Greetings,

After a very successful (and crime-free) Cinco de Mayo, Police Department personnel have been busy dealing with a wide variety of crimes, calls for service, and community activities.  Below is a small sample of some of the things they’ve handled (and handled very well, in my opinion!).  If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Chief Chris Magnus

Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 12:35 a.m., 600 block of Ohio Ave.--RFD responded to the 600 block of Ohio Ave. on a report of an electrical fire at a two-story commercial structure.  Upon arrival, the smell lead them to believe there was marijuana burning inside the structure.  They subsequently contacted RPD for assistance.  Officer Hembree and Sergeant Barragan responded and confirmed RFD’s suspicions.
             In excess of 1,000 plants as well as cultivating equipment were located inside the structure.  Special Investigations Section Detective Chesney responded to the scene of the burning cultivation operation.  Officer Hembree authored the original report, with Detective Chesney providing assistance and additional follow-up.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 10:05 p.m., 5100 block of Gately Ave.—Earlier in the evening, the Department’s Special Investigations Section (SIS) detectives received information that wanted subject, and Deep C gang member, Todd Gillard was inside an address in the 5100 block of Gately Ave. with a group of other Deep C gang members.  Gillard is wanted for a February 2012 Attempted Murder with Gang Enhancements case.  He is also a Parolee at Large who had cut off his own electronic monitoring ankle device.  He has a $1.5 million warrant for his arrest related to the Attempted Murder case and has vowed that he will not return to jail, but would instead “go out” in a shootout with police.  SIS detectives subsequently set up surveillance on the 5100 block of Gately address.  
             At about 2200 hours, several individuals, including Gillard, exited the residence, got into three separate vehicles, and began to drive away.  Stops were made on the vehicles, at which time Gillard fled from the vehicle he was in and ran back into the Gately Ave. address.  Inner and outer perimeters were quickly established by SIS detectives and patrol officers.  Lt. Whitney, Sergeant Mollenbernd, and Sergeant Hendricsen handled the tactical preparations.  All the apartment units in close proximity were subsequently evacuated, after which Officer P. Davis began negotiations via a patrol car PA system, with no response from Gillard.  A Special Response Team (SWAT) callout was subsequently initiated. 
             Prior to making an entry into the unit, SIS detectives made contact with Gillard’s mother, who responded to the scene.  She was debriefed by Detective Hauschild and she confirmed that her son was indeed inside the target residence.  Under Detective Hauschild’s direction, Gillard’s mother convinced Gillard to surrender to police, which he did at approximately 0500 hours.  Gillard was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Hall of Justice. 

Monday, May 14, 2012, 11:05 p.m., 6th St. and Chanslor Ave.--Officer S. Harris contacted an individual walking his bicycle in this area.  Officer Harris had positively identified the bicyclist as the same person who fled from him approximately three weeks ago during a traffic enforcement stop and who had eluded apprehension on his bicycle. The bicyclist identified himself and acknowledged he was on active felony probation.  He was found to be in possession of a concealed assisted-opening and double-edged blade dagger.   The suspect also discarded a stocking cap, complaining to Officer Harris that he was hot.  Officer Harris recovered the stocking cap and discovered “crack” cocaine inside it.   The suspect was transported to the RPD Jail and booked on multiple charges.

Monday, May 14, 2012, 11:15 p.m., 24th St. and McBryde Ave.—Officer Campos and Officer Stonebraker located an occupied stolen vehicle in the area of 24th Street and McBryde Ave. The driver and passenger foot-bailed from the stolen vehicle as soon as Officer Stonebreaker made a u-turn in an attempt to take enforcement action.  A description of the driver and passenger was immediately put out for responding units.  Sgt. Mollenbernd responded to the area to assist and contacted two individuals matching the suspect(s) descriptions in the area of 23rd St. and Visalia Ave.  Officer Stonebreaker responded to that location and positively identified one of the detained individuals as the driver.  This suspect was taken into custody and subsequently admitted to being the driver of the stolen vehicle.             

Monday, May 14, 2012, 5:00 p.m., 5500 McBryde Ave.--Officers responded to this location for a reported attempted robbery.  According to the store clerk, three males entered the store, all wearing black hoods, masks, and caps.  The suspect demanded money from the clerk, while one of the suspects brandished a semi-auto handgun.  The clerk subsequently produced his own handgun in defense of himself and property.  The suspect fired one shot at the clerk, which did not penetrate a protective glass separating the suspects from the clerk.  The suspects fled the store on foot and ran southbound on Kern St.  A resident in the 900 block of Kern St. captured video of the suspects as they ran past his residence.  A single .380 caliber casing was located in the store.  Officer Domenici authored the incident report.
             At approximately 7:00 p.m., SIS gang detectives observed a 23 year-old male at the rear of the Pullman Town Houses who is a validated Deep-C Gang Member.  This individual got out of a taxi and immediately recognized the members of our Gang Unit.  This suspect discarded a .380 caliber firearm and fled on foot as the detectives gave chase.  The suspect was caught and his firearm was recovered.  Realizing that the earlier attempted robbery on McBryde Ave. involved a .380 firearm, the detectives compared the casing stamp collected at the robbery scene with the casing stamps of the rounds located in the suspect’s gun (the stamps were identical).  The suspect was transported and interviewed by Detectives Lopez and Anderson.  He ultimately admitted to the robbery at 5500 McBryde. Ave. and implicated his two other accomplices.
             SIS Gang Detectives Reina, Lopez, and Anderson did an exceptional job apprehending, investigating, and interviewing the suspect.   

Monday, May 14, 2012, 10:30 a.m., 200 block S. 2nd St.--Officer Kaiser conducted covert surveillance in the 200 block of S. 2nd St.—a known area for ongoing drug dealing activities. After witnessing a hand-to-hand drug transaction, Officer Kaiser radioed Officers Anderson and Sousa for assistance.  Officers Anderson and Sousa conducted an enforcement vehicle stop on the buyer, who admitted to the purchase of illegal narcotics.  He handed a quantity of rock cocaine over to Officer Anderson.
             Based on this information, the officers detained the suspects (sellers) in the 200 block of S.2nd St. and additional cocaine was recovered.  Both suspects were taken into custody without incident and booked.

Monday, May 14, 2012, 12:00 a.m.,300 block of Alamo Ave.—A 17 year-old male assaulted his 18 year-old girlfriend inside his family home the prior evening.  When the victim attempted to leave, the suspect held her against her will for several hours.  The victim subsequently escaped and ran to the neighborhood market located at 5th Street and Chesley Ave.  The suspect located the victim and forced her back to his home, where he burned her over most of her body with a flat iron.  The victim was treated at a hospital in Antioch. The suspect was taken into custody by Officer Nguyen at his home.  The flat iron other evidence was recovered.  A Family Services Unit detective team was called out to take over the investigation.                              

Sunday, May 13, 2013, 4:15 p.m., 600 block of Berk Ave.--Officer Gault made a traffic stop for a moving violation.  Upon contact with the driver, he smelled the odor of marijuana inside the car and saw an open beer container.  Incident to a vehicle search, Officer Gault found a loaded shotgun with an obliterated serial number in the trunk.  The 21 year-old driver was arrested without incident. 

Saturday, May 12, 2012, 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Lincoln Elementary School-- Detective Hall, Officer J. Tong, Officer Stonebraker, Officer Nath, Officer Therriault, Crime Prevention Manager Michelle Milam, and the Police Explorers participated in the Bicycle Rodeo at Lincoln Elementary School.  Over 300 bicycle helmets were handed out to the children who attended this event.

Thursday, May 10, 2012, 10:15 p.m., Blume Dr./Klose Way--Officer Walker initiated a vehicle enforcement stop at this location.  There were five individuals in the vehicle.  Upon approaching the vehicle, Officer Walker smelled a strong odor of burnt marijuana emanating from the vehicle.  Officer Walker requested cover and waited until Sergeant Tan and Officer Ojo arrived before approaching the vehicle. 
                          Walker subsequently detained and identified the occupants of the vehicle and conducted a search of the vehicle to search for evidence of the marijuana he smelled.  Underneath the loose backseat, he located an unexpended round (bullet) and a wallet with identification in it not belonging to any of the occupants of the vehicle.  Underneath the front passenger seat, Officer Walker located a loaded semi-automatic handgun.
                          A search of the name on the identification revealed that the wallet belonged to the victim of an armed robbery which San Pablo PD was still working.  San Pablo PD responded with the victim of their crime to participate in an in-field line-up.  When San Pablo’s robbery victim arrived, he positively identified two of the five occupants as the two suspects who had earlier robbed him at gunpoint.  He also identified his wallet, which was taken from him during the robbery.  SPPD took custody of the two suspects.

And then there’s this . . . (courtesy of Sgt. Hendricsen):  Thursday, May 10, 2012, 6:30 a.m., 300 block of S. 38th St.--Officer Bruce was detailed to an address in the 300 block of S. 38th St. on a report from a citizen, whose feathers were apparently ruffled, that the chickens belonging to one of her across-the-street neighbors were running loose around the neighbor’s porch.  Officer Bruce was informed that the reporting party in this detail had called to report the loose neighbor’s fowl every day this week.  With his customary due diligence, Officer Bruce first drove to the Hall of Justice to research potential applicable RMC code violations with regard to the pecking pullets.  Officer Bruce located RMC section 9.24.010 dealing with the confining of these feathered fowl.  With the RMC section and his cite book in hand, Officer Bruce then responded to the location, with the intent of citing the offending party.  Upon arrival, however, he was unable to locate any capering capons at the address in question.  When he attempted to coax the reporting party to show him where she had last seen the chipper chicks, the complainant refused, literally, to “cross the road” to find the chickens on the other side.  Officer Bruce eventually cleared the detail.