Coffee with the Chief May 2016

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A nice group of community residents came out on a gloomy morning  to hear the latest from Rialto Police Department. Lt Smith stood in for Chief Deanda who was at a meeting honoring one of Rialto Police finest.

Lt Smith spoke about the changes in the uniforms

Lt Smith spoke about technology and training. One training peice is a interrogration training 95 people have attended various trainings. The Chief is looking to increase the amount of money the city allocates to the Police to make sure that Rialto Officers are highly trained. Training in Dispatch has also been developed and more Dispatchers have been hired and trained.

New vehicle tech like innovative bars for the new fleet of SUV’s will help make sure PIT manuvers will be done safely. New generation of camera is coming out and Rialto Police is phasing in the new tech and holds lifetime warranty on camera placement.

Legalization of Marijuana has made it nessicary for more training on being able to decifer if somone is under the influence of marijuana while driving for Rialto Traffic and Patrol officers. This is one of the many consequences of allowing Marijuana Use under the idea that Marijuana is medicine.

Bike team has been reinstated and will be working at the scools to help with traffic and safety. They also went through a training on how to safely use their firearm when on the police bike. Lt. Smith said that because these officers are more exposed by the type of vehicle they are using the need for the officers to be able to remain safe is vital.

Lt Smith praised Sgt Nelson on his work in the traffice department. Sgt Nelson spoke about the addition of two motor officers that will help with the added truck traffic due to the mass influx of truckers that are not obeying the laws of the road. Lt Smith said that truckers are following onboard GPS rather than posted truck routes. This is very interesting because Mayor Robertson promised that her warehouses would make sure that truckers obeyed the truck routes.


Lt Smith spoke about two armed robberies that went down within 15 minutes of each other. What was awesome was both suspects were aprehended and a stolen gun was taken off the streets.

Lt Smith spoke about using data to effect change in crime trends and having officers cross trained to help effect more crime outside of their assigned areas.

We also heard from the Narcotics team and they told us that Marijuana is becoming a bigger problem for Rialto Youth. Rialto youth are using Marijuana more than Tobacco and Alcohol. Rialto has an ordanance that bans medical Marijuana shops within the city of Rialto. Shutting them down is not as easy as going in and closing the doors. The Narcotics team must be able to prove that sales are going on within the shop. They also have to maintian the products seizied or the city could be liable for the value of the products seizied if the case is not won by the county.

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Rialto Public Safety Resources Coming Under Attack

December 1, 2015 I'd like to give a big shout out to Mike Hayes from the city of Rialto for restoring our lights back of the canine training yard. Thank you Mike and team!

December 1, 2015
I’d like to give a big shout out to Mike Hayes from the city of Rialto for restoring our lights back of the canine training yard.
Thank you Mike and team!

The photo above was taken from the Freind’s of Rialto Police K9 Facebook page. The team said let there be light and apparently the city made it so. So why now are the lights gone and people from the program upset over recent actions?

Rumors began swirling last week that Rialto Public Safety agency has been targeted by a select number of city council members over a vendetta from a very tense vote over what events should be labeled city events and have access to the Tax Payer General Fund Account.

Late last week we were made aware of the action to shut down the Freinds of Rialto K9 training yard. Apparently a couple of people who sit on our collective city council including the mayor were upset that the mayors efforts to cover her tracks in causing $10,000 to be lost from the Tax Payer funded General Fund in connection to the Mayors State of the Woman event. The details are not clear at this point but we do know that the K9 Training Yard operated by the 501c3 Non Profit Freinds of the Rialto Police K9 program has been red tagged and lights, training boxes and demo car have all been removed without a valid reason from the City of Rialto. According to reports we have received the City Leaders and the Chief of Police are experiencing some memory loss because they claim to have no prior knowledge of the improvements to the K9 training yard. What is funny is the Rialto K9 Friends Association was recognizied for the efforts that Eagle Scouts Tyler James and Trevor Benson made to bring shaded seating and lights to the Freinds of Rialto Police K9 training yard.

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As you can see is the efforts of the work on the K9 training were part of a public meeting of our city council so why are they playing dumb? The efforts to upgrade the training area were so open knowledge that the department gave out awards to tyler the youth involved in rasing the funds recived and the award was covered in the Rialto Record Newspaper.

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We spoke to Cheif Deanda today and he gave us his word that this effort with the K9 training Yard was not politically connected in any way. He also said that his abilities to speak freely were constricted by the ongoing investigation. What exactally is being investigated was not made clear but Cheif Deanda told us that once the investigation was over things would be made available.

Keep checking back as we will update the story as information comes in.

First round of Rialto Police Area Command meetings for 2016 review

So 2016 is underway and with that comes the first round of Area Command meetings held by the Rialto Police department. With recent retirements and promotions the program has gone through some major changes. Normally change would be bad but these changes have moved key people into great leadership roles. The Area Command program is now anchored once again by to great and passionate leaders in Lt. Kurkusky in the south and newly promoted Lt. Smith in the north.

We missed the first Area Command Meeting on the south end but covered the Area Command meeting in the north and since they share the same info this is a great breakdown of what happened.

Over 50 residents filled up an assembly room at the Sunrise church on north Riverside Ave. The program began with newly promoted Lt. Smith introducing himself.

After Lt. Smith’s introduction he had officer Wilson come up and talk about the Operation Lifesaver Program. Though the programs ideas sound good some are leary of it. One reason that people are leary of this program is the fact that we’re tracking people and creating a regular access point into someone’s home (“to change the battery”). Second is the style of equipment used it’s very old tech and reminds us of what was innovative back in the 80’s. Finally getting grants are good but with every grant comes a long list of rules you must follow and some out there don’t trust Washington at all.

Next up was Cpl. Marquez who had the original task of overseeing the Rialto Reentry Program but now has a long list of other programs that have been added to his plate. The Reentry program is the first thing Cpl. Marquez spoke about:

Next Cpl. Marquez spoke about the next program that he oversees which is the Crime Free Multi Housing Program. This is a program that is aimed at keeping multi housing projects safe:

Next Cpl. Marquez spoke about the Nixle Program a program where you can get direct information from the police department. He also goes over the Text to Tip portion of the program.

Next Cpl. Marquez talks about the Homeless Outreach program and explains what him team will do in this program.

Next up Councilman O’Connell goes over his first quarter Rialto Rap Up. This is where he talks about what is important to the community and he makes himself available to questions from the community. Here is a copy of the Press Release he is reading from:

Shawn PR 2016

Officer Anderson was next up to talk to the community about the Inland Regional Center Terrorist Attack in San Bernardino. Officer Anderson is a longtime SWAT Officer and former K9 Handler. He and his team were in the main fight when the two ISIS Terrorists were shot and killed.

Rialto Fire on scene at the San Bernardino Terrorist Attack.

Officer Anderson also talks about the Foundation that makes the Rialto Police K9 program possible The Friends Of Rialto Police K9 he invites the community to interact with the K9 program through their Facebook Page.

Next the Terrorism Detective from Rialto Police gave us a terrorism threat assessment training of some sort that was a little confusing. We have heard this Detective give presentations before and they seemed to flow better. The title of the powerpoint and a lot of the information that was given didn’t seem to match up.

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Your 2016 Update On The City Care Of Councilman Shawn O’Connell

Councilman Shawn O’Connell continues his track record of meeting all of his campaign promises and keeping the community informed with his 2016 Rialto Year Update. Councilman O’Connell is the only elected official to who not only worked diligently to make good on what he said on his first run on the good ole campaign trail, he has done everything he promised with a year to spare in his political career.

To top it off Councilman O’Connell one of Rialto’s most influential people in Rialto in 2015 has just released his yearly update for 2016 which you can see below is an update of what is vital to residents, what has been done and what is coming up. Councilman O’Connell normally releases these Press Releases before each area command meeting as a way to give the community an honest and unbiased look at what is vital to the community.

Shawn PR 2016So as we said Councilman O’Connell releases these Press Releases before each Area Command meeting series and tonight kicks off the first Area Command for the South Part of the city.  They will be discussing things to consider during an “Active Shooter” incident. Several Rialto Police Department SWAT officers who responded to the Inland Regional Center incident in San Bernardino will be in attendance and provide insight on their experiences that day.

Join Rialto PD and Various City Department heads this week to get your information for 2016.

Area Command 2016

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Register Today for the Rialto Police Memorial 5K/3K Run & Save Money

Sign up before January 1st and register for only $35 (plus racewire fee). After January 1st the cost goes up to $40 (plus racewire fee).

Rialto Police Officer Remembrance Day The City of Rialto has declared that January 31st of each year will be “Rialto Police Officer Remembrance Day” to honor those Rialto Police Officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Members of the Rialto Police Department and the Rialto Police Benefit Association are working toward building a permanent memorial to these officers.

On January 30, 2016, we are holding our second annual Memorial 5K & 3K Run/Walk Fundraiser. The monies from this run will help fund the memorial and future Remembrance Day events. Join us on Saturday, January 30, 2016 to partake in this wonderful event. An awards ceremony and festivities will take place after the race.

Location: Ferguson Park, 2395 Sunrise Drive, Rialto, CA Sign-up begins at 6:30 a.m. Race starts at 8:00 a.m. Follow the link to register.

RaceWire Timing has graciously provided Chip-Timed Technology for our event. All paid participants will receive a Finisher Medal and a “Swag Bag.” Medals will be given to Top-Three Finishing Males and Top-Three Finishing Females in the following divisions: Ages 14 & Under, Ages 15 through 54, and Ages 55 and Over. Trophies will be given to the Top-Three Finishing Teams.

If you are unable to run/walk or form a a team for the run/walk, please consider making a donation to help sponsor a participant and/or a team.

Let’s Talk Community Radio Show Will Have Guest Cpl Marquez On The Radio

Cpl Marquez

David Phillips will sit down with one of Rialto’s finest public safety officers and we learn how to be safe this holiday season and other great things in store for the Community of Rialto. Listen to the show and find out all the upcoming news, retirements and new promotions. Also hear about what Rialto Police added to the Terrorist attack on San Bernardino last week.

Watch live at www.kcaaradio.com or listen at AM 1050 or FM 106.3 or FM 106.5

Like the Facebook page for the video podcast and other updates on what is going on in the Inland Empire https://www.facebook.com/inlandcommunity/

San Bernardino Terrorist Attacks & The Rialto Connection

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Were sure you have heard by now that the former county health inspector turned radical terrorist effected the fine city of Rialto and also left his mark on the community. By now you have also heard the scare tactics being spread throughout social media. These tactics are not linked to any fact and have opened the door to sick people using peoples fear to feed their sick minds. As we have stated many times in the last 6 years Rialto is in a unique position to feel safe and know that our public safety officials are more than equal to the task of keeping us safe.

What these terrorist attacks have also shown us is that terror does not play by our set rules of engagement. We also saw that seeing something that doesn’t look right and not reporting it because we didn’t want to sound racist can cost lives. The mantra of SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING is not just a catchy phrase it is a call to let the authorities know if something doesn’t look right. Neighbors and other people in Redlands saw activity that didn’t look right for MONTHS and said nothing. It is beyond comprehension to know we could have saved 14 lives and kept 21 people from being injured if someone had made a phone call.

We cannot change the past but it is beyond vital that we learn from it. Our all time favorite quote is  “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” by George Santayana. If we cannot learn from our past we will keep making the same mistakes. St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Coffee Nutzz and Carter High School are just a few of the locations that the county health inspector turned radical terrorist had some type of ties. Probably the most chilling tie were the photos found in the terrorists possession of Carter High School. Luckily our public safety officials were equal to the task to see that our schools were safe.

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So we need to show our public safety officials that we will not remain silent. We need to share information that they need to keep us safe. One great way yo do that is Area Command Meetings see the flyer below:

Area Command 2016

Rialto Police Department Experiences Highs and Lows This Week

Photo that rialto Police Placed on their Facebook Page to announce the passing of K9 from Rialto PD

Photo that rialto Police Placed on their Facebook Page to announce the passing of K9 from Rialto PD

With K9 programs that offer Canine Officers that are skilled in tracking and stopping dangerous criminals as well as locating drugs and firearms on a downward trend in the Inland Empire it is vital that the agencies that still use this very successful program be given kudos for the work they do. If the City of Rialto would have outsourced police operations to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department all those years ago Rialto would not have a lot of what we now have but most notably for this story there would not be a K9 program. The sheriff’s department disbanded their K9 program except for bloodhounds that work search and rescue which is a great service but when your looking for an armed suspect nothing compares to a German Shepard or Belgian Malanois that has pure speed and strength to subdue the ugliest of bad guys. These dogs also provide a great benefit of locating drugs and weapons from bad guys. The last time we spoke to Officer Anderson he told us that the K9 officers in Rialto get called all over Southern California to assist other agencies when a K9 Dog is required and what is cool about that is Rialto gets to bill that agency for the cost of sending that officer to the given call.

iecn photo/yazmin alvarez Rialto Police Departments Glen Anderson watches on as his K-9, Gilley, enjoys taking a bite out of Redlands Police Chief Mark Garcia during a fundraiser Aug. 30.

iecn photo/yazmin alvarez Rialto Police Departments Glen Anderson watches on as his K-9, Gilley, enjoys taking a bite out of Redlands Police Chief Mark Garcia during a fundraiser Aug. 30.

All of the K9 Police Handlers are great guys but Officer Anderson stood out to me as one of those special Officers that was a great representation of the K9 program and the Department as a whole. So when I opened up my Facebook and saw the message below I was sad to see the passing of a great Canine member of Rialto Police Department:

Today, as a Department and as a community we mourn the loss of our K-9, Gilley. Gilley was a Belgian Malanois who served along side his partner and best friend, Officer Glen Anderson, together they kept the citizens of Rialto safe. Gilley served our community, and all of his law enforcement partners for eight outstanding years. Gilley served as a Patrol, Narcotics and SWAT Canine. His impressive eight year stats are as follows: Gilley located and recovered over 108 pounds of methamphetamine, 380 pounds of marijuana, 131 pounds of cocaine, 51 pounds of heroin and seized over $2 million dollars in cash. Additionally, Gilley saved the department countless man hours during searches for suspects and evidence. Gilley will truly be missed by us all.

**** Update ****

K9 Gilley was injured during a swat operation and when he was taken to the vet it was found that Gilley had a tumor on his heart which was causing fluid to collect around his organs which led to his death according to Captain Randy Deanda at the November 10th city council meeting.

**** Update *****

iecn photo/yazmin alvarez Chewy, Rialto Police Departments Narcotics Unit K-9, enjoys a few belly rubs from children.

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Chewy, Rialto Police Departments Narcotics Unit K-9, enjoys a few belly rubs from children.

Last time we talked to Officer Anderson he told us that Gilley was on the older side of life and that his work days were almost to an end. So even though we knew he wouldn’t be here forever it makes us sad to see the time come at all. We will truly miss Gilley but now its time to help the foundation that makes our K9 program possible The Friend’s of Rialto K9 is a foundation that makes Rialto’s K9 program and you can help by donating to help because this will be the second dog they would had to have replaced in the last 12 months.

On a positive note our most recent K9 Officer/Canine team that have just been together as of July of 2015 won a 2nd place award at this last weekends K9 event hosted by Riverside Sheriffs department. Dane Stordahl & K9 Bunker were awarded 2nd place award for ‘article search’ during Saturday’s (11/07/15) Riverside Sheriffs K9 trial. In a statement released by Councilman Shawn O’Connell he gave praise to the Officer/K9 team:

It is amazing when you consider 61 dogs participated and you’ve only been partnered with Bunker since July 2015. On behalf of the City of Rialto, I appreciate the hard work and dedication you have shown this department and our city. The Rialto Police Department family should be very proud.

Adult Marijuana Use Attributed To A Rise In Youth Use

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Below is a message from the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy to local prevention providers. This data and reports further confirm what prevention providers have been warning ever since the lie of Medical Marijuana began to take shape youth use is on the way up. One area where prevention providers have been looking to get to is kids in Elementary and they have been getting resistance due to the thought that these kids are to young to be involved in drug use. This study show a major increase in drug use among youth 12 and older meaning kids in 6th grade are being introduced to drugs.

Another thing that the data shows is a driving force behind an increase in youth use is the widespread use in adults. This matches what the Rialto Community Coalition found in February during their Strategic Planning Session was that one of the biggest reasons youth use drugs especially Marijuana is because  of the lax attitude from adults. The investigative reports from David Goldstein on medical marijuana dispensary’s acting as a hub to get Marijuana to youth should be an eye opening period for parents.

We need to support local organizations that are taking this issue seriously and local candidates that value youth health over money from the Pro Drug Legalization Lobby. On of these organizations is the Rialto Community Coalition that meets the first Tuesday of the month from 6-7:30pm at Fire Station 202 at 1700 North Riverside Ave. Another group working locally and more regionally is Inland Empire Youth 4 Today a local network of prevention providers and business owners looking for innovative ways to engage and grow tomorrows leaders.

Today, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) released the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) report which shows progress in reducing some forms of substance use – especially among adolescents.  Substance use levels in many areas, however have remained relatively constant.

SAMHSA issued the 2014 NSDUH report on mental and substance use disorders as part of the kick off for the 26th annual observance of National Recovery Month.  Recovery Month broadens public awareness to the fact that behavioral health is essential to health, prevention works, treatment for substance use and mental disorders is effective, and people can and do recover from these disorders.

With regard to substance use, the report found some areas of progress, particularly among adolescents.  For example, the percentage of adolescents aged 12 to 17 who were current (past month) tobacco users declined by roughly half from 15.2 percent in 2002 to 7.0 percent in 2014. Similarly, the level of adolescents engaged in past month illegal alcohol use dropped from 17.6 percent to 11.5 percent over the same period.  The level of current nonmedical users of prescription pain relievers decreased from 3.2 percent in 2002 to 1.9 percent in 2014 among adolescents aged 12 to 17.

Marijuana continues to be the most commonly used illicit drug. In 2014, roughly 8.4 percent of Americans age 12 and older were current users of marijuana – up from 7.5 percent in 2013. Marijuana use is especially growing among those aged 26 and older – from 5.6 percent in 2013 to 6.6 percent in 2014.  The percentage of adolescents who were current marijuana users in 2014 (7.4 percent) was similar to recent years.

Although the survey shows nonmedical pain reliever use continues to be the second most common type of illicit drug use, the percentage of people aged 12 or older in 2014 who were current nonmedical users of pain relievers (1.6 percent) was lower than in most years since 2002, and about the same as in 2013.  However, current heroin use increased from 0.1 percent of the population age 12 and older in 2013 to 0.2 in 2014.

Overall, the use of illicit drugs – including marijuana – among Americans aged 12 and older increased from 9.4 percent in 2013 to 10.2 percent in 2014. This was driven particularly by the increase in adult marijuana use.

The data released today show some signs of progress, including lower levels of nonmedical prescription drug use and teen alcohol and tobacco use; however, we still have significant challenges to address.  We know that evidence-based prevention efforts are the most effective way to reduce drug use and to support the roughly 90 percent of American youth who do not use illicit drugs.

This Administration will continue to expand community-based efforts to prevent drug use, pursue ‘smart on crime’ approaches to drug enforcement, increase access to treatment, work to reduce overdose deaths, and support the millions of Americans in recovery.

Sincerely,

Michael P. Botticelli, Director
Office of National Drug Control Policy

National Night Out in Rialto & the Inland Empire

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Well if you were unaware National Night Out the nationwide event to snuff out crime and to foster positive relationships between the community and Law Enforcement was on August 4th. Many cities locally took part in this years event but not as many as years past.

Rialto, Fontana, Grand Terrace, & San Bernardino all had National Night Out festival events this year. Cities like Riverside & Upland encouraged their communities to hold individual block parties and public safety personnel traveled from event to event.

On the large festival side Rialto came out as a top performer with the amount of items offered all in one area. Two of the biggest draws every year are the rides in police cars (no handcuffs required) and the Gourmet Food Trucks secured by Market Solution Services.

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Probably the best music all night was the live music preformed by All Star National Anthem Performer Alexa Capelli who not only sang the National Anthem see it here but also preformed some awesome music for the crowd (see her performances on our Youtube Channel). Once she began to sing the crowd came up to the stage Leslie Parks of Rialto said “I have never heard such a powerful voice in my life” and little Stephanie Ramirez age 8 said “one day I want to be as pretty as her and sing just like her”.

Rialto NNO-59

 

Other awesome live performers brought by Lil Saint Productions were Elizabeth R Estrella and Christian Rapper Carl Fontaine. Rialto Police appear to spare no expense in putting this event together. We heard that the planning meeting was a all hands on deck type of feel.

Close on Rialto’s heels was the Lydo Apartments & ATAP After School Program that held the only large National Night Out program in San Bernardino August 4th. The San Bernardino program offered a lot of what Rialto offered and promised to step it up and put San Bernardino on the map.

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Other large events were in Grand Terrace, Montclair and Fontana. Fontana held their event at Fontana Park in the area known as Summit. They had vendors, food and Mc Gruff the Crime Dog. Kids got to get there face painted and take pictures with police officer and many different vehicles. See a great photo from Edward Ornelas below.

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Held on August 8th was the National Night Out event in Perris Ca. Perris Mayor Daryl Busch said residents will gain a new appreciation for law enforcement and public safety at National Night Out.

“It is a great, and I want to emphasize great, outreach effort on the part of our public safety folks to show all the varied aspects of their jobs,” Busch said. “Most people only see police on motorcycles or in patrol cars, but this event provide the chance to view the full spectrum of services they provide to our community.”

Perris officials we’re on hand to accept a plaque for their continuing support of law enforcement and public safety. The day’s activities included static displays, food and drink vendors, as well as games and jumpers for children. Taken from http://www.cityofperris.org/news/2015_stories/08-04-15_national-night-out.html

There were cities that went with the smaller block parties but Riverside had over 20 block parties going on all over the city. Upland also went the block party route and Councilwoman Carol Timm posted on Facebook pictures of her and public safety officials going from block party to block party.

Some remarked that it is vital that Upland gets in and around the community as the Pro Drug Lobby is currently working to attack the Ordnance that Upland has to ban Medical Marijuana shops in the city of Upland.

No matter what city your in one thing is true we need to stop fighting our Public Safety officers and we need to collaborate together to help make everyone’s life more enjoyable.

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