Specialty Assignments and Vacation

Good morning everyone! I thought I would write a little bit this morning because as the title eludes, yes, I am going on vacation! This is my last day for a week or so. The Citizen Academy class graduates tonight, so I planned a vacation immediately after it ended. I will be off the the big apple for the first time and am very excited. I plan on eating my way through New York and just happened to be there during the last day of the NFL draft. I am going to go check it out because if you know me, you know that I put the FAN in fanatic. Sorry Niner and Raider fans, but it is the Tennessee Titans all the way! Okay, so off to department stuff.

Today, we are holding interviews for a Detective position. Unlike what most of you see on TV, Detective positions at most departments are not permanent positions. The big agencies like LAPD, SFPD, and so on have permanent Detectives. Our assignments are typically 3 years and we have a variety of Detective assignments. We have Crimes Against Persons, Crimes Against Property, Child/Adult Sexual Assault, DPU (Narcotics, Vice, Gangs), and the one we are testing for today, School Resource Officer or SRO. The Detective in this position was recently promoted to Corporal, so he needs to rotate back to uniform patrol. Corporal is a street level supervisor here, so it is important for him to go back to the street to obtain experience in supervision. We have three excellent candidates for the SRO job and I am confident that whoever is selected will do an excellent job! When I get back from vacation, I will have some news on who was selected and who will be the new SRO for the next three years.

Everyone have a great weekend and be safe. I will be back in a bit.

Lt. Dan

Tip of the Week

Good morning and happy Monday! Although I do not usually work Mondays but I am attending a Rotary luncheon with the Chief, so here I am. I thought it might be nice to have a tip of the week or something like it.

One of the things that I know annoy me when I am at home is door to door solicitors. I know everyone has to make a living but we often get calls about what we can do about them. I think more importantly I wanted to give some tips to keep yourself safe. I am a strong believer in the "No Solicitor" sign. I place it right next to my doorbell so they see it (which causes me to get knocks at the door instead). First off, yes it is illegal for a solicitor to come to your door if you have a "No Solicitor" sign but it is a civil violation, not criminal. I do believe that more often than not, door to door solicitors understand and respect the sign and they do not come to your door. If one does come to your door, first off, you are under no obligation to answer it. If the solicitor becomes aggressive with their knocking and you are fearful, please call the police. If you do answer your door, be careful. You really do not know who are you are dealing with. Take your phone with you to the door and please be safe. As I said above, if at anytime you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, close the door and call the police. We appreciate these phone calls because I guarantee you that you are not the only resident in your neighborhood that is concerned.

I hope that little tip helps you out! Have a good day and be safe out there!

Department Participation

Good morning everyone out there. Happy Friday! So, it seems that we have some department members who are interested in helping me out with our blog. I love this because I really want all of you to hear different stories and get different perspectives than just mine. So far, Dispatcher Anndora, Lieutenant Ralph and Officer Leslie have volunteered. I will let them fill you in on who they are once I sit down with them and talk to them about the blogging experience.

I received a couple of questions about why can't comments be made on the blog. To be honest, at this time, I would prefer to not have public comment on the blog. I have seen many occasions (and maybe some of you have to) where the comments sections get out of control with either off topic discussions or down right mean and nasty. I want this to be a positive experience and do not want to get in any trouble with my bosses either! If you have a suggestion or comment, I am always willing to chat. E-mail me at 447@srpd.org

I hope you all have a very safe and fun weekend.

Lt. Dan

Citizen Academy Tonight

Tonight is the 9th week of our Citizen Police Academy. Next week is graduation for the class. The topic for tonight is narcotics, vice, and gangs. This block is taught by our Directed Patrol Unit (DPU). The DPU team has a Sergeant and two Detectives who work primarily in plain clothes and unmarked cars on a variety of quality of life issues in the City.

The Citizen Police Academy is a great program and is grant funded by a Recovery Act Grant, so there is no charge to attend. The next class starts September 15th and ends November 17th. The classes are every Wednesday night from 6pm to 9pm and are generally held at City Hall in the Council Chambers. If you are interested, please call 415-485-3114 or e-mail Peggy.Ruge@srpd.org The only requirement is that you are a resident of San Rafael or work in San Rafael.

8 Juveniles Arrested for Robbery

This being my first blog posting, I thought about what to say. I guess I figured we might as well jump into it and tell you all about the arrests from last night. First off, I am the Investigations Lieutenant. That means that I have some responsibilities that cause my phone to ring at night. Last night was one of them. The Detective Sergeant called me at about 9pm (or 2100 hours) to let me know that the patrol division has eight in custody for a street robbery. We have had a few in the Canal area and have been actively trying to investigate these cases to see if we can identify any suspects. As with lots facets of police work, the right place at the right time has a lot to do with being successful. We had marked patrol units in the area when the call of the robbery came out and found the eight people nearby. Long story short (since it is an active case), we now have identified suspects and will be continuing our investigation. I was able to fall asleep after speaking with Sergeant until that alarm sound at 0430 hours.......lets see what today brings!