by Timothy Rutt
New Altadena sheriff Capt. John Benedict will have a meet and greet at "Coffee with the Captain" next Tuesday, April 17, at the Coffee Gallery, 2029 N. Lake, from 8-10 AM.
This is a chance for Benedict to meet the community and an opportunity to ask questions. For more information, contact Dep. Ronnie Manier at 296-2105 or Sgt. Michael E. Randenberg at 296-2106.
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by Timothy Rutt
John Benedict was the son of a deputy sheriff. He was raised in the Pacoima area, and his dad had lots of friends in the LAPD. But it wasn’t for him: “As a teenager, i really didn’t want to be in law enforcement. It wasn’t something I thought I’d end up doing.”
So he majored in psychology at San Diego State University, thinking of going into sports psychology, as he’d been an avid soccer player, even when young. But he wound up in advertising, and didn’t like it much. His dad had a suggestion.
“Dad said I should go to the [sheriff] academy,” Benedict said. “He basically used reverse psychology on me -- ‘I don’t think you could do it, I don’t think you could graduate from the academy class.’”
So he set out to prove his father wrong, Benedict said. But: “I went to the academy, and I went -- I love this, this is awesome, this is great stuff,” Benedict said. “I enjoyed it. I went on some ridealongs and said, you know, this is what I want to do.”
Benedict said this in the comfort of his new location: the Altadena Sheriff Station. Benedict, an almost 31-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, became Altadena’s new captain on April 1.
Continue reading "John S. Benedict becomes Altadena's new captain" »
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by Timothy Rutt
Virginia Cordova likes to call herself "the detective without the badge and the gun."
A civilian employee of the Altadena Sheriff's Station, Cordova has been the station's crime analyst for about two and a half years. She takes the raw data from police reports, create statistics, and tries to spot trends to help the cops on the street to do their job.
One example was the recent wave of thefts of Chevy Silverado tailgates. Cordova said they have been targets of thieves for awhile, but the sudden increase in late 2011-early 2012 was "very odd to have in our area," and suggestive that they were being targeted by a specific thief. Sheriffs deputies identified a Pasadena man as a suspect, and arrested him Feb. 7, reportedly with three of the stolen tailgates in his possession.
"One of my main focuses right now is property crime," Cordova said. "My job involves looking at crime patterns, trends, formulating patterns based on the information I obtain from reports."
Continue reading "Crime analyst Cordova is Altadena's "detective without a badge"" »
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by Timothy Rutt
In a goodbye marked with strong emotion, Altadena Sheriff Capt. Steven McLean announced his retirement at Tuesday night’s Altadena Town Council meeting.
Word of the announcement had gotten out earlier that day, and McLean, who has been captain for two years, received a standing ovation when he took the lectern to give the sheriff’s report.
“I’ve been in this business now for 38 years, since I was a teenager,” McLean said. “I’ve been sworn for the last 32 years, and the bottom line is, for those of you who get to know me, you know that everything I do, I do for my family. My two little girls want their daddy home -- my very patient wife who wants her husband back.
“You see, being a cop is not what I do, it’s what I am, and what I’ve done my entire life,” McLean said, his voice breaking. “But after 32 years, I’m leaving on my terms, at the top of my game, still young enough to go out and do other things that I want to do with my life, other challenges, so the timing is perfect.”
McLean said that he had gotten a letter from the pension board that said “if you can retire this year, you should probably consider it.” From the letter to the announcement took about a week, McLean said.
“It’s been an honor, it’s been a blessing in my life,” McLean said “Please be happy for me, this is a good thing. I think I’ve done my time. I think I need to get back to God’s original plan with what he wants me to do with my life, and I think I need to get back to that ... I leave a very grateful, a very humble, and very blessed captain.”
McLean will be at Altadena station for the remainder of the week, and then take vacation time. There will be a community -wide retirement celebration sometime in April, according to community safety volunteer Carolyn Seitz.
Pictured: Altadena Sheriff Capt. Steven McLean announces his retirement at the Altadena Town Council meeting, Feb. 21, 2012.
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by Timothy Rutt
Deputies from the Altadena Sheriff's Station were scheduled to answer questions about dispatch and investigation complaints at Tuesday's ACONA meeting, but none showed.
Nor will they, said Altadena Sheriff Capt. Steven McLean.
"Not as long as we have someone with a criminal background collecting names," he said.
The captain was referring to Kendal Brown, who volunteers at the Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Association (ACONA) meetings, usually staffing the attendance list. Brown, 19, admits to having a juvenile criminal record, and, according to Elliot Gold, one of ACONA's organizers, his volunteer work for ACONA is counting towards his community service hours.
But law enforcement doesn't see it that way. Brown was arrested after the last ACONA meeting, Nov. 1, 2011, after deputies at the meeting recognized him as having a warrant for suspicion of grand theft, and called in other deputies. Brown was released after three days, and charges were dropped in that matter.
According to McLean, someone with a record of criminal activity shouldn't be at a neighborhood meeting, collecting names and addresses of neighborhood watch block captains and listening to them discuss crime-fighting strategies with law enforcement.
"As long as he's there, we won't be there," McLean said. As long as Brown is in the meetings, "I can't discuss what's up."
Both Brown and Gold think that the sheriff's department is targeting Brown, not believing that he's straightening out his life. Brown said that he is being targeted because his brother belongs to a gang. Gold, whose Upside Down T neighborhood association named Brown "Neighbor of the Year," also thinks that law enforcement isn't giving the youth a fair shake.
In fact, Gold was removed from the sheriff's community advisory committee because he refused to not take Brown to meetings, both Gold and McLean say.
As for the complaints against the department, stemming from an Oct. 29, 2011 incident where shots were fired and neighbors did not think an adequate investigation took place, McLean said that "we sat down with the complainants in my office, we are doing an investigation." Residents who attended that meeting reported at Tuesday's meeting that they did not feel they were being taken seriously and were being brushed off.
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Lt. Duane Allen of the Altadena Sheriff's Station sends along these tips for keeping your home safe from burglars:
1. Keep all doors and windows closed and securely fastened. An open window or door is an open invitation for burglars. Thieves are also quick to spot weak locks that may be easily forced open. Doors should have deadbolt locks with a one inch throw and reinforced strike plate with three inch screws. All windows should have window locks.
2. Secure sliding glass doors. Place a metal rod or piece of plywood in the track and install vertical bolts. These will help prevent burglars from forcing the door open or lifting it off the track.
3. Always lock the door to an attached garage. Don't rely on your automatic garage door opener for security.
4. Create the illusion that you are home by using timers on lights, radios and TV's. Making your residence appear occupied, even when no one is home, will deter criminals.
5. Keep the perimeter of your home well lighted. Installing low voltage outdoor lighting is a cost-effective way to discourage intruders, as well as highlight a house.
6. Never leave clues that you are away on a trip. Have a trusted neighbor collect mail and newspapers while you are away so delivered items do not accumulate. You can also ask a neighbor to park in your driveway or parking place to make it appear that you are present.
7. Keep some shades and blinds up and curtains open to maintain a normal, everyday appearance in your residence.
8. Never leave a message on your telephone answering machine telling people that you are away from home. A message that you will return at a certain time leaves your home vulnerable in the interim.
9. Keep shrubbery trimmed away from entrances and walkways. While large, ornate hedges may be beautiful, they also provide a hiding place for burglars who need only a minute to break in through a window or door.
10. Organize a community watch program to protect your neighborhood
11. Stop announcing your vacations on Facebook, MySpace etc. It’s very easy to locate your address and other personal information
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by Carolyn Seitz
cmseitz@mindspring.com
Most of you know that the monthly crime stats published by the Sheriff's Department show us the crime rates for the previous month with a comparison to the same period of time for the years 2006 and 2010, and in addition, they show us the year to date for each period reflected in their report.
You can review the whole 119 page report here http://file.lacounty.gov/lasd/cms1_148405.pdf
Below are three pages of the report for the period ending December 31, 2011. These three pages show you the crime rates for violent crime and property crime for all of the areas services by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on the first page. This page also allows you to see how crime rates for Altadena measure against crime rates across all service areas for the Sheriff's Department. The second pages shows you Altadena's crime rates for violent crime and property crime and then the last page shows you a larger breakdown of these crimes so you have a little more detail.
Please note that Altadena's crime rates for Part I crimes continue to improve over the same period for 2010 with only the Avalon Sheriff's Station experiencing a greater reduction in crime.
Please continue to do your part and report suspicious activity. It does make a different.
If you have questions or comments, please feel free to let me know. The three critical pages of the report are after the jump.
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by Timothy Rutt
Altadena has always been patrolled by the county sheriff, with the first Altadena station established in 1927. The Altadena Historical Society presents a look at the station's early years on Mon., Jan 23, at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., at 7:30 PM.
The speaker is Altadena Sheriff Sgt. John Stanley, who is also a published historian with a master's degree in history from Cal State Fullerton. Stanley's lecture will look at the history of the station through 1950, with lots of anecdotes and colorful stories, and numerous rare photos.
The program is free and open to the public.
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