From: Chris Magnus
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 5:17:41 PM
Greetings,

Here are some highlights of recent Police Department activity.  As you can see, I started this summary at the end of February, had to stop to deal with some other issues, and resumed today—covering a few days in March.   As always, I can only touch on a small number of the incidents and calls for service our personnel are involved with, but I think it gives you a good sense of the kind of activity that’s going on.  Great initiative and high quality work by an excellent cross-section of RPD personnel!

There will be a special study session during the March 23rd City Council Meeting when the Police Department will be providing an update and overview on our efforts to address and reduce violent crime.  I look forward to seeing many of you then.

Chief Magnus

1. Sunday, March 7, 2010, 12:47 a.m., 400 block of 6th St.—[This is a good example of how even though ShotSpotter doesn’t guarantee suspects will always be apprehended, it defiantly makes it harder for criminals using firearms not to draw immediate police attention!]
2.             The department received a ShotSpotter alert in the 400 block of 8th St. which came in as multiple gunshots.  Central District Officers immediately began advising communications that they heard gunshots in the area of 7th and Pennsylvania.
3.             Officer Macrenato was at 7th and Pennsylvania when he observed a possible suspect vehicle travelling northbound on 7th from Pennsylvania.  A short pursuit ensued and ended less than two miles away at 2nd and Grove.  Officer Macrenato and Officer Sanchez observed the driver and front seat passenger run from the vehicle.  Both suspects were armed with handguns and ran into the surrounding area.  The Nissan was had not been placed in park and rolled into two parked vehicles causing minor damage.
4.             A K9 search was initiated.  Sergeant Ney and a team of officers conducted an extensive search, but the suspects were not located.  The suspect vehicle was reported stolen from Pittsburg.    The investigation revealed several shots had been fired near the parking lot of 400 6th Street.  No victims came forward but there was information that a group of people had been in the parking lot at the time of the shooting. A parked vehicle had been damaged by gunfire and several 9m shell casings were recovered.  The Nissan was recovered from 2nd and Grove.  An extended 9mm magazine was recovered from the Nissan.
5.             The driver was described as a BM, 18 to 20 years, 5’8”, wearing a red shirt and jeans.  He was armed with a semi-automatic handgun.  The passenger was described as a BM, 18-20 years, 5’8” white t-shirt and jeans. Officer Sanchez completed the collision report and Sergeant Ney completed the administrative memorandum regarding the pursuit.

 

1. Friday, March 5, 2010, 11:00 a.m., 700 block of 23rd St.—Sgt. Ney was on patrol in the area of 23rd and Burbeck when he heard several shots being fired. At  the same time, there was a ShotSpotter alert at 727 23rd St. for multiple gunshots.  Sgt. Ney immediately located a victim on 23rd St.  Sgt. Ney then saw the 18 year-old suspect run northbound while holding a handgun.
2.             Sgt. Ney  broadcasted his observations and began organizing a perimeter.  Several units responded to assist at the scene.  The victim, 25 years of age, fled into a local business a few doors down from the scene.  Several officers responded to assist with this incident.   Sgt. Ney and Sgt. Jenkins coordinated the search while Sgt. coordinated the scene.
3.             The suspect was eventually located at the rear of a business close to the scene with the assistance Officer Mandell and his K9, Rasp.  The suspect was taken into custody without incident.  K9 Rasp also found the firearm near the rear of 712 22nd St.  Det. Reina, who had responded to assist, located a 15 year old juvenile in the area who was also arrested. The victim was taken to a local medical facility. 
4.             This was a well coordinated operation between multiple sections of the department who responded to assist, including Team 5, Traffic, Investigations, the Special Investigations Division, the SROs, Cadets, Parking Enforcement, and the CHP.  This joint effort ultimately led to the arrest of a suspect who was eventually booked for attempted murder. 
5.  
6. Friday, March 5, 2010-- Sergeant Monahan and other Special Investigations Division (SID) personnel conducted several parolee compliance checks.  Byron Fairbanks and Andre Grant were both arrested for parole violations.  The unit also recovered four firearms during the checks.
7.  

ILLEGAL SIGNS ABATEMENT UPDATE:  Code Enforcement and Abatement staff conducted illegal sign sweeps on March 3, 5 & 6.  As a result of this effort 247 signs were removed.  Some signs could not be removed because they were placed too high for the crew to safely reach.  The assignment for removing these signs has been turned over to Public Works personnel who have agreed to remove them.  Code Enforcement will continue to conduct coordinated illegal sign sweeps on a monthly basis.

• Sunday, March 7, 2010, 10:10 p.m., 431 22nd St.--Officers Anderson and Nelson attempted to detain an individual for Possession of Alcohol.  As they approached him on foot, the suspect tossed a clear plastic bag toward an adjacent driveway.  The officers contacted the suspect and he admitted to being in possession of Marijuana.  Officer Nelson then searched the area and located a clear plastic tie-knot bag, containing several individually packaged baggies each containing an off-white chunky substance (consistent with cocaine base).  The 32 year-old suspect was taken into custody for Possession of Cocaine Base for Sales.  Approximately $1,500.00 in U.S. Currency – consistent with street level narcotics sales – was booked into evidence.
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• Friday, March 5, 2010, 11:55 p.m., Dead-end of Goodrick Ave.--Officer J. Avila observed a suspicious vehicle at the dead end of Goodrick Avenue.  As Officer Avila drove near the vehicle, the vehicle sped away at a high rate of speed.  Officer Avila chased the vehicle into the 1900 block of 3rd St.  The vehicle stopped and two persons bailed out of the vehicle.  Officer Avila was able to exit his vehicle and chase the suspects on foot.  Officer Avila was able to catch the driver of the stolen vehicle. The driver was identified and it was discovered that he was on probation in Contra Costa County for Vehicle Theft and other crimes.
•             It should be noted that this vehicle was observed earlier in the evening in the area of S. 8th St. and Ohio Ave. causing problems at a local business.  When officers attempted to contact the persons inside the vehicle at that time, it sped away and officers could not re-locate it.  Nice observations by Officer Avila and thanks to his level of fitness, he was able to sustain a long foot chase and apprehend the suspect.
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• Thursday, March 4, 2010--Off-Duty Officer Assists Injured CHP Officer--Officer Caine was off-duty in his personal vehicle traveling east bound on Highway 4 at 4:45 p.m. when he observed a CHP marked patrol vehicle partially blocking the #1 lane facing into the center median.  Officer Caine then observed a citizen motorcyclist standing in the roadway, but could not see the CHP officer.  Officer Caine, concerned that the CHP officer might need assistance, stopped to help.  When Officer Caine exited his vehicle, he found that the CHP officer was down in the center median with a compound fracture to his leg due to a collision with the motorcyclist. 
•             Officer Caine utilized the CHP vehicle radio to call for medical assistance and additional CHP units.  An off-duty Lassen County probation officer was a witness to the original event.  She described the CHP officer trying to stop his unmanned car as it crossed the roadway with the CHP officer running behind it.  Apparently the CHP officer had stopped to assist a motorist and failed to place his car in park.  When it rolled away he tried to stop it, ran into traffic, and was hit by the motorcyclist who tried to avoid the collision by downing his bike.  The motorcyclist had minor injuries.  Excellent action by Officer Caine to assist the injured CHP officer.  
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• Thursday, March 4, 2010, 9:30 a.m., 4300 Cutting Boulevard--RPD officers responded to Kennedy High School on a report of hundreds of students walking out of class.  At the same time, Officer Gray and Officer Thomas (School Resource Officers) were handling a disruptive student call when the walkout began.  Officer Thomas had started to take a student into custody when he was confronted by the crowd of students.  Officer Thomas was punched several times.  Officer Thomas was assisted by Officer Gray.  Two more students were arrested for battery on an officer. 
•             Sergeant Russell, Sergeant Jones, and Sergeant Williams coordinated efforts to bring this situation under control. The students were eventually directed to the cafeteria where the principal gave the students instructions for the day. The three students who committed the battery were booked into Juvenile Hall.
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• Thursday, Feb. 25, 2009, 5:00 p.m., 23rd St. and Exchange St.--Officer Anderson conducted a traffic enforcement stop on a vehicle.  While contacting the occupants, he and Officer Caine located a loaded .9mm Ruger with a 30 round magazine on the floorboard.  During the investigation, it was determined that the firearm was stolen out of Fairfield.  All of the occupants in the vehicle were arrested.  Special Investigations Division (SID) personnel were made aware of the arrests and interviewed the suspects.
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• Thursday, Feb. 25, 2009, 6:40 p.m., 4732 Hartnett Ave.--Detectives from the SID Parole Unit had information that suspect Alfonso Ochoa (26 years old), a parolee at large, was in the area of the Hartnett Apartments.  The detectives along with Team 3 officers located Ochoa and arrested him without incident.
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• Thursday, Feb. 25, 2009, 1:00 p.m., 5200 block of Jacuzzi St.—An individual reported his vehicle was just stolen and that he was in pursuit of the suspect. The victim had parked in front of the store with his keys in the vehicle as he loaded items.  When the victim turned his back, he heard he vehicle start up.  The victim jumped on the running boards on the left side of his vehicle and attempted to take the keys out of the ignition.  The lone female driver of the vehicle sped off backwards, smashing into the medium dividing Jacuzzi St. and the freeway.
•             The victim was still hanging on to his vehicle when the suspect drove off at a high rate speed.  The suspect lost control of the vehicle and slammed on the brakes--sending the victim flying off and landing in front of the vehicle.  The victim got back up and the suspect  attempted to run him over.  The victim was able to avoid getting hit and the suspect fled the scene.   The victim got an employee to help chase down the suspects.
•             As the suspect was driving recklessly, she was spotted by a plainclothes El Cerrito Police Department officer who was off-duty coming from firearms training.  The ECPD officer was in an unmarked vehicle.  He pursued the suspects while contacting his dispatch.  While the suspects were stopped at a light at East Shore Blvd and San Pablo Ave. an ECPD officer stopped them by taking them down at gunpoint.  Richmond PD arrived and took the suspect into custody. 
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• Thursday, Feb. 25, 2009, 1:20 a.m., 2151 Meeker Ave.--Officer Longacre detained a 45 year-old male in front of the CVS Store for rummaging through the recyclable materials.  This individual was found to be on felony probation in Marin County for drug offenses.  A $25,000 warrant of arrest for violation of probation was also found in NCIC.  Subsequent to his arrest and search of the suspect, Officer Longacre found cocaine in the suspect’s possession.
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• Thursday, Feb. 25, 12:01 a.m. – The Vehicle Theft Suppression Enforcement Task Force (VSET)—which RPD participates in--concluded their operations with two “rolling stolen” vehicle stops resulting in five arrests, more than eight “cold” stolen vehicle recoveries, two warrant arrests, and fifteen probation searches.
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• Wed., Feb. 24, 2009, 4:30 p.m., 6th St. and Bissell Ave.--Officer Evans stopped a 21 year-old individual for an Open Container (of alcohol) violation.  During the contact he was arrested for an outstanding no bail arrest warrant.  During a search incident to arrest, five individually packaged pieces of cocaine base were found in the pocket of his pants.  He was arrested and admitted post Miranda that he possessed the drugs for sales purposes.