Message From the Chief - January 2006
Chief Ron Levine
FOOTHILL-DeANZA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT POLICE DEPARTMENT
"MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF"
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J A N U A R Y 2006
New Year's greetings from the men and women of the Foothill-
DeAnza College District Police Department. The following is
the monthly update for January 2006. We hope you find the
information useful.
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CHIEF'S MESSAGE - "Welcome"
I'd like to welcome you to the inaugural edition of "Message
From the Chief", a new service of our District Police. I
can't say the idea for this format is original; the concept
closely follows the successful program initiated by Chief
William Bratton, of the Los Angeles Police Department. In
the furtherance of the "Community Policing" model adopted
by our agency, I have developed this tool as an outreach
to the community our Police Department serves.
In my monthly messages, you'll find information about what
is new at the Police Department, get an opportunity to learn
about the officers and staff that help protect you on a daily
basis, get safety tips, learn how to be prepared for all
types of emergencies and hear about events and classes that
you might find valuable, both while on campus and at home.
Also, you will have the opportunity to ask questions and
have them answered in this forum.
Some of the topics I'll cover in future issues are parking,
emergency preparedness - what to do in an emergency, bike
and pedestrian safety, securing your information from
identify theft and personal safety. These are just some
of the topics I have on tap and I encourage you to let me
know what you would like to hear about.
Each month, you'll get a chance to meet one of my staff
members "Up Close and Personal". Our staff comes from
a diverse background and this will give you an opportunity
to learn about each of the fine people who make up our
Police Department.
You will also learn about several new initiatives we have
planned for our Department. In this edition, you will find
out about our newly formed bicycle patrol. Other future
topics will cover traffic enforcement programs, new
technology enhancements and training programs.
Please let me know how I can best address any questions
or concerns you have. I hope you find this method of
communications worthwhile. Watch your inbox toward the
end of each month for the next issue of the newsletter.
Take care, stay safe and thank you for your support of
the Foothill-DeAnza CCD Police Department!
Chief Ron Levine
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SPOTLIGHT - "Bicycle Patrol"
The year was 1880. Automobiles had not yet appeared on the
scene. Another form of wheeled transportation, the bicycle,
was all the rage. Frustrated with dirt roads that often
became impassable after the lightest rain, early cyclists
were among the first to organize to improve and pave
America's highways. This was the "genesis" of the League
of American Bicyclists, today widely recognized as the
grandparent of all cycling organizations.
One hundred years later, police departments were looking
for a practical way to balance the personal touch of
a walking beat officer with today's need for mobility.
Although bicycles have been used by police for transportation
(by officers who would otherwise be on foot patrol) for
many years, the concept of deploying specialized patrol
officers on mountain bikes - using the bicycles as a
dynamic, integral part of the concept, was established
by the Seattle Police Department (SPD) in 1987. Faced
by downtown building construction which rendered motor
patrol ineffective, two SPD beat officers introduced
the concept of a mountain bike patrol. The program was
operated at a no cost to the Department during 1987 when
all equipment was donated by local businesses. In 1988
the program was funded as part of the Department's
operating budget.
The concept attracted immediate favorable publicity and
the idea was copied by many other police agencies in the
U.S. and Canada.
Bicycle Patrol - Something new for FHDA?
Bicycles had been used on the Foothill and DeAnza campuses
by the Police Department (and previously by "Campus Security"
at DeAnza), but had not been part of a formalized unit.
Recently, Officer Manny Respicio was the first officer
from the Department to attend a "certified" police bicycle
course. Manny went through a grueling course of
instruction put on by the San Jose Police Department.
The class included "real world" exercises; riding around
downtown San Jose, up and down stairs, over railroad
crossings and in and out of traffic. Manny reported that
the course was a lot of work, but well worth the sweat!
What the Department didn't have was a "police" bike. Vice
Chancellor of Business Services, Mike Brandy, came to the
rescue and found the $1400 needed to purchase a "fully
loaded" police bike. Besides the rugged mountain bike
itself, the bike requires special lights, a siren,
equipment bags, along with other specialized gear.
The Department hopes to obtain several additional bikes
and train more officers for the unit. Keep an eye out
for Manny on either the Foothill or DeAnza campuses and
say hello!
(Thanks to the Vancouver, BC Police Dept. and the Int'l
Police Mountin Bike Association for their assistance)
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UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL -
Stay tuned for the first interview next month!
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Q & A - "Laser Signs"
Q: I see signs that say "Speed Checked by Laser" on the
Foothill campus. What do they mean?
- Anonymous student
A: The sign is there as a warning that our Department uses
a Laser device to measure the speed of vehicles on campus.
Our Department is in the process of purchasing two new Laser
devices and will soon be stepping up speed enforcement on
campus. You will hear more about this program before our
Department begins to work special traffic enforcement
activities on both Foothill and DeAnza campuses. Remember;
the speed limit is 20 MPH on the roadways and 10 MPH in
the parking lots!
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CASE OF THE MONTH - 01/01/06 Stolen Vehicle/Burglary
Early in morning of New Year's Day, Officer Todd Costa was
just exiting the DeAnza campus when he saw a vehicle pass
him with a brake light out. Todd activated his emergency
lights to pull the car over, to inform the driver of the
defective light. The driver pulled into a restaurant
parking lot on Stevens Creek Blvd. As the car came to
a stop, the driver exited the driver's door and began
to run across Stevens Creek Blvd!
Todd advised County Communications via radio of the situation
and began to give chase to the driver. The driver ran behind
some businesses near Stelling Road and Todd lost sight of the
him. Several Santa Clara County Sheriff's Deputies responded
to the area and set up a "perimeter", to encircle the driver.
Todd returned to the car he stopped and had Dispatch run a
check on the license plate. Dispatch called the registered
owner of the car and discovered that it had been stolen in
a residential burglary in Cupertino. The residents hadn't
noticed yet that their home had been entered and two of
their cars had been stolen.
The Sheriff's Deputies patiently waited and the driver was
spotted behind the 7-11 near the Target store. The person
was detained and Todd positively identified him as the
driver who ran away from the car. Further investigation
by Todd revealed property taken in the burglary was still
in the car also.
Fabian Garcia, 23, was booked into Main Jail in San Jose for
Burglary, Auto Theft, Possession of Stolen Property and
Resisting Arrest. Great job by Officer Todd Costa!
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DID YOU KNOW???
Did you know that Chief Ron Levine produces a daily news
bulletin regarding high tech crime issues? Did you know
that his bulletin is read across the US, Canada, Europe,
Africa and Asia? Did you know it's read at the White
House, The Pentagon, FBI Headquarters and other Federal
law enforcement and intelligence agencies?
You can check out the bulletin on-line or sign up for
your own personal subscription at;
http://www.newsbits.net
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IN THE NEWS - Foothill-DeAnza Police in the press
QUESTIONS IN WAKE OF EAST P.A. INCIDENT
http://rlevine.home.netcom.com/articles/SJMerc_011206.htm
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Questions, comments and suggestions can be sent to;
levine...@fhda.edu or call (650)949-7514
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Search the "Message From the Chief" Archive at:
http://groups.google.com/group/FHDA-PD_MONTHLY
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Copyright 2006, FHDA CCD PD, Los Altos Hills, CA.