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LOCAL NEWS & INFORMATION
UPDATED : January 26, 2012
MONTEREY PARK - The question of whether or not the city should contract with Los Angeles County or maintain its own fire department could go to the voters. But first, five members of the community will be selected to join an ad hoc committee that will advise the City Council on whether or not such a move is necessary. The move comes more than 10 years after a similar ballot measure failed in 1998. Each council member will appoint one citizen to the committee, for which the city will post applications on its website next week. The committee is set to make a recommendation by June, and a measure could be on the November 2012 or March 2013 ballot. In spring 2011, the city received a study from the county about what it would cost to transfer fire services. The $24,000 analysis was funded by the Monterey Park Firefighters' Association. Initial estimates from the study indicate the city could save about $1 million a year. However, the issue still faces community opposition, and a number of residents spoke out against the new committee at the Jan. 18 council meeting. Those who oppose the move say county services would be inferior to city services and that they think firefighters want to work for the county to make more money. Because the issue has become so emotional for the community, both sides say they want the council to appoint committee members who are impartial.
UPDATED : January 24, 2012
ARCADIA - The Police Department has been experiencing many problems with the Dodge Charger patrol units. The patrol vehicles have had many engine problems that have resulted in engines being replaced prematurely. Additionally, other mechanical problems have had an impact on the vehicle maintenance budget. Therefore it is the recommendation of both the Police Chief and Public Works Services Director that the city move away from the Dodge Chargers and look into purchasing Chevy Caprice patrol vehicles. This will take place starting in fiscal year 2012-2013.
UPDATED : January 19, 2012
LOS ANGELES - Fire Chief Brian Cummings replaced three members of his command staff this week, becoming the first chief to use the new power granted by a ballot measure passed last year. The three who were replaced - Chief Deputy Donald Frazeur, Chief Deputy Emile Mack and Deputy Chief Andy Fox - will be demoted to the rank of assistant chiefs and reassigned other duties effective Feb. 12. Assistant Chief David Yamahata, a 35-year veteran, was promoted to chief deputy of emergency operations, replacing Frazeur. Assistant Chief Daren Palacios, a 31-year veteran, was promoted to chief deputy of administrative operations, replacing Mack. Assistant Chief Roxanne Bercik, a 28-year veteran, was promoted to deputy chief of training and support bureau, replacing Fox. The move comes after Angelenos last March voted to amend the City Charter to exempt the Fire Department's deputy chiefs from civil service protections, allowing the fire chief to select his own staff.
HERMOSA BEACH - A 27-year policing veteran has been tapped to lead the Hermosa Beach Police Department on an interim basis. Capt. Steve Johnson joined the Hermosa Beach police force in September and will now oversee a staff of just more than 60 employees, including about 35 sworn officers. Johnson replaces outgoing Hermosa Beach Police Chief Greg Savelli, who resigned from the force to take a job with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Savelli's last day working in Hermosa Beach was Thursday. A search for his permanent replacement has not been formally announced. Johnson served as the second highest ranking officer under Savelli and has previously worked as a lieutenant with the San Marino Police Department and a sergeant with the Huntington Beach Police Department.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - Both violent crime and property crime fell in 2011 compared with the previous year, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and sheriff's stations in the San Gabriel Valley reported even more significant decreases in crime rates. Violent crime in Los Angeles County dropped by nearly 14 percent last year, according to preliminary statistics released Wednesday by the Sheriff's Department. Property crimes decreased by just under 2 percent. The violent crime rate fell 17.4 percent at the Altadena Station, 21 percent at the Crescenta Valley Station, 7.1 percent at the Industry Station, 18.9 percent at the Norwalk Station, 10.4 percent at the Pico Rivera Station, 3.7 percent at the San Dimas Station, 10.6 percent at the Temple Station and 11.5 percent at the Walnut-Diamond Bar Station, according to the report. Reported property crimes dropped 25.3 percent at the Altadena Station, 7.4 percent at the Crescenta Valley Station, 8.2 percent at the Industry Station, 1.7 percent at the Pico Rivera Station, 12.9 percent at the San Dimas Station, 10 percent at the Temple Station and 8.7 percent at the Walnut-Diamond Bar Station. But the Sheriff's Department's news wasn't all good. At the sheriff's Crescenta Valley, Norwalk, Pico Rivera, and Walnut-Diamond Bar stations, incidents of the most serious of crimes - criminal homicide - increased significantly in 2011 over the previous year. The sheriff's Industry Station also showed a slight increase in homicides. Homicides handled by the Norwalk Station more than doubled last year, when deputies investigated nine killings, up from four the previous year. At the Crescenta Valley and Walnut-Diamond Bar stations, homicides increased from one reported in 2010 to three reported last year. The Pico Rivera Station saw homicides increase from five in 2010 to seven in 2011, and the Industry Station saw an increase from seven in 2010 to eight last year. The San Dimas and Temple stations reported significant decreases in homicides, however. San Dimas detectives investigated one in 2011, compared with three the previous year, and Temple officials saw four killings in their jurisdiction, down from 10 the year before. Sheriff's officials reported that in 2010, the county saw it's lowest homicide rate since 1965. In some cases, multiple people were killed in the same incident. In the area, only the Norwalk Station showed an increase in property crimes of 8.3 percent. Bicycle thefts increased significantly in 2011, along with the theft of third-row seats from SUVs and catalytic converters from cars. Car thefts fell 36.1 percent at the Altadena Station, 22.2 percent at the Crescenta Valley Station, 27.5 percent at the San Dimas Station, 12.8 percent at the Temple Station and 19.9 percent at the Walnut-Diamond Bar Station.
LOS ANGELES - A 36-year law enforcement veteran was appointed as interim chief of the Los Angeles World Airports police force. Airport Police Assistant Chief Michael Hyams assumes the new role on Sunday, overseeing a force of 448 sworn and 363 non-sworn personnel spread across Los Angeles International, Ontario International and Van Nuys airports. Hyams joined LAWA's police force in September 2010 after serving nearly three years as executive director of the Orange County Superior Court, where he oversaw a staff of 300 civilians. Before that, he spent 32 years with the Newport Beach Police Department, rising through the ranks to become a captain. Airport officials will conduct a nationwide search for a new police chief to permanently oversee the department. The department's outgoing chief, George Centeno, will step aside to help further develop LAX's Airport Response Coordination Center before he finally retires in February. After serving four years as LAX's sixth police chief, Centeno announced his retirement plans in October. Just weeks later, Centeno's leadership was heavily criticized in a yearlong study by a blue-ribbon panel of aviation, homeland security and law enforcement experts assembled by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The report, released Nov. 2, cited a lack of accountability by Centeno and continued tensions with the Los Angeles Police Department.
SAN GABRIEL - The Police Department will update its technology and communication systems with two grants it received earlier this year. The purchases were approved at Tuesday night's City Council meeting. The department will use a $15,000 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, plus $3,000 in city general funds, to purchase a new video forensic system. In addition, it will use a 2008 state Homeland Security Grant Program award of $125,343 to purchase 24 portable radios. The video forensic system will equip SGPD to collect video evidence in the field more easily. Currently, the department has to rely on businesses to provide video from their own surveillance systems. The new technology, however, will allow SGPD to download video itself. The radios, officials said, will increase the department's capability for communication with other police agencies during a major emergency or if the SGPD is assisting in a search in a neighboring city. The radios are the same as the ones the department already has, but will increase the number of radios available to officers for day-to-day operations as well as inter-agency communications. In addition to these two new technologies, the SGPD has also purchased equipment to implement an online crime reporting system using a previous Byrne grant. Residents will be able to file crime reports on the department's website within the next two or three months.
PASADENA - As of January 7, 2012, the Pasadena Police Department’s radio communications have switched from analog to digital, preventing media outlets and radio enthusiasts from monitoring police calls. The police department will make its $7 million leap forward from analog to encrypted digital transmission of radio conversations in a move city officials insisted was not about secrecy but safety. Aided by cell phone advances that – in terms of technology – change every few months, criminals are monitoring police activity constantly. And while police seek privacy in switching to digital transmission of their conversations, doing so will hinder the work of journalists. Meanwhile, a digital revolution of sorts is underway in law enforcement, with agencies from Pomona to the Pacific Ocean adopting new radio technology. And as they do, many news agencies will be at least temporarily left in the dark. Pasadena city officials promised to come up with a plan to arm area media outlets with digitally equipped scanners. Pasadena officials said they will likely replicate the plan used in Orange County, where news outlets and law enforcement agencies enter into agreements to lease or receive the scanners on loan. While California requires government bodies to operate openly under the scrutiny of the press and the general public, police departments are not required to make the same concession when it comes to radio transmissions. The new digital radio system works much like a cell phone. A computer system assigns a frequency to a radio in the field and switches that frequency assignment as traffic on the entire system increases or as the officer moves across the coverage area. In short, more people can talk along a more narrow spectrum of bandwidth. By April 1, the Pasadena departments of Public Works, Water and Power and Code Enforcement will have adopted the new encrypted system. The Pasadena Fire Department will not adopt a fully encrypted system, as the department works closely with other agencies that have not gone digital. In the Bay Area, the new radio systems have been crippled by cell phone jamming equipment, proof that the system is not foolproof.
UPDATED : December 15, 2011
SAN MARINO - Fire Division Chief Jim Frawley, who has 22 years of fire department experience in various roles, will take command of the fire department as Fire Chief on Jan. 1, 2012. Frawley replaces former Fire Chief Jim Anderson, who retired from the SMFD in June and was being temporarily replaced by the joint efforts of Frawley, Division Chief Rick Mayhew and San Marino Police Chief John Schaefer. The city decided not to hire another head Fire Chief immediately after Anderson’s retirement, but waited for the results of the vote on Measure S, the public safety tax that passed in November and comprises a third of the San Marino Police and Fire budget. Since he joined the SMFD in August 2008, Frawley has been involved in a number of efforts which include obtaining his state certification as a Fire Marshal and launching the SMFD’s very successful CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program.
GLENDALE - With the switch of a color-coded light, Glendale firefighters will now get a jump start on emergency calls before leaving the station. The new system, installed in Glendale fire stations at the end of November, sends out a digitalized voice message and signals with a color-coded light, alerting specific fire personnel to the type of equipment needed to respond to a particular emergency. Variations of the system were also installed at eight fire agencies throughout the region, including 28 fire stations that receive dispatching services from the center. Some agencies have reported a 30- to 45-second improvement in response time, which fire officials said can be vital for residents in need of life-saving services. Fire officials have said the Glendale Fire Department's average response time to a fire is 5 minutes, 6 seconds and 4 minutes, 20 seconds for medical calls. Before the system was installed, a 911-operator would need to send an emergency call to a radio dispatcher who would need to review it before sending out the appropriate units. Meanwhile, all available fire personnel would need to begin preparing for the call. Under the new program, the Computer Aided Dispatch system reviews the call before the dispatcher sees it, recommends certain units for response and sends the information to the fire stations, so the firefighters can start getting ready. The recommendation comes in the form of a colored light — red for fire engines, blue for ambulances, green for fire trucks, white for battalion chiefs and yellow for specialty apparatus. Moments later, dispatchers provide details about the call to firefighters, who are already prepared to respond. Fire officials are also hoping the system helps improve their personnel’s stress level, which elevates with every call. Knowing that certain units will have to respond to a call will allow other firefighters to continue with their tasks without getting anxious. The color-coded system hasn’t been installed at all of the Verdugo-area stations because it was a grant-funded project that required matching funds. Still, Godfrey said some of the stations do receive an alert that notifies them of an emergency call without the colored lights. The Glendale Fire Department’s system was funded through a $1.6-million federal grant and also partially funded through Brown and Brown Riding Insurance Services and the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company's $60,000 grant.
UPDATED : October 28, 2011
MONROVIA - Throughout his 30-year career, Monrovia Fire Engineer Rob Vita has kept a faded, black-and-white photograph of his late grandfather in his wallet. The photo of Rochester Fire Department veteran John Lentine in his uniform accompanied Vita when he worked the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the 1993 Southern California brush fires and a few near-misses with death. His Sicilian grandfather died from emphysema before Vita decided to become a firefighter himself. However, the old photo - circa 1940 - has been "a good luck charm and a savior" for the Rancho Cucamonga father of three. After three decades with the Monrovia Fire Department, the 52-year-old Vita plans to hang up his hat next month and retire. It's a bittersweet moment for Vita and his fellow firefighters. Vita, who grew up in West Covina, became a seasonal firefighter with the California Department of Forestry and was immediately "hooked." As a rookie firefighter, he recalls crawling through a burning warehouse amid thick black smoke and hearing a two-ton air conditioning unit crash down before him. At the age of about 23, he fell through the second story of a Colorado Boulevard home and found himself dangling as intense flames crackled beneath him. He got pulled up by a fellow firefighter. And then there was the time that a piece of ceiling fell on his head, leaving him with a lump that lasted several years. Vita also managed to earn an Associate Degree in Fire Science from Mt. San Antonio College and a Bachelor's of Science in Business from California State University, Long Beach. Vita is the first in his family to get a bachelor's degree.
UPDATED : September 16, 2011
LOS ANGELES - Brian Cummings, a Los Angeles Fire Department veteran and a champion of this year's controversial redeployment plan, has been named the department's new chief. Cummings, 52, who joined the department in 1980 and has served as interim chief for the last two months, is a polarizing figure among firefighters because of the role he played in carrying out the plan to reorganize fire resources. The plan, which did not result in layoffs, called for fire trucks or ambulances at about one-fourth of the city's 106 fire stations to be put out of service. It helped trim $54 million from the department's 2011-12 budget. Cummings said he believes the redeployment plan has helped stabilize the department because it put an end to unpopular rotating service brownouts. Cummings and other fire officials were continuing to analyze coverage for any gaps, and they would make any adjustments deemed necessary. Cummings said Tuesday that if the department gets more money — perhaps by doing a better job collecting ambulance bills — he probably would hire more civilian staff and reopen some ambulance services. Cummings, who served as chief of staff to former Fire Chief Millage Peaks, took over as interim chief after Peaks stepped down in July. He comes from a family of firefighters; his father was a 30-year veteran of the department and his brother is a Los Angeles fire captain.
UPDATED : August 24, 2011
MONROVIA - Jim Hunt, a 20-year-veteran of the Monrovia Police Department, will officially take over as the city's next chief of police after beating out two other finalists for the position. Already the city's interim chief since former Police Chief Roger Johnson retired in May, Hunt will take charge of the 54 sworn officers and 46 support personnel in the department. City Manager Scott Ochoa picked Hunt from a pool of nine candidates that was narrowed down to three late last month. Civilian and professional panels composed of city staff interviewed the applicants before the the finalists interviewed with Ochoa, Mayor Mary Ann Lutz, and Mayor Pro-Tem Joe Garcia. Ochoa said the pool of candidates who applied for the job was especially impressive. Hunt's deep familiarity with the department's way of doing things ultimately elevated him above the other candidates for the position. Mayor Lutz said that budgetary issues will be the primary challenge faced by the department under Hunt's reign. The department will need an experienced chief to handle looming reforms to public employee pensions and compensation. Hunt's experience implementing the city's anti-gang injunction, which it obtained against two local gangs in 2009, will help him continue the city's ongoing fight against gang violence. Hunt got a later start in law enforcement than most, joining the MPD in 1991 when he was 34-years-old. He owned and managed a pizza restaurant in Covina before the best man in his wedding--a Covina police officer--convinced him to start a career in law enforcement. Beginning as a bicycle cop, Hunt worked his way through the department, becoming a detective and then the sergeant in charge of the city's anti-gang Special Enforcement Team. From there he moved up to lieutenant, where he ran the regional F-SET tactical team before being promoted to captain. He took over as interim chief in May when Johnson retired after 32 years in the department. Hunt also attended the FBI's national leadership academy in Quantico, Va. last year in preparation for the job. Hunt said he intends to continue to expand the city's use of the community policing model of law enforcement, a philosophy first instituted by former Chief Joe Santoro in the early 1990s.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department headquarters will return to the historic Hall of Justice - where Charles Manson, Bugsy Siegel and Sirhan Sirhan once sat behind bars - in Downtown Los Angeles by 2014. The Hall of Justice served as Sheriff's headquarters from its opening in 1925 until 1994, when it was closed due to extensive damage it suffered in the Northridge Earthquake. The current headquarters in Monterey Park will be converted to a detective's headquarters. The $231 million project was finalized and unanimously approved by the county's Board of Supervisors last month. The project is funded by a combination of long-term lease revenue bonds, Build America Bonds and Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds. Most of the renovation costs will be offset by the consolidation of detective services into the Monterey Park property which will allow the county to end leases on commercial buildings including the building in Commerce which currently houses the Homicide Bureau. Over the 30-year term of the bonds, debt service will total $439.8 million. The county is expecting to save more than $600 million in lease costs for a net overall savings on the project of more than $160 million. The move - to 211 West Temple St. - will place department headquarters within walking distance of the county Hall of Administration, federal and state courts, Los Angeles City Hall and other important governmental offices and Metro transportation. In addition to the renovation, a fountain will greet visitors at the public entrance, and a 1,000-space parking garage on the north side of the building will be constructed. The first floor of the building will feature a museum of the hall's history. Constructed in 1925, the 14-story, 550,000-square-foot high-rise was the nation's first consolidated judicial facility. The Hall of Justice once accommodated a wide range of functions for the County of Los Angeles, including the Sheriff's Department, coroner, district attorney, Public Defender and Tax Collector. The building housed 17 courtrooms and a county jail with more than 750 cells. County staff and space needs grew significantly over time, and many departments moved out, leaving the Sheriff's Department as its only occupant. The hall has seen much history in its 69-year existence. Daredevil Evel Knievel was once sentenced there to the county jail on assault charges. The hall also served as a prison for many notorious criminals, such as infamous mob figure Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and mass murderer Charles Manson. It has also served as the backdrop for many movies and TV shows including "Dragnet" and "Get Smart." The autopsies of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe also took place in the Hall of Justice.
REDONDO BEACH - The “heavy” construction phase of the city’s new Harbor Patrol/Fire Station 3 facility began on Monday with a large crane driving large cement columns into the ground, which will help create the building’s foundation. After spending years in a temporary facility, Redondo Beach’s Harbor Patrol found a permanent home in King Harbor’s Mole B after the City Council approved plans last year. The total cost for the facility, which will be shared by Los Angeles County Lifeguards, will be more than $2 million, which is funded mostly by Department of Boating and Waterways and Los Angeles County. The two-story facility will cover more than 4,000 square feet. The Harbor Patrol will occupy a majority of the second floor. The first floor will be the home for the Baywatch lifeguards, including sleeping, bathroom and storage areas, as well as offices and a meeting facility. The existing observation tower will also undergo a facelift.
MONROVIA - New police Chief Jim Hunt knows that he's taking the helm at a challenging time. Not only does he need to keep the "All-America" city safe, he has to do it with a limited budget and eight fewer budgeted police officers than the department had in 2008. Hunt, a 20-year veteran of the department who once owned an Italian restaurant in Covina, believes that can best be done with technology - and a dash of innovation. Most of the reports taken by the department are "cold calls" reported after an incident and for which there is little or no evidence or leads. In an effort to save time and money, Hunt wants to introduce digital online reporting and even video conferencing reporting so that officers no longer have to take such reports from the field. Hunt, 54, created the video conferencing idea while enrolled at the 18-month California Law Enforcement Command College, which is taught by top educators and business leaders from around the country. Now it's part of the department's strategic plan and Hunt hopes to implement it and test it in the near future. In addition, he said the department will improve its website by adding crime mapping capabilities, and is working toward listing most calls for service online shortly after they happen, something already done in Glendora. Not only will Hunt be focused on technology, he has also developed relationships with the community, particularly as the point man during the gang injunction process that followed a series of gang shootings in the area in late 2007 and early 2008. Hunt believes the gang injunction against the Duroc Crips, a local black gang, and Monrovia Nuevo Varrio, a Latino gang - coupled with the creation of a gang task force and preventive and intervention programs for at-risk youth - has done much to minimize gang activity in the area. But the Police Department has already lost much of its specialized staff, including three of four officers in its community policing bureau, which focuses on long-term problems in neighborhoods such as drugs and gangs. However, many of their duties have been transferred to those on patrol. And despite the reductions, the department is currently budgeted for 52. If the department continues to lose staff, however, it might run the risk of losing its Special Enforcement Team, which is deployed to control, track and combat gang and drug activity. Hunt is making an annual salary of $153,778. In addition to pension benefits, he is also receiving $200 a month in deferred compensation, $594.71 a month towards his medical plan, twelve vacation days and 80 hours of management leave a year, a city paid cellphone and the use of an unmarked public safety vehicle.
UPDATED : July 10, 2011
PASADENA - Seven of Pasadena's eight fire stations don't meet current state earthquake code, which contrasts sharply with the smaller cities in the area, many of which have invested in much newer fire stations. Estimates to fix Pasadena's aging fire stations have come in at $59 million. The problem was among the first major issues Pasadena City Manager Michael Beck identified when he became city manager two years ago. Pasadena's oldest fire station - Station 39 - was built in the 1949, with construction methods no longer in practice. In stark contrast, Arcadia, San Marino, South Pasadena and Sierra Madre's fire stations were all built after the 1971 Sylmar quake. And each of those was built to earthquake codes more in line with current standards. In some cases, those buildings were constructed in the last decade or have received recent structural upgrades. Pasadena's Station 39, which serves the San Rafael and Linda Vista neighborhoods, was closed in April following a report by the city, which showed the building would collapse under severe shaking. And the seven Pasadena fire stations in need of repair were built between the 1950s and 1970s, prior to more modern building techniques and construction codes. The report also called for emergency repairs on Fire Station 32 on East Villa Street. Those repairs are underway. The staggering depth of Pasadena's fire station infrastructure problem has driven Beck to call for a voter-approved capital improvement bond to fix the fire stations. While Pasadena's Fire Department is much larger than the departments in the surrounding cities, so to is Pasadena's annual capital budget, which exceeded $100 million in fiscal 2010-11 more than the four neighboring cities combined. Yet, Arcadia constructed a new Fire Department headquarters in 2008, and upgraded one of its two other stations within the last decade. San Marino's lone fire station was upgraded following the Northridge quake. South Pasadena and Sierra Madre's respective fire stations are 20 and 35 years old, but even those buildings are structurally more sound than the Pasadena stations in need of repair.
ALHAMBRA - An officer died Sunday after two police vehicles collided at 2:30 a.m. at the intersection of Main Street and Garfield Avenue while responding to a possible armed robbery. Alhambra police say each officer was driving alone in their unit. They say police were investigating a possible robbery in the rear parking lot of 100 North First Street when the police cars collided with each other. Paramedics rushed both officers to Huntington Memorial Hospital. Officer Ryan Stringer, 26, died from his injuries. The other officer, whose name has not been released, was in stable condition and is expected to survive. Stringer had been with the department for two years. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the collision.
UPDATED : July 8, 2011
MONTEREY PARK - The Monterey Park Fire Department has an opportunity to participate in discussions with the Cities of San Gabriel, Alhambra, San Marino and South Pasadena to consider merging and/or sharing Battalion Chief Resources. The proposed subject matter has already been discussed between the City Managers and Fire Chiefs of the cities of San Gabriel, San Marino, and South Pasadena. The Cities of Monterey Park and Alhambra have been invited to join future discussions. The critical issues facing the fire service today are the increased demands for services, response capabilities to manmade and natural disasters, increasing state and federal mandates and diminishing revenues. The subject of merging and/or sharing fire protection between the five Cities is a theme that has been around for a few decades. In the 1980's, the Monterey Park Fire Department and the San Gabriel Fire Department conducted trial periods of trading firefighters for a day to experience different cultures and to explore the possibility of sharing resources. The trial period was to include all ranks however, for various reasons the concept never advanced. In the 1990's, informal discussions were conducted between the Fire Chiefs but again, the concept did not progress. In April 2010, Monterey Park Fire Department Administration spoke with Montebello Fire Administration to discuss the possibility of merging administrations which might have saved revenue however, this issue was not advanced.
UPDATED : June 30, 2011
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - Paul K. Tanaka, who joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in 1982, was appointed as Undersheriff in June 2011 by Sheriff Lee Baca. As second-in-command, Undersheriff Tanaka will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Sheriff’s Department. Undersheriff Tanaka began his law enforcement career with the El Segundo Police Department in June 1980. Two years later, Mr. Tanaka transferred to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, where he held various line assignments as a deputy in patrol, custody, and recruitment. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1987, and went to work at Lynwood Station. In 1991, Mr. Tanaka was promoted to Lieutenant and took on assignments at the Mira Loma Facility, Inmate Reception Center, Lennox Station, Region II COPS Program, West Hollywood Station, and the Administrative Services Division. In August 1999, he was promoted to Captain, assuming command of the Community Oriented Policing Services Bureau, which also included the Asian Crime Task Force, Regional Community Policing Institute, and the VIDA (youth intervention) Program. Mr. Tanaka was promoted to Commander in February 2001, and assigned to the Office of the Undersheriff as one of the Commanders of the Department. In August 2002, Mr. Tanaka was promoted to Chief and given responsibility for directing the Administrative Services Division, where he managed the Department’s budget and personnel services. Mr. Tanaka was appointed to Assistant Sheriff in January of 2005 where he first oversaw the leadership of the Department’s Custody, Corrections, Court and Technical Services Divisions. Later, in 2007, he directly commanded and was responsible for the activities of the Department’s three Field Operations Patrol Regions, Detective Division, and the Homeland Security Division. In addition, with a budget of approximately $2.5 billion and more than 18,000 employees, Mr. Tanaka oversaw the operation of the Administrative Services Division, which included the Department’s financial matters, human resources and facilities construction and maintenance. Undersheriff Tanaka served six years as City Councilman in Gardena beginning in 1999. He was elected to a four year Mayor’s post in March 2005 and reelected in 2009. Mr. Tanaka holds an accounting degree from Loyola Marymount University and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of California. Undersheriff Tanaka resides in the city of Gardena with his wife, Valerie, and their two children.
UPDATED : June 29, 2011
PASADENA - The proposed 2011-2012 FY budget for the Fire Department included a reduction of $2 million, roughly 5% of the approximate $40 million departmental total. Currently the Fire Department staffs 51 positions per 24 hour shift across three shifts, for a total of 153 positions. However, during any given shift an average of nine positions are vacant due to some permanent vacancies as well as vacation, sick and workers compensation leave time. When this occurs replacement staff is hired back on what is termed Position Coverage Overtime to reach the 51 position complement. Under the minimum staffing model that was presented, shifts would be allowed to drop to 46 positions without hiring staff back on Position Coverage Overtime. This approach would not result in any firefighter lay-offs.
The potential for altering Fire Department
staffing models, even on a temporary basis, created a concern on
the part of some City Council members that the City was moving
Currently, the Department utilizes sworn firefighters to perform inspections of businesses and other occupancies. In many other jurisdictions, such as neighboring Glendale and for the most part Burbank, this function is performed by trained civilian staff similar to Building Inspectors. Shifting from sworn Firefighters to civilians will save approximately $46,400 per position and with seven positions assigned to this function the annual savings would be $324,800. Staff anticipates that it would take up to six months to meet and confer with the Firefighters' Union, complete the process of creating the positions and recruiting civilian inspectors, therefore savings in FY12 are estimated at $162,254.
As envisioned, the existing firefighter
staff assigned to inspections would be reassigned to regular
daily shifts, thereby reducing the need to use overtime to
backfill vacancies
The Fire Department operates five Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances that are staffed by sworn fire personnel. An ALS ambulance is staffed with two Firefighters, certified as paramedics who are able to treat illnesses and injuries, administer medications, provide cardiac monitoring, intubate, and carry out many procedures similar to those in an emergency room setting. A BLS (Basic Life Support) ambulance is staffed with two certified Emergency Medical Technicians who are able to treat illnesses and injuries, administer oxygen, and provide cardiac defibrillation. Of the medical calls that Fire responds to annually, approximately 60°/o are treated at the BLS level and 40°/o are treated at the ALS level.
A number of cities operate a combination of
ALS and BLS ambulances, including Los Angeles City and Glendale.
In the Verdugo Communications Center, when a 9-1-1 call
Staff is recommending the conversion of one of the Department's five ALS ambulances to BLS staffed with civilian Emergency Medical Technicians. These ambulance operators will be City employees, under the direction of the Fire Department. As with the civilianization of the inspection bureau, it is anticipated that it will take up to six months to put this in place. The associated savings for FY12 is approximately $180,000. The program will be evaluated throughout the six month period to ensure that public safety and high service quality expectations are being met.
In analyzing what other immediate savings might be achieved, the following additional reductions have been identified: Defunding of a vacant Staff Assistant II position ($73,586); half year defunding of a Deputy Fire Marshal in recognition of an anticipated retirement in December ($129,737) who's duties will subsequently be handled by other staff; a reduction of $64,000 in the medical benefits line item made possible by recent and anticipated changes in the manner in which the employee options benefit fund payments are adjusted and a $63,000 reduction in the contract services line-item.
Fire Station #39 remains closed for safety
reasons. Despite staff's best efforts to identify a suitable
location for a temporary station, having examined some 300+
properties, a suitable site has been elusive. Staff is
continuing in earnest to identify a temporary site; however, it
is anticipated that even in the best case scenario Station #39
will most likely be out of service for a period of 6 months with
a net operational cost savings of $886,303. In assessing
potential temporary locations, staff recognizes that the
structures and/or
UPDATED : June 27, 2011
LOS ANGELES - Just 22 months after he took the helm of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Chief Millage Peaks announced Monday that he is stepping down. Peaks, who began his career as a firefighter for the city 35 years ago, oversaw the department through a period of unprecedented budget cuts and staff reductions. His departure comes about a month after the City Council approved his controversial redeployment plan, which calls for fire trucks or ambulances at about one-fourth of the 106 fire stations to be put out of service. The redeployment plan, which Peaks crafted after the mayor asked him to trim more than $50 million from the department’s budget, was opposed by the firefighters union and generated outcry from some community members who said it prioritized the bottom line over public safety.
UPDATED : June 20, 2011
LA HABRA HEIGHTS - City officials plan to cut up to $200,000 from the contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to balance next years budget. The City Council last week adopted a $2.8 million budget that can only be balanced if it's sheriff contract is cut by at least $110,000. Any surplus could be used for capital improvements such as fire equipment or a re-roofing of city hall. The city blames a $120,000 cut in state funding for law enforcement plus a 3 percent increase in the sheriff's contract as the reason for cutting the public safety budget. Together, the two total about $154,000. The cut could amount to a loss of 2.75 hours of patrol time in La Habra Heights. When a city contracts with the Sheriff's Department, they are paying for minutes. If La Habra Heights has a series of significant incidents that use a lot of minutes, then there might be less patrol later on in the year. City officials blame declining revenue - in particular property tax that has decreased 8% in the last 2 years for its problems.
PASADENA - Pasadena City College Police Department Chief Peter Michael has suddenly gone on leave and is scheduled to officially retire June 30. Frank J. Scialdone has taken over as the interim chief of police until a new permanent chief can be found. Scialdone is expecting to fill the position until September, where he will be taking responsibility for everything from personnel to policy. Scialdone held the Interim Chief position at PCC six years ago for a 8 month duration. Scialdone began his law enforcement career with the Fontana Police Department, where he retired as chief of police in 2004. After retiring, he served on the city council in Fontana for six years, and was mayor for the last five months of his term. He also served as the Interim Chief of the Rialto Police Department in 2006.
LOS ANGELES - With the city facing its worst financial crisis in decades, the LAPD has not been paying officers overtime wages, except in rare situations, for the last year. In previous years, their contract entitled officers to receive payments once they accrued 96 hours of overtime. To bypass that requirement, police and union officials negotiated a deal in which the threshold for making payments was lifted and, in lieu of cash, officers were required to take time off when they banked about 250 hours of overtime. After sitting out several days, or in some cases weeks, to lower their overtime totals the officers return to work. That agreement, however, expires at the end of the month, and unless city and union negotiators agree on a new contract or extend the overtime deal while talks continue, the department will revert back to the old overtime rules. If that occurs, Beck said in a statement released late Wednesday night, he would have to force officers to take time off well before they reached the 96-hour limit, and the drain on manpower would seriously strain the department's ability to adequately staff police stations throughout the city. Department estimates show that more than 1,000 of the LAPD's nearly 10,000 officers would hit the overtime ceiling and be sent home in eight weeks or less. The average officer would meet the limit within about four months, which would leave command staff to juggle severely depleted rosters. To fill some of the inevitable staffing holes that would form, Chief Beck said he was planning to reassign officers from the department's specialized units to regular patrol duties. He did not specify which of the LAPD's many specialized units, which include vice, gang, narcotics and several others, would be targeted. The reassignment plan being drawn up by police officials calls for about 200 officers to be sent back to patrol — a number that officials acknowledged would be insufficient to cover all the gaps that would arise as overtime totals mount. The showdown over the overtime issue is unfolding against the backdrop of the ongoing contract negotiations. With a $41-million hole in the LAPD budget, city negotiators have been leaning heavily on the Police Protective League for concessions. A dispute is brewing as to whether Beck would have the authority to force officers to take time off if the old overtime rules went back into effect. Weber said the current contract makes clear that officers would have to be paid cash. Department officials disagreed, saying city attorneys had approved the move. If they occur, the staffing shifts are certain to deal a blow to officer morale, as officers working in coveted specialized assignments will land back in regular patrol cars responding to radio calls. The plan also raises questions about the training and preparedness of the officers being reassigned. At least some of them are expected to be detectives and other non-uniformed officers who have not worked as regular patrol officers for years.
UPDATED : May 31, 2011
PASADENA - The Pasadena Fire Department lost 32-year veteran Kevin Moore on Tuesday after the senior fire engineer succumbed to sudden cardiac arrest at an Upland gym. Moore, a second generation Pasadena Fire Department member who was 53 years old, recently announced his intent to retire this July. His father, Tom Moore, served as the department's assistant chief and two of his brothers work for the Vernon Fire Department. Moore was responsible for maintaining and driving fire apparatus, ensuring that his crew arrived to incidents safely. He also operated the fire engine pump and fire truck aerial ladder during fire and rescue situations and was a member of the Regional Task Force Urban Search & Rescue Team. Moore, a longtime resident of Upland, is survived by his father, his wife, Connie, two teenage children, six brothers and one sister.
MANHATTAN BEACH - Robert Espinosa, 52, will take over as the city of Manhattan Beach’s newest fire chief June 13, replacing Ken Shuck, who will return to his battalion chief position after serving as the interim fire chief for more than a year. Although the Manhattan Beach department will be one of the smallest Espinosa has worked for, he doesn’t see this transition as a slowdown in his career. Espinosa has had an eye on Manhattan Beach for decades. He began his post-military career as a firefighter for the El Segundo Fire Department. Espinosa nodded to the city’s hefty investment into a new police and fire facility built several years ago. Espinosa, an Inglewood native, knew he wanted to be a firefighter as he walked around the booths at his high school’s career day when he was 16. He received his EMT certification while still in high school, and by the time he graduated, he had taken the test to become an L.A. County firefighter. He didn’t score high enough to get a job, so he took a semester of college. Then he got a call from an Army recruiter. Within three weeks, Espinosa was shipped off to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri for military firefighter training. His first assignment was a base in Alaska. After spending 18 months putting out “a lot of burning-down cabins,” he said, he was shipped to Arizona. In Arizona his job was following around Apache helicopters, which were used in Iraq. There were only four at the time. When the helicopters went to the desert to test, he followed behind them, so in case they crashed, he could help drag the pilots out of their helicopter. While there, he also finished a two-year degree in fire science. When he got out of the army in 1982, he joined the El Segundo Fire Department. Soon, he moved on to the Long Beach Fire Department, where he moved up the ranks from a firefighter/paramedic to battalion chief and eventually to assistant chief of operations, where he oversaw 10 battalion chiefs, 23 fire stations and 139 firefighters. He was also the program coordinator for one of the largest exercises ever put on by the city of Long Beach. The department used federal grant money to arrange an exercise for the FAA, with more than 600 participants. They used Jet Blue aircraft and 150 people with Hollywood makeup simulating different injuries. They threw out grenades and smoke bombs and included 22 different agencies. His coordination of that event impressed the Long Beach fire chief, who then promoted him to the assistant chief position. In 2008, he took the chief position in Rialto, where he has been ever since. When he starts in Manhattan Beach, Espinosa said his immediate focus will be, not surprisingly, the budget. Espinosa said his priority has always been involving the entire organization in developing visions and goals for the department. Espinosa, who lives in Orange County with his wife, Laurie, and her three children (he also has three grown children), has no plans to uproot his family.
UPDATED : May 19, 2011
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles City Council approved the new LAFD Deployment Plan. A minimum of one fire company and one paramedic resource are assigned to each fire station service district. The basic building blocks are the engine company and the Paramedic/Ambulance. All fire stations will be realigned into two Divisions each responsible for seven Battalions. In addition, ten Staff Assistant (SA) positions each day, or a total of 30 positions, will be reassigned. The remaining two Division SA’s and seven Battalion SA’s will be redeployed as Emergency Incident Technicians, or E-I-T’s. Both Division offices and seven of the Battalion offices will have E-I-T’s as part of their Command Teams. One EMS Captain will be added to bring the daily on-duty total to seven. These Captains will be realigned with the remaining seven Battalion Commanders. The EMS Captains will function as part of the Battalion Command Team, with the primary responsibility of providing supervision and oversight of emergency medical service resources. The Deployment Plan realigns our response footprint to better support our EMS calls. The LAFD’s emergency responses are now at an all-time high, with an average of 85% of our calls being medical in nature. As a result, our mix of ambulances and assessment companies will be adjusted to meet this extremely high EMS call load. The Department will deploy 79 paramedic ambulances, 43 BLS ambulances and 21 Ready Reserve ambulances across the City. Our assessment (Paramedic assigned) companies will increase from 62 to 82. This realignment will permit us to suspend staffing for seven Light Forces and 11 Engines. However, these apparatus will not be removed from any fire station, and every station will remain open with the response capabilities described herein. The staffing from these 18 companies will be used to fill vacant positions, thereby greatly reducing what the city’s budget refers to as “compensated time off." This new Deployment Plan will permit us to permanently terminate the Modified Coverage Plan (MCP). Overall, the new Deployment Plan will protect every existing firefighter’s job, will keep every fire station open, will provide a fire suppression resource and a paramedic in every service district, and will create a stable operational model that will help ensure firefighter and civilian safety, while cutting more than $200 million dollars from the existing department budget over three years. The Plan will officially go into effect on July 5, 2011. Click here for more information.
UPDATED : May 16, 2011
MANHATTAN BEACH - Beginning June 1, Eve Irvine will protect the citizens of Manhattan Beach as the city’s first female police chief. Current Chief Rod Uyeda will retire May 23 after serving five years with the city. Irvine has spent the past three decades moving up the ranks of the Inglewood Police Department, serving the past eight years as the city’s first female police captain. While with the department, Irvine served as a D.A.R.E. officer, detective, sergeant, field supervisor, watch commander, supervisor of training and personnel, press information officer, lieutenant and interim police chief. Irvine, who received a bachelor’s degree in business and management from the University of Redlands and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of La Verne, is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and an expert in the fields of domestic violence and media relations. Irvine noted that she enters the department after a difficult year. Three police officers were fired in March for their involvement in a 2010 hit-and-run accident cover-up, and the police department has been down several of its top-ranking officers. A senior captain also recently retired. She said though it might seem that there are big differences between Inglewood and Manhattan Beach, the priorities in both cities are the same — keep the public safe. Though she currently lives with her husband, Rod Irvine, a lieutenant for the Torrance Police Department, in Orange County, they are looking for homes in the area. Irvine and her husband have three grown children and three grandchildren, ranging in age from 5 to 9. For Irvine, life has come full circle. When she first moved to California from New York to apply for police cadet positions, she applied with just two departments. The Inglewood Police Department completed her background check in only eight weeks and offered her the position. Right after signing papers with the department, she received a letter from the other department, where she had applied as an animal control officer — the Manhattan Beach Police Department. She, of course, had to decline since she had accepted the Inglewood position.
UPDATED : May 6, 2011
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners this week canceled a $5.5 million deal with a Newark-based company that allegedly delivered two firefighting rigs that malfunctioned at L.A./Ontario International Airport. The two firetrucks sent to Ontario's airport suffered numerous breakdowns and malfunctions, according to a commissioners report. JRI Inc. has also been accused of failing to deliver two aircraft rescue firefighting trucks to Los Angeles International Airport. It was not known why the Northern California company did not meet a March 27, 2009 deadline to deliver the trucks to LAX, which were funded through federal grants and passenger facility charges. Executives at Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that operates LAX and ONT, did not elaborate on the malfunctions that were reported on the two fire trucks delivered to ONT. Airport maintenance crews uncovered numerous deficiencies both in design and manufacture of the trucks. According to JRI, officials with the airport and Los Angeles Fire Department repeatedly requested a variety of modifications to the K/R40 Jaguar firefighting rigs his company manufactures, leading to a two-year delivery delay. Officials at JRI also accused airport officials of failing to pay for work they have already completed. The trucks were tested before being sent out for delivery. A broken axle reported on one of the trucks was repaired, even though it was not part of the warranty. While LAWA officials did not specify the types of malfunctions they encountered, JRI officials admitted to a "transmission problem" with the first truck, sent more than three years ago to Ontario. More recently, they said a broken axle was discovered on a second truck delivered last year to ONT. Both vehicles were repaired.
ALHAMBRA - The Alhambra City Council has ratified its city manager's decision to hire Cypress' police chief, Mark Yokoyama and Fountain Valley's fire chief, Bill Walker. Bill Walker previously the Chief of the Fountain Valley, CA Fire Dept has been named the new Fire Chief for the City of Alhambra Fire Dept. Walker who has spent his entire firefighting career in Fountain Valley started with the department in March 1995 as a paramedic trainee, rose up the ranks and has served as chief since October 2006. New police chief Mark Yokoyama comes from Cypress where he has been chief since 2008. Chief Yokoyama, born and raised in the City of Los Angeles, has been in the police service profession since 1986 when he attended the Police Academy at Golden West College graduating as the Honor Recruit. After a short stint as a Reserve Officer with the Tustin and Laguna Beach Police Departments, he worked for the La Palma Police Department over the next twelve years progressing through the ranks working various field and administrative assignments. He last served as the supervisor for the Community Policing unit. In 1999, Yokoyama joined the Newark Police Department in the San Francisco Bay area as a Police Lieutenant and was promoted to Police Captain in 2002. Having served as both the Operations and Services Division Commander for the Newark Police Department, he has been credited with implementation of Community Oriented Policing, building and repairing community relations, developing police technology, and personnel development. In 2003, Yokoyama returned to Southern California joining the Cypress Police Department as a Police Captain and was promoted to Chief of Police in 2008. During his tenure, Chief Yokoyama has continued his interest in developing police-community relationships, has instituted technology initiatives, and has furthered the implementation of contemporary policing philosophies and other crime fighting strategies. Chief Yokoyama holds an Associate of Arts degree from Golden West College in Police Administration, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from the University of La Verne, and a Masters of Arts degree in Behavioral Science from Cal State Dominguez Hills and a second Masters Degree in Executive Leadership from the University of Southern California. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, L.A.P.D. West Point Leadership program, P.O.S.T. Command College, P.O.S.T. Supervisory Leadership Institute, and the University of Southern California Delinquency Control Institute. Chief Yokoyama has been a community college and police academy instructor and advisor since 1990 training over 10,000 police recruits, students and professionals across the state and is currently an adjunct faculty member at Golden West College and Fullerton College.
MONROVIA - Police Chief Roger W. Johnson has retired as of May 1st after more than 30 years of service. He has been a member of the Monrovia Police Department since 1978. During his 32 year career at Monrovia, he has served in every area of the Department. He began his career as a police cadet. He then went on to serve as a dispatcher, police officer, police agent, detective, sergeant, Special Enforcement Team sergeant, lieutenant, Operations Division captain, Services Division captain, and was ultimately appointed as Chief of Police on September 3, 2002. Chief Johnson is a graduate of the California State University at Los Angeles with a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice Administration and a graduate of the California Law Enforcement Command College. He also attended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy for leadership development in 2001. Chief Johnson has served the greater Los Angeles region as a member of the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Executive Board and is the Executive Project Manager for the Los Angeles Regional Criminal Information Clearinghouse (LA CLEAR). Chief Johnson is a proponent of community partnerships that help to improve the quality of life for those who live and work in his community. His organization has been recognized nationally and internationally for their Community Policing Programs. Most recently, the Department was recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police with their Community Policing Finalist Award. Captain Jim Hunt will become Interim Police Chief while the city recruits a new chief.
UPDATED : April 29, 2011
SIERRA MADRE - After five years of service to the City of Sierra Madre, and a law enforcement career spanning 37 years, Police Chief Marilyn Diaz has announced her retirement at the end of this year. Chief Diaz’ 32 years of experience with the Pasadena Police Department, combined with her status as a long-time resident of Sierra Madre, provided her the unique combination of professionalism and community spirit necessary to deliver the highest quality of service to the community. During her tenure, Chief Diaz was instrumental in transforming the Police Department into the exemplary department that it is today. She focused on enhancing staff professionalism through extensive training in ethics, use of force, civil liability and safe field tactics; and she spearheaded the complete renovation of the Police Department’s evidence and property rooms. She also enhanced the Department’s ability to be proactive by innovatively using part-time sworn and non-sworn staff to provide better patrol coverage throughout the City and aid in follow-up investigations. Chief Diaz truly believed in community policing and implemented the first Police Chief’s Advisory Board, comprised of members of the community. Prior to coming to Sierra Madre, Chief Diaz spent 32 years serving on the Pasadena Police Department, leaving the Department with the rank of Commander. She earned her Master’s degree from the University of Southern California and Bachelors degree from California State University, Los Angeles. Although no specific date has been set, the Department is beginning to work on a transition plan in which Captain Larry Giannone will serve as Interim Chief.
PASADENA - Seven fire stations built to antiquated earthquake codes will cost the city $59 million to repair or replace, and officials closed Station 39 on Tuesday because of immediate safety concerns. The 62-year-old station on Avenue 64 in the Linda Vista-Annandale neighborhood, which protects the southwestern portion of the city, was closed due to over-stressed support beams that could fail if a major earthquake ripples through Southern California. Station 39 will be mothballed for anywhere from 24 to 30 months. The living quarters are on the second floor of the station, and an earthquake poses a serious risk to the lives of the station's firefighters. Fire and city officials first learned of the antiquated conditions of the department's infrastructure after the February release of a draft report on the seismic stability of Pasadena's eight fire stations. Only one, Fire Station 34, built in the 1990s, was built to safety codes drafted in the wake of the Northridge earthquake. Five of the seven distressed stations are safe enough to inhabit, but Station 39 needed to be immediately vacated. Station 32 needs emergency retrofitting on one corner of the building to prevent catastrophic failure. After the February report, the city hired a second engineering firm to audit the study, which only confirmed the grim news that Pasadena fire stations are not quake safe. It will cost the city money it doesn't have to repair or replace the stations. The city is already on the hook for $120 million in bonds for the Rose Bowl's ongoing renovation. Local residents are also paying off two schools bonds at a total principal cost of $590 million. Meanwhile, the city approved $800,000 to address structural issues at Fire Station 32 and redesign Fire Station 39. Until the city finds funding, fixes for the other stations are on hold. South Pasadena and Los Angeles fire departments, as well as Stations 38 and 31, will handle calls that would have gone to Station 39.
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Police Department’s Bicycle Coordination Unit announced today that their initial testing and evaluation of IZIP Express™ Police Bicycles has been completed with favorable results. The Department has decided to begin field-testing the electric bicycles at special events to further explore their viability under actual patrol conditions. In May of 2010, Currie Technologies®, the producer of the IZIP Express™, supplied the LAPD Bicycle Coordination Unit with prototype models for initial testing. With input and feedback from officers, the electric bike’s components and design were further modified to ultimately become a special, purpose built, police edition model that could be added to LAPD’s arsenal of community policing tools. On Wednesday May 11th at 9:30 AM, Larry Pizzi, Currie’s President, will present two IZIP Express™ Police Edition electric bicycles to LAPD Deputy Chief, Terry S. Hara and Sergeant Matthew Bygum, Officer in Charge of the LAPD Bicycle Coordination Unit. The formal presentation will be made at the Company’s IZIP Store™, which is located at 609 Lincoln Boulevard in Venice, Los Angeles, California. The IZIP Express™ Police Edition features Currie’s Evo-Drive™ 2.0 technology, which is designed to amplify human power to that of a professional cyclist. The Express™ is powered by a patented dual planetary drive system that blends the power of a hi-torque 750-watt electric motor with human power to create one of the highest performance electric bikes on the market today. The mid-frame, removable power system provides exceptional balance, a lower center of gravity and superior handling, making it very well suited for community policing and security use.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - L.A. County Sheriff's Department helicopters have been targeted from the ground by individuals shooting laser beams six times in the last few months. The incidents have occurred in Maywood, La Puente, Pico Rivera, and West Covina. In four of those cases, sheriff's deputies made arrests of suspects between the ages of 15 and 25. And two of the arrests have come this month. A 16-year-old Los Alamitos boy was arrested this week after sheriff's deputies said he pointed a laser into one of their helicopters as it flew above Interstate 5 and Rosemead Boulevard. The extent of the problem in the Los Angeles area became evident in a report released in January by the Federal Aviation Administration that said Los Angeles International Airport recorded the highest number of incidents in the country last year involving aircraft and laser beams, which can can distract or temporarily blind pilots. The nation’s third-busiest airport had 102 reported incidents with 201 more at area airports, including 32 at Los Angeles/Ontario International Airport, 32 from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, and 31 at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. The review also found that the number of laser events almost doubled in 2010 from the previous year to more than 2,800 -- the highest number of reports since the federal government began tracking them in 2005. In California, a conviction for aircraft laser pointing can result in up to three years in state prison and a fine of up to $2,000. Some have been pushing for even harsher penalties. For their part, sheriff's officials said the first step has been to better document such incidents internally. But they also are coordinating with federal and local agencies to combat the problem through education and enforcement.
UPDATED : April 20, 2011
MONTEREY PARK - The city's first female fire chief has sued the city, alleging she was discriminated against and forced out of her job because she's a gay woman. In her lawsuit filed Thursday, Chief Cathleen Orchard alleges the City Council and firefighter's union conspired to undermine her authority and force her out. Orchard is still the city's fire chief, although she has not returned to work since she experienced "chest pains and high blood pressure" on June 5, according to the lawsuit. Orchard's salary is $13,192 a month. City officials declined to say if she has collected that salary since she went on leave. If so, the city would have paid her more than $100,000. The lawsuit does not specify how much money Orchard is seeking. Orchard became the city's first female fire chief in 2005. She was initially hired by Monterey Park in 1999. Before that she worked for the Poway Fire Department in San Diego County and the Laguna Beach Fire Department. Orchard alleges that retired councilman Frank Venti was one of several elected officials who discriminated against her based on her sexual orientation and gender.
GLENDORA - To better respond to the city’s changing population over the past 25 years, Glendora Police has launched a new police model to reduce response times and better serve the community. In this new model, up to three officers—a lieutenant, sergeant and corporal – are assigned to four districts for up to four months at a time. Each district was determined by the level of demand and activity in a 24-hour period. The new model will provide better accountability in providing service to citizens over the 20 square miles of the city. Each quarter, officers will meet with the police chief to evaluate chronic problems in their districts and the effectiveness of the new model. Previously, Castro said police service was divided into two service areas – north and south Glendora. In a push toward Web technology, the police department is utilizing the Internet to communicate with residents. Each district will have its own e-mail address where residents can contact their respective district supervisors any time of the day for non-emergency issues. The e-mail will be forwarded to all district supervisors who will work together to resolve any questions or request for service. As budget cuts have reduced staff and increased workloads, others in the department say the model helps maintain a high level of service with its residents.
UPDATED : April 15, 2011
ARCADIA - The city of Arcadia is suddenly and unexpectedly without its two top police officials, Chief Robert Sanderson and Captain Gene Gioia. Both had decided some time ago to retire but stay on part-time for a few months to help with the transition to a new chief. But that all changed with little notice last Friday when they became aware they were jeopardizing their retirement pensions due to arcane California retirement (PERS) rules. Both had started with the police decades ago as cadets before they became sworn police officers, and thus were working under multiple retirement formulas during their careers. Suddenly, Friday became their final day of work. Captain Bob Guthrie was immediately thrust into the role of interim Police Chief while the City recruits a new chief. Ironically, Chief Sanderson, along with other City employees, including Library Director Carolyn Garner-Reagan, made their decisions to retire this year, perhaps several years earlier than expected, when they all were shocked to learn last year following the death of an Arcadia police officer of another little-known PERS rule. That rule provides full benefits to the spouse in the event of the death of the employee only if the employee is retired when they die. Otherwise, the spouse receives only 50% of the benefits, which has the effect of creating an incentive for government employees to retire at the earliest possible date allowed.
UPDATED : March 10, 2011
SAN GABRIEL - Quick response by San Gabriel Fire and Police personnel have led to the arrest of an individual who allegedly threw rocks at Fire Headquarters on Del Mar Avenue. Two firefighters were injured in connection with the incidents. At approximately 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 3rd, firefighters witnessed an adult cyclist throw a rock at the fire station and then ride away. Police Department responded quickly and took a report; however, the suspect was not in the area. Later that morning, firefighters moved the Rescue Ambulance (RA) onto the front apron so they could sweep the apparatus floor. At 10:18 a.m., there was a medical call. When the paramedics arrived at the ambulance at the conclusion of the medical call, they saw that the windshield had been broken. They went out of service and were about to put the Reserve RA into service. Shortly after going out of service, rocks began pelting the area in front of the station, where the firefighters were standing. The firefighters saw the same adult male on the other side of Wells Avenue just east of Del Mar Avenue throwing rocks. The Police Department was notified. The subject rode away on his bike, but was followed by Fire Department personnel. Responding promptly to the Fire Department’s call for assistance, Police personnel apprehended the suspect approximately three blocks away on Wells Avenue. There were two minor injuries to firefighters. One firefighter was struck on the leg with a rock, and one received cuts to the hands from broken glass. Both firefighters were treated on scene and are currently on duty. The windshield on RA 51 has been replaced. Dents in the equipment caused by the rock thrower will be evaluated for repair at a later date.
UPDATED : February 10, 2011
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - Los Angeles County supervisors selected Daryl Osby to be their next fire chief Tuesday, making him the first African American to lead the department. Osby, 49, is a 27-year veteran of the department and is in charge of its business operations. He has previous experience as the top commander during major incidents, including the 2003 and 2005 fires in Topanga Canyon. He was selected from a group of department insiders and inherits an agency long considered among the leaders in firefighting tactics and strategy. In addition to traditional structure and water-rescue units, the department has a large Air and Wildland Division that includes camp crews, bulldozer units and water-dropping helicopters. It has an annual budget of $923-million. The department’s current chief, P. Michael Freeman, 65, is one of the county’s most respected officials and has held the post for more than two decades. County supervisors have been reluctant to let Freeman go and successfully lobbied Sacramento to pass a law in 2005 allowing him to keep the job past the mandatory retirement age of 60. In 2009, Freeman announced his retirement, but the supervisors talked him into staying for more than a year longer. Chief Osby will officially assume his new position on February 26, 2011.
UPDATED : January 20, 2011
UPDATED : January 13, 2011
GLENDORA - Rob Castro, most recently Glendora's police captain, was named the city's new top officer Thursday by City Manager Chris Jeffers. A graduate of Azusa Pacific University who also attended Bishop Amat High School, Castro is a local who brings with him extensive knowledge of the department he will now helm. Castro was selected from a pool of 41 candidates, that he said included police chiefs from other southern California cities. Castro had to submit to evaluation from two review boards before three final candidates were recommended to the city manager. From there, Jeffers made his recommendation of Castro to the council. Castro said he hopes to focus on maximizing efficiency in the department via technology and focusing on individual employees strengths. In terms of crime, Castro said his focus will not waver from keeping violent crime down, but that theft remains one of the top priorities for the department and residents alike. In addition, relieving traffic congestion will be something he hopes to accomplish during his tenure.
UPDATED : December 31, 2010
CALIFORNIA - One more good reason to drive safely in California: If you cause an accident, you may be on the hook to pay the police and firefighters who show up to help. At least 50 cities in the state have adopted so-called crash-tax laws allowing local governments to seek reimbursement from insurance companies for the costs of sending public emergency crews to accident scenes. The fees can amount to hundreds or even thousands of dollars. If insurers don't pay, cities can hire collection agents to seek payment from the motorists involved. Billing crash victims might seem heartless. But public officials said that budget woes are compelling them to find new ways to raise revenue. Over the last six years, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Hemet and other cities have started charging fees for accident-related public services. Sacramento, with nearly half a million residents, soon could be the largest city in California to do so. The City Council has scheduled a vote next month to establish what it's calling a "fire cost recovery charge." The fee would reimburse the city for a variety of emergency-related chores, including cleaning up hazardous fluids, putting out vehicle fires and responding to gas line explosions and downed power poles. Proposed fees would range from $432 for a "scene stabilization" to $2,275 for a helicopter evacuation. Critics, however, are incensed that communities are now charging extra for what once were considered core services. The practice isn't limited to cities in struggling California. It's gaining momentum nationwide as cash-strapped communities seek a way to offset budget cuts. This month, New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg proposed charging drivers there as much as $490 when firefighters respond to an accident or a vehicle fire, beginning July 1. A public hearing is set for January. Public officials defend the fees as legal and justified. Communities have long required auto insurance companies to pay for ambulance services provided to their policyholders by local fire departments. Charging for road cleanup and other accident-related expenses is simply a logical extension of that precedent, public officials contend. Costa Mesa in July 2009 started sending bills for what it called "motor vehicle accident cost recovery" fees to the insurers of motorists found at fault for crashes. The fees are based on the number and types of personnel and equipment dispatched to an accident scene as well as the cost of materials used in the cleanup. So far, Costa Mesa has received $91,000 after paying commissions to an outside contractor hired to file the claims. The city still is trying to collect $186,000 in outstanding claims. Others worry that crash taxes could hurt tourism, an important industry in California. That's because a number of cities are charging the fee only to nonresidents. Concerned about a potential public relations fallout that could harm its lucrative visitor trade, the Huntington Beach City Council in November repealed an auto crash-tax ordinance it approved on a 6-1 vote only three months earlier.
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Fire Department will further reduce staffing beginning Sunday, January 2, 2011 to help save money. Chief Millage Peaks said he would take seven fire companies off the daily roster, meaning that 22 of the department's 153 companies will be out of service each day on a rotating basis. The staffing reduction should help Peaks cut a $30 million budget deficit in a way that does not put public safety at risk. When the new fiscal year starts July 1, the city will be facing a $350 million deficit, and the mayor could call on Peaks for further staffing reductions. A company, in LAFD vernacular, can be a four-person fire engine, or a six-person hook-and-ladder truck accompanied by a pump vehicle. The fire department has imposed furloughs, offered early retirement to veteran employees and put in place a staffing plan that has scaled back the number of engine companies by 15 on any given day. Staff assistants, who act as drivers and secretaries to high-ranking firefighters, could be reassigned next.
UPDATED : December 14, 2010
PASADENA - The city Tuesday ended a "brown out" in emergency fire services, reinstating a four-firefighter ladder truck that was temporarily taken out of action earlier this year to save money. Truck 32, based at Fire Station 32 and one of two truck companies staffed full-time, was taken out of service for the first part of fiscal year 2011, saving the city $725,000. City officials and fire management union representatives discussed several cost-saving alternatives before deciding that eliminating Truck 32 temporarily would be the least detrimental to the public and firefighters. The Fire Department, however, continues to hold open two vacant management positions, for a savings of $200,000 for fiscal year 2011.
REDONDO BEACH - After spending years in a temporary facility, Redondo Beach’s Harbor Patrol will soon have a permanent home in King Harbor’s Mole B. The total cost for the facility, which will be shared by Los Angeles County Lifeguards, will be more than $2 million, which is funded mostly by Department of Boating and Waterways and Los Angeles County. The City Council recently approved plans for the new two-story facility that will cover more than 4,000 square feet. The Harbor Patrol will occupy a majority of the second floor. The first floor will be the home for the Baywatch lifeguards, including sleeping, bathroom and storage areas, as well as offices and a meeting facility. The existing observation tower will also undergo a facelift. Due to budget constraints, replacing the deteriorating wooden docks with concrete will have to be put on hold. The cost is estimated at more than $300,000 for the new docks. The Harbor Patrol has been under several different administrations in the past 30 years. From 1968 to 1991 it was under the Redondo Beach Harbor Department. For the next four years, the Harbor Patrol was under the Redondo Beach Police Department where officers received police training. In 1995, for six months, the Harbor Patrol was put back under the harbor department. In 1995, it moved to the Redondo Beach Fire Department. Former fire chief and current councilman Pat Aust said he started working on getting a new facility since it moved under the Fire Department in 1995. Over the years, the Heart of the City redevelopment plan and the economy put wrinkles in that plan, but grants from the Department of Boating and Waterways, nearly $700,000 from the county, and other funding has helped make the dream a reality. The project is expected to be completed sometime in late 2011.
UPDATED : November 29, 2010
LOS ANGELES - The new $13.5-million Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Station 80 replaces a 25-year-old building that no longer accommodates the size of today's firefighting apparatus and materials, nor the increasing volume and nature of operations at LAX associated with larger, new-generation aircraft and the airport's modernization (capital improvement construction) program. The 13-month construction project, which began September 2009, was completed under budget. With approximately 28,000 square feet of space on two floors, the new station is double the size of the previous one and includes seven bays to house and maintain all the station's rescue and firefighting vehicles and other large emergency-response equipment, such as mass casualty decontamination units, of which some had been previously stored outdoors in a coastal environment. There is also ample living, administrative and training areas for 14 firefighters assigned to each 24-hour shift. One of the bays has a hydraulic lift capable of raising 100,000-pound firefighting apparatus so that maintenance can be performed more quickly on-site rather than at the LAFD's maintenance facility in downtown Los Angeles. The footprint of the former Station 80 fits inside the floor of the fire apparatus bays of the new facility. The $13.5-million construction project was supported by a $10,832,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The remaining costs were covered by airport revenue bond proceeds. No funding came from Los Angeles City's general fund. The new ARFF Station 80 is located midway between LAX's north and south airfield complexes with a total four runways and 2,400 feet further west of the passenger terminal area than the former station. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations require at least one ARFF apparatus capable of arriving at the midpoint of the furthest runway within three minutes. The two sets of runways are nearly one mile apart.
HERMOSA BEACH -After a three-year analysis, Hermosa Beach’s Police Department was selected as one of the premier agencies in California. For the first time ever, the HBPD received Law Enforcement Accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Inc., or CALEA, on Nov. 20. The HBPD is one of only 16 police agencies in California to have received the accreditation this year and is one of three in Los Angeles County, including the California State University of Los Angeles Police Department and the California Highway Patrol. The HBPD’s accreditation is the result of a thorough agency-wide evaluation where the department received satisfactory levels when independent assessors reviewed its daily operations. CALEA and the HBPD participated in two on-site reviews to confirm it is complying with more than 400 industry standards. CALEA also participated in ride-alongs, interviewed residents and business owners, held public meetings, used surveys and prepared a 27-page report that was studied by the commission prior to awarding accreditation.
EL SEGUNDO - Although the El Segundo City Council voted against annexing its fire department to Los Angeles County, a petition circulated by the city’s firefighters may give the residents an opportunity to vote on the issue next April. More than 2,000 signatures were collected and submitted. The signatures were sent to the County Registrar’s office to be verified. The county has 30 days to verify the signatures. “Going county” has been an ongoing dispute between the El Segundo Fire Department and the City Council since the Council took a vote on the issue almost three months ago. Discussions to annex the city’s Fire Department began almost a year ago when City Council directed staff to research the possibility in order to save the city’s unbalanced budget. After the county presented a feasibility study and posted it on the city’s Web site, it was well known that a merger would save the city more than $5 million, but that the city would be relinquishing much of its independence. The public has seemed split in its opinion whether to go county. While some residents expressed dismay at the thought of losing their department, others, including El Segundo’s Fire Chief Kevin Smith, have taken the position that although it would be a loss, it is the best option for the city. Initially, when the City Council directed staff to research the idea of annexing its fire department, the city council was dealing with an unbalanced budget and the possibility of having to lay off 30 percent of its employees. However, since then, the city has achieved a balanced budget by way of salary cuts, a hiring freeze and minimal layoffs. Because the El Segundo Fire Department is one of the city’s most expensive assets, it was also the one that was asked to take the largest cutback. Earlier this year, the department agreed to 25 percent less overtime hours, followed by a 5 percent across-the-board pay cut and most recently an additional 7 percent cut, which will be taken in furlough days; no matching 401 A payments (a retirement plan in addition to the California State Pension plan); no payback for vacation; and decreases in special compensation pay.
UPDATED : November 7, 2010
EL SEGUNDO - More than a half a dozen members of the El Segundo Fire Department could face layoffs this week after being the only city union that could not come to a salary concession agreement with the City Council. During the Nov. 2 City Council meeting, El Segundo City Manager Jack Wyat announced that the two newest groups to propose concessions that were accepted by City Council were the El Segundo Police Officers Association and the El Segundo Police Managers Association, which agreed to take salary cuts amounting to more than $1 million in order to preserve jobs. The cuts will be made through a variety of measures including not cashing out sick and vacation time, elimination of stipends for uniform dry cleaning, adding furlough days and paying 2 to 3 percent toward their own retirement benefits. Currently the city pays the employee and employer contribution for employee retirement benefits. El Segundo Mayor Eric Busch stated that the El Segundo Fire Fighters Association is the only bargaining unit to date that has not been able to reach an agreement with the city. Therefore, the city’s second order of business is to start issuing layoffs, which will begin this week. The El Segundo Fire Fighters Association did make a concession proposal to the city, but that the finance department had deemed that the proposal was not enough of a cut and would still leave the city with a budget shortfall. Each City Council member commended those city employees who had made the sacrifice to take pay cuts in order to preserve more than three dozen city jobs. The city has saved more than $8 million by accepting employee concessions as well as not filling empty positions. However, they need a little more to balance the budget. The city needs the ESFD to cut back by $800,000. The fire department did agree to the city’s original five percent pay cut and had also reduced its overtime hours by 25 percent.
UPDATED : October 21, 2010
ALHAMBRA - After nine years with the Alhambra Police Department, Police Chief Jim Hudson has retired. The Fighting Our Crime Using Structure (FOCUS) program and the 31 police officers he's hired since he's been police chief stick out as the highlights of his career. The program honed in crimes such as homicides, rape and robberies. The city reported that last year there were no murders in Alhambra. FOCUS monitors and maps crimes therefore resources are appropriated where they are needed the most. Watch commanders meet monthly to discuss advances and weaknesses in the program. Hudson came to the department in 2001 as a captain from the City of Orange police department where he worked for about 25 years. In 2004 he was promoted to police chief. James Anthony will take over as interim police chief on Monday while the City Manager Julio Fuentes chooses Hudson's successor. Anthony had previously served as interim police chief for Alhambra.
ALHAMBRA - Fire Chief Bruce Stedman is retiring from his post and taking the helm at a fire department in Arlington, Washington. Stedman, 51, first joined the Alhambra Fire Department as a firefighter in 1979 and became a battalion chief in 1992. He was promoted to deputy chief in 2006 and has served as the city's fire chief since October 2008. His last day with the Alhambra Fire Department is Nov. 19. Stedman, who lives in Yorba Linda with his wife Susan, said the move will allow him to avoid difficult commutes to work. He'll also be closer to family members who live in the Evergreen State. Stedman was instrumental in securing and administering a $1.17 million grant to acquire training equipment for the Alhambra Fire Training Facility, including trench rescue and building collapse props. It is a state-certified urban search and rescue training facility that opened in March. He is due to start his new job in Washington on Dec. 6. As excited as he is about his new job, he says he still has mixed feelings about leaving the Alhambra department after so long.
UPDATED : October 8, 2010
ALHAMBRA - After nine years with the Alhambra Police Department, Police Chief Jim Hudson finished his last day Thursday. The Fighting Our Crime Using Structure program and the 31 police officers he's hired since he's been police chief stick out as the highlights of his career. The program honed in crimes such as homicides, rape and robberies. The city reported that last year there were no murders in Alhambra. FOCUS monitors and maps crimes, resources are appropriated where they are needed the most. Watch commanders meet monthly to discuss advances and weaknesses in the program. Hudson came to the department in 2001 as a captain from the City of Orange police department where he worked for about 25 years. In 2004 he was promoted to police chief. James Anthony will take over as interim police chief on Monday while the City Manager Julio Fuentes chooses Hudson's successor. Anthony had previously served as interim police chief for Alhambra.
UPDATED : October 6, 2010
WHITTIER - Rio Hondo College's police academy program has been placed on suspension by the state following a breach in testing. The state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) took action Monday against the Rio Hondo Regional Training Center, otherwise known as the college's police academy. POST is investigating how widespread the security breach was and how it can be prevented from happening again, officials said - and the affected tests will have to be recreated and validated at a substantial cost to the POST commission. That postponement will affect not only the current class of 122 cadets, but an incoming class that was scheduled to start later this month. College officials said all academy courses - including the "intensive" and "extended" formats, as well as the P.C. 832-Arrest, P.C. 832-Firearms and requalification courses - have been put on hold. However, other classes in the college's Administration of Justice and Fire Academy were not affected, including in-service training, or specialized classes for existing law enforcement officers. The police academy has been in existence since Rio Hondo College opened in the early 1960s. Its Administration of Justice program is the largest college-based program in California and trains police officers for some 40 jurisdictions.
SOUTH PASADENA - Joseph Payne will be sworn in today as the city's new chief of police, the only thing missing is a contract to go with his $9,449 monthly salary. City Manager John Davidson said he expects to present the City Council with a contract by October 20. Initially Payne didn't want a contract, but after discussing it with city officials decided to get one. Payne isn't eligible to receive severance or use a city vehicle without a contract. He is still eligible to receive 11 paid holidays, 18 hours of floating holiday time, 80 hours of administrative leave and is able to accrue 120 hours of vacation annually. Payne has a long history with the department. A one-time lieutenant, he was demoted to sergeant in the mid-1990s and sued the city for what he felt was an unfair punishment. Following his retirement from the force, Payne worked as a background investigator with the Los Angeles Police Department. A Temple City native, Payne attended Pasadena City College and the Rio Hondo Police Academy. Payne said his ability to secure $500,000 in Homeland Security grants helped the city upgrade its emergency communications system.
UPDATED : September 7, 2010
LONG BEACH - Facing an $18.5 million budget hole and running out of ways to save the jobs of police officers, firefighters and other city workers, the Long Beach City Council will meet to discuss potential layoffs. For a second straight year, workers may forgo promised pay raises if nine public employee unions agree to terms proposed by the city. Even if the cutbacks are approved, 27 police officers would be laid off, some fire stations would be left unstaffed for periods of time, and other major cuts would have to be made. But if public employees reject the pay freeze, 76 cop positions would lose their funding. Other departments would also be hit hard. Police salaries make up 49 percent of Long Beach’s general fund expenditures. The council will meet to discuss budget matters today, and has until Sept. 15 to reach a final budget. With about 495,000 residents, Long Beach is California’s sixth-largest city, and is the second-largest city in Los Angeles County.
UPDATED : September 2, 2010
MONTEBELLO - Val, an Urban Search and Rescue canine with the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, is retiring after 11 years of service and countless rescue missions. During his career, with owner and handler Capt. Marc Valentine of the Montebello Fire Department, Val has trained other rescue dogs, searched for survivors through rubble, and offered solace to firefighters responding to Hurricane Katrina. The golden Labrador mix, which is five months shy of 13, will retire in October, and Rico, a 3-year-old Lab nearing the completion of his training program, will take over. Rico, Val's apprentice, is two months shy from his Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) certification, and giving his mentor a well-deserved break. Val took on many roles beyond the duties of rescue dog during his career. Five years ago, when Val and Valentine were in New Orleans searching for survivors, Val offered firefighters companionship. Val and Rico were donated to the Montebello Fire Department by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, and are two of 225 dogs in the United States trained for rescue response. Val and Rico work, eat, sleep and play at the Montebello fire station with firefighters during Valentine's shifts. Val and Rico were rescued and trained through The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. The organization was founded in 1996, after a need for canine response was made apparent to founder Wilma Melville during the Oklahoma bombing rescue efforts. The foundation is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization based in Ojai, and all of the dogs selected for its program are rescued from shelters and other agencies.
UPDATED : August 29, 2010
MONTEREY PARK - Monterey Park's firefighters are
responding to calls in Montebello nearly six times for every
time Montebello helps in Monterey Park, and Monterey Park
officials want some answers. The two cities are part of the
Verdugo System, an 11-department dispatch center. In May,
Montebello officials closed Station 57 on the city's west side
to cut back on
UPDATED : August 25, 2010
MONTEBELLO - Fire Department response times have slowed, and the chief said it could be because budgetary constraints have forced a station closure on the city's west side. According to the Verdugo Communication System's quarterly analysis, Montebello Fire in April, May and June had the slowest average responses of the system's 11 departments, and only arrived on-scene in 5 minutes or fewer 41 percent of the time. While the ten other departments in the dispatching system had average response times of 4 minutes and 23 seconds Montebello averaged 5 minutes and 38 seconds, according to Verdugo System analysts. National guidelines set a goal of arriving at a call within five minutes of dispatch. Facing a $4 million general fund shortfall, Montebello officials cut firefighter overtime, and Station 57 was out of service for part of May and June. The station off Beverly Boulevard and Garfield Avenue has been used sporadically since July 1, depending on monthly overtime costs.
UPDATED : August 21, 2010
EL SEGUNDO - Although a final decision is still months away, in a somewhat surprising turn of events, the El Segundo City Council unanimously agreed that it didn’t want to move toward merging its Fire Department with the county’s. In a receive and file motion, the City Council voted 4-1 to table the negotiations with the Los Angeles County Fire District for another 90 days but directed staff to not factor in the financial benefits of annexing the department with the county when working on the budget. Discussions to annex the city’s Fire Department began almost a year ago when the then City Council directed staff to research the possibility in order to save money. After the county presented a feasibility study and posted it on the city’s Web site, it was well known that a merger would save the city more than $5 million, but that the city would be relequishing much of its independence. Emotions ran high on all sides of the issue. The public seemed split in its opinion with some residents expressing disdain at the thought of losing their department, while others, including El Segundo’s Fire Chief Kevin Smith, stated that although it would be a loss, the best option for the city is to go county.
POMONA - There's not going to be a new sheriff in town — for now. Three weeks after the Pomona Police Department's rank and file gathered at a beer-distribution company on the city's gritty south side and approved a labor contract that further slashed its budget, the Pomona City Council dropped its threat to dissolve the century-old department and contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The successive moves by the Pomona Police Officers Association, which voted 117 to 18 to cut its budget from $45 million to $37 million, and the City Council, which then voted 7 to 0 to drop the Sheriff's Department from consideration, pulled this battered city back from what promised to be a civic war over the fate of the police force. The Pomona City Council was raiding its financial reserves even during the so-called "good years" of the chimerical housing bubble, spending more than $11 million in emergency money from 2004 to 2008, leaving the city with less than $2 million in its reserve today against general-fund obligations of almost $80 million. The pain has been mostly shared across city departments, with one glaring exception: the Los Angeles County Fire Department in Pomona, which has seen its budget rise over the last three years, from $22.7 million to $23.2 million. In contrast, the Pomona Police Department had its budget hacked, from $49.5 million in 2008 to just more than $37 million this year. That disparity has caused the police to allege that the county fire department, with which Pomona has contracted since the mid-1990s for fire services, has either charmed or intimidated the council into submission — or both.
LOS ANGELES - City and Fire Department officials face opposition from organized labor and some City Council members over a proposal to contract out billing and collections for the Los Angeles Fire Department's emergency medical services. The proposed outsourcing of collections is bundled with a popular initiative to move to electronic collection of medical data by the Fire Department's emergency medical services unit. The proposal would give paramedics hand-held tablet computers on which they would input patient medical information at the scene of an emergency, eliminating the current system of hand-printed forms that department staff called cumbersome and prone to transcription errors. The computers would allow Fire Department personnel to check hospital bed availability and transmit information about a patient's condition to hospital staff electronically, as well as store billing information. The two-part proposal includes a $10-million, six-year contract with Scanhealth Inc., better known as Sansio, for the computer system. Under a separate six-year contract, the city would pay Advanced Data Processing Inc. up to 5.5% of net collections revenue to handle billing and collections. The city projected a net revenue increase of about $11 million over six years under the plan. The Fire Department billed $151 million for emergency medical services in the 2009 fiscal year but collected only $58 million. The outsourcing of collections would eliminate 49 clerical positions in the Emergency Medical Services unit, although city officials said the staff would be transferred to vacant positions in the Fire Department rather than being laid off. The unit has struggled to collect fees for ambulance rides and other emergency services. An audit released two weeks ago by City Controller Wendy Greuel - on the same day the city laid off more than 200 employees - showed that the city collected only 53% of its bills in the 2009 fiscal year, amounting to an annual loss of $260 million. Emergency Medical Services fared worse, collecting 38% of the money owed. The digitizing of medical records would help bring the city into compliance with the federal government's goal of creating electronic health records for all Americans by 2014.
PASADENA - Two months after being passed over for the top job in the Pasadena Police Department, Deputy Chief Chris Vicino announced Thursday he'll retire from the department to take a job as assistant chief in Riverside. The 25-year veteran of law enforcement is scheduled to start there at the beginning of September. The Riverside department serves 350,000 residents and has more than 400 sworn police officers and 200 civilian employees. It patrols a geographical area that spans 80 square miles. Vicino worked his way up through the ranks while serving in virtually every division in the Pasadena department. He was hired as a police officer in 1985 and was promoted six times before Melekian appointed him deputy chief in 2006.
UPDATED : August 14, 2010
REDONDO BEACH - A potential civil lawsuit claiming possible lead exposure from a Redondo Beach police firing range is gaining momentum as more plaintiffs are jumping on board the possible multi-million dollar suit. The city is no stranger to controversy involving the 63-year-old firing range, which is located in the city’s Parks and Recreation maintenance yard on the north side of Beryl Street, bordered to the north and west by Dominguez Park and south by Towers Elementary School in Torrance. In a July 30, 2008, report, the Department of Toxic Substances Control alleged the Police Department violated state codes after hundreds of bullet fragments from its firing range were reportedly found in the surrounding neighborhood and school. According to some of the findings in the report, DTSC scientists found fragments on rooftops of various buildings including kindergarten classrooms and seven fragments in a sand play area of Dominguez Park. Some residents have stated they are not happy with the City Council’s response to their concerns about lead exposure.
UPDATED : August 5, 2010
EL SEGUNDO - In a couple of weeks the El Segundo City Council will make a multimillion-dollar decision - whether to move from an independently operated fire department to one operated by the Los Angeles County Fire District. In the meantime, the council would like to hear from residents. For the last several weeks, the city has posted an agenda item advertising the city’s possible plan to transition from its own city fire department to one that works with the LACoFD. However, residents haven’t had much to say. With just two meetings left before the decision is made, the City Council would like to know how residents feel about saying goodbye to their department for the next 10 years. Talks of the transition started in December when the city realized it would be facing an $8 million deficit in the 2010-11 fiscal year. Because emergency services consumes a large chunk of the city’s expenditures, city staff began exploring ways to stave off serious debt. First and foremost what it will mean to the city is a cost savings of about $5.5 million. The price tag of El Segundo’s Fire Department is $15.7 million. However, under Los Angeles County, the price would drop 50 percent to $10.2 million. However, according to LACoFD Chief Michael Freeman, safety doesn’t come at the expense of saving money. In a letter written by Freeman to El Segundo Fire Chief Kevin Smith, Freeman indicated that the city’s fire safety needs could adequately be taken care of with 50 percent less than the number of staff it currently works with. This cutback would result in a 12-person full-time department rather than the current 19 full-time staff it has now. According to the feasibility study posted on El Segundo’s Web site, the county suggests that the district would staff Fire Station No. 1 with a three-person paramedic assessment engine and a two-person paramedic squad, and Fire Station No. 2 with a three-person paramedic assessment engine and a four-person truck apparatus. The minimum term of an annexation agreement between El Segundo and LACoFD would be 10 years. Because the department would be taken over by L.A. County it would also be responsible for helping other neighboring L.A. County-run departments such as Hawthorne, Lennox and Del Aire. According to the report, these cities would benefit from the proximity of Fire Station No. 2. In addition, because truck companies’ jurisdictions cover a larger area than the first-in engine, the truck assigned to City Station No. 2 would significantly enhance the level of truck service available. Also, according to the report, as a result of the partnering departments, response times in El Segundo would be equal to or better than the existing response times, since some areas of the city may be closer to a neighboring fire station.
UPDATED : July 12, 2010
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Police Department will have about 300 video cameras in its patrol cars by the end of summer after years of delay in adopting the technology. The cameras will be installed in cars patrolling the department's South Bureau, which encompasses many of the city's grittier neighborhoods. It's been nearly four years since the City Council approved $5 million for the first set of cameras that will be installed over the next few months. Some observers say the cameras will help hold the department more accountable and could clear officers of unfounded allegations such as racial profiling. Officials say it would cost about $25 million to have all of the department's 1,600 cars equipped with cameras.
ARCADIA - The Arcadia Police Department has become the latest West San Gabriel Valley law enforcement agency to begin posting information about crimes in online maps. The department has now teamed up with the website CrimeMapping.com to provide residents with timely information about crime in their community. Incidents generally appear on the website one day after they occur. The Arcadia Police Department is the fifth area law enforcement agency to team up with this service. The Pasadena and San Gabriel Police Departments also post information on CrimeMapping.com, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department as well as the Sierra Madre Police Department partner with a similar website called CrimeReports.com. San Marino and South Pasadena police provide their own crime maps on their department websites, though the statistics may be more than a month old.
UPDATED : July 9, 2010
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - Fire Camp 9, located in the mountains above Santa Clarita, celebrated a 40-year anniversary celebration on June 26 in which some 300-400 people attended to enjoy a tri-tip steak barbeque meal and talk about the valued history of the camp. Back in 1970, the land making up current-day Camp 9 was a dilapidated military base. Department leaders, recognizing the value of helicopters to deliver firefighters to wildland fires on initial attack, purchased the land from the federal government and converted it into the headquarters of our helicopter fly crew program, making our Department the first such agency in the nation to use helicopters to deliver firefighters to wildland fires on initial attack. Today, the crews at Camp 9 are made up of 25 Fire Suppression Aides, three Foremen, and current Superintendant Jon Meramble. Over 200 FCL/FSA’s from Camp 9 have proudly moved on in the fire service to many different fire departments across the western states.
REDONDO BEACH - After continuing negotiations over the past two weeks, the Police Officers Association and Redondo Beach city officials came to a tentative agreement Tuesday that will potentially save six police officers’ jobs. The concessions, that still have to be approved by members of the POA, include a 6-percent pay cut. The Redondo Beach City Council approved a $99 million balanced budget that bridged a $7.2 million shortfall at its June 22 meeting. The budget was balanced through $3.7 million in cuts and another $3.5 million in concessions from the Teamsters to firefighters to city employees. The only group that had not reached an agreement with the city was the POA. Without the agreement with the POA, layoffs at the Police Department were going to be approved by the City Council at Tuesday’s meeting. Though City Manager Bill Workman appeared confident the POA members will approve the agreement, if not, the City Council could come back at its July 20 meeting and approve the layoffs if an agreement is not reached.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - The LACoFD Fleet Services Division has just completed its final inspection of the first of 15 new pumpers manufactured for the Department by Kovatch Mobile Equipment (KME) at the company’s plant in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania. The final inspections of the engines are part of a series of inspections conducted throughout the term of the manufacturing contract. While the first set of inspections focused on making sure that components met Department specifications, the recent set were conducted to test the capacities of the pump and engine. The pumpers feature clean idle, fuel efficient diesel engines, a 250-GPM booster pump for improved pump and roll performance, conductivity-based foam systems that are accurate from 10 to 1,000-GPM and off-highway-rated rear air suspensions. The engines also have 70-gallon fuel capacities, which are a 20-gallon increase from previous units. They are equipped with a full L.E.D. emergency lighting system, and an innovative hose bed cover designed by LACoFD, which has caught the interest of other agencies and has begun to be specified by them. The new design mitigates potential lifting injuries and damage related to high winds or striking objects if the housing is mistakenly left open. The first pumper will go into service by early October and the remainder will be delivered within six-to-eight-months of the first delivery. Three of the 15 pumpers purchased are new apparatus for the opening of Fire Stations 93, 108 and 136, which are currently operating using reserve apparatus.
UPDATED : July 1, 2010
MAYWOOD - Instead of declaring bankruptcy, Maywood officials decided to outsource all city functions starting July 1. Maywood's carrier, the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, dropped it earlier this month in part because of several police-related claims. The city can't have any staff because it can't get liability or worker's compensation insurance for them. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will patrol the streets, while the neighboring city of Bell will cover other city functions, such as staffing City Hall. Maywood already relies on contract workers and outsources many city services. The director of parks and recreation, for instance, is a contractor, and the city's lights, landscaping and street sweeping are handled by private companies. Los Angeles County maintains the library and fire department. Some of Maywood's 96 employees -- which include 41 police officers -- will also continue as contract workers. Elected officials, such as the city council and the city clerk, will remain on the job in the 1.5-square-mile municipality, which has about 45,000 residents. Maywood is billing itself as the first American city to outsource all of its city services. In an odd twist, officials say it can provide even better services because the shift will help it save money and close a $450,000 shortfall in its $10 million general fund budget. For instance, the contract with the sheriff's department costs about half of the more than $7 million spent annually to maintain the Maywood police department.
PASADENA - Firefighters' response times could increase with the suspension of a four-person ladder company taken out of service as part of the city's spending cuts. The ladder company based at Fire Station 32, has been taken out of service for the remainder of this month and for at least 160 days of the fiscal year that begins July 1. Pasadena Fire Department Chief Dennis Downs said the suspension will likely increase response times to some emergencies, particularly on the eastern side of the city. The suspension will save the city $125,000 for the remainder of the current fiscal year, and $725,000 in fiscal year 2011. However, he said the city's insurer has told the department that it ideally should have three ladder companies in service to handle emergencies. The Fire Department savings will come from not having to pay four firefighters to staff the ladder company, which is usually staffed by firefighters working beyond their regular shifts. No firefighters were laid off. On Red Flag fire warning days, or days where there is a flood risk, the city will likely put the ladder company back into service.
PASADENA - Santa Monica Deputy Police Chief Phil Sanchez was officially announced as Pasadena's next police chief. The 53-year-old Sanchez lives in Fullerton and has worked for the Santa Monica Police Department his entire career. He will start work in Pasadena on July 11. Sanchez served in a number of divisions within the Santa Monica Police Department, developing its Special Entry Team, the city's version of SWAT. He also worked in the department's internal affairs office. Sanchez graduated in 2009 from the Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security with a master's degree in security studies. We wrote and published several articles on the use of deadly force and how it affects policeofficers. Sanchez has been an adjunct instructor at the Orange County Sheriff's Academy for nearly 10 years. He has twice been awarded the Santa Monica department's Medal of Courage for heroic actions during tactical operations.
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