Celebrate this New Year's Eve Safely!

We will celebrate New Year's Eve tonight and there are a number of things to consider when it comes to celebrating safely. Here are a few things to think about for our New Years celebrations:

•Don't Drink and Drive!

•Use a designated driver, or if need be, call AAA Tipsy Tow for a ride home for you and your car. See AAA website or call 800-400-4222 for information.

•DO NOT fire weapons into the air. Bullets and projectiles can travel long distances causing injury and death. You have no control where a projectile will land when fired indiscriminately into the air.

•Stay inside at the stroke of midnight! Celebrate with friends and family indoors.

•Keep an eye on your pets. Loud noises, fireworks, gunshots, all can be frightening to animals. Keep your pets indoors or consult your veterinarian for options. Make sure they are wearing collars with identification should they become lost.

Remember to celebrate safely and smartly. Enjoy the New Year celebration!

Weekly Tip - Tipsy Tow Leaves NO Excuse to Drink and Drive

It's New Year's Eve and while we understand folks will be celebrating, we will not tolerate drinking and driving. Our officers will be looking for those who have had too much to drink and will be arresting them for DUI.

There are some steps you can take to help stop driving under the influence:

• Plan ahead - designate a sober driver. Many restaurants offer incentives to designated drivers.
• If you are hosting a party - stop serving alcohol well ahead of anyone leaving. They do it at the ball park!
• If a friend or family member has had too much to drink - take the keys away!
• Think you are out of options? Not yet - take advantage of AAA's Tipsy Tow. Member or not, on New Years Eve, AAA will give you and your car a ride for up to seven miles in their service area for free. Call 800-400-4222.

NO Excuses - Don't Drink and Drive! If you are on the road and see a suspected drunk driver, call 9-1-1 and help save a life!  

Rose Parade or Rose Bowl Game in Your Plans?

Visitors in town for the parade or big game?  Have a friend staying at one of our local hotels?  Nixle is a great resource for those living in town or visitors to the area.  The two major agencies responsible for Tournament of Roses activity both have active Nixle accounts and share valuable safety information with the public.  The Pasadena Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, along with other local police agencies like Arcadia, Burbank, and South Pasadena, all use the Nixle platform for instant messaging.

We would like to encourage everyone, including those visiting the area, to take advantage of these services and subscribe to local public safety before the need arises.

A simple method to subscribe for Nixle alerts is to text your zip code, or perhaps the zip code for your local hotel, to 888777.  For those in Arcadia, text either 91006 or 91007 to 888777 and you will be included in any emergency alerts sent by APD.  Check with your host or concierge for the local zip code for your area hotel in neighboring cities.

You can also download our smart phone app for links to other information and services.

Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas to All!

Wishing everyone the best today and throughout the year! A special thanks to those public service members, not only here in Arcadia, but everywhere, who are working this holiday!

Weekly Tip - Santa's Being Tracked

If you have not visited the Official NORAD Santa Tracker with your kids, you are missing out of some fun in keeping the spirit of Santa alive.

Take a look at their page throughout the day and evening on Christmas Eve and watch as they "track" the route and location of Santa. There are several tabs with history and other information about Santa to entertain your family.

Ho Ho Ho and a Merry Christmas to all!

Weekly Activity Highlights for December 14 - 20, 2014

http://www.ci.arcadia.ca.us/docs/weekly_12.14.14.pdf

PropertyRoom.com to Handle APD Auctions

PropertyRoom.com made their first pick-up at Arcadia PD today. Starting in 2015, all property held for auction by the Department will be turned over to PropertyRoom.com for disposition and potential auction. The company sorts, categorizes, and valuates all incoming property. Some items deemed unusable or counterfeit are destroyed. Other items of value are placed on the company website for auction. Once an item sells, a portion of the profits are returned to the agency.

There have also been times a piece of property was recognized by a victim who was able to prove ownership. In those instances, PropertyRoom.com facilitated the return of the item to the owner. Please visit their website for additional information on the company and their auctions.

Road Closures, Traffic, and No Parking Info for Friday, December 26th

The day after Christmas is sure to bring many visitors, shoppers, and racing fans to the City of Arcadia. The Westfield Santa Anita Mall will be filled with people seeking sales, exchanges, and returns. The Santa Anita Race Track comes to life once again, with opening day for live racing. Yes, this coming Friday, December 26th, will surely be a busy day in town!

The mall can be accessed off Baldwin Avenue and Huntington Drive. Shoppers may see gate closures inside Gate 8 (north of JC Penney) and best times for arriving or departing the mall would be earlier in the morning, mid-afternoon, or evening hours, after the race track has closed.

The majority of Race Track patrons leave between the hours of 3:00pm - 7:00pm, so the following closures and restrictions will be in place during that time period:

BALDWIN AVENUE:

- Traffic congestion between Huntington Drive & the 210 freeway

- There will be No Parking on Baldwin Avenue between Hugo Reid and Huntington Drive from 3:00pm – 7:00pm

HUNTINGTON DRIVE:

- There will be No Left Turns from E/B Huntington to N/B Baldwin Avenue (Left Turn Lanes will be Closed from 3pm-7pm)

- There will be No Right Turns from W/B Huntington Drive to N/B Baldwin Avenue (Right Lane Closed from 3pm–7pm)

COLORADO PLACE:

- All Southbound lanes of Colorado Place will be closed at the intersection with Colorado Boulevard (closure in effect from 4pm – 7pm). All traffic will be detoured onto E/B Colorado Blvd towards Santa Anita Avenue.

If you would like to avoid the traffic congestion in these areas, you are advised to use the following alternate routes:

ALTERNATE NORTH/SOUTH ROUTES:

- Michillinda Avenue

- Santa Anita Avenue

ALTERNATE EAST/WEST ROUTES:

- Foothill Boulevard

- Duarte Road

Santa Anita Race Track gates will open at 10:00 am and the first post is at noon. Racing fans can access Gate 8 off Baldwin Avenue, however, other gates may be less congested. Suggested routes for easier access may include;

From the west or northbound on Baldwin Avenue, use Huntington Drive to Gate 3 at Holly Avenue.

From the south, use Santa Anita Avenue to Campus Drive for Gate 3 access, or to Huntington Drive for access to Gates 5 and 6.

From the east, use Huntington Drive or Colorado Boulevard/Place to access Gates 5 and 6.

Police officers will be manning traffic signals and certain intersections throughout the day. Traffic will be heavy and you should expect delays. Allow extra time for your travel and please be patient.

Great Twitter Post from the DUI/License Checkpoint

Sergeant Dan Crowther tweeted from last night's DUI/License Checkpoint. This was one of the best tweets he posted!

Stats from DUI/License Checkpoint, Saturday, December 20th

1846 total cars through the checkpoint

1749 through primary inspection

48 through secondary inspection

VC 12500 – 12 Cites (Unlicensed)

VC 14601 – 1 Cite (Suspended License)

DUI – 4 Arrests

Warrant - 1 Arrest

Weekly Activity Highlights for December 7-13, 2014

http://www.ci.arcadia.ca.us/docs/weekly_12.7.14.pdf

Records Section Hours During the Holidays

The Records Section of the Arcadia Police Department will be close at 6:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24th, and will be closed Christmas Day, Thursday, December 25th.  The Records Section will reopen at 6:00 a.m. on Friday, December 26th.

On New Year's Eve, Wednesday, December 31st, the Records Section will close at 6:00 p.m. and will reopen at 6:00 a.m. on Friday, January  2, 2015. 

The lobby will be accessible for emergency assistance.  Parking permits are not required through January 5, 2015.  All other parking violations will be enforced.

Please see the following post for daily operating hours in the Records Section: 

http://arcadiapolice.blogspot.com/2012/09/new-operating-hours-for-apd-records.html 

Honoring Detective Steve Turner on his Retirement

Today, the Arcadia Police Department says congratulations to Detective Steve Turner on his retirement after 3 decades of law enforcement service. It is Steve's last working day here at APD.

Detective Turner began his career in 1985 with the Southern Pacific Railroad Police Department as a Police Officer. Steve lateralled to the Arcadia Police Department in 1988 where he has worked the remainder of his career. Steve has worked as a Patrol Officer, Traffic and Motor Officer, a Field Training Officer, a member of our Special Weapons and Tactics Team, and a Detective. Detective Turner served as our primary Crimes Persons investigator for the last several years.

Please join us in saying thanks for your service and congratulations to Steve!

Steve is pictured below receiving his City trivet from Chief Bob Guthrie at a farewell luncheon two weeks ago held for both Detectives Turner and Crawford. Steve passed the APD "Short Timer" chain along to the next up retiree, Sergeant Steve Fallavollita, this morning. The "Short Timer" chain has been an APD tradition for many decades and is passed from the current retiree to the next expected retiring member.  

Annual Chief's Christmas Breakfast 2014

Chief Bob Guthrie carried out a long standing Arcadia Police Department tradition this morning, hosting the Chief's Annual Christmas Breakfast. The breakfast is a great event where current and former members of APD can gather to share memories and a meal prepared by the Chief and fellow police management staff. In addition to the APD family, all City employees and City staff are invited to attend, along with our elected officials.

We had a great turnout today. A special thanks to Vons Corporation and Papa Cantella's for the generous donations of food for the event.

For additional photos, please visit our APD Facebook page. Chief Guthrie is pictured below (center) with members of Vons/Pavilions Management and other APD staff.

News Release: Operation Silent Night (AB 109 Probation Sweep)

Incident:  30 Arrested in Operation Silent Night (an AB 109 Probation Sweep)

Contact:  Watch Commander – (626) 574-5156

Date / Time of Release:  December 17, 2014 – 3:30 PM

On Wednesday morning, December 17, 2014, the West San Gabriel Valley Anti-Crime Task Force, with assistance from neighboring local law enforcement partners, conducted Operation Silent Night – a large-scale regional effort aimed at conducting compliance checks on people currently on probation under Realignment (AB 109) guidelines.  The “Zero Tolerance” focus of the enforcement sweep was aimed at apprehending AB 109 absconders with outstanding warrants, and conducting compliance checks in accordance with the terms of a person’s probation conditions.  Many of the probationers contacted during the course of the operation were known to have previous court violations to include weapons charges, assault charges and property crimes.  

Law enforcement officers made contact with both probationers and their associates at 61 of the 88 locations checked during the operation.  Of those persons contacted by police, 30 were arrested for offenses ranging from probation violations, to narcotics possession, to firearms possession. As for the 27 remaining locations, law enforcement officers either confirmed that the person on probation was not at home at the time, or that the location was not a valid address for the probationer on record.

This operation was driven by the West San Gabriel Valley Anti-Crime Task Force with assistance from allied agencies, to include: The L.A. County Probation Department, L.A. I.M.P.A.C.T., the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (Altadena & Temple City Stations), the Department of Children & Family Services, the Long Beach Police Department's AB 109 Task Force Team, and the AB109 Tri-Team, which consists of detectives from Glendale, Burbank and San Fernando Police Departments.

The West San Gabriel Anti-Crime Task Force is comprised of detectives from the Arcadia, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Monrovia, El Monte, Monterey Park Police Departments and L.A. County Probation.

Robert T. Guthrie, Chief of Police

           

By: Colleen Flores, Lieutenant

Weekly Tip - Holiday and Christmas Tree Safety

FEMA and the US Fire Administration offer some valuable tips on Holiday and Christmas Tree safety.  The video above is an example of how quickly a dry Christmas tree can catch fire and spread to your home.  Please keep your Christmas tree watered, never overload an outlet, and maintain your lighting in good working order for your tree.  Visit the FEMA/USFA website for other tips and information.

Happy Hanukkah 2014!

Arcadia Police Department Officer and Civilian of the Year for 2014

Officer Robert Bartley was selected as Arcadia Police Department and Arcadia Police Officers' Association Officer of the Year for 2014. Officer Bartley started his career with APD in 1993 after four years of service in the United States Marine Corp. Bob has served as a Patrol Officer, both a Motor and Traffic Officer, and a Field Training Officer.

Bob was nominated by fellow officers for his continuous high level of enthusiasm, commitment, and dedication to both APD and the community we serve.

Officer Bartley joins a small group of personnel to have been selected as Officer of the Year, twice in their career. Bob also received the honor in 1998.

Officer Bartley is pictured on the left, holding his plaque, along with Chief Bob Guthrie. The award was presented at APOA's annual Christmas party.

Records Technician II Luz "Lucy" Martinez was posthumously selected as the Arcadia Police Department Civilian of the Year for 2014. Lucy passed away earlier in 2014 after losing her battle with cancer. Lucy started with APD in 2000 as a Clerk/Matron. Although not physically here, Lucy remains in the hearts and minds of the APD family. Her nominations included recognition of her friendly and professional demeanor, her commitment to others and the organization, a positive attitude, and undeniable personal courage. Lucy forever had a smile on her face and is indeed missed by all. Lucy is pictured below.

Global Police Tweet-a-thon Returns Friday, December 19th

A Day on Patrol with Your Local Police or Sheriff – Arcadia PD to Participate in Global Tweet-a-thon

The Arcadia Police Department is participating in a Global Tweet-a-thon. What is it like to patrol the streets of Arcadia on a Friday morning or evening? What types of calls do Arcadia officers respond to? In an effort to give Arcadia residents a glimpse inside the way officers work to keep our community safe, the Arcadia Police Department will participate in the Global Police Tweet-a-thon on Friday, December 19, 2014 between 8:00 a.m. and midnight. (Virtual ride-along)

Officers from the Arcadia Police Department will join law enforcement agencies across the globe in taking to Twitter in an effort to bring attention and understanding to the use of social media by law enforcement.

Agencies will tweet using the same hashtag, #poltwt, to create awareness about police work and law enforcement issues, as well as to promote the use of social media and transparency in law enforcement. The theme for this event is #TimetoUnify.

Make sure to mark your calendars for this Friday, December 19th and follow us @ArcadiaPD between 8:00 a.m. and midnight. If you don’t already use Twitter, sign up for free at https://twitter.com/ArcadiaPD.

Please be aware the number of Twitter messages generated for the Global Tweet-a-thon from our agency, @ArcadiaPD, will be in excess of what may be considered a normal daily number of Twitter messages. Please take this into consideration should you have “push notifications” activated for our Twitter feed.

Your @ArcadiaPD hosts for the day will be @TRLeVeque and @Crowther439. Our Watch Commanders can be reached at 626-574-5156 or please engage with us on Twitter.

Arcadia DUI Checkpoint, December 20, 2014

ARCADIA POLICE DEPARTMENT

Upcoming DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint

Contact: Sergeant Kollin Cieadlo 626.574.5475

The Arcadia Police Department will be hosting a DUI/Driver’s License checkpoint in the City of Arcadia during the evening hours of Saturday December 20th. One of the goals of our enforcement activity is to promote public safety and increase awareness of the dangers associated with drinking and driving.  This will be accomplished by providing a highly visible enforcement and publicity campaign, in order to deter intoxicated drivers from getting behind the wheel and driving.  Through these efforts, we also seek to reduce the number of injuries and deaths associated with collisions involving intoxicated drivers.

We would like to remind the public of the dangers associated with drinking and driving.  Help save a life; call 9-1-1 to report drunk drivers. It simply is not worth it to drive while impaired.  Give the gift of life this holiday season and celebrate responsibly by using a sober designated driver. 

Don’t forget to visit the Arcadia Police Department News & Information Blog or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Nixle for other pertinent news and information.  Remember, the solution begins with you! 

Funding for these operations is provided from a grant administered by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Robert T. Guthrie

Chief of Police

By: Kollin Cieadlo

Traffic Sergeant

Weekly Tip - Parking Lot Survival for the Holidays

The holiday season is upon us - and with that brings large crowds and parking lots filled with anxious shoppers! Private property accidents contribute to a number of our calls for service during the holiday season and most of these incidents are avoidable. Here are some tips to help avoid collisions and other vehicle related incidents on private property:

•Slow down, don't be in a rush. The sales will still be going on when you get there.

•Obey shopping center or mall stop signs, yield signs, speed limit signs. They are there for a reason...SAFETY!

•Drive only in marked isles. Avoid driving across the parking lot and watch out for those that are using parking stalls as a short cut.

•Park a little further away. It is probably quicker than driving up and down looking for that perfect spot.

•Look all around before backing out and back SLOWLY from your stall.

•Watch for pedestrians and watch out for yourself while walking in the parking lot.

•Avoid the urge to "beat" the other driver to that one last spot.

•Practice common sense and courtesy. Everyone can be on edge in a crowded parking lot. Give each other a break.

•Leave valuables at home or at least out of sight in your LOCKED vehicle.

•Park only in marked stalls. Fire lane, red zones, handicap stalls may all be enforced at most shopping centers.

•Always be aware of your surroundings. Park in well lighted areas. Alert store security or the police to suspicious persons or vehicles.

Weekly Activity Highlights for November 30 - December 6, 2014

www.ci.arcadia.ca.us/docs/weekly_11.30.14.pdf

Residential Burglary is a Holiday Favorite Crime - Please Be Vigilant

Looking at the crime map above you would not know it, but since Thanksgiving, residential burglary has actually decreased slightly in Arcadia. But, as you can see, from East Pasadena through Arcadia, there are still a number of "Res Burgs" being reported, particularly north of the freeway.

The majority of Arcadia burglaries have been committed during daytime hours. Several of the homes burglarized were targeted while the residents were gone for a few days at a time. While the Department places additional officers, both in plain cars and marked units in problem areas, we are not always in the right place at the right time. Please remember to be vigilant in both your observation of your neighborhood and with your own home safety and security.

HERE are tips for preventing home burglary. Remember, if you See Something, Say Something!

Stay informed on criminal activity in your area through CrimeMapping.com.

Holiday Suspension of Overnight Parking Enforcement

Residents and visitors will not have to obtain temporary overnight parking permits for passenger vehicles parked on the City streets from December 15, 2014 through January 5, 2015. This permit suspension affords the community the opportunity to entertain guests and visitors without worrying about purchasing permits during the holidays.

This enforcement suspension pertains only to overnight parking restrictions for passenger vehicles between 2:30 am and 5:30 am. All other parking restrictions remain in effect and will be enforced, such as time zones, street sweeping, curb markings, etc.

The 2015 permits are available at the City Hall Cashier's Office and are being honored for the remainder of 2014, if properly displayed.

If you have any questions, please contact the APD Watch Commander at (626) 574-5156.