Letter to the Editor

We, the undersigned, all Altadena Outstanding Citizens of the Year who continue to be deeply involved with and concerned for our community are writing in answer to the claims of the Altadena Town Council regarding police abuse and the expectation of reprisals printed in the Star News letters on May 30.

The facts, the documentation, and the racial make up of our station and patrol personnel--both past and present--stand in opposition to these claims as well as to any casual observations by Council members from wherever they work or reside. Whatever their perch at any given time of day they certainly don’t capture the larger view of what has occurred one block or one mile away in this community of nine square miles and more than 46,000 people.

The Altadena Station personnel, patrol deputies, volunteers, and command staff conduct community outreach on a level rarely seen elsewhere in the County of Los Angeles. The forums and organizations available to the community through the Sheriff’s station include Neighborhood Watch, Altadena Clergy Council, Sheriff’s Support Group of Altadena, Community Advisory Committee, Youth Activities League, Mountain Rescue, Volunteers on Patrol, and the Mounted Posse. Through the volunteer efforts of these groups and those working at the station we have our Summer Concert Series at Farnsworth Park, community barbeques, community presentations, and forums throughout the town all in an effort to reach out to the community to communicate and receive feedback. The folks from the station when conducting these forums relate to the community what is involved with law enforcement and the difficulties that Deputies face every day in their effort to keep us safe and protect our property. At these presentations they regularly reinforce the reporting procedures.

The Town Council exists to bring together community members and the government agencies that serve their needs in a proactive forum in order for information to be exchanged and so that difficulties on the part of anyone in town can be addressed by the appropriate representative. Blindsiding and grandstanding statements for the benefit of the cameras without giving sufficient notice so that the representative may present an informed response discredits the Council and its members and diminishes their effectiveness.

It behooves the members of the Altadena Town Council to become enlightened with all that is provided them by the Sheriff’s at our station and understand the recourse available on behalf of their constituents. They should endeavor to hone their communication abilities as well. As elected representatives of the community it is a small effort they should each undertake.

Jamie Bissner Cumi MacKenzie
Tecumseh Shackelford Ken Balder Sandra Thomas, PhD
Bob Klomburg Kathy Klomburg Tom Joyce

DOWNBEAT EXPRESS June 28th 7:00 PM Farnsworth Park

DOWN BEAT EXPRESS

The Down Beat Express Big Band was founded in Pasadena twenty-five years ago by saxophonist Safford Chamberlain. Pat Emmett took the baton a year later. Since then, the band has played dozens of gigs from park concerts to wedding receptions to stage shows and jazz festivals.

In '07 for instance, in addition to the Farnsworth Park Concert, and private functions, the band performed at "Two-Strike Park" in LaCrescenta, The Sun City Theater in Palm Desert where it headlined "The Veterans' Day Salute Stage Show", and at the "Orange County Live Music Festival" in Anaheim.

Tonight's performance features the band's popular vocal star Jennifer Gates. John Noreyko will be our male vocalist for the 'Salute to Sinatra' set. John is a staff performer at Disneyland, tours parts of the U.S. annually, and does his 'Sinatra Sings' show in various L.A. area Clubs. Daveena limonick will also perform on the ‘Sinatra Set’. She has performed with the Downbeat Express over they last two years at Farnsworth Park.

The Down Beat Express' CD "The Silver Project" featuring Jennifer on vocals, is available for purchase at all performances.For more information contact Pat Emmett at: 928-566-4078 or pme@npgcable.com

For series information visit: www.altadenasheriffs.blogspot.com or call; 626-296-2103

ELLIOTT CAINE 6/14/08 Farnsworth Park - 7:00 PM

The Elliott Caine Sextet

Inspired by '60 "Blue Note" style jazz, as well as by the music of Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaria, the Elliott Caine Sextet plays original compositions, as well as the works of Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Donald Byrd, et al. The group's critically acclaimed first release, Orientation, has received generous radio airplay across the USA, being the "#1 most added" for jazz, nationally, for the week of 11/5 to 11/11/99, eventually reaching #29 on national radio's Gavin List in January 2000. Two of Elliott's original compositions from the CD are featured in the film, "Relax...It's Just Sex,” starring Jennifer Tilly, Paul Winfield, and other notables. The film has headlined at many film festivals and has been distributed internationally. Le Supercool, the 2nd CD release by the Elliott Caine Sextet, further explores musical ideas initiated with Orientation. Released in early 2001, Le Supercool received impressive notice nationally and internationally, attaining the rank of #14 for radioplay in the USA in early February 2001 (Gavin Jazz List). Additionally, music from Le Supercool has been used as interlude music for radio station WBAI in New York City. Selections from Le Supercool have been played on radio stations in Russia, France, Indonesia, Mexico, Canada and other nations in addition to the USA. Additionally, music from both CDs has been used for television and other "independent" films.

http://www.elliottcaine.com/

Altadena Sheriff's Station announces 'Community Forum'

Altadena Sheriff’s Station

And

Altadena Sheriff’s Community Advisory Committee

Present

IDENTITY THEFT
&
ELDER ABUSE

Community Forum




Join Altadena Station Captain Roosevelt Blow and Commercial Crimes Bureau Sergeant McCants for an informative presentation on Identity Theft and Elder Abuse. Learn how not to become a victim and what to do if you do. A question and answer session along with public commentary will immediately follow the presentation.

June 12, 2008
3:30 pm- 5:30pm or 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
(both presentations will be the same)
held at the
Altadena Community Center
730 E. Altadena Dr.
Altadena, Ca 91001





For additional information, contact the Altadena Sheriff’s Station Community Relations office at (626)296-2103 or (626)296-2104.

SAVE THE DATE! 2008 Summer Concert Series (Up-dated 5/14/08)

Click on image to make it larger

Sheriff's Department gives tips on gangs in Altadena

Reprinted with the permission of the Pasadena Star News

Sheriff's department gives tips on gangs in Altadena
By Robert S. Hong, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 03/26/2008 10:41:26 PM PDT

Special Section
Gangs: From Prisons to Back Yards Frank Girardot's Crime Scene blog

ALTADENA - Inside a packed Altadena Community Center, local sheriff's personnel gave residents an eye-opening crash course on Altadena's gangs, featuring a slide-show presentation that showed the blacked-out images of reputed area gang members.

Sheriff's Department Detective Steve Long of the Altadena Station presented slides Wednesday night showing gang members flashing hand signs and wearing gang-specific colors, and he gave residents a primer on the methods deputies use to spot gangsters.

Long showed residents what to look for if they see someone in their neighborhood they suspect might belong to a particular gang. Parents also can use the tools to determine if their children are involved or at risk of joining a gang, Long said.

He advised parents to check their children's backpacks, notebooks and textbooks for signs of gang graffiti, and he showed them what to look for. He also reviewed a list of at least 11 street gangs currently operating in and around Altadena.

"It was a fantastic, fast-paced presentation," concluded Altadena resident Colleen Bissner. "It was interesting learning how to translate all of the gang language and knowing which ones wear which colors."

Residents remain law enforcement's first line of defense in fighting street gangs, officials told the audience.

"You are the people that will help us stop these crimes," said Sgt. Al Pelaez.

Bissner and several other residents said much of the presentation provided information they never knew about local gangs. Community activist and anti-gang worker Tim Rhambo said that, while he enjoyed the presentation, he had hoped for more input from local teens and young adults.

"It's good that it was an Altadena-focused event and everybody here lives in the community," said Rambo. "I wish there had been some young people to help give the presentation."

robert.hong@sgvn.com
(626) 578-6300, Ext. 4586

March Community Forum

Click on image to make it larger

2008 Summer Concerts need your help

Click on image to make it larger.

Getting it down on tape

Reprinted with permission of the Pasadena Star News

Getting it down on tape
Recorders will help deputies on stops
By Robert S. Hong, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/21/2008 10:25:12 PM PST


ALTADENA - Area deputies may be packing more than guns when they make a traffic stop in coming weeks.

Through a $3,200 donation from the Sheriff's Support Group of Altadena, officials have purchased 60 electronic voice recorders to be used during traffic stops and other official interactions with the public.

"This affords (deputies) a tool in dealing with people on traffic stops," said Lt. Scott Young. "When complaints come in alleging they have been rude, they're encouraged to use the tape."

From time to time, people stopped for traffic violations make complaints against the deputies involved, accusing them of being harsh or curt with their language, he said.

When internal officials look into the complaint, it will be to a deputy's benefit to have the conversation recorded, Young said.

Carrying recorders is a trend among law enforcement agencies, but most officers purchase their own recorders, Young said.

The station has provided recorders in recent years, but many of them have stopped working or were kept by deputies who have left the department, Young said.

And they also serve other purposes.

"It's a great tool for gathering evidence and can be used in a series of ways," Capt. Roosevelt Blow said.

The recorders are useful for keeping track of any information or confessions made while a deputy is in-field, he said.

The Sheriff's Support Group was formed in the 1980s to keep the Altadena
Station open during a county budget crisis, and now frequently supplies the station with funding for various items.

"We've got them mountain bikes, computer monitors, scanners, a lot of electronic hardware and things that are just not available in the budget," said group president Robert Klomburg.

Along with the voice recorders, the group also purchased four new Tasers and 27 new holsters for the station.

robert.hong@sgvn.com
(626) 578-6300, Ext. 4586

Chief Ronnie Williams set to retire

Click on image to make it larger.

If you plan to attend, enclose a note indicating you would like to be seated at the Altadena Tables.