarily used for crime prevention.”

But the amount of surveillance on RT is causing some outcry among personal privacy advocates. Cres Vellucci, a member of the board of the Sacramento Chapter of the ACLU, said he is concerned over what he sees as an Orwellian affront on privacy rights.

“Pervasive video surveillance does threaten privacy rights,” he said via email. “The U.S. has … been proud to proclaim that we are willing to give a little bit in security if need be to maintain our unique freedom ... Fear, however, can make us do some terrible things.”

According to Linda Lye, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Northern California, everything from data retention to the cost and effectiveness of the cameras has ACLU members worried. “Why are we investing scarce public safety dollars on methods that invade our privacy but don’t make us any safer?” she asked.

“If the government is going to implement measures that do invade our privacy, we want to be sure that they’re actually making us safer, and the data hasn’t really shown that with respect to video surveillance cameras,” Lye said.

She cited studies done by the ACLU in 2007 and by UC Berkeley in 2008 to support her claim that cameras do not make a big enough impact on crime. “The hard research shows that these (methods) don’t make us safer,” she said. “The thing that we find frustrating is this false dichotomy that’s often posed between safety and privacy.”

“There are far more effective, and much less expensive crime prevention tools,” wrote Vellucci, who recommended alternatives such as better lighting, community policing, and job and youth programs to “reduce crime and also help the local economy.”

Despite the ACLU’s opposition, Voska said that he believes the public generally supports the cameras.

“I’ve heard people say that they like the camera surveillance because they do feel safer,” he said. “Since we can’t afford to have a police officer on every train, we try to keep an eye on what’s going on … as efficiently and as effectively as we can. RT is not in a position to violate anybody’s rights.”

Like all other technology, the cameras are in constant need of upkeep. “Everybody who has a camera system has to deal with malfunctions,” Voska said. This includes everything from technical problems to issues with shrubbery growing into the cameras’ fields of vision.

Vandalism has also had an effect, albeit a small one. One camera has been stolen, and several of the cameras have been lightly tagged with graffiti, Voska added.

But Voska insisted that the cameras are worth the trouble. “It’s an overwhelming desire on the part of the passengers to feel safe,” he said. “Sometimes we don’t have any (officers) there, so that’s when we keep an eye on it through cameras.”

Here are links to the studies cited by the ACLU:

UC Berkeley Study: CITRIS Report

ACLU Study: Under the Watchful Eye

Composite Sketch of Assault Suspect

2011-08-31T21:23:14Z

The Sacramento Police Department is releasing a composite sketch of a suspect related to an assault.

On Thursday, August 4, at 2:00 p.m., officers responded to the 400 block of I street regarding an assault of an elderly woman in her 80’s. As the victim was entering her home the suspect forced his way in. The suspect pushed her to the ground and attempted to sexually assault her but fled on foot prior to completing the act.

The suspect was described as a male Black, 35-45 years old, 5’9”, medium build, believed to have short hair, but possibly had dreadlocks pulled into a pony tail.

The Sacramento Police Department urges anyone with information pertaining to this crime to contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP (4357) or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Disclosure: Posted by the Sacramento Police Department

Ask Officer Michelle - Buying Used Police Cars and Impounds

2011-08-28T15:49:49Z

Posted by jmccloskey81

Im looking for a new car. I was told about auctions at impound lots and was wondering how I can locate one of these auctions

Dear jmccloskey81,

The Sacramento Police Department doesn’t have any involvement in the selling of our vehicles. If you are talking about old police vehicles, there are auctions in the Bay Area that sell used law enforcement vehicles. One of the companies that sells these types of vehicles is called “National.” Hope this helps. For vehicles police have impounded, you might also trying calling some of the many tow companies in Sacramento. There are dozens of tow companies on the police tow rotation list and they would be able to tell you how they dispose of impounded vehicles that are not claimed by their owners.

I have to disclose that a used police car has been beaten. It goes through 3 shifts, 7 days per week. Police cars are utilized in pursuits, and driven hard by every officer on patrol. I would bring a mechanic with me if I were you. Good luck!

Officer Michelle

Natomas Community Group to Donate Equipment to Police & Fire Depts.

2011-08-01T22:30:09Z

Investigative & Lifesaving Gear to Honor Fallen on 9/11

A volunteer neighborhood association in North Natomas collected over $6,600 using old-fashioned community fundraising to purchase equipment for their nearest fire and police stations in anticipation of the upcoming ten year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and to honor the sacrifices of hundreds of public safety personnel who perished on that day.

The gifts will be presented to captains of the police and fire departments in a ceremony at the association's fourth annual National Night Out celebration in Witter Ranch Park on Tuesday evening.

Witter Ranch Community Alliance, which covers nearly 1,400 detached homes and over 400 apartments, raised the funds in partnership with Sacramento's all-volunteer non-profit Drowning Accident Rescue Team (D.A.R.T.). With proceeds from a huge community yard sale, a hot dog barbecue, individual donations, and soliciting area merchants, and by negotiating discounts with equipment suppliers, they succeeded in purchasing a MultiRAE portable gas and explosive compound detector for their new fire station (opening in a couple of weeks) and a Cellebrite forensics system for Sacramento Police Department's Kinney Station in North Sacramento.

"We told them our plans and asked them what they wanted, and that's what they said they needed, so our community worked very hard to deliver," said Janice Brannon, former WRCA board member and chairperson of the committee for the effort. "We are honored to be able to do this for them."

"Witter Ranch Community Alliance was formed in response to concerns for our community's safety, so it's absolutely fitting that we do this for our partners at our police and fire departments," said Keith Sharward, WRCA co-founder and board member. "They do so much for us so it's wonderful that we can do this for them."

"This just goes to prove how dedicated our community is on public safety. This is about saving property and saving lives," said Jason Alexander who serves on WRCA's board and volunteers for D.A.R.T. and the fire department's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

Fundraising efforts had been going strong but were not keeping pace with the aggressive deadline. Then came news from their neighborhood Wells Fargo Bank branch that they would contribute generously towards the effort. "I was profoundly touched by the generosity of this donor to our cause," Brannon said. "I knew then that we were going to make our goal."

No taxpayer dollars are involved in the purchase.

"This couldn't have come a better time for us," said James Maccoun, captain of Sacramento Police Department's North Command. "Our budget has been cut to the bone so these sorts of purchases are increasingly difficult for us. Having the Cellabrite system here at the station will save our officers a lot of time and help with certain types of investigations."

"This will really help us in our response to calls regarding possible gas leaks," said Jaymes Butler, one of the captains of Fire Station 18, currently WRCA's nearest station several miles away, and vice president of Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522. "This MultiRAE detector might save a life someday, and that life could be that of a firefighter."

Also scheduled to attend the ceremony in Witter Ranch Park at 6 PM Tuesday are Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, Sacramento City Councilmember Angelique Ashby, Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna, and a representative from Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan's office.

Disclosure: Keith Sharward is co-founder and Board Member of Witter Ranch Community Alliance, an all-volunteer association for the Gateway West and Park View neighborhoods of North Natomas, and a member of the Natomas Crime & Safety Leadership Team.

Ask Officer Michelle - Receiving Suspicious Money Orders

2011-07-24T20:40:19Z

Posted by smcnamee

I have received money orders from someone I don’t know. Could I bring them to the police station to be verified "Legal Tender" so as not to be caught up in a possible fraudulent scheme?

Dear smcnamee,

It may be a fishing expedition. Crooks that partake in these expeditions send out mass mailings in the hopes that one or two people will bite on their lure. You’re wise to be cautious. Unfortunately, this often works, and it is hard to trace the originator.

You can call the Financial Crimes Unit in your jurisdiction and speak to an investigator about your situation. If you live in the city of Sacramento, the telephone number is 808-0650. Our investigators are doing more with less so it may be a few days before you get a response. They will be the point of contact to give you the best advice on how to proceed. Thank you for your post!

Ask Officer Michelle - Suspicious Subject Hanging Out in Midtown

2011-07-17T15:17:42Z

Posted by kendell

Hello Officer Lazark; The problem I have is a homeless guy hanging out across the street. I have reason to believe that this guy participated in a theft from my backyard last year, then he went to jail for 6 mos for I am not sure what, rumor it was sex assault. I believe he is scaring off potential buyers of a vacant house next to me. Is there any rule about a person fresh out of jail spending time at a Megan’s list location? Thank you.

Dear kendell,

I ran the address you gave me on the Megan’s Law website which is a public information site. I discovered that there is a registered sex offender registered at this residence. He is in compliance with his registration.

If you have witnessed someone doing something criminally specific, you can report him. If you go to www.meganslaw.ca.gov, there is an option to report the person. You will have to type in a synopsis as to what the problem is. If he is merely hanging out in front of his residence, then there is not much you can do. If he is making comments, intimidating people as they walk by, panhandling, trespassing, or doing anything else illegal, you may also call the police and have an officer dispatched to check out a suspicious subject.

You may also discuss this gentleman with his landlord. If there is anything illegal going on in the residence, he or she may want to know about it.

A lot of potential buyers of properties now look at the Meagan’s Law website before purchasing. This is possibly one of the reasons why the house remains vacant. Thank you for your post.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Neigbor's Children Causing Havoc

2011-07-10T21:21:57Z

Posted by bambam05

I at a loss and don’t know where to turn. There are some people renting a house across the street that have a zoo living there. They do not supervise their children who damage my property and toss trash in my yard. I made the mistake of confronting to bad child and now a parent appeared who then yelled at me for telling his kid what to do. so my question is…what can be done with this kids that ride bike in the middle of the street, run and scream at the top of the lungs 24/7 (and yes I work from home) and destroy my and disrespect my property daily? Is this really a police thing or a CPS thing or do I call thier landlord? How do I get thier landlord info if that’s the way to go? Pleaes help. This was a nice place for the most part.

Dear bambam05,

It sounds like you have the normal sounds of summer vacation! It may be annoying to you while you work from home, but the children have a right to play and ride their bicycles outside. As long as they are wearing bicycle helmets if under 18 years of age, not blocking the street, and they are being supervised, there are no police or CPS issues.

I would speak to the parents of these kids and explain to them that you do work from home and that you would appreciate if they can speak to their children about respecting your need for them to turn down their volume. Some parents become particularly upset when adults address their kids directly. Discuss your concerns about throwing litter into your yard, and the fact that they are destroying your property. I’m not sure of the extent of the damage. If you are talking about skid marks from their bikes in your driveway, or trampled plants, discuss with the parents. If however, you are talking about broken windows, or dents in your car, that is another issue. If the parents don’t respond or become indignant with you, then it is time to speak to the landlord. Ownership records are available through the County Assessor’s Office. You can start here to research: http://www.assessor.saccounty.net/OwnershipInformation/default.htm
Give the parents a chance to right wrongs. You also must remember that there must be a compromise between neighbors, especially in a situation like this when children are on summer vacation. Good luck.

Officer Michelle

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>>

County executives, arena benefits and skateboard history

2011-07-06T00:22:25Z

Jeffrey Callison and I discussed a number of local news stories on Capital Public Radio's Insight on Tuesday morning, including the transition between Sacramento county executives, a report on the possible benefits to the region of a new arena, new restaurants opening and a new exhibit at the California Museum.

Friday was the last day of work for more than 200 city employees, including 42 sworn police officers and other police department employees. We spoke with the three city council members who voted against the cuts. We spoke with the three council members who voted against the cuts and asked them why.

The recently renamed Think Big Sacramento (formerly Here We Build) arena committee put out a report last week that suggested that a new downtown arena could bring in 7 billion dollars in the next 30 years. That scenario was roundly dismissed by many of our commentors, who thought that this was a too-rosy scenario meant to sell the arena. We shall see when the regional group tasked with figuring out financing for the arena releases its report in September.

Melissa Corker did profiles of both outgoing County Executive Steve Szalay and his replacement, Brad Hudson, in the last week. Szalay had some good advice for his successor (“Don’t screw up!”) and Hudson seemed to have a pretty good grip on what he’s taking on. He said that the thing that he’s most proud of in Riverside County was that he and his staff saw the recession coming in 2007 and used attrition to right-size the government there. He also oversaw a big increase in the use of technology. He’s a Lakers fan, though...

The drama at the Coop continues over bath salts and kosher wine. A small group of determined anti-Israel activists are taking the Coop board to court to get them to put a boycott of Israeli products to a vote of the entire membership. The Coop’s board members have twice voted, unanimously, against doing that, but the protesters are adamant and are willing to take the cooperative to court over this.

Old Ironsides is not doing live music at the moment, though the future of that is in question. We reported that Jerry Perry, who has booked shows at Old I for the last 10 years as well as at other venues, has stopped booking shows there in frustration after the owners of the venue had a rented PA removed and wanted Perry or the bands that play at the club to rent a PA for their gigs. Perry rejected that as impractical and moved his shows. We’re still waiting to see how this is resolved, but it has caused some consternation in the local music community.

There’s going to be a new restaurant bar on J Street at 24th, when Tex Mex Bar and Grill becomes the River Rock Tap House this Saturday. The place is being opened by two guys who have experience in local restaurants, including Tex Mex next door on J Street, and will replace Keolanui’s restaurant. The Tap House will feature as many as 40 West Coast brews on tap and is being opened by the same duo that opened a River Rock Tap House in Citrus Heights 17 years ago. They intend to move into the old Cornerstone Restaurant space in about a month, where they will serve coffee and breakfast.

Speaking of restaurants, all food service employees will be required to take a course in food safety, after which they will receive a certification card. There’s been some unhappiness among food service workers, since they will be required to pay for the $15 certification, but generally people seem OK with the new requirements.

Finally, there is a new exhibit at the California Museum downtown, which just started on Friday and runs through next March. The exhibit looks at one of California’s home grown sports, skateboarding, which has a 50 year history and is now an international phenomenon. The exhibit was curated by the legendary skateboarder and surfer Nathan Pratt, who was in the “Dogtown and Z-Boys” documentary of nearly 10 years ago. There are a lot of skate decks being displayed, as well as multimedia exhibits showcasing the sport. The show first opened in Santa Monica, this is its second exhibition.

To listen to the audio for this show, click here.

Sacramento Press on Insight: Good news for a change!

2011-06-28T21:10:14Z

When I visited with Jeffrey Callison on Capital Public Radio's Insight Tuesday morning, the news was better than usual: topics included the improved financial picture for the city regarding the redevelopment of K Street’s 700 block, a new Goodwill for downtown and news of Jackie Greene’s new band.

After its unanimous approval by the City Council last week, Sacramento Press reporter Melissa Corker detailed the improved financial outlook for the development of the 700 block of K Street. With some new federal money secured, the city’s investment shrank from $16 million to $14.7 million, which means the city will now get about 40 percent of the return the block will stimulate, through taxes on sales and incomes. The developers also say that if the property is sold, the city will get 20 percent of the profits after loans are repaid.
All of this led Councilman Rob Fong to call it “a great investment for the city.”

There was also a surprising new concept for developing Cal Expo unveiled on Friday, which would add 120,000 square feet to the exhibition space and build a new 10,000-seat amphitheatre.

Public input was requested for library cuts after the county announced that it will be cutting about $800,000 from the Sacramento County library system’s 28 libraries. Forums will be held at three different locations in July, at which library users will be able to tell library staffers which programs and library functions they want to see survive the cuts. We published a list of the dates and times of those meetings.

There’s a new Goodwill store in Midtown, but this one’s a bit different: It features vintage clothing culled from other standard Goodwill stores and is aimed at discriminating Midtown shoppers who are looking for more stylish items than one might find in a regular Goodwill store. It’s at 16th and L streets.

And credit where it’s due: Last week The Sacramento Bee reported that Regional Transit may restore late night-service after four years of nothing but cuts. RT is dependent on sales tax revenues for half of its budget (fares pay only a quarter), and sales tax is up this year after shoppers started returning to stores. RT will wait another month to make sure that the trend is solid, then will resume late-night (after midnight) service. Currently, most trains stop rolling at 9:30 p.m.

The state Senate approved a bill that will help local fire departments get more in federal funds for providing ambulance transport for MediCal recipients. It will be paid for through the federal MediCare program and will reimburse local fire departments as much as 50 percent. Fire departments are mandated to transport MediCal patients and as many as two thirds of their calls are for medical emergencies. Only 4 percent are for actual fires. This could mean as much as $90 million for state fire departments this year, and $50 million each for subsequent years.

Old Sacramento is going to be expanding its tourist offerings starting next year, including the extension of the excursion trains south as far as Hood and with the further development of underground tours and perhaps even the addition of a 19th century clipper ship at the riverfront. Public hearings have already been held, and now the proposals, by the Department of Parks and Recreation, will be going through one more public review and then on to the City Council for a vote. It is expected to be finalized next year.

More than 1,000 Sacramento-area nonprofits had their nonprofit status revoked by the IRS as part of a clean up of their books after a 2006 pension reform act. Most of those 1,000 or so organizations have ceased to exist, but two local organizations we contacted have some work to do: One, the California-Nevada Soft Drink Association, didn’t know its status had been revoked until we called them about it, and the other, ironically, is the Sacramento City Taxpayers’ Rights League!

We reported last week that local favorite son Jackie Greene has formed a new band, Trigger Hippy, that includes three former members of the Black Crowes, as well as singer Joan Osborne, who, like Greene, has performed with former members or versions of Grateful Dead. Jackie will reportedly also be performing as a trio with former Dead member Bob Weir and former Black Crowe lead singer Chris Robinson.

The mobile food movement is moving outside of the central city. Thursday, a group of local food trucks composed of the Mini Burger Truck, Mama Kim on the Go and Drewski’s Hot Rod Kitchen gathered in the parking lot of Tognotti’s Auto World at Fulton and El Camino for the first event held by the fledgling Sacramento Food Truck Alliance. This was just outside the city limits, beyond the reach of the food truck ordinance that the Alliance is aiming to overturn. And it will happen again this Thursday from 5-8 p.m. at Tognotti’s.

To listen to the audio for this show, click here.

Ask Officer Michelle- The Best Way to Thank an Officer

2011-06-26T17:46:11Z

Posted by billalbertson
What is the best way for me to thank officers. I want to send a letter of thanks to the officers and their supervisor, with a bcc to the local newspapers. Is it appropriate to do that and name them, or could there be privacy concerns regarding the officers involved if I bcc the local papers?

Dear billalbertson,
Your desire to thank helpful officers is much appreciated. Unless they are working undercover, officer’s names are public information as seen on the name badges that are part of their uniforms!

The best way to thank police officers is to send a letter to the chief (you may want to send copies to the officers and the press if desired). This ensures that the letter makes its way down through the officers’ chain of command. In the case of our officers, you can address your letter to:
Chief Rick Braziel, 5770 Freeport Blvd., Suite 100, Sacramento, CA 95822.

Thank you,
Officer Michelle

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>>

Insight on fees, cops, and the 700 block

2011-06-21T17:04:07Z

Final approval of the 700 block of K Street, a new executive for Sacramento County, local entertainment and building fees going up and a new park proposed for Midtown are among the topics discussed Tuesday by David Watts Barton and Jeffrey Callison on Capital Public Radio's Insight.

Tonight's City Council meeting will include a vote on the final approval on the 700 block of K Street. It's gone through every level of approval and this means that they will be able, as Bay Miry told me, to do what we know how to do, which is build stuff. They're talking about 14 businesses on that block, including a tapas bar, a nightclub, restaurants and bars. This has the potential to transform K Street and downtown even more than the George Karpaty Dive Bar development three blocks east.

Also tonight, the council will vote on layoffs at the Sacramento Police Department. Things got a little better on the budget front last week, after the federal government gave the city a $3 million waiver, which means that instead of laying off 81 sworn officers, they will be voting on laying off 46 officers. It's not great, but it's better than it might have been. An additional 68 people will still be laid off at the department.
But in advance of tonight's vote, the police union isn't giving an inch in negotiations, as we reported this morning. New council member Darryl Fong, a retired cop, showed fierce independence in refusing to give what little remains of the city's reserve funds to the police.

Sacramento County got a new executive officer last week. His name is Brad Hudson, and he comes from the city of Riverside in the Inland Empire, and he inherits a terrible budget situation at the county. He starts work on Aug. 14.

Last week's city council meeting saw the council approve 18 different fee changes, raising 12 existing fees and creating six new ones, including for various building department fees and for entertainment permits, which went up about $300 each. That prompted some protests from the Midtown Business Association and various entertainment venues such as Faces. As much as those are, the fees barely put a dent in the city's costs of doing the permits. And especially given the city's current financial woes, those aren't really many changes compared to the 2009-2010 budget, in which there were a whopping 237 fee adjustments.

A new park proposed for Midtown moved ahead a bit last week. Two plans for the empty space at the corner of 19th and Q streets, just north of the Safeway store on 19th, were presented at a meeting, along with environmental reports regarding the "brownfields" remediation plans, since the space was contaminated by the nearby railroad. The two different proposals are detailed in our article by SacPress intern Amy Wong.

The just-assembled arena financing coalition held its first meeting last Thursday, and our reporter Suzanne Hurt was there to cover it. The Here We Build coalition of 70 local politicians and others has been given until Sept. 8 to come up with a financing plan that appeals to the community and the Maloof family. The team told Suzanne that they will be holding meetings about every two weeks until the deadline. The next one will be next Thursday, June 30.

Sacramento's landmark Elks Tower, built in the 1920s, is finally going to have something going into the space where FedEx used to have an office. It will be a cafe, bar and chocolate place in the lower space that also holds a big old empty pool that used to be quite notorious in the 1970s. Steve Ayers and his family, who own Railbridge Winery on 16th Street, are going to be opening a 14th floor Elks Tower Penthouse Lounge in a couple of weeks. This used to be the home of Sactown magazine and before that, KZAP radio.

Redistricting maps were turned in a few weeks ago and have been narrowed down by the Citizens Advisory Committee on Redistricting, from 37 to 15. They will be further whittled down to about five choices that the city council will then reference as they go about the final decisions in advance of the July deadline. The committee meets every Monday night and the public is encouraged to attend.

The 10th Annual French Film Festival had its first weekend at the Crest Theatre downtown, and will conclude this coming weekend with a film about the legendary pop music auteur Serge Gainsbourg on Sunday night. We have a review of the first weekend and a schedule for the rest of the festival up at Sacramento Press.

And finally, a bit further afield, the first Davis Music Festival is this weekend, and our newest staff member Aaron Davis wrote a piece about the Truth and Salvage Company, which has played in Sacramento four times in the last year and has really fired up some of our music writers. Local bands playing the festival include Miss Lonely Hearts and Musical Charis.

To listen to audio for this show, click here.

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>>

Layoffs of 35 city cops avoided

2011-06-15T05:37:18Z

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 – those proposed cuts were not affected by the federal grant waiver.

The city is facing a $39 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year.

"This grant exemption is a positive in an otherwise difficult budget year,” Police Chief Rick Braziel wrote in a Tuesday night press statement. “We are thankful for the quick approval of this grant exemption, which would not have been possible without the efforts of Bernard Melekian from the Department of Justice, the support of Congresswoman Doris Matsui and the hard work of our police staff.”

Meanwhile, Interim Deputy City Manager Betty Masuoka told the City Council at a Tuesday night budget hearing that she had no update on any labor concessions from city unions. Despite the standstill, “staff continues to have an open door” to negotiations with city unions, she said.

In addition, the city could still negotiate with the unions for possible concessions after the budget is approved, Masuoka said.

While Councilman Darrell Fong, a retired police captain, has said he intends to vote for the police cuts, he announced at Tuesday’s council meeting that he would redirect his City Council salary for the 2011/2012 fiscal year to the Police Department’s budget.

The base pay for Sacramento City Council members is $60,800 annually.

“I’m hopeful as we continue between now and next week to keep having discussions and hope to get to a better place,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said at the meeting.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Sacramento Press on Insight

2011-06-14T20:47:37Z

Among the topics I discussed Tuesday with CPR's Jeffrey Callison:

The new arena commission starts yet another three month period (100 days) of research. There are 70, not 60, members, and it features just about every local politician you've ever heard of, and is headed once again by Chris Lehane. Few of them are business or finance people. First meeting is Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Central Library.

Big news last week, in terms of dollars and cents and jobs was the County's balancing of its budget to close a $90 million gap. That may mean as many as 300 MORE jobs lost and comes on top of some 1300 jobs cut since 2008/9. The Sheriff's Department wasn't hit as hard as expected, but the DA's office is being cut substantially. This won't be final until September.

Last week after we spoke, the city council voted 6-3 to push forward with police cuts if the police union didn't make concessions asking officers to contribute to their pensions. The mayor and two others voted against it, but a lot of people don't think that getting unions to make concessions is a bad idea. But police chief Rick Braziel says that crime will likely rise. And that is NOT the last we'll see of that issue.

There is good news! Last week, the federal government extended funding for a city department called Access Leisure, which provides athletic and other options for disabled people, including vets. There will be $150,000 for the organization, which hosts all sorts of activities for the disabled all over town.

And a new microbrewery has gotten approval for Curtis Park, south of Sutterville Road near 24th Street. Track 7 Brewery will occupy an old warehouse near the Southern Pacific tracks and will have a railroad theme. Only one neighbor objected. This is near the old Club Minimal, a big renegade music club from the '80s.

Also, a new pedestrian bridge is being built to cross over Sutterville Road.

Controversy at the Sacramento Natural Foods Coop - very complicated, very rancorous, and ultimately, a study in the way a handful of people can really muck up the process. Some very upset people over at the Coop.

Story about a new dance conservatory on the very north side of the midtown grid. Lena Logan opened the place a couple of weeks ago in a 6000 square foot space up against the railroad tracks in Midtown.

Finally, Melissa Corker joins our staff replacing Kathleen Haley.

To listen to audio for this show, click here.

Ask Officer Michelle - Working with Multi-curtural Diversities

2011-06-13T18:03:44Z

Posted by kaptanhook

Developing a community-partnership is difficult sometimes. What are some of the difficulties or problems that an officer might have with the different cultural microcosms of sacramento? And how do you overcome them?

thanks, its for school
kaptanhook

Dear Kaptanhook

The biggest issue that officers face is the lack of trust by some cultures that have experienced corruption in their countries, dealing with their governments and law enforcement agencies. Of course the second issue is communication, when officers and community members can’t speak to each other. The Sacramento Police Department does a number of things to overcome these issues.
First, because of our community policing efforts, we have many officers working in our neighborhoods building trust with community members. We have a number of programs that also address issues such as our Cultural Community Academies, our Community Recruiter program, and our language line services. To learn more about these programs go to http://www.sacpd.org/citybeat/citybeat.asp. Once on that site, look for City Beat videos #18 and #15. That should give you a lot of information for your school project.

Officer Michelle

In-depth look at proposed police layoffs

2011-06-10T01:05:21Z

Sacramento Police and union officials warned Thursday a spike in crime is expected if 81 cops are laid off when the City Council approves a budget.

Police officers – angered over the likelihood that dozens of them are about to lose their jobs – are vowing to take action come election time, said detective Mark Tyndale, vice president of the local police union, the Sacramento Police Officers Association.

On Tuesday, the Sacramento City Council tentatively voted to make deep budget cuts that would include slashing $12.2 million from the police department's budget and laying off 81 sworn officers and 68 civilian police employees. If the council approves the 2011/2012 budget with a final vote as expected June 21, the officers will be laid off July 1.

Police Chief Rick Braziel on Wednesday announced losing that many officers would force the department to reduce services. The department would eliminate more than a dozen specialized units, including gang crimes, narcotics, high-tech crimes, traffic, marine, mounted, bike and foot patrols.

The department would shift its focus to core services, mainly handling emergency calls and investigating major crimes required by law including murders, rapes and robberies. Bad guys will commit more crime because citizen crime reports will drop. That will provide police with fewer tips that can help stop criminals earlier in their careers, Braziel said Thursday.

"I expect crime to go up. You'll see criminals getting away with more because there are just less of us out there," Braziel said by phone. "The ultimate victim in all of this is the community. That's who suffers most."

Patrol officers who have the least seniority in the department are the ones facing layoffs. Detectives would be reassigned to fill those patrol slots or the remaining investigation units, such as homicide, robbery, sexual assaults or general investigations, Police Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said.

The city has the right to lay off officers and would not be violating a contract with the union by doing so, according to Tyndale and Leong.

Such cuts would mark the first time sworn officers have been laid off – for as long as anyone can remember – at least since the 1970s, Leong said.

SPOA members said they believe the council's vote made it clear city officials aren't interested in negotiating any contract concessions in lieu of layoffs. No negotiations have begun, and none are expected before the budget is approved by the council, Tyndale said.

"Everybody's hoping some miracle can occur," he said. "I just don't see (it) at this point."

Morale among police officers is low. Tyndale said union members believe the six City Council members who tentatively approved the layoffs have turned their backs on police. Councilman Steve Cohn, Mayor Kevin Johnson and Councilwoman Angelique Ashby voted against the tentative decision.

According to Tyndale, union members think the six council members created a "mess." Officers are now saying, " 'This (2012) is an election year. You guys are going to pay for this mess you made,' " Tyndale said.

A total of 372 positions have been cut from the department over the last three years. Those were either civilian layoffs, or vacant posts that had been filled by civilians or sworn officers. The officer posts were vacant due to attrition through retirements or resignations, he said.

The total of sworn officers who would be cut now stands at 81 due to a retirement. That would leave 620 full-time officers – of 701 currently – working for the department. The department currently employs 318 civilians. The cuts would leave 250.

In addition, 17 vacant slots would be eliminated under the current budget plan, Leong said.

If that happens, the department won't have the investigation units or number of officers needed to keep Sacramento streets safe, Tyndale said.

"It is going to destroy Sacramento," said Tyndale, a detective with the sexual assault investigations unit who has served with the department 23 years. "It will completely devastate us – the department and the community."

However, 35 officers could be immediately rehired if the department wins a waiver on a federal grant that would provide funding to restore those positions. Police officials don't know when the exemption might be granted, Leong said.

A union representing 1,400 other city employees has been calling for "balance and equity" in layoffs among all city employee groups in order to balance the budget. At Tuesday night's council meeting, a business representative from Stationary Engineers Local 39 described claims about the impact of public safety cuts as "civil terrorism."

"The city can no longer afford to spare any group during this economic crisis," Local 39 official Linda Norman told the council. "I am also speaking out against the city's public safety unions' recent campaign of what I will call 'civil terrorism.'

“Through the use of media announcements, door hangers and lawn signs, these public servants are perpetrating a negative, harmful and divisive atmosphere, saying any reduction of public safety funding will leave our citizens vulnerable and unprotected from increased crime," she said.

SPOA President Brent Meyer later described those comments as unprofessional.

The units that would remain include patrol, crime scene investigation, front counter assistance/security, K-9, helicopter and the criminal apprehension team, as well as the other investigation units mentioned previously. The department's number of detectives would drop from 104 to 71 because some investigators will return to patrol, Leong said.

The crime scene investigation unit, currently staffed entirely by civilians, would be filled only by sworn officers as of July 1.

The department's two full-time SWAT teams, which do a lot of specialized training and assist with investigations and arresting criminals, would become part-time. Cuts would mean they will work on patrol when not doing entries or training.

There will be some cost-savings from laying off administrative clerks or other civilians tied to the units that would be eliminated. However, the units aren't being eliminated to save money. They're being eliminated because there won't be enough people left to fill them once officers are transferred to operational services such as patrol, Leong said.

As a result, officers will be responsible for handling so many cases they won't be able to do as much proactive crime-fighting. And that will lead to a loss of expertise in such areas as narcotics and gang crime over time, he said.

Braziel has been meeting for months with his executive command staff, made up of deputy chiefs and captains, to determine how to reorganize the department if the council approved major police layoffs to help balance the budget.

The chief said he's especially concerned because of the cumulative impact that may result if there are budget-induced layoffs in Sacramento County law enforcement agencies, in addition to an expected upcoming prisoner release, loss of social services and lack of jobs for prisoners.

The layoffs aren't spread out more evenly throughout the department because they must be made based on seniority. The majority of patrol officers are the newest members of the squad.

The announcement the units would be eliminated is not a negotiating tactic to get concessions from the union or City Council, according to Braziel and Leong.

"The police department has followed the direction of council who on Tuesday made it clear their intent is to move forward with the budget cuts, and there is nothing to indicate any foreseeable changes to the budget," Braziel said in an emailed statement.

Sacramento Press staff reporter Kathleen Haley contributed to this report. Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Council intends to make major public safety cuts

2011-06-08T07:44:49Z

The Sacramento City Council’s tentative decision Tuesday night to make severe budget cuts to public safety is not final, but it made a big statement.

Council members voted 6-3 to say they intend to make budget cuts later this month that include layoffs of 82 sworn cops and increases in brownouts or alternating closures for fire services.

A big caveat to the tentative decision is the council’s statement that it is still open to further negotiations with the city’s public safety unions.

Tuesday’s hearing drew intense public interest. Many people arrived more than an hour early to the 6 p.m. meeting. Shortly before 5 p.m., about 70 people waited in line for the doors at City Hall to open.

About 340 people were at City Hall around 6:15 p.m. The 230 seats inside the City Council’s chambers were filled, and another 110 people were outside, in the lobby and in a second-floor overflow area.

A City Hall police security officer estimated at 7 p.m. there were 400-450 people at City Hall.

City leaders are facing a $39 million deficit for the 2011/2012 fiscal year. The City Council is expected to approve a budget June 21.

Council members Jay Schenirer, Sandy Sheedy, Rob Fong, Kevin McCarty, Darrell Fong and Bonnie Pannell voted to say they intend to make public safety cuts, among other reductions, though they may still negotiate with unions for changes to the cuts.

Council members Angelique Ashby and Steve Cohn and Mayor Kevin Johnson voted against the tentative decision.

Schenirer proposed the tentative decision, stating that cuts to public safety were necessary in order for the city to get on a fiscally responsible track.

“The right thing happens to be the more difficult thing this year, unfortunately,” he said.

The proposal includes $12.2 million in cuts to the Police Department and $9 million in cuts to the Fire Department.

The suggested cuts include layoffs of 82 sworn cops in the Police Department and 68 civilian personnel, according to updated statistics provided Tuesday night by Sgt. Norm Leong, police department spokesman.

The department could restore 35 staff if it obtains a waiver on a federal grant, according to city officials.

“I just can’t, in good conscience, support a budget where we’re going to cut $12 million from police,” Johnson said.

In addition to its tentative decision, the council made a final decision Tuesday night to approve a federal grant for the Sacramento Fire Department. The funding from the federal government comes from the federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant Program.

The six council members also said they intend to make fire cuts that would raise the number of alternating closures, or “brownouts,” of fire services from two to four. Without the grant, the city would be weighing whether to make six brownouts.

The city manager’s office is not proposing layoffs for the Fire Department.

As part of the 6-3 vote, the council also said it intends to keep 11 community centers open without setting aside any money for them through the Department of Parks and Recreation. It’s unclear how that can be accomplished. Schenirer suggested that neighborhoods could help keep the centers open.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Guide to salary and benefits for police officers

2011-06-05T18:45:55Z

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 police officer in Sacramento.

Pay and benefits for police officers in Sacramento

The average police officer in Sacramento earns a salary of about $70,000, according to police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong.

Police officers’ salaries increase through a range of steps. Leong explained that six months into the job, a police officer rises to the second salary step, and then each year the officer rises to the next step. There are five steps.

The Step 1 salary is $56,897. An officer at Step 2 earns $59,742, rising to $62,729 for Step 3. The Step 4 pay is $65,865 and jumps to $69,159 at Step 5. Read the step information here.

Most of the officers in the department earn about $70,000 per year, Leong said.

On top of the base salary, benefits for police officers include the city’s payments of about $28,000 into CalPERS each year for each officer, Leong said.

Management salary ranges are higher than the ranges for the average police officer. For example, a police captain – the department has eight – can garner a minimum salary of $113,872 and maximum earnings of $170,808. View salaries for management police personnel here.

The department has 701 sworn personnel, including 31 lieutenants, captains and deputy chiefs, led by the chief of police, according to Leong.

Police Chief Rick Braziel's salary is $207, 855, according to the city's website.

A consulting firm, Management Partners, studied the city’s finances and operations in an April 2010 report. The firm evaluated Sacramento in relation to Bakersfield, Fresno, Long Beach, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Ana, Stockton, Albuquerque, Austin, Denver and Oklahoma City.

Management Partners found that “per capita expenditures for the Sacramento Police Department ... are slightly below the average” of the comparable cities.

The firm wrote in the report that “care must be taken to avoid reductions in the core service of patrol and call response.”

Police retirement benefits explained

A sworn police officer can retire with benefits at age 50, Leong said.

In order to retire, an officer must have five years of work experience connected to the CalPERS system, according to Leong.

City police officers, firefighters and managers do not have to pay a percentage of their earnings to their retirement benefits, according to a recent audit of employee benefits conducted by City Auditor Jorge Oseguera’s office.

Instead, the city pays the full amount of their contributions to the CalPERS system, the audit notes.

By contrast, other kinds of city employees, such as those in the building trades and in the engineering unit, must pay a part of their salaries to their retirement benefits, according to the audit.

“If all employees contributed 4 percent to their pensions, the city would save about $39.7 million over the next five years – or about $7.9 million on average per year,” the audit states.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Ask Officer Michelle - Detectives Asking Questions on the Phone

2011-05-29T19:46:57Z

Posted by Travis

Can a detective interrogate a person over the phone WHO has no part in a crime? And when that person ask’s the detective for his/her department info/badge number, he/she refuses to give it?

Dear Travis,

The answer is yes, and it is perfectly legal because the person detectives are speaking to can hang up at any time. This is not really an interrogation. They aren’t being detained in any way and they aren’t required to answer any questions. Detectives routinely speak to people that are involved in an investigation over the telephone. They needn’t give Miranda warnings when doing so and can ask questions about a crime they may be involved in. Additionally, they may ask questions of others as well. For example, an officer can speak to a roommate of an accused theft subject as a witness or to glean information about the suspect or the crime involved. I don’t know why the investigator didn’t give you his/her name or department information. It is not required, but it is common courtesy. The investigator probably would have received more cooperation had they made you feel more comfortable. I hope you have a better understanding on this topic.

Officer Michelle

City may appeal verdict in homeless case

2011-05-26T01:20:18Z

The city may appeal a verdict from a federal jury that partially faulted the city for the way it has managed homeless people’s belongings, according to Senior Deputy City Attorney Chance Trimm.

The jury’s decision in Lehr v. City of Sacramento was released Tuesday at Sacramento Federal Court. The trial, which involved homeless people’s constitutional rights and personal belongings, began May 9. The jury did not fault the city on four of six claims, Trimm said. However, in the mixed decision, the jury found that the city has seized and stored homeless people’s possessions without sufficiently informing them on how to get those items back.

The booking and handling of homeless people’s belongings by the city was not carried out through suitable policies, the jury also decided.

Plaintiffs Attorney Mark Merin claimed in an April 1 court document that the police have taken away and thrown out homeless people’s belongings such as tents, bedding, clothing and medication. Photos and an urn with ashes have also been taken by police, he claimed in the document.

Police officers take items from the homeless when they enforce the city’s ban on overnight camping, he further claimed.

Referring to an appeal, Trimm said, “It is being considered.”

If the city decides to appeal, it will file its case with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, he said.

The jury found that the city does not approach the property of homeless and non-homeless people in different manners, Trimm said.

Trimm and Merin have radically different views of the outcome of the class-action case.

Merin said Wednesday that his clients won the case and that the jury found there were “constitutional violations” of his clients’ rights.

As a result of the decision, the homeless people who lost their property are entitled to compensation that includes payments for emotional distress, Merin said.

He said the amount of compensation homeless people will receive won’t be clear until he and the city either reach an agreement or go to trial, he said.

The verdict had not been posted online by press time.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Ask Officer Michelle - Citizen Helps Elderly Mom-in-Law with Solicitors

2011-05-22T22:02:18Z

Posted by strandednturlock

my mother-in-law, recently widowed, is having to deal with people she does not know coming to her door, as early as 6:30 a.m. she’s 80 years old and this is freaking her out. is there some way to request extra patrols? She lives on Wakefield Way in South Sac, not a great neighborhood, zip 95822. she’s not answering the door but this has happened 3 or 4 times and we fear she is being targeted. she has a good alarm system. if someone could reply to me with any advice for her, i would appreciate it. thanks, debra

Dear strandednturlock,

It sounds like your mother-in-law is going through a lot right now. The best thing you can do is to look in on her regularly. If she knows and trusts her neighbors, you may want to speak with them as well about checking in on her.

The elderly are often easier targets for scammers because they know of the trusting nature of the people of that era, and the fact that the elderly are often isolated. There was one recent scam whereby a man claimed that he was with the water or sewer company. This man would go to an elderly person’s house with his partner and start talking to the resident. His partner would then go to the back of the home and enter quickly taking valuables and money that were in quick reach. By the time the resident noticed that belongings were missing, the scammers were long gone.

Put your mother on the “no call” list for telemarketers. This will cut down on the solicitor calls. Also stress to her that she should never give personal information over the telephone, unless she initiates the call. If they come to her door, she needn’t answer it. Help her post a “no solicitors” sign by the front door.

Talk to your mother-in-law about this. Tell her that nothing is for free, and if someone makes her an offer where she needs to give up-front money for something, that it is most likely a scam.

The fact that she has an alarm is a good early warning system. Dogs are also good deterrents and companions. If she is open to the idea you may want to look into it. I hope I’ve been able to help you.

Take care,

Officer Michelle

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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Jury deliberates in Sacramento homeless case

2011-05-19T00:35:12Z

Jurors are deliberating in federal court whether homeless citizens’ belongings were illegally taken and thrown away by Sacramento police officers between August 2005 and the present.

The trial, which centers on homeless people’s constitutional rights and their personal belongings, began May 9 at the Sacramento Federal Courthouse at 501 I St.

Plaintiffs attorney Mark Merin represented Linda McKinley, who was homeless in the past, and a group of homeless people in the class-action case against the city of Sacramento, according to court documents.

Merin is a supporter of the Safe Ground group, which presses Sacramento city leaders to designate land for homeless people to live.

In closing arguments on Wednesday, Merin claimed that city police officers have violated the U.S. Constitution by throwing out homeless citizens’ personal items.

“Nobody got their property back because it was tossed away,” Merin said.

Specifically, Merin has accused the city of violating the 14th Amendment by not giving homeless people sufficient warning that their belongings would be trashed. He also contends that the city has taken homeless citizens’ items in an “unreasonable search and seizure” manner that violates the Fourth Amendment.

Merin claimed in an April 1 court document that the police have taken away and thrown out homeless people’s belongings such as tents, bedding, clothing and medication. Photos and an urn with ashes have also been taken by police, he claimed in the document.

Police officers take items from the homeless when they enforce the city’s ban on overnight camping, he further claimed.

In Judge Morrison England’s courtroom Wednesday, Merin referred to the homeless campground that formed in 2009 and gained immense international media exposure.

“Tent City developed because there was no place for homeless people to go,” Merin said.

Meanwhile, the city of Sacramento disputes Merin’s claims.

“We don’t feel we violated any of the homeless individuals’ constitutional rights,” Senior Deputy City Attorney Chance Trimm said outside the courtroom.

The city claims that it did not throw out homeless people’s belongings. “Assuming any camping paraphernalia is taken from violators of the city’s camping ordinances, such property is booked and maintained at an evidence collection location by the Sacramento Police Department,” Trimm wrote in an April 1 court brief.

Merin wants the jury to order the city to give back homeless people’s personal items, according to court documents. The plaintiffs also want a court order against the city, and for the city to pay damages and attorney fees.

The Sacramento Press will report on the jury’s verdict when it becomes available.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City Council aims to lessen police budget cuts

2011-05-18T15:46:54Z

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 cops.

“Twelve million (dollars) in cuts is too much for public safety to share this burden,” Councilman Darrell Fong, a retired police captain, said.

At the end of the City Council meeting, which ran longer than four hours, six City Council members voted not to move forward with the current proposed budget of $12 million in cuts proposed by Interim City Manager Bill Edgar and Interim Deputy City Manager Betty Masuoka.

The city manager’s office is responsible for proposing the amounts of budget cuts, while Police Chief Rick Braziel is responsible for divvying up how to make the proposed cuts at the department.

The City Council makes final budget decisions.

Six of the nine council members rejected the proposed budget because three were absent.

Mayor Kevin Johnson was at the NBA draft lottery in New Jersey, representing the Sacramento Kings. Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell was mourning the recent death of her mother and Councilman Rob Fong was in Los Angeles on a business trip, according to Councilman Steve Cohn.

RE Graswich, the mayor’s special assistant, presented the following statement on behalf of Johnson:

“In Sacramento, we’re in the fourth year of a devastating budget crisis and we continue to face difficult challenges. When I ran for mayor in 2008, I said public safety would be my top priority.

“That continues to remain true today,” Graswich said. “Public safety is a core function of city government. It plays a critical role in how we operate as a full-service city.

“It’s critical that as we move forward, we continue to practice fiscal responsibility, eliminate wasteful practices, capitalize on efficiencies and make collective sacrifices to provide the service our residents expect and deserve. I look forward to continuing to work with my council colleagues and finding the best solutions to solving the budget crisis.”

Greg Galliano, a 25-year-old Sacramento police officer, was one of many department staffers who urged the council not to make the cuts. He said the department is currently dealing with “massive call volumes.”

“If we take these cuts,” Galliano said, “we’re going to experience something that we’re not going to be able to protect you from.”

Leong explained the breakdown of the proposed layoffs: Sworn cops, 80; Community Service Officers, 38; Crime Scene Investigators, 14; Supervising Dispatchers, 6; Records Supervisor, 1; Administrative and Clerical, 10.

At a press conference before the City Council meeting, police staffers held up numbers that signified they could be among the numbers of people laid off.

Read the schedule of budget hearings here. Learn about the debate over cuts to the Parks and Recreation Department here.

The City Council is scheduled to adopt the city’s budget for the 2011/2012 fiscal year on June 21.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Police budget hearing draws hundreds

2011-05-18T04:17:18Z

A dramatic scene unfolded at Sacramento City Hall on Tuesday evening as more than 160 employees gathered for a press conference to protest proposed layoffs in the Police Department. The staffers held numbers up, signifying that they could be among the numbers of people laid off.

They were part of a crowd of more than 400 people that gathered at City Hall around 6 p.m. for a Sacramento City Council hearing on proposed layoffs at the Police Department.

About 80 sworn officers could be laid off if the City Council follows recommendations from Interim City Manager Bill Edgar and Interim Deputy City Manager Betty Masuoka’s proposed budget.

An additional 38 community service police staffers could be laid off. Community service officers’ duties include working with neighbors and controlling crime scenes, said Brent Meyer, president of the Sacramento Police Officers Association.

They also respond to traffic accidents and do crime prevention work, among other tasks, said police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong.

The city currently has 701 sworn cops.

The city is examining severe cuts to city services to resolve a $39 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year.

A new group called Protect Sacramento, led by the Sacramento Police Officers Association and Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Association Local 522, held the 5:30 p.m. press conference before the council meeting.

“We’re asking Sacramento residents to let their council members know that these public safety cuts are dangerous, they’re unacceptable and they must not be implemented,” Meyer said.

Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, joined the press conference.

“We know there are tough decisions that need to be made, but they really should not be made on the back of public safety as it relates to the urban core,” Ault said.

The Sacramento Press will post a recap of the budget hearing Wednesday morning.

The City Council will examine the Fire Department’s budget May 24. Read the budget hearings schedule here.

Under the proposed budget, Fire Department “brownouts” would increase from two to six.

Two rolling brownouts are now in place, which mean that certain fire trucks and engines are out of service at various times, according to former Fire Department spokesman Jim Doucette.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Ask Officer Michelle - Noisy Generator Leaves Neighbors Sleepless

2011-05-15T14:51:07Z

Posted by DF1955

I have a neighbor behind my home who has started running some kind of generator in his backyard at night. This machine is approximately 30 feet from my home’s bedroom windows. It is loud enough that it can be heard plainly when windows are closed and it disrupts my family’s sleep. As we have had difficulty in the past with this neighbor (loud music at night) it is not an option to ask him to stop running this machine. Quite frankly, the back and front yards are a disaster and the pit bull rushing the fence when we are in our backyard tends to squash any thought of speaking to him face to face. We called the Police at approximately 10:30 p.m. the first night this started and after 3 calls (the last at approximately 11:30 p.m.) we had the Police come to our home so they could listen from our backyard. They said they would speak to the neighbor and find out what the noise was caused by. The machine continued to run all night long, so I have no idea what was discovered or done. The next night the machine did not run, but the night after that it ran again all night long.

When we received no assistance through the Police we sent an email to the 311 contact with the City of Sacramento. The response? To call the Police. This after we stated that we had tried that avenue.

Are we simply going to have to learn to live with this night time noise? Is that really our only option? Is it unreasonable to expect that loud noise cease after 10 p.m. and not start until after 7 a.m.?

We are frustrated with this situation and wish to solve the problem. I would appreciate any suggestion you might offer.

Thank you.

Dear DF1955,

You gave already taken the proper steps. It sounds like your neighbor may be stealing power or needing to generate their own. If they already have electricity, then they shouldn’t have to run a generator….all night long. I know that during these harder economic times that there are a lot of people who haven’t been paying their bill. It is a requirement to have electricity if there are children in the household. They may be running the generator all night to keep a refrigerator going. Nonetheless, there is the noise ordinance that they are violating. Call the police again. Let the dispatcher know that this is an ongoing problem even after we came out, and that the noise is annoying you and your family. I don’t know what the police did the first time they contacted the resident, but usually, the police give an initial written warning. The second time they are dispatched for the noise complaint, the complainant can be fined.

If your neighbor is renting the residence and has a landlord, call them and let them know what is going on. I know how loud generators are, and you shouldn’t have to live with the noise. Keep me posted.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Landlord Faces Code Violations

2011-05-08T18:51:22Z

Posted by worried

Is there a law that requires an apartment to fix broken “security” doors? It’s senior low income tax credit property downtown. Also are they required to keep track of pass card numbers so they can deactivate them if they are lost or stolen? Our “security” pass card system has been broken for over a week and they haven’t fixed it yet and the manager doesn’t seem to care.

Dear worried,

There certainly are code violations. My suggestion is for you to contact our city Code Enforcement Division. You can call 311 and you will be transferred directly to a representative. There really aren’t any criminal elements to what you are describing, but Code Enforcement will cite the landlord or property owners if the building isn’t within code guidelines. The Code Enforcement has a website that you can go to as well for frequently asked questions. You can get there by going to www.cityofsacramento.org/code/

Thank you for your post.

Officer Michelle

City budget crisis: Past, present and future

2011-05-07T00:51:25Z

The city’s current budget gap of $39 million is grim. But the city’s financial situation is even more dismal when examined in the context of its budget cuts in recent years.

The city has laid off about 215 employees since February 2008, according to city spokeswoman Amy Williams. In addition, the city has taken 900 positions off its books since the 2008/2009 fiscal year and cannot hire employees for those spots, according to the city budget document. The city currently has 4,576 employee positions, Williams said.

Interim City Manager Bill Edgar and Interim Deputy City Manager Betty Masuoka are recommending the City Council approve an $812 million budget for the 2011/2012 fiscal year. Of that amount, $362 million would be the general fund.

The city defines the general fund, consisting of taxes and fees, as its main fund for operations.

The City Council is now weighing whether to lay off hundreds of city employees in the next few weeks.

Mayor Kevin Johnson was visibly distressed Tuesday night after Masuoka briefed the City Council on the budget cuts and layoffs suggested by the city manager’s office.

“Those brutal facts gave me a headache,” Johnson said. “We’re talking about laying off a lot of people. And that just doesn’t feel good for any of us.”

Edgar explains in the budget document why the city has a $39 million gap. Because the city is still in a recession, sales tax revenues are likely to stay flat, and property tax revenues are down, the budget document says.

Labor costs have risen due to union contracts, new Fire Department staff in Natomas and mandatory retirement payments for employees, according to the document.

And, the city must keep its vehicles in working condition and replace old public safety machinery such as ambulances and defibrillators, all of which costs money, the document states.

City employees from various departments could be laid off, including 80 cops.

Police officers have been shielded from layoffs for decades: No officers were laid off during Sacramento City Councilman Darrell Fong’s 30-year career with the Police Department, Fong said last week. He retired from the department in 2009.

Even though the department has not faced layoffs of cops, the number of positions has shrunk in recent years.

“We had 804 officers in 2007 and 704 in 2010,” police spokeswoman Laura Peck said.

The city currently has 701 sworn police officers.

Johnson said Tuesday that he wants to learn more about the context of the cuts in recent years. He asked staff to present information soon on the following questions:

“How much have we cut from our general fund over the last four years?” Johnson asked city staff. “And then, secondly, how has that impacted job reduction over that period of time? I’m just interested because that time period has been brutal for our community.”

The Sacramento Press will report on city staff’s answers to Johnson’s questions when the information becomes available.

On top of its past and current woes, the immediate future for Sacramento’s city government does not look bright.

City officials project in the budget document that the city will continue to face budget gaps until fiscal year 2015/2016. The gap for fiscal year 2012/2013 is $11.7 million and is expected to rise to $22.9 million in fiscal year 2013/2014.

In fiscal year 2014/2015, the city expects to be $18 million in the hole. The gap drops to a $13 million deficit predicted in fiscal year 2015/2016.

“Given the lack of any significant revenue growth in the forecast, the current level of annual expenditure is not sustainable,” according to the budget document.

Still, the discussion of the current $39 million gap is continuing, and it’s possible that council members could find ways to prevent some cuts.

For example, Council members Kevin McCarty, Darrell Fong and Angelique Ashby all said they like the idea of seeing whether the city could move the public safety headquarters from Freeport Boulevard to the city’s Richards Boulevard location. The city has extra space at its Richards Boulevard building, Fong said.

Moving public safety workers to Richards Boulevard could save the city an estimated $800,000 - $900,000 per year in energy savings and maintenance costs, Fong said, referring to an estimate from the Police Department.

The Freeport building is not energy-efficient, he said.

City leaders need to look for “creative options to save a few bucks,” McCarty said.

Read a list of all the upcoming city budget hearings here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Police surveillance cameras installed

2011-05-03T00:57:08Z

The Sacramento Police Department is almost done installing 13 new surveillance cameras at various public places in the city including at Seventh and K streets and at the Alkali Flat light rail station downtown.

The department used a $600,000 federal Homeland Security grant to purchase the 13 new security cameras, three mobile surveillance trailers and tools to preserve surveillance images. Additionally, the department can now use more than 60 Regional Transit security cameras because it spent some of the grant money to link its surveillance system with Regional Transit’s system.

Installation of the cameras, which started in February, will be complete by Friday, said Sacramento Police Department spokeswoman Laura Peck.

In 2009, the state announced the Sacramento Police Department was selected for the federal grant money.

The new cameras will give the Sacramento Police Department the ability to gather evidence of criminal activity when crimes are reported, Peck said.

Asked how long the police department will keep video footage from the cameras, Peck said the length of time will depend on the situation. The department used the new mobile surveillance trailers at a heavily attended outdoor concert hosted by KSFM 102.5 on Capitol Mall last weekend, she said. There were no incidents as part of the event, Peck said, so there is no reason for the department to hold onto the video footage.

“But, let’s say, for example, a crime had occurred, then the footage would become part of the investigation,” she said.

If that were the case, the footage would be maintained until it was no longer needed, she said.

The KSFM concert was the first event that occurred since the department obtained the surveillance trailers, Peck said. The department will use the trailers at every event that draws a lot of people, she added.

Peck said the locations for the cameras were selected because they are “high-crime areas.”

The 13 cameras are at six spots in the city. “At some of the larger intersections (Mack and Center Parkway, for example), multiple cameras were installed to cover the area,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Sacramento County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has opposed the cameras since the department announced in 2009 that it won the federal grant money.

The local ACLU is “opposed to the use of public money to put surveillance and cameras in public places to watch people who are not doing anything wrong,” said Debra Reiger, the chapter’s president.

“It amounts to watching everybody just so you can find someone doing wrong,” she added.

But Peck disagreed. “There’s no expectation of privacy when you’re in a public place,” she said.

Three people walking near Seventh and K streets Monday were not disturbed by the round surveillance cameras attached to poles above their heads.

Cameras are a “violation of privacy,” said Ron Johnson, age 66. But they are everywhere, he said, giving the example that his cell phone has a camera.

The cameras could prevent crime in the K Street area, according to Sacramento resident Kevin Davis, age 24. They will serve as a “24-7 neighborhood watch,” he said.

And Raylene Vance, 25, said the cameras could be useful if a crime, such as a shooting, occurs.

Click on the link below to view a map that pinpoints the locations of the 13 cameras.

View Locations for new police surveillance cameras in a larger map

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Proposed budget would cut 100 cops, 50 fire staff

2011-04-29T00:39:05Z

Layoffs of about 100 police officers and nearly 50 Fire Department staffers are listed as possible budget cuts in the city’s proposed 2011/2012 budget, scheduled to be released Friday.

The city released a summary of the budget recommendations from Interim City Manager Bill Edgar and Interim Deputy City Manager Betty Masuoka late Thursday afternoon. The budget was largely put together by previous Interim City Manager Gus Vina, who resigned last month.

The city manager’s office recommends that police officer cuts should be made in the department’s special units. The summary said that 167 full-time employees would be cut in the police department. Of the 167 employees, 98 are sworn police officers, the summary says.

“This reduction will result in the loss of the special units in order to protect patrol (units) as much as possible,” the report said.

The proposed budget would also ramp up the number of Fire Department “brownouts” from two to six, and lay off 49 full-time Fire Department employees. However, the suggested cuts to the Fire Department were unclear at press time because the city has been selected to receive a federal $5.6 million grant earmarked for firefighters.

The city fire department has two rolling brownouts in effect, which means that certain fire trucks and engines are out of service at various times, according to former Fire Department spokesman Jim Doucette.

Parks and Recreation is slated for major cuts, as well. “All but three community centers will be closed, and all but three swimming pools will be closed starting the summer of 2012,” according to the budget summary. The budget recommendations also said that youth and senior programs will face “significant reductions.”

While the city manager’s office has released budget cut plans for the police, fire and parks departments, it’s unclear how many people will actually be laid off. The City Council is responsible for all final decisions on the budget, and the numbers of proposed layoffs often change during the city budget process. Union negotiations can change the numbers. When the city cuts positions, it uses a process of demoting employees that can also change the number of layoffs.

Read the summary of the proposed budget here.

The full proposed budget is expected to be released Friday. The Sacramento Press will cover the budget in depth on Friday.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City program targets problem buildings, slumlords

2011-04-27T00:45:45Z

When buildings become slums and havens for gangs, prostitution and drug use, a little-known city program can force landowners to clean them up or – in extreme cases – be evicted.

The Justice for Neighbors program began in 2006 and allows multiple departments – including police, code enforcement, the city attorney’s office and park rangers – to focus their efforts on some of the worst slumlords and dangerous properties in the city, resolving an average of 17 cases per year.

“Essentially, it’s a public and social nuisance (enforcement) team,” said Gustavo Martinez, supervising deputy city attorney. “We meet every month and evaluate the worst security issues.”

Property owners are required to bring their buildings into compliance and stop criminal activity on the sites, or else they can face prosecution and jail time.

Safety issues are also tackled by the program when property owners refuse to comply with city codes and ordinances.

The program went into effect in 2006 to streamline city services and cut down on the time it was taking to solve the problems, Martinez said. Many times, police and code enforcement officers were working on the same property for different reasons, and the Justice for Neighbors program ensures there are no duplicate efforts – and similarly, no duplicate expenses.

Police Sgt. Matt Young, who is a leader of the south area’s Problem Oriented Policing (POP) unit, said that involving the city attorney’s office when a situation requires it now takes less time than it did previously.

“It used to take six to eight months, and now it only takes two or three,” he said, adding that officers no longer have to repeatedly go to some of the worst places in the city before the problems are addressed.

“It’s been a very effective program,” he said.

One of the program’s success stories is the property at 3132 Third Ave. – a 16-unit apartment complex.

The Justice For Neighbors program started work on it in 2007 due to numerous problems including prostitution, drug sales, sexual assaults and a large number of neighborhood complaints, according to a presentation given to the City Council April 12.

Police were called to the property 90 times in two years, and the property continued to deteriorate, with many of the units lacking running water and electricity.

The property owner was jailed for 30 days, but when problems persisted, the court ordered a receiver to take over the property, and it was sold last June. With its sale, the city was able to recoup $66,000 in attorney’s fees and enforcement costs, according to the presentation.

By February, it was refurbished.

“Now, developers are renting out beautiful units,” Martinez said.

Approximately $500,000 has been awarded to the city through the courts, of which about $120,000 has been collected, Martinez said, adding that some properties, like the on at 3132 Third Ave., have fees attached to them that the city will recoup if they are sold.

A more recent aspect of the program is the ability to order evictions based on certain felony crimes involving guns or drugs.

According to Martinez, Sacramento joins four other cities – Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland and San Diego – in being able to evict tenants for felony gun violations, and five other cities – the same as gun crimes, but with the addition of Palmdale – in being able to evict for felony drug activity.

That authority was granted by the California Legislature as a pilot program in 2009 for guns and 2010 for drugs, and it will expire in 2014 unless extended, Martinez said.

Only a small number of gun evictions have been served, and it is designed to combat gang activity, Young said.

“We recently had one where a gang member had a sawed-off shotgun and was living across from a school,” he said.

Last year, 33 evictions were served for drug violations, and four for gun violations, he added.

Martinez pointed out that the evictions are used sparingly and typically only when landlords or property owners have “had their heads in the sand” and not responded to previous requests to stop illegal activity.

The evictions are in line with a city ordinance that says property owners are responsible for controlling criminal activity on their property, be it a residence they live in or one they rent out, Martinez added.

No special funding is set aside for the program, as it is included in the daily activities of each of the departments involved in it.

Money collected through court orders is slated exclusively for enforcement and is used for things such as purchasing new equipment for police, Martinez said.

“I think it’s a great program,” Young said. “It really streamlines the process.”

Residents aren’t able to call in complaints to the program itself, Young and Martinez said. If there are complaints, they should still call the applicable department – including police and code enforcement – and the monthly meetings held by the program participants determine which properties are the worst based on number of complaints and calls for service.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @brandon_darnell.

Ask Officer Michelle - How to Have a Party and Keep Neighbors Happy

2011-04-24T18:04:15Z

Posted by Baldy286

Hello Officer Michelle,

I need your help!

I’d like to seek your recommendations/suggestions on the planning of a private party we’ll be hosting at our residence in May 2011. The party will be a 40th birthday party, meaning alcohol will be present, but no children will be present. Also, live music will be our entaininment, however, not after 10pm. We do have a very large backyard and some of the houses surrounding our home is vacant. I really want to be pro-active with preparing of our neighbors and to avoid the possiblity of involving law enforcement because of noise. The thoughts I’ve concluded is possibly passing out a flyer, informing our neighbor’s of a possible annoyance and to please contact us to avoid any confrontation. Please, feel free to contact me for additional information or clarifiy questions.

Thank you in advance for your efforts to help!

Dear Baldy286,

Sounds like fun! As long as you don’t violate the noise ordinance, you should be fine. The only things I though of were to make sure that your guests don’t block neighbors’ driveways when they park. If there are private CCRs attached to your neighborhood, you would have to abide by them although the Police Department has nothing to do with enforcing them.

You sound like you are very respectful of your neighbors. Letting them know ahead of time will alleviate a lot of problems.

The noise complaint calls that I have been on in the past usually involved drunken people with inappropriate behavior. Not a civilized celebration. Have fun and don’t let your guests leave after having too much to drink.

Officer Michelle

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 21st, 2011 at 1:56 pm and is filed under Answers From Officer Michelle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Ask Officer Michelle - Incident at 9/K Streets

2011-04-17T15:52:29Z

Posted by Frank000064

On 4/5/11 just after 2:30pm when I went into the RiteAid at 9th & K, I was told by a cashier that a customer had just been body slammed into the side of the building and robbed, but no one had been apprehended. Do you know if anyone was caught? I work a couple of blocks from there and myself along with other in my building were concerned about what happened. I checked the various news sites but didn’t see anything about it and did not see anything in your crime log either.

Dear Frank000064,

I know exactly the call you are speaking of. I was dispatched to that call myself. The complainant/victim was contacted at the bus stop at 9th/K Streets by a Hispanic male who asked him if he wanted to buy some marijuana. The victim told the suspect that he wanted to see the marijuana first. When the Hispanic male took three bindles of marijuana out of his pocket to display it to the victim, the victim grabbed the marijuana out of his hand and proceeded to walk toward the Rite-Aid. The Hispanic male caught up to the victim and punched him in the face. The Hispanic male then took off on a bicycle. The complainant said that it was his intention to give the marijuana to the police, and that he took it as evidence. Responding officers checked the area but were unable to locate the Hispanic male. The victim was taken to an area hospital for a precautionary examination. Thank you for your post.

Officer Michelle

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>>

Ask Officer Michelle - Rear-ended by an Uninsured Motorist

2011-04-10T16:02:15Z

Posted by vetta2d

I was rear ended downtown by a driver who was not insured (his dad had insurance on the vehicle, minimal, 5K for damages which will not cover my damages) had no license (only a DMV ID card) and the registration on the car was expired. An officer came and looked at the driver’s info., called it in and left on another call. Why was this person not punished by the law or arrested….he is totally illegal??

Dear vetta2d,

Wouldn’t you know! What an inconvenience. First off, did the officer provide you with a case number? It would have been a number starting with 11- followed with 5 or 6 other numbers. In the case of vehicle accidents, if the parties aren’t injured, the vehicles don’t require tows, and no obvious violations such as DUI drivers, unlicensed or suspended licensed drivers were present, drivers exchange information with each other and report it to their insurance companies. If there are violations, a report must be taken. The officer could have taken a report. If there is a citation to be issued, the officer usually sends the citation to the driver through the mail once the investigation is complete. This may have been the case here and you wouldn’t have been notified. The driver would then have to go to traffic court to clear the ticket, or to receive punishment for the violation. A failure to make the court date would result in a warrant.

The driver may have had a driver’s license. People sometimes drive without their physical licenses. If the driver did have a valid license, it would be depicted in our computer system. He could be cited at a later time for not driving with a license by the officer and the citation would be sent to his residence.

As far as the dollar amount of your damages, your insurance companies will have to hash it out. What usually happens is that your insurance company will cover the difference and then go after the other party’s insurance company for the difference. Good Luck.

Officer Michelle

Gang culture hinders homicide investigation

2011-04-07T00:08:25Z

Almost six months have passed since Victor Hugo Perez Zavala was shot and killed at the September Second Saturday Art Walk, and no arrests have been made.

According to police, gang-related crime like the Second Saturday shooting is hard to solve for a variety of reasons.

“In a nutshell, (the case is) wide open,” said Sgt. Bob McCloskey of the Sacramento Police Department’s homicide division. “We’re still trying to run down every lead we have.”

McCloskey said police are currently investigating leads, but declined to say how many or comment on how good the leads are, given that it’s an active investigation.

“In each case, we’re going to take and fully investigate it,” he said. “On open cases (like this), we use all the resources we can.”

The shooting has been identified as gang-related, but Zavala was not a gang member, nor do police believe he was the intended target of the shooting, in which three others were injured, McCloskey said.

The shooting happened outside a bar at 18th and J streets, where a sizable crowd was gathered, but police Lt. Bill Champion from the special investigations/gang division said that doesn’t mean witnesses will come forward.

“Within the gang culture itself, there’s definitely a ‘you don’t want to be a snitch’ culture,” he said. “A lot of times we’ll go to a gang shooting, and it’s not uncommon for a witness, or even the person who was shot, to say, ‘Yeah, I didn’t see anything.’ ”

He said gang members are “very uncooperative” most of the time, and getting any witnesses – even victims – to cooperate is difficult because gang members intimidate them.

There are ways of getting around that intimidation, including anonymous tip lines and even anonymous text tips through Sacramento Crime Alert. The police general investigations line is 808-0650.

“People can give us information to help us and remain anonymous,” Champion said.

McCloskey added that the governor’s office offers rewards up to $50,000 for tips on some cases, and Sacramento Crime Alert also offers rewards up to $1,000.

“There’s different programs at the District Attorney’s Office where we can take a witness and get the witnesses relocated, because there has been – due to the intimidation factor usually – a reluctance for people to come forward,” he added.

That program works with witnesses to make them secure – sometimes relocating them, even out of state, if necessary, he said.

The best way to combat gangs, Champion said, is to do it as a community.

“We’ve had a lot of success with neighborhood watch programs,” he said. “You have one person that stands up – it’s very easy to get intimidated, very tough to stand on your own – but if you get a whole community to stand up ... that’s the concept behind our Ceasefire program.”

Champion said criminals don’t bother those neighborhoods as much because they know they’re not easy targets.

Many residents in the downtown and Midtown areas have pointed fingers at Second Saturday, saying the event is bringing gang members from out of town to concentrate at the event.

According to Champion, that’s not a problem unique to Second Saturday.

“Sacramento’s gang problem is increasing,” he said. “We’re not talking just Second Saturday, we’re talking citywide. We have contacted a lot of Bay Area gang members at nightlife spots downtown.”

And even Sacramento’s resident gang population moves about.

Champion said gangs in Los Angeles are very territorial, but gangs in Sacramento move about the city, not necessarily laying claim to one particular neighborhood or area.

McCloskey said investigating shootings by territorial gangs can be easier, since it gives police a starting point, but with gangs moving around, it makes it harder to narrow down the suspect field.

Champion gave some statistics for increasing gang activity in Sacramento.

Crime reports related to gangs are up 37 percent over last year and 52 percent since 2008. And even though overall shootings went down 3.6 percent over last year, a higher percentage of shootings have been gang-related, with 18 percent of nonfatal shootings being gang-related in 2008, 26 percent in 2009 and 37 percent in 2010.

Aggravated assaults saw a slight rise over the past year.

Police Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said it’s important to note that the problem can’t be addressed in a reactionary manner.

“It’s a regional issue, it’s not just a Second Saturday issue,” he said. “It’s a long-term effort, and that’s the concept of Ceasefire.”

Recent changes to Second Saturday events, he added, have been intended to bring the focus of the event back to art, but it will take time to see if those changes work out.

“I can’t overemphasize the point that it’s a community problem,” Champion said. “The community needs to respond and work together. That’s how it’s going to be effective ... making sure everyone gets involved, everyone picks up the phone and says, ‘This is what I saw.’ ”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Ask Officer Michelle - Reining in an Uncooperative Teen

2011-03-27T14:41:41Z

Posted by lovechicagobears

I have an 15 yr old who stays out past 10, and has come home twice now under the influence of something. She is/has been violent, and wholly uncooperative. Can she be arrested for being under the influence? If given a cell phone number can her friends be found out where she is getting drugs/alcohol? What does one do with a teen who disregards all instruction, requests.. legally?

Dear lovechicagobears,

This must be a very frustrating situation for you. On one hand you are probably sick from worrying about your daughter, and the other hand, you may feel like going a few rounds in the ring with her. Keep talking with her. Explain the ramifications of her actions. Change her scenery. Get her involved with some volunteer work, sports, let her get a part-time job, talk with her school counselors, find her a mentor or someone other than you to relay the exact same things you are telling her. You may want to look into private psychological counseling as well. She may be acting out because of deeper issues. Look into who she is hanging out with and speak with their parents. They may be just as concerned as you are. Teenage years aren’t easy for you or your daughter. They will pass though, and the drama will subside. I am concerned about the drug situation.

If you suspect that your daughter is doing drugs, and you have a cell phone number of the supplier, you can call our narcotic tip line and leave the information with a narcotic investigator. Their number is 808-5796. Leave them with as much specific information as you possibly can…names, physical descriptions, addresses, anything you can to get investigators started.

Being under the influence of a narcotic is illegal and is a misdemeanor. You are ultimately responsible for her until she is 18. If the police were to pick her up for this, they would call you and notify you of the circumstances. She may either go to Juvenile Hall or be cited and released to you depending on the circumstances. If she is being violent towards you or anyone else, you can call us. We can mediate the situation and be able to tell if she is on a narcotic or drug. Good luck with this situation. I can imagine that it must be very difficult.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Jaywalking - Illegal and Dangerous

2011-03-20T21:08:18Z

Posted by Daniel

I have a question about Jaywalkers. As a delivery driver I am constantly stopping and slamming on my brakes for jaywalkers, but the biggest problem i saw, was 3 adults were actually jaywalking right in front of a Sac PD Patrol car, the patrol car actually slowed down for them to cross the street, and did nothing about it. My question is "Is Jaywalking still Illegal?"

Dear Daniel,

Jaywalking is still as illegal as it ever was. It is also unsafe and people who jaywalk are taking a chance with their lives. It seems as though I am always off duty driving my kids around when I see people blatantly crossing the streets expecting cars to slow for them and just 100 feet of a crosswalk. I saw a woman pushing a baby stroller with two children inside while jaywalking on a very busy 4-lane road. I rolled my window down and told her that she was endangering her children. She saluted me; and not with a military salute if you know what I mean.

I can’t testify to why the officers didn’t stop the jaywalker that you witnessed cross in front of their car. I can only venture to guess that they had a call with greater urgency and priority that they were going to.

I spoke to our traffic section about jaywalkers. They told me that there has been an increase of vehicle versus pedestrian fatal accidents in the past year. The Sacramento Police Department Motor Unit has been cracking down on jaywalkers in the city limits because of this. Even more reason to use a crosswalk. Thank-you for your concern.

Officer Michelle

This entry was poste

Jury: Weisz not guilty in Pops' death

2011-03-18T21:39:50Z

A Sacramento County Superior Court jury decided Friday that Michael Bruce Weisz of Sacramento is not guilty of second degree murder or voluntary manslaughter in the death of local security guard Leroy “Pops” Fisher.

Instead, the jury decided that Weisz was guilty of felony hit-and-run in the 2009 death.

Weisz is expected to appear in court April 15 for sentencing. Judge Maryanne Gilliard ordered that Weisz be kept in jail until the sentencing, citing Weisz’ separate driving-under-the-influence charges.

Weisz was arrested on driving-under-the-influence charges Dec. 8, 2010 when he was out on bail for the Fisher case, according to court records. A decision has not been made at this point on the drunk driving charges.

At court on Friday, Weisz’ family and other supporters repeatedly hugged each other.

“We’re very happy for Michael,” Weisz’s aunt, Donna Solden, said after the jury made its decision. “Our faith in God and love for each other has gotten us through.”

She said Weisz’s family is sorry for Fisher and sends prayers to Fisher’s family.

A woman who said she was Fisher’s widow declined to comment on the jury’s verdict.

On Sept. 23, 2009, Weisz and a friend were ordered by Fisher and a second security guard to leave Badlands, a Midtown nightclub, for inappropriate behavior. Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said at the time. The Police Department also said at the time that it believed Weisz ran over Fisher in his car.

Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Sheri Greco had argued that Weisz intentionally ran over Fisher and fled the scene. Weisz’s attorney, Donald Masuda, had argued Weisz did not intend to run over Fisher. Masuda claimed that Weisz’s mental state was impaired after Fisher Tased him with a stun pen.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Staff reporter Suzanne Hurt contributed to this report.

Jury deliberating on "Pops" case

2011-03-16T03:34:09Z

The jury assigned to the case of local security guard Leroy “Pops” Fisher’s death is now deliberating, following a day of passionate arguments by both the prosecution and defense attorneys.

At stake is the future of Michael Bruce Weisz of Sacramento, who faces charges of second-degree murder and felony hit-and-run with death or injury in the case of Fisher’s 2009 death.

The prosecution and defense attorneys made final arguments in Weisz’ trial on Tuesday in Sacramento County Superior Court.

Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Sheri Greco contended that Weisz is guilty of both second-degree murder and felony hit-and-run with death. Donald Masuda, the attorney representing Weisz, argued that his client is not guilty of either charge.

Weisz and a friend were ordered by Fisher and a second security guard to leave Badlands, a Midtown nightclub, for inappropriate behavior on Sept. 23, 2009, Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said at the time. The Police Department also said at the time that it believed Weisz ran over Fisher in his car.

Greco argued that Weisz intentionally ran over Fisher and showed “conscious disregard” for Fisher’s life. “He was driving his car into Leroy Fisher,” Greco said.

Greco, who showed photos of Fisher’s severely damaged body after the event, also argued that Weisz should be charged guilty of hit-and-run resulting in death. She contended that Weisz intentionally drove away from the crime scene to San Francisco.

Meanwhile, Masuda argued that Weisz’ mental state was affected after being Tased by Fisher with a stun pen outside the nightclub. He said that Weisz did not intentionally run over Fisher.

Rather, Masuda argued that Weisz was trying to get away from Fisher. At the scene, Weisz had been Tased, was crying and was “trying to do the best he can to get out of the parking lot.”

Weisz, fleeing from Fisher, accidentally ran him over, according to Masuda’s argument. “It’s charged as a murder, but wasn’t a murder to begin with.”

Weisz’ and Fisher’s supporters who attended the hearing sat on opposite sides of the room. Some people on both sides of the room were seen crying quietly during Tuesday’s final arguments.

The Sacramento Press will update readers on the jury’s decision as soon as it is made and information becomes available.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Staff reporter Suzanne Hurt contributed to this report.

Ask Officer Michelle - Bully At Light Rail Station

2011-03-13T15:08:53Z

Posted by Dalal1979

Hello,

Today at the Royal Oaks RT station I was verbally attacked by a man. He was verbally attacking his girlfriend who was becoming an ex, after he was done screaming at her in public and in front of another 20 people, I walked to her and handed her a napkin and asked her if she was all right. He walked to me and started cursing and telling me to walk away or he’d F****me up, then he started calling me a terrorist and to go back to my country then he started saying some arabic words to me. He was drunk, I could smell it also he had a bag of white powder in his hand. Then he said I have nothing to do with whites or blacks. The sad thing, every single white person was laughing at me, and every single black person in his group was cheering for him. What about the woman he was verbally abusing while keeping her pushed to the wall? She was hispanic. Her face was dead frozen. What if that woman was hurt or killed by him? I did step up and got in his face and told him that I would call the police, but he and everyone else in his group said" go ahead call the popo on the black people." How far does it have to go before calling police about cases like this? Is it legal to drink and smoke whatever they smoke at the RT stations where kids and other people are waiting to go to their work or schools? How far does it have to get when a man is abusing a woman in public before the police department puts at least 1 or 2 cops out there? I am a SCC student and I use RT everyday, and I have seen enough drunk and drugies on the trains beside men masturbating not to mention half of the people ride for free which means they’re taking someone else’s right of the seat, someone who earned to sit there.

Also, is it too late to report the incident from today? I was told by a woman at Royal Oaks RT station, to walk away or I would get killed. How bad/seriously in danger are we that we can’t even defend others who are incapable of doing for themselves like that hispanic woman today?! Are there any answers? Thank you and have a blessed day.

Dear Dalal1979,

I applaud you for your compassionate nature. Far too often people become complacent or don’t want to get involved to help others for fear of retaliation or retribution. Even with your good intentions, you should not deal with him yourself. You should call 911 the next time you witness something like this. The Sacramento Police Department and the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department have a partnership with Regional Transit (RT). We have designated RT officers to handle such situations. We can deal with “Mr. Mouth” and help the woman as well. The man you dealt with was a bully. If you looked the word “bully” up in the dictionary, his photo could be posted next to the word. We deal with bullies every day.

The light rail is a still a safe mode of transportation. There are officers who ride the trains each day, seven days a week, to make sure there are no such problems on the light rail. That being said, the officers can’t be on every train. That’s why it is so important for citizens to call the Police Department to let the police and RT know when there is a problem. I will also forward your email to the RT police division so that they can be made aware of this situation. Thank you for your concern, and your post. You are a very fine citizen.

Toasting the Irish at Cesar Chavez Park

2011-03-11T01:57:46Z

Sacramento’s St. Patrick’s Day party will be held downtown this year instead of on L Street so the event can accommodate the thousands of expected festivalgoers, according to Lisa Martinez, director of outreach and marketing for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership.

The downtown organization and de Vere’s Irish Pub are organizing this year’s de Vere’s St. Patrick’s Day Party in the Park at Cesar Chavez Park from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, March 17.

“Our goal is to create a bigger footprint for the event,” said Martinez, Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s director of outreach and marketing.

From 5 a.m. to midnight on March 17, Ninth Street will be shut down between I and J streets for the event.

Last year’s St. Patrick’s Day event hosted by de Vere’s Irish Pub drew close to 7,000 people, according to the pub’s website.

Holding the event at Cesar Chavez Park at 10th and J streets provides a larger stage area and “more elbow room for our customers,” Martinez said.

More attendees would also mean more funds raised for Maryhouse, a Sacramento women and children’s homeless shelter that will receive 50 percent of the proceeds from the event, Martinez said.

Apart from toasting St. Patty’s Day and Ireland, attractions at the party include Irish dancers, a bagpipe show and several bands, including a U2 cover band from San Francisco called Zoo Station.

The event’s organizers hired 14 Sacramento Police officers to work the event, according to police spokesman Sgt.Norm Leong.

Last Call Sacramento, a designated-driver taxi service, will be at the event to drive any impaired partgoers home free of charge, according to Martinez.

Portable restrooms will be at the park. “We will have plenty of potties for everybody,” Martinez said.

Tickets are $22 online and $25 at the door.

Read more about the event’s attractions here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Police chief plans to reopen top positions

2011-03-09T06:06:54Z

Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel received support from the City Council Tuesday on a plan to bring back three or four job openings that have been eliminated in the department as part of budget cuts.

Braziel told the council and Interim City Manager Gus Vina that he must reopen some key positions because nine of the department’s top 11 officials, ranked captain and higher, will be eligible to retire within three years.

The city is facing a $35 million - 40 million budget gap for the 2011/2012 fiscal year. Braziel said he would be able to open the positions without asking the city for additional money.

“It’s not the right time, but we have to do it,” Braziel said. “We don’t have a choice.”

Braziel said he would pay for the top positions by moving over money currently saved for refilling other positions in the department. By moving the funding in this manner, he would be able to open the positions within his existing budget and not lay off anyone, he said.

The department could promote from within if it opens up top management positions, he said. The newly promoted staffers would gain executive experience, which is necessary because many executives serving in the department could soon retire, he said.

“I am shocked that nine of the command staff are basically aging out in the next three years,” Councilman Rob Fong said in response to Braziel’s comments.

Braziel asked the council and Vina for the authority to revive three or four executive openings during a presentation on succession planning at the department. The City Council did not make a formal decision on Braziel’s request, but voiced support for his plan.

“On behalf of all of us, I think we are very excited about you being proactive so we are aware of what’s going on,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said. “We do not want to be caught flat-footed.”

Vina also indicated that he supported Braziel’s plan.

“We can certainly work with the chief on that,” Vina said.

The Police Department has sliced its executive positions in recent years in response to budget cuts. Braziel said that before he became police chief in 2008, the department had 19 executive positions. The number has since dropped to 11, he said.

Vina said Braziel's plan should be part of the city budget, indicating that the positions could be reopened before the next fiscal year begins on July 1.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Chief Braziel to discuss succession plans

2011-03-08T01:46:58Z

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 it’s not “grooming” chiefs for other cities.

In addition to Hahn’s recent move, Braziel seriously considered leaving last year to become Seattle’s police chief. Braziel ultimately decided to stay with Sacramento and stopped the interviewing process in Seattle.

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Braziel will discuss “the future of the organization,” Peck said.

The department will need to start preparing for possible retirements of its leaders, she said. Sworn officers are eligible for retirement contributions at age 50, she noted.

Braziel, 51, said last June that he planned to retire in three to four years. Peck said Braziel was unavailable to be interviewed Monday afternoon.

The City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 915 I St.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Ask Officer Michelle - Fictional Writing About Sac PD

2011-03-06T16:18:42Z

Posted by akshunhiro

Are there legal issues in using the Sacramento PD in a work of fiction? If so what are the boundaries? Assuming all characters and events are fictional and only the setting is based on an actual organisation, that is. There would be no defamatory remarks at all either. Is there someone I can correspond with regarding details and accuracy in my research?

Dear akshunhiro,

I would suggest that you talk to our Public Information Officer by calling 808-0800. Sergeant Norm Leong is the lead Public Information Officer and any questions or concerns involving the media should be directed to him.

I would say as long as you didn’t refer to any officers by actual name and/or badge number, or any suspects by name as to go against their penal interests, you should be fine. If you were to write about a current case that is pending and you articulate certain facts about it that could cause the suspect to have an unfair trial, I could see that as being a big concern. Give Sergeant Leong a call to find out definitively. Good luck with your story.

Officer Michelle

Trial involving Leroy "Pops" Fisher's death underway

2011-03-05T02:24:49Z

A friend of late Sacramento security guard Leroy “Pops” Fisher is urging the city’s gay community to attend the trial of the man charged with killing Fisher in 2009.

The trial involving Fisher’s death started last week in Sacramento County Superior Court. Michael Bruce Weisz of Sacramento faces charges of second-degree murder and felony hit-and-run with death or injury in the case of Fisher’s death.

Steve Thompson, who was a friend of Fisher’s, has already used Facebook and e-mail messages to ask more than 150 people to appear in court to honor Fisher.

“I want to bring as many people as can be allowed,” Thompson said.

He said he is reaching out to the gay community about the trial because he heard that Weisz has many supporters attending the court hearings. The presence of Fisher’s friends at the trial would show that Fisher had many friends and that “he is well-missed in the community,” Thompson said.

The Police Department said at the time that it believed Weisz ran over Fisher in his car.

Donald Masuda, the attorney representing Weisz, said Friday he was not bothered by the possibility of a crowd of Fisher’s supporters at the trial. “As long as they’re not disruptive, I don’t see any problem with it.”

In a comment to The Sacramento Bee in December 2009, Masuda contended that Fisher’s death was accidental.

The next hearing will be held 9 a.m. Tuesday, at Superior Court’s Department 12 in Sacramento, 720 Ninth St.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Staff reporter Suzanne Hurt contributed to this report.

Sacramento Police Department starts Ceasefire program to decrease gang violence

2011-03-03T03:20:46Z

“Stop the violence now” is the message the Sacramento Police Department hopes to get across to the communities of Sacramento that are most impacted by gang violence through its “Ceasefire” program.

The program had its community kick-off event last July, but officially began in November. Captain Dan Schiele of the Sacramento Police Department said gang violence in Sacramento has always been an issue.

“From 2009-2010, there was a 37 percent increase in crimes involving gang members,” said Rhonda Jackson, project director of Ceasefire.

“There are over 4,600 gang members in Sacramento,” she said.

The Ceasefire program originated in Boston.

“Ceasefire has been chosen because the program model has the most potential for reducing gang violence,” Schiele said.

“Ceasefire is a partnership where we attempt to educate the gangs about the initiative, give them alternatives, and let them know the consequences of not stopping the violence,” Schiele said.

South Sacramento was the first area that Ceasefire targeted. Schiele is in charge of the officers in the area who are implementing the Ceasefire strategy.

The partnership includes the Sacramento Police Department, District Attorney’s Office, the Public Health Institute, and about a dozen churches in the city.

Ceasefire works with gang members, giving them resources to leave behind their violent lifestyles.

“SETA (Sacramento Employment and Training Agency) has a whole list of different agencies that can help provide services like substance abuse or mental health.They are also providing case managers for these individuals,” said police Lt. William Champion.

Champion is the project manager of Ceasefire and lieutenant in charge of the gang unit. He also organizes the leadership of the faith-based groups.

“You can’t just arrest away the problem. You have to provide alternatives to the gang lifestyle,” Schiele said.

He added that some of the faith-based groups try to intercept gang members and educate them on alternatives. For example, Genesis Church walked the Mack Road corridor looking for people in need of mentoring or life coaching because they are rated as high-risk young adults.

The Ceasefire strategy is designed for those who have been identified as “drivers of violence.” through the Sacramento Police Departments statistical data and crime reports.

Once the drivers of violence have been identified, the police contact their parole officers, and they are required to attend a meeting.

During this meeting, Ceasefire representatives inform these “drivers of violence” that they can either choose to work with their programs and end their violent lifestyles or, if they continue, then they will go back to jail. If they decide they would like help, they can utilize the free services like job training and counseling.

In addition to having the program in place, Champion encourages the community to take action.

“I hope the community sees the results,” he said, “and sees that they no longer need to be in fear, that this is a partnership, and without the community’s help, we cannot make this a successful venture.”

Jackson said it will take years before the program’s effects on crime can be measured.

“So far we’ve had 20 young people go through the program, and have reached 50 people,” Jackson said.

Schiele emphasized that the purpose of the program is to reduce violence and to stop the killing of young people.

“Young people in the 16-25 age group account for the highest percentage of violence,” Schiele said.

“Once we can get that dialogue across, and that dialogue heard, that the killings and shootings and violence needs to stop now, then we hope there’s a moment where we can actually have a conversation about how we can help them get out of your gang lifestyle,” he said.

Champion says the program still needs some modifications to become successful.

“There’s still a lot to do,” he said. “There’s still call-ins to have, community engagement to happen, new partners to bring on board.

“Hopefully we have success and we reduce violence, and these individuals get the help and services they need to make them successful, and we continue on,” he said. “We’re taking it one step at a time.”

Ask Officer Michelle - The Legality of Videotaping at Work

2011-02-27T18:58:46Z

Posted by odiebrodie1

Hello,

Can an employer videotape me without my permission when terminating me? Also, when I asked if I was being videotaped they did not respond to the question. Is that legal?

Dear odiebrodie1,

This is more of a civil matter than a criminal one. It really depends on your expectation of privacy. Were you captured on a surveillance camera? Did you boss videotape you in public? Were you merely in an office? Did you ask your boss to stop the taping and he or she refused? Did the video taping qualify as an invasion or was it an intrusion? Did your boss post the footage on a social media outlet without your consent? These are all questions that you may want to ask an attorney. This is out of my scope and I am not qualified to give you legal advice. This is an interesting question and I learned a lot while doing research. Read Hernandez v. Hillsides. It is a California case that was taken to the Supreme Court.

Look for an attorney that specializes in this type of law. Good luck.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Reporting Criteria for Vehicle Accidents

2011-02-20T16:26:36Z

Posted by Toni

I was involved in a auto accident and was rear-ended. At the time I asked the officer if a report would be made. She stated that the incident did not fit their criteria for a report. There were no apparent injuries by either party at the time, I was able to drive off but the other car was in a sad state and had to be towed off. My vehicle was damaged but I was able to drive off. Also, no id, license or insurance questions were asked of us. I am hoping this does not pose any issues for insurance claim process?

So, what is that criteria for a report to be completed and filed?

Dear Toni,

What a bummer. I am glad that you are okay. I don’t know what agency the officer worked for that assisted you, and I’m not familiar with other agency procedures, but I can tell you if your accident was in the Sacramento city limits, the officer gave you the correct advice. In cases where there are no obvious violations, (ie., unlicensed/suspended license, DUI driver, no serious injuries, or if the vehicle is other than a city vehicle, bus, light rail, etc.), it falls below Sacramento Police Department minimum reporting standards. You and the other driver are to exchange information including your names, driver’s license numbers, phone numbers, license plate and your insurance carrier information. You then call your insurance company and give them the details of the accident. Your insurance companies then work out the details. They have internal investigators that deal with this sort of thing.

The Sacramento Police Department can assist people by standing by until a driver gets a ride and for traffic control, but we are no longer required to take a report for a vehicle that needs a tow. An incident number is generated by dispatch just by virtue of the police being called. When officers arrive on scene, they voice the license plate numbers of all vehicles involved. They also run the driver’s licenses for validity.

As for injuries, an ambulance or paramedic is often called in cases of complaint of pain. If there are no serious injuries, it is up to the discretion of the officer whether he or she will take a report. They must assess the situation at the scene. Statistically speaking, your accident was not too bad if you were able to walk away. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but I’m glad that you are okay.

Take care,

Officer Michelle

Mayor to hold crime forum

2011-02-15T01:47:59Z

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 said.

Six suspects face murder charges from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for the Dec. 14 shooting at Fly Cuts and Styles Barber Shop at Stockton Blvd. and Lindale Drive. Monique Nelson, 30, died at the site of the shooting. Gunshot wounds were the cause of death a second person, 20-year-old Marvion Barksdale, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

The department suspects that Barksdale was involved with the shooting.

One of the six suspects, Larry Dean Jones, 29, is at large. The other five suspects are in jail, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

The forum on violence will be held from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Oak Park Community Center, 3425 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Ask Officer Michelle - Women Officers with the Sac PD

2011-02-13T17:12:10Z

Posted by Christina

How many women officers are there in your local city(Sacramento Police Department)?

How many of those women are in supervisory or management positions?

Are any of the women assigned to nontraditional roles such as special weapons and tactics teams, motorcycle enforcement, bomb units, hostage negotiations, or community relations? Have there been incidents of sexual harassment or gender discrimination against women employees? If so how were the cases resolved? has the agency implemented any programs to increase the employment of women, such as flex-time, child care,mentoring, awareness training, or career development? Has the agency been innovative in the recruitment efforts for women applicants?

Dear Christina,

This is a good time for females in law enforcement. Women officers have greatly multiplied in the past 15 years due in part to the first women officer pioneers who paved the way for the rest of us. I show homage and appreciation to them.

We currently have 701 officers with the Sacramento Police Department. Of these 701 officers, 113 are females. As far as females in supervisory roles, we have 13 Sergeants, 3 Lieutenants, and 2 Captains.

I have been with the Sacramento Police Department for 20 years. The numbers have doubled with women in supervisory roles as well as number of females in specialty units. The ratios of female to male numbers in specialty units such as specialty weapons units, bomb technicians, and motorcycle patrol isn’t due to the lack of opportunity, it is usually due to lack of interest in working in the particular unit or for other personal choices which don’t have anything to do with the police department.

There is a misconception in that most people are under the impression that an officer can join specialty teams right after the academy. An officer must work the streets for at least two years before they are even eligible to test for a specialty position. Then an officer must test for the position. Training and experience always plays a large part in the process.

The Sacramento Police Department has a strict Equal Opportunity Policy and they adhere to the policy. A female or anyone else for that matter may generate a discrimination complaint without being penalized. There is even a third party complaint process.

The Sacramento Police Department even has a part-time status that officers can work. I worked part-time for seven years so that I could raise my sons until they started school. I was very grateful for the opportunity, and I was able to go fulltime with no repercussions.

I would encourage any female who is interested in a career in law enforcement to go on a ride-along with their local police department.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Laws Pertaining to Vehicle Window Tinting

2011-02-07T17:05:28Z

Posted by DCaroll

I had a Lexus a few years ago and the prior owner had tinted the front driver and passenger windows.

My wife was pulled over while driving the car and was cited for the tinted windows. The ticket forced us

to remove the tint and have an officer sign off. Ignoring it, I was told, would prevent us from registering the car. Has this law been

changed? The reason I ask is because it seems every 5th car I see today has dark

tinted front windows. I was next to a Corvette the other day in bright

daylight and I couldn’t even see the outline of a driver, let alone if

there was an actual person in there. How do they get away with it?

Dear DCaroll,

California Vehicle Code is pretty specific. It states that, you may not apply any color tint to your vehicle. Clear, colorless, and transparent material may be installed, affixed, or applied to the front side windows, located to the immediate left and right of the front seat if the following conditions are met:

(1) The material has a minimum visible light transmittance of 88 percent.

(2) The window glazing with the material applied meets all requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205 (49 C.F.R. 571.205), including the specified minimum light transmittance of 70 percent and the abrasion resistance of AS-14 glazing, as specified in that federal standard. If you fail to get the ticket signed off, it can inhibit your ability to register the vehicle.

Most vehicles sold today have a tinted material fused into the glass. Car makers and windshield retailers must comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. California’s standards are even stricter. You may see high end vehicles with darker tinted windows like your Lexus.

Officers often times use this vehicle code for probable cause to stop a vehicle. It is not that the police aren’t concerned about these types of violations; it is just that all agencies are swamped with higher priority calls. As far as people getting away with tinting their windows, its not that they are getting away with it, it is that they just haven’t been caught…yet.

Ask Officer Michelle - Reporting Stolen Property

2011-01-30T20:04:03Z

Posted by cindy10869

If I know that someone is in possession of my stolen property and refuses to return it…. how do I file a report?

I live in Placer County but the person who is holding onto my stolen property lives in Sacramento County.

This person has knowledge that the items were stolen, has admitted to having them and has refused, both verbally and in writing, to return them.

Thank you for your assistance.

Dear cindy10869,

If this is a straight stolen property case, then the first thing you should do is to report it as stolen by contacting your local sheriff department. There is usually an on-line reporting method for theft. They will want to know the dollar amount and any identifying serial numbers as well.

If this is a situation involving a civil matter, such as a break-up or a parting of ways between roommates and there was a question as to who’s property belongs to whom, then you would have to sue the party to get your belongings back.

When you say that these items were stolen, was this a burglary to your residence, or something along these lines? If so, you would file a burglary report and list the known person as the suspect. You may want to contact this person and tell them that you are considering filing a police report if the items aren’t returned. If the person is holding your property in return for some sort of payment or as collateral, tell them that this is not the way you want to resolve the issue.

If the suspect is a juvenile, call the parents and explain the situation. You may have better luck that way.

If you decide to go ahead with the police report, be sure to mention that you have made many attempts to communicate with the suspect and they refused to return your belongings. Good luck.

Office Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Police Communications in the Sixties

2011-01-23T17:42:08Z

Posted by djbynum02

How would police departments communicate during the mid 60’s era? I am writing a book about a serial killer who murders women up and down the coast of California.

Dear djbynum02,

I actually learned something while I was researching your question. Interestingly enough, police cars were equipped with car-to-car radios. They would speak to dispatch and each other via the car radios. The police also had call boxes. These boxes were locked metal boxes that contained a telephone. They also communicated with the dispatchers this way.

Usually, police departments had light poles designated for the police department throughout the city. When the light went on, officers knew to go to the nearest call box and make a phone call to dispatch. Dispatch would then give the officers the pertinent information about the call. Some officers would also leave notes to other officers inside the call boxes; a sort of rendition of the modern day text. The Sacramento Police Department still has several call boxes containing telephones. Officers don’t usually use them anymore because everyone has cell phones now; however, they’re still available if needed. Thank you for your post. I enjoyed the history lesson.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Solicitation of Minor Via the Internet

2011-01-17T04:11:30Z

Posted by mica

I did not mean for this to be a public post, but could find no other avenue for registering this concern. I do very much appreciate your making this venue available.

Yesterday I called the Sacramento Police Department to report an email I received soliciting sex with a 13 year old. The solicitation did not appear to come from the 13 year old. I assumed that adults were exploiting children in a criminal manner. I was not sure who to report this to and whether it was really in the jurisdiction of the Sacramento Police, but hoped to find that there would be somewhere to report this kind of internet crime. I called child abuse and sexual assault first. The person who answered the phone told me to call dispatch -- that they would be concerned that someone was offering 13 year olds for sex. However, when I called dispatch, they immediately assumed it was a prostitution case with the 13 offering his or herself for sex and refered me to the vice line.

Ironically and timely, this column by Bob Herbert appeared in an column in the New York Times yesterday. I am pasting the entire column in here as it is all so relevant. It calls for a change in police attitude about sex trafficking in children and seems almost like it was written in response to what I encountered. I would appreciate your reaction to this.

Mica

WRONG TARGET

... Across the country, young girls by the many thousands — children — are being drawn into the hellishly dangerous world of prostitution. They are raped, beaten and exploited in every way imaginable.

As part of the staggeringly lucrative commercial sex trade, the role of these children is to satisfy the sexual demands of johns who in most cases do not fit the stereotype of a pedophile.

“Many of the guys who buy sex with children would never consider themselves pedophiles,” said Rachel Lloyd, founder of an organization in New York called GEMS that offers help to under-age girls in the sex trade. “They’re not necessarily out there looking for 12-year-olds or teenagers. They just kind of don’t care.

“They feel like they have the right to buy sex from someone, and they prefer it to be someone who looks younger and cleaner and less drug-addicted.”

...

[L]aw enforcement does not always respond in a positive or constructive way. It is common across the country for under-age girls engaged in prostitution to be arrested, which is bizarre when you consider that it is a serious crime — statutory rape — for an adult to have sex with a minor.

If no money is involved, the youngster is considered a victim. But if the man pays for the sex — even if the money is going to the pimp, which is so often the case — the child is considered a prostitute and thus subject in many venues to arrest and incarceration.

“We often see the girls arrested and the pimps and the johns go free,” said Carol Smolenski, the head of Ecpat-USA, a group that fights the sexual exploitation of children. “One of the big problems is that there is this whole set of child sex exploiters who are not targeted as exceptionally bad guys.”

What’s needed is a paradigm shift. Society (and thus law enforcement) needs to view any adult who sexually exploits a child as a villain, and the exploited child as a victim of that villainy. If a 35-year-old pimp puts a 16-year-old girl on the street and a 30-year-old john pays to have sex with her, how is it reasonable that the girl is most often the point in that triangle that is targeted by law enforcement?

A measure of how far we still have to go is the fact that some enlightened officials in the state of New York tried to shift that paradigm last year and failed. The proposed Safe Harbor Act would have ended the practice of criminalizing kids too young to legally consent to sex. Under the law, authorities would have no longer been able to charge children with prostitution, but would have had to offer such youngsters emotional counseling, medical care and shelter, if necessary.

Legislative passage was thwarted in large part because prosecutors made the case that it was necessary to hold the threat of jail over the heads of these children as a way of coercing them to testify against pimps. In other words: If you don’t tell us who hurt you, little girl, we’re going to put you in jail.

It was an utterly specious case, filled to the bursting point with tragic implications and unworthy of a civilized society.

Dear mica

This is a most concerning topic. I have strong convictions against this sort of thing. In fact, I helped produce a whole public safety announcement about this in January 2007, which is posted on our web site at www.sacpd.org. Go to the public service announcement page, and then click on “Cyber Safety.”

The referral to our Vice Division was the correct response. Our Vice team works actively on exploited child prostitution cases. In fact they have been nominated for an award by the FBI for their work on exploited children.

Our Vice officers do not just take the exploited child off of the street, they actively pursue a case against the john and or pimp. We work closely with our Juvenile Justice system and the FBI to find the best placement for the exploited child. In many instances sending the child home is not the best option because of the issues at home.

We frequently receive reports of on line predators. The best thing we can do as parents is restrict access to the computer, put it in a common room of the house, teach our children about these predators, and install parental controls on your computer. Watch the public service announcement for more information. The police take this thing very seriously.

Take Care,

Officer Michelle

Ask Office Michelle - Pitbulls Loose in Church Parking lot

2011-01-09T17:54:31Z

Posted by crawdad5150

Officer Michelle, we have several pit bull dogs running astray in the parking lots at St Paul Baptist Church on 14th Ave. As these dogs are unpredictable, will mace or pepper spray have an affect on these dogs? What can we do to keep the the public safe, on and around the church campus? Thanks.
crawdad5150

Dear crawdad5150,

No dog, let alone a pit bull, should be running astray in a public place. I will forward this email to the City of Sacramento Animal Control Division. Meanwhile, if you need to protect yourself against a dog, mace will not work because dogs don’t have tear ducts. Pepper spray, which includes an oleo based resin, will work on dogs. It makes their eyes burn and causes them to sneeze. Pepper spray is what letter carriers with the U.S. Postal Service carry in case they have an aggressive encounter or if they need to protect themselves from an animal including dogs.

The Sacramento Animal Control Division handles all animal type of complaints within the city limits. Their telephone number is 916-264-5011, or 311 if you live in the city limits. They should get back to you, but if you haven’t heard anything in a few days, call them. If you need immediate attention, or if the situation is in progress and the dogs are aggressive, you can always call 911. Keep me posted on this!

Officer Michelle

Ask Office Michelle - Cutbacks in prostitution enforcement causing painful situations

2011-01-02T17:25:25Z

Posted by justme

On 12/21/2010 the Sacbee ran the article: Prostitution Arrests Plunge Amid
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/21/3272246/prostitution-arrests-plunge-a mid.html#disqus_thread

I understand cut-backs and how some things are out of our control. However, I feel this article is helping enable the activity.

My story is, I recently found out my husband visits massage parlors and he finds them on myredbook.com. In their forum, someone mentioned the news article from Sacbee.

Is it true that there are this many escorts, providers, massage parlors so easily available in Sacramento and in my own neighborhood? And no, I don’t live on Watt Ave, Stockton Blvd, or any of the other common locations. These services are advertising for downtown, El Dorado Hills, Elk Grove, Roseville, Greenhaven, Natomas, you name it.

And while I’m at it, the websites advertise “happy endings” and all of the massage parlors in town. Today I spotted 12 parlors in just 15 minutes. How do they get permits and not get caught? Exchanging money for sex is still illegal right? Or did I miss something…..

Sorry for unloading all of this, but I live in Sacramento to get away from this in San Francisco, New York, etc.

Dear justme,

I first want to say that I am sorry. This must be very difficult and confusing for you. I was looking at a free Sacramento publication the other day at a coffee shop and noticed a lot of advertisements for massages that sported scantily clad women posturing in provocative poses. It was fairly obvious that some of these advertisements weren’t for legitimate massages. I am very familiar with the website you mentioned and often see these massage parlors inconspicuously tucked away in lower rent business areas in urban environments.

I can tell you that the Sacramento Police Department still investigates VICE-related crimes. Some of our Problem Oriented Police (POP) Officers work prostitution operations if it has been identified in their areas. If you do know of a specific business in the city limits that is partaking in illegal prostitution practices, you can call the narcotic/VICE reporting tip line at 808-5796. Leave as much detailed information as possible and an investigator will call you back. If you have complaints in the county, you would want to call the Sacramento County Sheriff Department at 874-5115. They may have different procedures and or protocols that you may have to go through.

As far as emotional support, I called Women Escaping a Violent Environment (WEAVE) to see if they had services for women that are in your situation. They have people that you can talk to about this. There is a business line at 443-3715 you can call during regular business hours and a 24-hour support hotline at 920-2952. Finally, you can contact them via the web at www.weaveinc.org. They are there for women who are in crisis; not just for women that are going through abuse, but they are there for support including circumstances like what you are experiencing. I have heard prostitution as been referred to as a “victimless crime.” After hearing stories such as yours from other women as well, it is apparent that prostitution is not victimless at all. Good luck and take care.

Officer Michelle

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 >>

Ask Officer Michelle - Abusive Ex Overstays Welcome

2010-12-27T03:49:08Z

Officer Michelle-

I recently allowed my sons’ father to live with me because he was fired from his job (which was also where he lived) because he had no where else to go. After staying with myself and my kids for about two weeks, I asked him to leave because he became disrespectful and borderline abusive.

He completely refuses to leave and now it has been more than two months. He is not on my lease and I am afraid that I will get in trouble with my rental company for having someone at my residence that is not on the lease.

How do I go about getting him removed forcefully? He is at times verbally abusive and belittling to both myself and my children. I do not want my kids exposed to this.

Any legal information about how to get him out would be VERY helpful as he will not leave when I ask him to.

Thanks, Kjksmom

Dear Kjksmom,

Since your ex is becoming abusive with you and the children, you can go downtown to the County Courthouse and file for a restraining order. Once you get this order, serve your ex with it. He will then have to leave and failure to do so will be in violation of the court order. He is then subject to being arrested by law enforcement.

You have a right to have short term guests in your residence that don’t have to be on the lease agreement, however I would notify your landlord of what is transpiring as well. Two months is becoming a time frame where he is establishing a residency in your home especially if he is beginning to receive mail there. Just give your landlord a heads up. If he or she is reasonable, they will understand, especially if you are taking steps to remove him.

Lastly, I would call Women Escaping a Violent Environment (W.E.A.V.E). Their staff is so helpful and knowledgeable. They can guide you through the entire process. Their web address is www.weaveinc.org. The support line is 920-2952. W.E.A.V.E is not only an organization for battered women, it is an organization for empowering women. Give them a call. I hope your situation works out amicably for the sake of you and your children, without having to resort to more drastic measures. Good luck to you.

Officer Michelle

Ask Office Michelle - Airsoft Guns in Sacramento

2010-12-20T01:41:12Z

Hi Office Michelle,

I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I think it is smart for me to ask and not get to any trouble. I am thinking about buying an airsoft gun. I think going to the shooting range is expensive and paintballing is also expensive. My question is where are you limited to shooting one. I know the obvious public places is out of question. I tried looking up any laws and couldn’t find any. my dad is even worried about shooting it in my own backyard. Would you be able to help with this.

Thanks
Brandon

Dear Brandon,

Let me just say that it is not illegal in California to buy or own an Airsoft gun if you are over the age of 18. It is, however, illegal to use one in the Sacramento city limits except at a licensed shooting range. With regards to shooting the gun in your backyard, refer to the Sacramento City Code Section 9.32.070 which states, “It is unlawful for any person to carry or use any air gun for the purpose of discharging or from which are or may be discharged bullets, shot or missiles of any kind within the city limits, except in licensed shooting galleries. (Prior code § 48.01.008).
Be mindful that there are inherent risks associated with Airsoft guns including accidents and mistaken identity by citizens who call police to tell us that they witnessed a person with a gun only to find out that it was a BB or Airsoft gun. The police don’t know this until they arrive on scene and assess the situation. Many look so realistic at first glance, that unless we see the bright orange tip, we would never be able to tell that it is a toy gun. If you are merely using the gun for target practice, remember that it is illegal to alter the gun, such as painting the orange tip black, to make it look more realistic.

You can find the full City Code, at http://www.qcode.us/codes/sacramento/. Look for Codes 9.32.070 and 9.32.090.

Thanks for writing in and your desire to do the responsible thing.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Citizen Drives Drunk to Get More Beer

2010-12-13T05:03:41Z

Hello Officer Michelle,

My concern is about a neighbor across the street. I frequently see him outside on his driveway, drinking beer and playing loud music with friends. I’m not shy to ask them to lower the volume and most times they comply.

The issue I want to address is that they drive to the liquor store to get more alcohol when I know fully well that they have exceeded the legal alcohol limit based on the number of empty cans that strewn the driveway. Is this something I should report to the police? If so, how would I go about reporting a drunk driver if I do not know their location after they drive away from their home and when they return in only 15 minutes?

Dear Cogsboy,

Currently, there are no laws or city codes that prohibit people from drinking alcohol outside on their own private property unless they are sitting in a vehicle, providing alcohol to minors, or venturing out onto the sidewalk or street. California Penal Code Section 647f deals with people who are intoxicated in public and basically states that anyone who is found in any public place under the influence of intoxicating liquor, or controlled substance in a condition that he or she is unable to exercise care for his or her own safety, or the safety of others, or by reason of his or her being under the influence interferes with or obstructs or prevents the free use of any street, sidewalk, or other public way is in violation of this code.

You can call us out on the noise complaint. It is a lower priority call, but we responded to these calls. We advise the party to turn down the music and give them a warning. If we have to return they can be cited for the noise complaint. If you suspect that your neighbor is intoxicated and driving, what you would want to do is to call 911, and tell the dispatcher what transpired, provide them with a physical description of the driver, and the vehicle, including the license plate number, and the last direction the vehicle traveled. This way they can broadcast the description out to units. The units in the area can check it out and stop the vehicle. It won’t hurt to call, and being called to these types of incidents is our job. You could save someone’s life. Statistics show that most vehicle accidents occur within three miles of your home. Couple that with alcohol, and it is a recipe for disaster. If this guy has done this in the past and continues to drive, it is only a matter of time before he hurts someone.

Take care,

Officer Michelle

Gunman holds up in downtown parking garage

2010-12-10T18:53:02Z

Sacramento, CA | SWAT gears up to go into a downtown parking garage where an alleged gunman has taken refuge.

SWAT personnel have geared up and taken positions around and inside a parking garage at 7th Street and Q Street in downtown Sacramento.

In an email communique, a state employee in a nearby building stated, “…right across from my building. I have a good view of the 8th floor of all the cops crouched down and hiding behind walls with their guns drawn. 3 blocks have been cordoned off. They won’t let employees go to their offices and are holding them in the lobby.”

There were unconfirmed reports that the suspect has a history of mental illness issues and a criminal history with firearms.

Roads have been closed in the area to facility law enforcement staging and equipment as well as community safety. 7th Street has been shut down at P Street, while Q Street has been shut down at 9th Street.

Click here to see more photos and incident updates>>

Follow @SacMav on Twitter for mobile updates

Arrest Made in Downtown Gang Shooting

2010-12-08T22:11:18Z

The Sacramento Police Department has arrested a suspect responsible for a shooting that injured a 21-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy.

On November 26, 2010, the two victims were walking to Panda Express in the shopping complex located on 19th and S Street. Two suspects that were also walking in the area got into a verbal confrontation with the victims over gang affiliation. One of the suspects, a 16-year-old male Hispanic, pulled out a gun and shot at the 21-year-old. The shooting resulted in both the 21-year-old and a 10-year-old being shot. Both victims received non-life threatening injuries.

Through a tip, detectives were able to identify the involved subjects and on December 7, 2010, they arrested the 16-year-old suspect without incident. The juvenile suspect will be facing charges of attempt murder, possession of a firearm by a minor with a gang enhancement.

This shooting is a reminder that our community is facing serious challenges with youth involved in gangs. The Police Department is actively trying to curtail gang violence with programs like Cease Fire but we can’t do it alone and continue to need the community’s support.

Ask Officer Michelle - Single Female Wants to Feel Safe Downtown

2010-12-06T02:24:51Z

Posted by Gayle

Michelle,

I am a single female. I work in the downtown area and take public transportaion. I will also be living alone next month. I read and hear about a lot of crime in the Sacramento area. Sometimes I don’t feel safe. I saw a web-site that sells defense items such as pepper spray, stun guns, knives, Kubatons etc. What is legal to carry on the streets of Sacramento? Do you have any suggestions for a petite female at home and on the streets? Thank you. P.S. I will be on the first floor in an apartment. Alarms and a dog isn’t an option. Thank you. I love this new feature.

Dear Gayle,

Understanding the way females are socialized is the first step. Because women are often taught to be polite at an early age, this carries over into adulthood with behavior that can jeopardize personal safety. For example, females are sometimes reluctant to question service or sales people about their identification for fear that they may be perceived as being rude. When someone comes to your door that you don’t know, who you are not expecting, and you are alone, speak to them through the door, or a window. Ask for an identification badge. It’s okay to be cautious and authoritative when you are questioning someone you don’t know. Never give anyone the impression that you are home alone.

In your home, keep entrances well-lit. If the area is not well-lit, approach with caution. When coming home, if you think someone has entered your home, don’t enter. Call the police and go to a neighbor’s house. Keep your windows and doors locked when you’re home or away. If you open a window, be in eyeshot of it. Close it before you go to bed. Know your neighbors, watch out for each other, and exchange phone numbers.

When approaching your automobile, have your keys ready in your hand. Look around the inside of your car before getting in. Lock your doors as soon as you enter. At night, park in well-lighted areas or under a street light and always check out your surroundings. If someone looks like they don’t belong there, drive off. Have a cellular telephone with you. If you think someone is following you, drive to your nearest police station (It’s always good to know where they are located), or open business.

Just because you are petite, you can still pack a punch (so to speak). Walk tall and stay aware of what is going on around you. In an attack, deciding to fight or comply with an attacker is a personal choice depending on if the assailant has a weapon, if you are in a public place, and on your personal capabilities. If you are in a public place, draw attention to yourself by yelling or screaming. Attackers don’t want the attention. As for carrying a weapon, pepper spray is legal. I can’t tell you to carry a weapon like a knife or stun gun based on liability purposes. I can tell you that it’s always wise to do what you need to do to protect yourself. Watch out for your back.

Officer Michelle

Police working on surveillance system

2010-12-05T22:49:21Z

The Sacramento Police Department is moving forward with plans to set up security cameras in multiple locations in the city by May 2011. However, the number of cameras the department plans to use and where they will be placed is unclear.

In April 2009, the department announced it would use $615,000 in federal Homeland Security grant funding to purchase a surveillance equipment package. The deadline for the department to buy and put the surveillance equipment into effect is next May, according to department spokesman Konrad von Schoech.

“Equipment has to be purchased and operational by May 2011, but some equipment will be operational before that date,” von Schoech wrote in an e-mail.

The department is making some headway on its plans. The City Council last week decided on a vendor, Southern California-based Absolute Surveillance, for three surveillance trailers. About $245,000 of the Homeland Security grant funding covers the trailers, according to a Nov. 30 city report.

“The camera trailer is intended to be used as a mobile video recording system where a permanent camera system is unable or undesirable to be installed,” von Schoech explained. “The deployment is usually for a short duration, just a few weeks of remote monitoring. There will be one surveillance trailer assigned to each substation.”

He further said that the department will use the camera trailers in the areas of the city’s three substations, which are located in the northern, central and southern parts of the city.

The department has some ideas for where it wants to place fixed cameras, but von Schoech said the department is not elaborating on those ideas because they are not final.

“Some locations have been identified, but not finalized,” he said. “The locations were based upon input from the area captains with input from the City Council person’s office in each district, past crime statistics and current crime trends.”

The Sacramento Press asked von Schoech to describe the process for how the locations will be selected. “There are many factors that will determine where the cameras will be placed,” he responded. “Among those factors are crime rates, crime trends, special events and areas that may present a threat to public safety. The fixed cameras will be placed based upon recommendations from City Council, the Police Department, and the availability of existing infrastructure.”

At this point, it is unknown how many fixed cameras the department intends to use. When the department announced the grant in April 2009, it said it wanted 32 security cameras to be part of the surveillance package. The police department’s request to the state for the federal grant funding also mentioned 32 cameras.

But the department is no longer saying it will use 32 cameras. Spokesman von Schoech said that he could not provide a specific number for the cameras, saying that the number will depend on many factors, including cost.

Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union of Sacramento maintains its position that the cameras represent a privacy violation. The group protested the department’s plans in 2009.

“The ACLU wants Americans to have their privacy respected,” said Debra Reiger, chair of the local chapter.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Ask Officer Michelle - Calling About Homeless Problems Downtown

2010-11-28T18:51:04Z

Posted by citypomo

Hi there, who do I call when I see homeless people drinking around my home and passing what appears to be “baggies” between each other? Sometimes they sleep at the church across the street from my apartment but can get real loud. Do I call 911 or is there another number to call since it is not an emergency.

Dear citypomo,

This is a common problem downtown. Most social service programs and even the mental health departments have cut their programs that previously gave law enforcement and homeless people options. It is frusterating for everyone involved. Frusterating for the homeless because they have no where to go. Frusterating for law enforcement because there aren't many places for us to take the homeless; frusterating for the homeless because they have limited places for shelter; and frusterating for the citizens who live downtown who constantly have their garbage being riffled through, the smell of urine in their alleyways, garbage being left behind, and people sleeping in their carports. There aren't any short term solutions right now. Perhaps we all need to have patients. This is a hard topic for me to write about. Yes, I enforce the laws and ordinances, but I also see the homeless from a more intimate perspective.

You can call the non-emergency number at 264-5471 unless there is a serious crime in progress like they are fighting, or using drugs in the open, or harassing passersby. Dispatch will make a call for service, and depending on the priority of calls, will send an officer out to advise and investigate. I have been working downtown recently and I can tell you that the district officers are very good at putting themselves out on these types of calls and either advising these people to move on, or citing and arresting them for various crimes including open containers, warrant arrests, and narcotics. If you do call the police and you want the officer to contact you, let the dispatcher know. If you don’t want us to come to your door, indicate that you only want to be called and we will call you before clearing the call.

Thank you for your post.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - New Girlfriend Causing Problems with Parents

2010-11-22T01:17:33Z

Posted by ur0n3n0nly

I have a gf who I have known for 3 months. We had met online 3 months ago. I am actually a lesbian and my parents don’t approve me being a lesbian and dating a girl. I am 22 years old and my gf is 23. My dad took out a restraining order against my gf on my behalf for 3 years without my consent. My parents are doing everything to keep me away from my gf. I would like to go live with her but my parents aren’t letting me. They have also put false charges on my gf. I want to leave my house today if possible. I have couple of questions regarding this.1. I’m scared to leave my house in front of my parents. Can a police officer come and get me out?2.What can I do to have the restraining order be removed and the charges be dropped?

Dear urOn3nOnly,

Being that you are over the age of 18, you are considered an adult. As an adult, you have the right to date whomever you want. It sounds as though your parents are just worried about you. I don’t know the whole story, but I see a few red flags waving. The first is the “online” relationship. How well do you really know this woman? You say you have only known her for 3 months and already there is a restraining order associated between the two of you. The county doesn’t just dole restraining orders out without good cause and corroboration. If you want the restraining order removed, and the charges dropped, I would talk to the Public Defender or the attorney handling the case.

There are deeper issues here that I am not qualified to give you advice on. I can tell you that the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center may be able to help you. Check out their website at http://saccenter.org. The Center is an organization that has resources for Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender people. They are located at 1927 L Street. They are available Monday through Friday, and their phone number is 442-0185. They have a legal clinic and counseling services you may find useful to you.

Good luck,
Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Custody and an Abusive Ex

2010-11-15T05:10:13Z

Posted by RussinCali

I have a domestic situation that I am trying to disarm. Last week, my soon to be ex continuously contacted me in a verbally abusive manner which continued until I was to pick up my daughter that night. We had a verbal exchange, loud enough to cause a call to dispatch.

Since that day, I have made a point of directing her to talk to her attorney and not initiating any contact with her that did not relate to our daughters. However she has taken liberty to continue to release verbal barrage after barrage in an attempt to cause a repeat performance. What legal means can I take in order to safeguard myself from the continuous texted and verbal abuse. It has gotten to the point where I cannot even have my phone at work because she takes the liberty to continuously call and text me. But when I get out of the office I will have numerous texts full of verbal taunts and baiting that has become her signature. I am doing my best to not have this become a problem and this is mentally taxing. The divorce is bad enough. I don’t need my daughters to see that kind of ugliness.

Dear RussinCali,

Keep your cool. Call your attorney and advise him/her what has been taking place. You don’t want to do or say anything to your ex that may be used against you for custody purposes. What’s most important is your daughter. I realize that it must be very hard to stand strong amongst the pandemonium caused by what seems an irrational person; and that even the strongest of dams may crumble when it receives enough erosion. But you must for the sake of your child be the bigger person here. Make your attorney aware of California Penal Code Sections 422 (making credible threats against someone and making annoying/harassing phone calls). Your attorney can call her attorney. Hopefully after their conversation, this behavior will discontinue.

I realize that there are always two sides to a story. I don’t know hers; however, these things have a way of calming down over time. In the meantime, I would suggest that you meet in a public place for your child drop-off exchanges. Your child doesn’t need to see you and your ex’s frustrations out in the open like this. She is probably having an internal battle of her own. I hope you can work a situation out with your ex soon that will benefit all of you and restore some normalcy back into your lives.

Take care,

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - An Ex That is Less Than Civil

2010-11-08T01:59:38Z

Posted by Capitol_Concern

Michelle, I am currently involved in a custody case. The mother of my child and I were never married and have been seperated for over a year now. I let her live with me as a friend for a few months to help her get back on her feet. She has since moved out and has not been residing in my home for well over a month. She is now contacting me stating that she wants our child’s old car seat and a tub of old clothes. I told her that I was going to be taking these items to Once Upon A Child to trade them in for new clothes for the child. She said that she wants to give them to her friends and that if I don’t give her what she wants she will contact the police and have an officer perform a civil standby so she can get what she wants. Is his legal? Can she do that? These items belong to OUR daughter and were left at MY house for months. Wouldn’t they be my property? Can I really be forced to let her into my home to take what she wants? Please help.

Dear Capitol_Concern,

Since your child’s mother no longer has an established residency in your home, she can’t just come back into your home without your permission. If she had items there that belong to her, she could call for police assistance to retrieve items if there was a disturbance. It would be hard to prove who these items belong to and the two of you would have to deal with it through attorneys as a civil situation. It doesn’t seem fair, I know, but my advice is to let her have the items so that she can’t use or make up anything against you for future court proceedings. Look at the bigger picture. She sounds like she may be irrational about this issue, and it sounds like your focus is your child. Let it go. I’ve seen situations like this before. The less you involve the police, the better. Make an itemized list of the items and give it to your attorney. That way if it is agreed upon that the items belonged to you, you may be compensated for them. I’m truly sorry for your unfortunate situation.

Take care,
Officer Michelle

Q&A with sheriff candidate Jim Cooper

2010-10-29T01:42:45Z

The duel between two Sacramento County sheriff’s captains is nearly over.

Local voters will choose one of two candidates in the Nov. 2 election to replace outgoing Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness. Sacramento County Sheriff Capt. Jim Cooper is in the final stretch of his runoff campaign against Sheriff Capt. Scott Jones.

Cooper, who is also an Elk Grove City Council member, sat down with The Sacramento Press on Thursday afternoon to discuss his ideas and qualifications for the sheriff’s post.

The Sacramento Press has asked for an interview with Jones, and aims to talk to him before Election Day.

SP: In your view, what are a few of the most pressing public safety problems in the county?

JC: I think number one is patrol services. We laid off 122 deputies in August 2009. We’re getting 50 back. But that still leaves a hole of 72 officers still missing in patrol. That’s critical ... because we want to protect our children.

[The Sheriff’s Department] has been over-budget. I think everybody out in the community (is) making do with less. They aren’t going out as much, not spending as much money. And here we are, we’ve overspent our budget. And that’s not right either.

We need to live within our means as a public agency.

It’s all about protecting our children ... For the last two and a half years, I’ve been the commander of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force. We do all the Internet crimes against children investigations. Those are all the child pornography investigations for Northern California. So, if you’re downloading or trading child pornography, we come after you and arrest you.

SP: What is your strategy for how the Sheriff’s Department should work with neighborhoods?

JC: You’ve got to get out there in the neighborhoods and know those neighborhoods. And part of that problem is, we’ve lost our service centers. We had community service centers in every neighborhood in Sacramento. We closed those and shut most of those down. Our citizen volunteers – most of those folks staff those service centers. We’ve got to rely more upon those folks in doing that.

(Before the cuts), citizens could go to the service centers and get their issues addressed, especially with the community-oriented-policing (COP) officers. We lost all of our COP officers, and we don’t have them anymore. That’s vital to have those folks out in the community.

SP: What are a few key differences between you and your opponent, Scott Jones?

JC: I’ve worked patrol; I’ve worked narcotics/gangs. As far as being a captain, I’ve commanded every major division in the Sheriff’s Department. So, I’ve got the experience.

Number 2, I’m a city councilman down in Elk Grove. I’m in my 10th year – my third term. I’ve been mayor twice. We set aside $13 million when we saw the economy getting bad. We’ve had no layoffs (at) our police department – none whatsoever. I’ve got the experience of going back to Washington, D.C., and bringing money back here for local projects in Elk Grove. Approximately $120 million in federal funding I helped bring back.

And I have relationships with our congressional delegation in Washington. He doesn’t have that – he’s never had relationships with those folks.

SP: What would be your top three priorities as sheriff?

JC: To get more officers back on the street.

To re-implement the grant-writing unit. And that was part of our problem – we got rid our grant-writing unit. And over where I am, in high-tech crimes, we’re about 70 or 80 percent grant funded. It’s important to have that grant-writing unit. And last year, we lost out on some federal grants. The Sacramento Police Department got $9 million in federal funding. They had no layoffs.

Third one is more community collaboration. We don’t talk with the community enough and collaborate with them. Sacramento is a big county, and each community has different needs and different problems. It’s not a cookie-cutter approach. So, you’ve got to reach out there and establish community councils to deal with problems in specific areas.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

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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found only at SacMav>>>

Ask Officer Michelle - When is it Gang Colors?

2010-10-10T15:33:49Z

Posted by Mark.D.Carlos

My oldest son started middle school this year (Cal Middle School). Today, an "incident" happened which, before I speak with the school administration, might warrant a police perspective.

My son wore white tennis shoes with white laces, white socks, red shorts, and a red T-shirt with white lettering saying "Home Run" and a decal of a baseball. Early in the school morning, he was stopped by a security guard (assigned that role by the school) who apparently made reference to the fact that he was wearing gang colors/clothes, and that he could easily have a gun pointed at him.

At the end of the school day, before leaving the campus, my son called me to tell what had occurred. I asked him to go the front office, and ask for the school’s dress code policy. The woman at the front counter said "that is absolutely not acceptable", pointing to what his outfit, and then said there is no written dress code.

So my issue is pretty simple, seemingly with the school: develop and distribute a dress code to allow parents and kids to avoid any kind of similar occurrence. But what I really want to now is what the Sac PD believes are the current trends in gang colors which should be avoided at all times by kids (at school or anywhere)

Dear Mark,

It is time to sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk with your son. I only have a small amount of information that you sent to me and just because your son wears red doesn’t mean he is in a gang. The only person who can really tell you whether they are partaking in gang activity is your son. I will tell you that the popular gang colors are red and blue. Gang members wear these solid colors to let others know which gang they are in.

Look at your son’s school books. Look for writing or doodles on his books. Be aware of any derivative of the number “14” or XIV. Note whether he is behaving differently. Check out his friends. Keep track of which websites he is visiting online. Has your son become withdrawn from the rest of your family? Have his grades changed? Has he adopted slang or jargon to his vocabulary that is new to you? Look in his backpack to see if he has any literature or notes from friends talking about gangs. If you are concerned about invading his privacy, think of the alternative. If your son was dabbling in gang activities and gets hurt or hurts someone else, it would be devastating to know you could have possibly done something about it.

You are in a good position to speak with your son about this. The middle school years are very impressionable and he may be much more receptive to speaking to you now as opposed to high school. Listen to your gut dad. You know what is best for your son. Speak to his school principal and teachers as well. As far as the dress code, it should be in the school rules and regulations. Ask to have a copy of it. It may even be online. If they don’t have one, go to the school board.

Go to www.sacpd.org and watch our public service announcement on gangs. Just click on the “be safe” section and click on “gangs.” It has a lot of useful information that may be helpful to you and your son. Thank you for your post and take care.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Dealing with Clueless Dog Owner

2010-10-03T16:01:43Z

Posted by davem

I have a neighbor who continually allows her dog to do its business in my front yard and never picks up after it.

I have witnessed this on several occasions and the neighbor in question has ignored requests to stop or clean up after her dog.

What recourse do I have to make this stop and whom should I contact about it?

Dear davem,

I can only imagine the morning view of you looking out your window to see a dog brutalizing your lawn! Since your neighbor has chosen to disregard your requests to be responsible for her dog, get your camera out and snap a photo of the dog leaving its deposit on your lawn. Call Animal Control at either 311 or 264-5011, and make a complaint. You will need to have the address of the offender’s owner. Animal control will send an animal care worker out to the address to speak with the owner. If the problem persists, the dog owner will be cited. Additionally, the landlord may not even allow pets. The landlord is another way to go. There’s nothing worse than stepping in a dog’s business. Good luck!

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Reporting Threatening Phone calls

2010-09-27T03:59:58Z

Posted by jamesally1

If threatening messages are coming from a person living out of state, (however they leave their name and phone number and detailed threats, and I know where they live) do I file a report with the police in my area or the area where the offender lives?

How do I get life threatening voice messages off my phone and recorded to press criminal charges against someone?

Dear jamesally1,

The biggest hurdle with most crimes is that the victim does not know who the culprit is. Since you already know the suspect by name and address, you would file a police report with our department and list them as a suspect. Our department will have to work with the outside state agency for follow up. You must be specific about the type of threat. I will tell you that the threats must be credible with a potential of immediate harm. The threats can be either verbal or written. If this is a domestic violence situation and you are fearful that your spouse may hurt you, you should file for a restraining order with Sacramento County.

I don’t know what type of telephone answering system you have. If you have a machine with a microcassette, you could call your phone and attach a microphone to a pocket recorder to copy the message. If you have a digital system or the message is on a mobile voicemail, you can download it onto a computer and copy via a CD. I hope I have been able to answer your questions. Good luck.

Officer Michelle

Ask Officer Michelle - Police Job and Felony Convictions

2010-09-19T17:27:00Z

Dear Officer Michelle,

Can I still apply to become a police officer if I was convicted of
felonies at the age of 10 and 13 for B and E when I was a kid? I was
given a waiver for these when I joined USMC but don’t know how it will
work as trying to become a cop?

maddox95747

Dear maddox95747,

It sounds like you have reinvented yourself. You have transferred your
mistakes from your past and have become a noble citizen by becoming a
Marine and righting your wrongs. Thank-you for your selfless service to
our country.

Even though you committed the burglaries when you were a juvenile, you
were convicted of a felony. The Sacramento Police Department does not
hire those who have been convicted of felonies.

I will say that your success story may help other youths that are going
down the wrong road. I would suggest that you call around to the
Sacramento County Probation Department’s juvenile section and ask if
you could speak to the youngsters who have been arrested about what they
have been doing and what they can be…just like yourself. Additionally,
you could speak to the Boys and Girls Club and continuation schools.
These youths need to hear this from someone like you who has turned it
around. You could really do a great service to your community and for
kids in general.

You may also want to speak to an area Marine recruiter. You may be
able to inspire those with your personal story as well. Good luck and
thank-you again.

Officer Michelle