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.