What’s wrong with this?
The Past
- Chico Community Youth and Alcohol Committee notes, October 13, 2005
“Last year on the Sunday prior to Labor Day, there were 8000 tubers...this year there were 750. Labor Day last year there were 20,000 tubers...this year there were just over 600. Confirms...when agencies ask the community not to do something because of public safety, the community listens.”
- Chico News and Review, “Same party, different river,” September 7, 2006
“In 2005, the numbers dropped from 28,000 to 1500 floaters (at the Sacramento River)... this year, only about 200 people floated on Labor Day.”
- Campus Grotto:The inside Source at College, “Chico Labor Day River Float,” (via web) September 3, 2008
“The Labor Day weekend Chico float is a long standing college tradition...as many as 25,000 floaters have showed up... This event alone is one of the reasons Chico State has been considered a top party school...Over the past couple of years things have died down a bit as cops cracked down...This year’s annual event showed things were back in full swing though, as nearly 10,000 people showed up on Sunday over Labor Day weekend.”
The Present
- Chico Enterprise-Record, “Tuber Watch,” September 5, 2010
“... the bigger deluge of tubers is expected today...Law enforcement agencies will nearly double their presence in certain areas of the river today...’We have no desire to shut it down (State Park Ranger Travis) Gee said. We want to change it from what its turned into, which is a big, drunken fest.’... The garbage left behind can have a huge impact on the eco-system...Other issues are typical concerns wherever large crowds appear - sexual assaults, battery charges, fights.”
- Chico Enterprise-Record, “15,000 hit the river for float,” September 6, 2010
“Approximately 15,000 people floated on the Sacramento River on Sunday in celebration of the three-day weekend....there were 14 arrests made, all alcohol related, and a total of 34 medical aides, which ranged from minor injuries to hypothermia, dehydration, physical assault and battery, including one sexual assault...Safety personnel made a total of 17 critical rescues, ‘meaning that if there was not someone there, there most likely would have been a fatality’...multiple fights....huge environmental damage...”
- Chico Enterprise-Record, “Out-of-town partyers contribute to big crowds,” September 6, 2010
“Police and fire units were busy Saturday night as the areas south and west of the campus were filled with thousands of people....more than 40 people were arrested....’It was clear we had a large number of people from out of town,’ (Lt. Mike) O’Brien said. We were literally just trying to tread water and keep control over the great influx of people into our community.”
- KNVN NBC 24 Action News, “Labor Day Float Aftermath,” September 6, 2010, 8:32 PM
“...About 15,000 people made their way from Irvine Finch to Scotty’s Landing Sunday, and the evidence was easy to see Monday morning. ‘It’s taken a pretty big toll, environmentally,’ ...Travis Gee....said... Volunteers will spend the coming weeks cleaning up all of the garbage left behind....Crews had to make 100 critical rescues Sunday.”
- ChicoER.com, “Butte Sheriff lists Labor Day weekend arrests on Sacramento River,” September 7, 2010
Saturday, 3 arrests, 2 Chico residents and one out of town, all three for drunk in public.
Sunday, 39 arrests, 16 Chico residents and 23 from out of town all arrests were alcohol related except two.
- Chico Police Department Media release, September 7, 2010
From 5:00 PM Friday, September 3, 2010 to 4:00 AM Monday, September 6, 2010, a 59 hour period, the Chico Police Department made 124 arrests. Most were in the South Campus neighborhood. 52 of the arrestees were from outside of Chico, 85 of the arrests were alcohol related and 25 of the arrestees were Chico State or Butte College students. During the 12 hour periods covering the evening hours each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, the CPD handled a total of 1292 calls for service.
It was noted that the Labor Day event has once again become a regional public safety problem, and that the unsanctioned float on the river was the apparent attraction for many out-of-towners to come to Chico which resulted in the resources of the City being taxed to their limits for 4 days.
- The Orion, “Crowds take over downtown, river,” September 8, 2010
“About 15,000 people floated down the Sacramento River on Sunday...on Friday night, 42 arrests were made in and around the downtown area...there were 42 arrests on Saturday in the same area....on Sunday night there were 40 arrests made...(regarding the river-related activity, Dan James, Hamilton City Fire Chief said) ‘Some people were so intoxicated that they weren’t allowed to get into the water. When they can’t walk across the parking lot because they’re too drunk, how can we morally let them in the river?’....Sunday saw 65 medical calls, three of which were major medical emergencies and 13 required paramedic transport to the hospital.....There were about 100 critical rescues, meaning that victims would have most likely been killed or severely injured if rescues had not been performed....there was a lot of trash left on the river....the river took a big environmental hit.”
- Chico News and Review, “River festivities take a violent turn,” September 9, 2010
“... this year’s float on Sunday (Sept. 5) was fairly wild, but a closer look revealed the truly violent and out-of-control side to this annual Labor Day weekend tradition...people were stumbling and falling....Several tubers were vomiting on the shore, while numerous others lay passed out in their tubes...’we started seeing the rocks and cans and bottles and other stuff fly...there’s no way that we can safely deal with 15,000 people in that confined of an area with that small amount of law enforcement personnel (said one law enforcement officer)’...Other disturbing scenes included several young women being hoisted into the air and having their bikini tops removed - sometimes voluntarily, sometimes not - and repeatedly groped by drunken revelers. Several defenseless women had to be dragged away for their safety....(the reporter described) ‘violence and pandemonium’ (as well as) ‘more chaos at the exit point on River Road...”
- The Orion, “Students lead Labor Day cleanup effort,” September 15, 2010
“About 40 volunteers floated down the Sacramento River Saturday to clean up trash left from the Labor Day weekend floating event....volunteers picked up more than (100) 65 gallon bags of trash along the river and on Beer Can Beach...(One volunteer said) ‘When I first got to the beach, I could not take a step without being in trash.’”
- Chico Enterprise-Record, “People on the Street: What’s the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done?”, September 19, 2010
Victor Stockbridge, Sales, Paradise: “In my younger days, tubing drunk down the Sacramento River and my tube hit a tree. I had my leg around a rope that was tied to the raft that had our beer on it and my tube hit a tree and flipped over. I was hanging upside down in the water with my foot stuck and my friend pulled me back upright.”
Everything is wrong with this!!!
In 2005, as the result of a collaborative regional effort, the Labor Day float was virtually eliminated. Unfortunately, the momentum that led to that success was almost immediately abandoned. As a result, the beast has now returned with a vengeance, and again represented a profound challenge to regional public safety resources and the environment. Based upon what was experienced in 2010, it is evident that a significant component of the event is the presence of out-of-towners who travel to Chico simply to take part in the float and associated partying.
The annual Labor Day float on the Sacramento River has again become a regional pubic safety problem, an environmental disaster and an affront to the taxpayers of Butte and Glenn Counties who must foot the bill for this debacle.
The time has come again for a collaborative, balanced, well reasoned response to tame this mess and sustain order. The Chico Police Department looks forward to working in concert with our partners in public safety and the stakeholders in the community and the area of the Sacramento River to eliminate the calamity this annual event has become.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
More on Marijuana
Coming to a backyard or storefront near you: MARIJUANA!!
As a follow-up to my posting of May 7, 2010, which contained very little in the way of passionate editorializing, I now feel compelled to speak even more frankly about the issues of “medical marijuana” and marijuana in general. There are just some things that I believe the citizens of our community need to know, and I am concerned about what I will characterize as the “absolute madness” associated with the current community conversation about these issues.
First, medical marijuana. I want to say very clearly that I believe there is in fact a legitimate use for marijuana as a medicine. I am a two-time cancer survivor, and although I have never smoked marijuana in my life, I have been exposed to critically ill people who have. There is no question it makes them feel better.
My concern about marijuana as a medicine is that this use has been so bastardized, its really hard to take seriously. I know of no other “medicine” that has been as popularized as marijuana with t-shirts, logos, jewelry, coffee mugs, mouse pads, neck-ties, every imaginable type of accessory, magazines and cult-like followings. I even saw a pair of marijuana tennis shoes and a marijuana skateboard! I mean, really? This is all about medicine? I’m calling baloney on that one. All of these things contribute to the delegitimization of marijuana as a medicine. In my opinion, even the labeling of the one of the applicable bodies of law as Senate Bill 420 also delegitimizes medical marijuana as a medicine.
Prop 215, which was passed by the voters in 1996, allowed for a couple of very simple things in relation to medical marijuana: possession and cultivation. There is nowhere in the law, or any interpretations of the law by the current Attorney General and the Butte County District Attorney, that makes it legal in any way to “sell” marijuana or to generate profit. So when we hear about all of these civic minded medical marijuana dispensaries talk about how they intend to donate their extra revenue to worthy cause, they are in effect acknowledging in advance that they are intending to commit crimes - there should be no “extra” revenue. Said differently, once the conversation turns toward money, with such terms as “affordable medicine,” “excess revenue,” “generating funds to balance the local budget,” etc., the scope of the law as intended has been exceeded. For somebody to come forward and propose the large scale commercial production of marijuana in our community, which, as a “benefit” to the community, will generate millions of dollars is utterly ridiculous....and simply illegal!!
Now let’s talk a little about cultivation... I’m all for the guy or gal that needs their medicine planting a couple plants in their backyard. I’m even OK with 2-3 people coming together and doing it. But these “medicinal cannabis” grows where dozens of plants are growing 4' over the top of the backyard fences with barbed wire across the top, and armed thugs are sitting with pit bulls that attack the neighbor’s fence every time they go out into their own yards is just wrong! Add to that, the twenty four hour a day foot and vehicle traffic at the residence where the “thug-guests” are only staying for a minute or two - most don’t even get out of their cars (they “visit” at the driver’s window - ya right!!). Hello!!! This is not a medicinal marijuana grow - plain and simple, it’s a drug dealer!!! The thing that is most maddening to me about this kind of conduct is that the neighbors are terrified to say or do anything, and are relegated to living in fear because of repercussions if they take action or even call the police. That’s not right.
What even more maddening is that these things that I have mentioned are the “undiscussables” in the current community conversation about marijuana. The bulk of the attention, and certainly the bulk of conversation from the public speakers on the issue, is all about how important it is that all the sick people get their medicine.....welllllll.....what about all the other tax paying citizens that want to feel safe in their homes and not be exposed to the farce that “medical marijuana” has become????
And now we have a movement in California that has resulted in Proposition 19 being on the November ballot... to legalize marijuana. It is titled to “Regulate, Control, Tax Cannabis.” Well, that’s all that everyone hears, but has anyone really read the text of the initiative? It’s crazy! As part of the author’s very first “finding,” it is noted that “...we have failed to control cannabis or reduce its availability.” As a police officer of 30 years, I’ve noted that we have apparently failed to control thieves too (we arrest lots of them every week). Does that mean we should use that as a basis to decriminalize theft. And that’s just the beginning....there’s more....”Cannabis consumption is simply a fact of life for a large percentage of Americans.” So I guess that makes legalization a patriotic act??? And then they go on to suggest that the tax revenue generated from Cannabis can be used to fund jobs, health care, schools, libraries, roads and more. Is that what we really want?
Now here’s the real biggie.....anyone who is an employer, or a supervisor or manager in a work place should be very concerned....Prop 19 says: “No person shall be punished, fined, or discriminated against, or be denied any right or privilege for lawfully engaging in any conduct permitted by this Act.....Provided however, that the existing right of an employer to address consumption that “actually impairs” job performance by an employee shall not be affected.” What does this mean? It means that unless an employer (or their representative supervisors or managers) can specifically articulate that an employee is impaired, nothing can be done about them possessing marijuana in the workplace, using marijuana, or coming to work with marijuana in their system. This is just bad....and even dangerous for business.
I could go on and on about how poorly written this initiative is. Suffice it to say, it is misleading with its title, and actually does nothing to regulate, control or tax marijuana. In fact, as written it does not establish any clear, statewide standards. Instead, it leaves it to the 478 government entities in California to each come up with their own set of rules for how to tax and regulate marijuana. Is that we want in California? 478 different sets of rules - one for each city and county in the state? I just can’t believe that makes good sense to anyone.
This proposed law also touts all the virtues of marijuana, but says nothing about the untold social costs. While the regulation of cigarettes and alcohol are pointed to as models for revenue generation and taxation, there is no mention of the associated treatment costs that are likely to increase exponentially if marijuana is legalized. The proponents would argue that marijuana has no addictive qualities, and it is not harmful. If that is the case, why would marijuana addictions account for nearly 20% of the admissions to treatment facilities in California in 2009, where it was only 2nd to amphetamines (per California Department of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Treatment Episode Data Set).
In the grand scheme, it may be right to legalize marijuana some day. But that day is not today, and Prop 19 is not the answer. It appears to have been written by pro-marijuana advocates with the specific intent of tying the hands of those who have to deal with real problems related to marijuana. It has no regard for the legal issues and social costs, and its passage would virtually guarantee years of litigation in the courts to resolve the inherent problems. This is simply bad law.
So what’s happening here in Chico? There continues to be citizens who live silently and in fear (and who are not being heard and considered) because of the conduct associated with “medical marijuana” in residential neighborhoods. As I said, the overwhelming majority of local conversation in public venues seems to be from extreme pro-marijuana advocates. I don’t think its right that the community sits idly and watches its culture, safety and livability change because of the extremism of a few. I encourage all citizens of Chico who have thoughts or perspective on this issue to become informed, and to become involved in the process - ensure that your voice is heard. We are on the verge of changing the quality of life in our community, and you should have a say.
Want to know more about Proposition 19? Here's a link to the documents that were submitted to the Secretary of State:
http://ag.ca.gov/cms_attachments/initiatives/pdfs/i821_initiative_09-0024_amdt_1-s.pdf
As a follow-up to my posting of May 7, 2010, which contained very little in the way of passionate editorializing, I now feel compelled to speak even more frankly about the issues of “medical marijuana” and marijuana in general. There are just some things that I believe the citizens of our community need to know, and I am concerned about what I will characterize as the “absolute madness” associated with the current community conversation about these issues.
First, medical marijuana. I want to say very clearly that I believe there is in fact a legitimate use for marijuana as a medicine. I am a two-time cancer survivor, and although I have never smoked marijuana in my life, I have been exposed to critically ill people who have. There is no question it makes them feel better.
My concern about marijuana as a medicine is that this use has been so bastardized, its really hard to take seriously. I know of no other “medicine” that has been as popularized as marijuana with t-shirts, logos, jewelry, coffee mugs, mouse pads, neck-ties, every imaginable type of accessory, magazines and cult-like followings. I even saw a pair of marijuana tennis shoes and a marijuana skateboard! I mean, really? This is all about medicine? I’m calling baloney on that one. All of these things contribute to the delegitimization of marijuana as a medicine. In my opinion, even the labeling of the one of the applicable bodies of law as Senate Bill 420 also delegitimizes medical marijuana as a medicine.
Prop 215, which was passed by the voters in 1996, allowed for a couple of very simple things in relation to medical marijuana: possession and cultivation. There is nowhere in the law, or any interpretations of the law by the current Attorney General and the Butte County District Attorney, that makes it legal in any way to “sell” marijuana or to generate profit. So when we hear about all of these civic minded medical marijuana dispensaries talk about how they intend to donate their extra revenue to worthy cause, they are in effect acknowledging in advance that they are intending to commit crimes - there should be no “extra” revenue. Said differently, once the conversation turns toward money, with such terms as “affordable medicine,” “excess revenue,” “generating funds to balance the local budget,” etc., the scope of the law as intended has been exceeded. For somebody to come forward and propose the large scale commercial production of marijuana in our community, which, as a “benefit” to the community, will generate millions of dollars is utterly ridiculous....and simply illegal!!
Now let’s talk a little about cultivation... I’m all for the guy or gal that needs their medicine planting a couple plants in their backyard. I’m even OK with 2-3 people coming together and doing it. But these “medicinal cannabis” grows where dozens of plants are growing 4' over the top of the backyard fences with barbed wire across the top, and armed thugs are sitting with pit bulls that attack the neighbor’s fence every time they go out into their own yards is just wrong! Add to that, the twenty four hour a day foot and vehicle traffic at the residence where the “thug-guests” are only staying for a minute or two - most don’t even get out of their cars (they “visit” at the driver’s window - ya right!!). Hello!!! This is not a medicinal marijuana grow - plain and simple, it’s a drug dealer!!! The thing that is most maddening to me about this kind of conduct is that the neighbors are terrified to say or do anything, and are relegated to living in fear because of repercussions if they take action or even call the police. That’s not right.
What even more maddening is that these things that I have mentioned are the “undiscussables” in the current community conversation about marijuana. The bulk of the attention, and certainly the bulk of conversation from the public speakers on the issue, is all about how important it is that all the sick people get their medicine.....welllllll.....what about all the other tax paying citizens that want to feel safe in their homes and not be exposed to the farce that “medical marijuana” has become????
And now we have a movement in California that has resulted in Proposition 19 being on the November ballot... to legalize marijuana. It is titled to “Regulate, Control, Tax Cannabis.” Well, that’s all that everyone hears, but has anyone really read the text of the initiative? It’s crazy! As part of the author’s very first “finding,” it is noted that “...we have failed to control cannabis or reduce its availability.” As a police officer of 30 years, I’ve noted that we have apparently failed to control thieves too (we arrest lots of them every week). Does that mean we should use that as a basis to decriminalize theft. And that’s just the beginning....there’s more....”Cannabis consumption is simply a fact of life for a large percentage of Americans.” So I guess that makes legalization a patriotic act??? And then they go on to suggest that the tax revenue generated from Cannabis can be used to fund jobs, health care, schools, libraries, roads and more. Is that what we really want?
Now here’s the real biggie.....anyone who is an employer, or a supervisor or manager in a work place should be very concerned....Prop 19 says: “No person shall be punished, fined, or discriminated against, or be denied any right or privilege for lawfully engaging in any conduct permitted by this Act.....Provided however, that the existing right of an employer to address consumption that “actually impairs” job performance by an employee shall not be affected.” What does this mean? It means that unless an employer (or their representative supervisors or managers) can specifically articulate that an employee is impaired, nothing can be done about them possessing marijuana in the workplace, using marijuana, or coming to work with marijuana in their system. This is just bad....and even dangerous for business.
I could go on and on about how poorly written this initiative is. Suffice it to say, it is misleading with its title, and actually does nothing to regulate, control or tax marijuana. In fact, as written it does not establish any clear, statewide standards. Instead, it leaves it to the 478 government entities in California to each come up with their own set of rules for how to tax and regulate marijuana. Is that we want in California? 478 different sets of rules - one for each city and county in the state? I just can’t believe that makes good sense to anyone.
This proposed law also touts all the virtues of marijuana, but says nothing about the untold social costs. While the regulation of cigarettes and alcohol are pointed to as models for revenue generation and taxation, there is no mention of the associated treatment costs that are likely to increase exponentially if marijuana is legalized. The proponents would argue that marijuana has no addictive qualities, and it is not harmful. If that is the case, why would marijuana addictions account for nearly 20% of the admissions to treatment facilities in California in 2009, where it was only 2nd to amphetamines (per California Department of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Treatment Episode Data Set).
In the grand scheme, it may be right to legalize marijuana some day. But that day is not today, and Prop 19 is not the answer. It appears to have been written by pro-marijuana advocates with the specific intent of tying the hands of those who have to deal with real problems related to marijuana. It has no regard for the legal issues and social costs, and its passage would virtually guarantee years of litigation in the courts to resolve the inherent problems. This is simply bad law.
So what’s happening here in Chico? There continues to be citizens who live silently and in fear (and who are not being heard and considered) because of the conduct associated with “medical marijuana” in residential neighborhoods. As I said, the overwhelming majority of local conversation in public venues seems to be from extreme pro-marijuana advocates. I don’t think its right that the community sits idly and watches its culture, safety and livability change because of the extremism of a few. I encourage all citizens of Chico who have thoughts or perspective on this issue to become informed, and to become involved in the process - ensure that your voice is heard. We are on the verge of changing the quality of life in our community, and you should have a say.
Want to know more about Proposition 19? Here's a link to the documents that were submitted to the Secretary of State:
http://ag.ca.gov/cms_attachments/initiatives/pdfs/i821_initiative_09-0024_amdt_1-s.pdf
Friday, May 7, 2010
A few important pieces of information about medical marijuana
1. It is against the law, even under Proposition 215, for physicians to “prescribe” medical marijuana. Physicians may only “recommend” medical marijuana.
2. The fact that a patient has a recommendation for medical marijuana does not authorize them to otherwise violate the law:
- They may only smoke it in places where it is legal to smoke. Medical marijuana MAY NOT be smoked (a) where it is specifically prohibited by law (including local ordinances); (b) at or within 1000 feet of a school, recreation center or youth center (unless the medicinal use occurs within a private residence); (c) on a school bus; or (d) in a moving vehicle or boat (per 11362.79 of the California Health and Safety Code).
- Marijuana may not be SOLD, even for medicinal purposes, Sales of marijuana is a crime. Patients who need marijuana for medicinal purposes must either grow their own, or obtain it via their participation in a coop or collective.
3. There is nothing in current California law which authorizes any individual or group (even a coop or collective) to cultivate or distribute marijuana for profit (per 11362.765(a) of the California Health and Safety Code).
4. LANDLORDS AND PROPERTY MANAGERS: Just because a tenant has a medical marijuana recommendation does not mean you are required to allow them to grow marijuana on YOUR property. You may legally prohibit such activity.
2. The fact that a patient has a recommendation for medical marijuana does not authorize them to otherwise violate the law:
- They may only smoke it in places where it is legal to smoke. Medical marijuana MAY NOT be smoked (a) where it is specifically prohibited by law (including local ordinances); (b) at or within 1000 feet of a school, recreation center or youth center (unless the medicinal use occurs within a private residence); (c) on a school bus; or (d) in a moving vehicle or boat (per 11362.79 of the California Health and Safety Code).
- Marijuana may not be SOLD, even for medicinal purposes, Sales of marijuana is a crime. Patients who need marijuana for medicinal purposes must either grow their own, or obtain it via their participation in a coop or collective.
3. There is nothing in current California law which authorizes any individual or group (even a coop or collective) to cultivate or distribute marijuana for profit (per 11362.765(a) of the California Health and Safety Code).
4. LANDLORDS AND PROPERTY MANAGERS: Just because a tenant has a medical marijuana recommendation does not mean you are required to allow them to grow marijuana on YOUR property. You may legally prohibit such activity.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Guns, hoses, fitness and fun!
What’s up with this Guns and Hoses Gala?
The people who are assigned to the front line of public safety in any community are unlike any others. As police officers and fire fighters, they are routinely expected to be ready at a moments notice to undertake seemingly super-human feats. Many of these involve degrees of physical exertion. As such, it is essential that police officers and fire fighters are physically ready to undertake such endeavors. This is accomplished a number of ways, depending upon each individual public safety employee and their specific or collateral duty assignments. Many work out at local gyms to maintain a basic level of fitness, others engage in periodic specialized training, and most engage in some sort of physically based training in conjunction with their regular duty shifts. Police officers, for example, must perpetually be ready to take a resisting suspect into custody, so they will routinely practice arrest control techniques during their briefings or more advanced techniques after their briefings.
While many of Chico’s Fire facilities have small designated areas where some on-duty physical training can be conducted, Fire personnel often travel to the Fire Training Center at the City Campus on Humboldt Road to engage in other aspects of their training. The staff at Police, on the other hand, do not have any designated space in the cramped Police facility at all. Rather, they periodically utilize a warehouse bay at the City Campus, where they temporarily roll out exercise mats to conduct arrest control techniques training. It has long been recognized that there would be benefit to having permanent designated space where both Police and Fire could have 24 hour access to conduct specialized and routine physical training related to their assignments as employees are available to do so.
About a year ago, the stars aligned for a period of time, and Captain Lori MacPhail and I were able to obtain permission to use vacant garage space in a city-owned building at 1500 Humboldt Road as a workout/exercise room for police personnel. We quickly realized this presented a great opportunity to reinforce the bond between Police and Fire, so we connected with the chief officers at the Fire Department. They too liked the idea. We hit up our respective unions, and there was initial support from both, but we quickly realized that bringing a project of that scope to fruition would be a challenge.
Over the last several months, I have watched with awe and immense appreciation as the most incredible community group of supporters of public safety have come together to help the Chico Police and Fire departments overcome the challenge and realize a dream. As chance would have it, Captain MacPhail and I spoke to some key community partners in the grass roots Chico Police Department Business Support Team, and there was immediate excitement about joining with us to bring the idea of a Chico Public Safety Fitness and Training Center to fruition.
Led by Rory Rotthchalk of Culp and Tanner, a dream team that included Culp and Tanner’s Scott McFarren as Project Coordinator, architect Gary Hawkins, contractor Howard Slater, Project Superintendent Jim Barham of Slater and Son Construction, Chico High ROP instructor Mike Brugmann and students Wendy Solis and Jacob Winslow, Don Fowler of McClelland Air Conditioning and the Chico Sunrise Rotary Club, in addition to the Chico Police Department Business Support Team and many more, has assembled and developed and committed to a plan that will make the dream a reality. While much has been, and will continue to be, accomplished with donated time and materials, there will be some hard costs associated with building the Training Facility. It is out of the need to cover the hard costs of the project that the idea was born for the Guns and Hoses Gala.
Scheduled for Friday evening, April 23rd, at the Sierra Nevada Big Room, the Guns and Hoses Gala will include dinner, a silent auction, a live auction by the ever popular and down-to-earth Rob Ramay, DJ music (with dancing!) from the legendary Greg Scott, and a whole bunch of fun. 100% percent of the proceeds of this event will support the Chico Public Safety Fitness and Training Center Project. Funds raised will be routed through the Chico Police Department Foundation, which is held by the North Valley Community Foundation.
As a leader in public safety in this community, I am incredibly excited about what this project represents. First, it is a grass roots level project based on public safety, government, the private sector and private citizens working together toward a goal that will ultimately benefit the safety of the entire community. Second, once complete, this training center will support the needs of public safety for many years to come. Even with plans to enhance and expand Police and Fire facilities in the future, the existence of this venue on the City Campus and in close proximity to the Fire Training Center, a focal point for public safety training throughout the region, will virtually assure its use and value in perpetuity.
I can’t offer enough thanks to all who are involved in making this happen....THANK YOU!!
The people who are assigned to the front line of public safety in any community are unlike any others. As police officers and fire fighters, they are routinely expected to be ready at a moments notice to undertake seemingly super-human feats. Many of these involve degrees of physical exertion. As such, it is essential that police officers and fire fighters are physically ready to undertake such endeavors. This is accomplished a number of ways, depending upon each individual public safety employee and their specific or collateral duty assignments. Many work out at local gyms to maintain a basic level of fitness, others engage in periodic specialized training, and most engage in some sort of physically based training in conjunction with their regular duty shifts. Police officers, for example, must perpetually be ready to take a resisting suspect into custody, so they will routinely practice arrest control techniques during their briefings or more advanced techniques after their briefings.
While many of Chico’s Fire facilities have small designated areas where some on-duty physical training can be conducted, Fire personnel often travel to the Fire Training Center at the City Campus on Humboldt Road to engage in other aspects of their training. The staff at Police, on the other hand, do not have any designated space in the cramped Police facility at all. Rather, they periodically utilize a warehouse bay at the City Campus, where they temporarily roll out exercise mats to conduct arrest control techniques training. It has long been recognized that there would be benefit to having permanent designated space where both Police and Fire could have 24 hour access to conduct specialized and routine physical training related to their assignments as employees are available to do so.
About a year ago, the stars aligned for a period of time, and Captain Lori MacPhail and I were able to obtain permission to use vacant garage space in a city-owned building at 1500 Humboldt Road as a workout/exercise room for police personnel. We quickly realized this presented a great opportunity to reinforce the bond between Police and Fire, so we connected with the chief officers at the Fire Department. They too liked the idea. We hit up our respective unions, and there was initial support from both, but we quickly realized that bringing a project of that scope to fruition would be a challenge.
Over the last several months, I have watched with awe and immense appreciation as the most incredible community group of supporters of public safety have come together to help the Chico Police and Fire departments overcome the challenge and realize a dream. As chance would have it, Captain MacPhail and I spoke to some key community partners in the grass roots Chico Police Department Business Support Team, and there was immediate excitement about joining with us to bring the idea of a Chico Public Safety Fitness and Training Center to fruition.
Led by Rory Rotthchalk of Culp and Tanner, a dream team that included Culp and Tanner’s Scott McFarren as Project Coordinator, architect Gary Hawkins, contractor Howard Slater, Project Superintendent Jim Barham of Slater and Son Construction, Chico High ROP instructor Mike Brugmann and students Wendy Solis and Jacob Winslow, Don Fowler of McClelland Air Conditioning and the Chico Sunrise Rotary Club, in addition to the Chico Police Department Business Support Team and many more, has assembled and developed and committed to a plan that will make the dream a reality. While much has been, and will continue to be, accomplished with donated time and materials, there will be some hard costs associated with building the Training Facility. It is out of the need to cover the hard costs of the project that the idea was born for the Guns and Hoses Gala.
Scheduled for Friday evening, April 23rd, at the Sierra Nevada Big Room, the Guns and Hoses Gala will include dinner, a silent auction, a live auction by the ever popular and down-to-earth Rob Ramay, DJ music (with dancing!) from the legendary Greg Scott, and a whole bunch of fun. 100% percent of the proceeds of this event will support the Chico Public Safety Fitness and Training Center Project. Funds raised will be routed through the Chico Police Department Foundation, which is held by the North Valley Community Foundation.
As a leader in public safety in this community, I am incredibly excited about what this project represents. First, it is a grass roots level project based on public safety, government, the private sector and private citizens working together toward a goal that will ultimately benefit the safety of the entire community. Second, once complete, this training center will support the needs of public safety for many years to come. Even with plans to enhance and expand Police and Fire facilities in the future, the existence of this venue on the City Campus and in close proximity to the Fire Training Center, a focal point for public safety training throughout the region, will virtually assure its use and value in perpetuity.
I can’t offer enough thanks to all who are involved in making this happen....THANK YOU!!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Thoughts for the New Year...
“The police are the public and the public are the police; the police being the only members of the public who are paid to give full time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.” Sir Robert Peel
OK... so what?
Well, in addition to being a practicing law enforcement professional in the early 1800s, Sir Robert Peel was a great thinker. As he reflected on what it meant to police a community, or to provide for its welfare, it occurred to him that the foundation of policing a community is based in all citizens having a role and a degree of responsibility in that endeavor (“...the public are the police...”). Peel also recognized however, that there are incidents and circumstances that occur, even in civilized societies, where average citizens could not reasonably be expected to intervene. In such circumstances, individuals with specialized training, skills and tools - the police - could respond.
So, who exactly are the police? If one thoughtfully considers Sir Robert Peel’s quote, the answer lies therein (“The police are the public...”). The police are of the people. They come from the very society or community in which they are serving. This was true during Sir Robert Peel’s time, and remains true today.
How does this all relate to the here and now in Chico? Well first, its a well known fact of course that Chico has a police department. What sometimes seems to be missing from prevalent awareness is the fact that the Department is made up of citizens who actually come from the greater Chico community; citizens who not only work here, but also live here, shop here and have kids who go to school here; citizens who are fully invested and have a stake in the community’s overall well being. They are also citizens who, as police employees, are well trained, well equipped and take great pride in serving as police professionals in the City of Chico.
But such is not the point of this piece...
The real point, the essence of my message, is the end of Peel's quote: “...duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.” As I previously noted, Peel’s perspective was that this citizen responsibility for the welfare of a community lies with everyone who is a part of that community. Emphasis of this thought is the real point of my message.
Chico is a growing community. We struggle with whether or not we should call ourselves a town or a city. The truth is, if you consider the Chico one can view from overhead in an airplane, we are a city of well over 100,000 people. Additionally, we have tens of thousands of visitors who come here every week to further their educations, to seek medical treatment, to engage in commerce, to work and for recreation. We also regularly experience our own share of "big city" crime - those things that would be unheard of in the Chico of years past.
Unfortunately, with the growth experienced by the City, the Police Department, for a variety of reasons, has not been able to experience proportional growth. I wouldn't be so bold as to suggest that if the Police Department had grown historically at the same rate as the City we would have no crime. But, there is no question it would be different if we had. The fact is we didn't, and that's the way it is.
Now, we are in the midst of a local, state and national economic crisis that has caused governments everywhere, including Chico, to tighten their fiscal belts. The result is that any plans we may have had to catch the Police Department up to the growth in the community have to be scrapped for now. That being the case, together we must figure out the best way to police our community and keep it safe.
Said simply, your police department can’t do it all. We need your help. Every citizen in Chico needs to be willing to step up to the plate and assume some responsibility in providing for our collective well-being. This is actually pretty easy to do. Such things as locking the doors of your cars or your homes when you are away from them may eliminate an opportunity for a thief. In other cases, being attentive and willing to call the police when observing suspicious conduct can be helpful. In yet other cases, the courage to act as a formal witness for the police by making a statement or identifying a suspect can mean the difference between a crook being arrested or going free.
With this message, as your Chief of Police, I am asking all who live in or visit Chico for whatever reason to live out those thoughts of Sir Robert Peel; please give conscious consideration to fulfilling those “...duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.” And I will remind you and continue to promote awareness of these ideas by periodically asking rhetorically:
What have YOU done to make Chico safe today?
Thank you for the opportunity to be your Chief of Police and to be part of providing for the safety of this great community!
OK... so what?
Well, in addition to being a practicing law enforcement professional in the early 1800s, Sir Robert Peel was a great thinker. As he reflected on what it meant to police a community, or to provide for its welfare, it occurred to him that the foundation of policing a community is based in all citizens having a role and a degree of responsibility in that endeavor (“...the public are the police...”). Peel also recognized however, that there are incidents and circumstances that occur, even in civilized societies, where average citizens could not reasonably be expected to intervene. In such circumstances, individuals with specialized training, skills and tools - the police - could respond.
So, who exactly are the police? If one thoughtfully considers Sir Robert Peel’s quote, the answer lies therein (“The police are the public...”). The police are of the people. They come from the very society or community in which they are serving. This was true during Sir Robert Peel’s time, and remains true today.
How does this all relate to the here and now in Chico? Well first, its a well known fact of course that Chico has a police department. What sometimes seems to be missing from prevalent awareness is the fact that the Department is made up of citizens who actually come from the greater Chico community; citizens who not only work here, but also live here, shop here and have kids who go to school here; citizens who are fully invested and have a stake in the community’s overall well being. They are also citizens who, as police employees, are well trained, well equipped and take great pride in serving as police professionals in the City of Chico.
But such is not the point of this piece...
The real point, the essence of my message, is the end of Peel's quote: “...duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.” As I previously noted, Peel’s perspective was that this citizen responsibility for the welfare of a community lies with everyone who is a part of that community. Emphasis of this thought is the real point of my message.
Chico is a growing community. We struggle with whether or not we should call ourselves a town or a city. The truth is, if you consider the Chico one can view from overhead in an airplane, we are a city of well over 100,000 people. Additionally, we have tens of thousands of visitors who come here every week to further their educations, to seek medical treatment, to engage in commerce, to work and for recreation. We also regularly experience our own share of "big city" crime - those things that would be unheard of in the Chico of years past.
Unfortunately, with the growth experienced by the City, the Police Department, for a variety of reasons, has not been able to experience proportional growth. I wouldn't be so bold as to suggest that if the Police Department had grown historically at the same rate as the City we would have no crime. But, there is no question it would be different if we had. The fact is we didn't, and that's the way it is.
Now, we are in the midst of a local, state and national economic crisis that has caused governments everywhere, including Chico, to tighten their fiscal belts. The result is that any plans we may have had to catch the Police Department up to the growth in the community have to be scrapped for now. That being the case, together we must figure out the best way to police our community and keep it safe.
Said simply, your police department can’t do it all. We need your help. Every citizen in Chico needs to be willing to step up to the plate and assume some responsibility in providing for our collective well-being. This is actually pretty easy to do. Such things as locking the doors of your cars or your homes when you are away from them may eliminate an opportunity for a thief. In other cases, being attentive and willing to call the police when observing suspicious conduct can be helpful. In yet other cases, the courage to act as a formal witness for the police by making a statement or identifying a suspect can mean the difference between a crook being arrested or going free.
With this message, as your Chief of Police, I am asking all who live in or visit Chico for whatever reason to live out those thoughts of Sir Robert Peel; please give conscious consideration to fulfilling those “...duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.” And I will remind you and continue to promote awareness of these ideas by periodically asking rhetorically:
What have YOU done to make Chico safe today?
Thank you for the opportunity to be your Chief of Police and to be part of providing for the safety of this great community!
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