Weekly Tip - Kids Around? Secure Your Firearms!

California law requires secure storage of firearms when children under 18 are likely to be present and you are in control of the premises. Definitions and exemptions can be found in Penal Code section 12035, Criminal Storage of a Firearm.

Gun safety starts at home. If weapons are present in a home, children need to be taught proper weapon handling and safety. Weapons need to be properly secured. In the event that a child finds a gun, the National Rifle Association Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program teaches children the following:

•STOP!

•Don't touch!

•Leave the area!

•Tell an adult!

The NRA also offers additional information for parents on gun safety, training and additional information HERE.

There is no excuse for having an unsecured weapon in your home. Gun safes are reasonably priced and are readily available. Use of a gun safe is preferred, but many police departments offer simple gun locks for free. The Arcadia Police Department officers residents gun locks free of charge at our front counter. Check with your local agency for availability.

Weekly Activity Highlights for February 17-23, 2013

http://www.ci.arcadia.ca.us/docs/weekly_2.17.13.pdf
And, here is the report for Feb 10-16, 2013
http://www.ci.arcadia.ca.us/docs/weekly_2.10.13.pdf

Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Today!

The Arcadia Police Department Traffic Bureau will be conducting Pedestrian Safety Enforcement throughout Arcadia today (Wed Feb 27). The officers will be targeting not only drivers who fail to yield, but also pedestrians who place themselves in danger by jaywalking or committing other ped violations.

You can find pedestrian safety tips in a previous APD blog post at http://arcadiapolice.blogspot.com/2012/08/weekly-tip-pedestrians-crosswalks-right.html.

Be safe!

Weekly Tip - Don't Text & Drive!

A short video reminder for all of us from ConnectSafely.org.  Don't text and drive!  Be a role model for your kids - they are watching every move you make!

Where is Arcadia's Chicago Park?

If you are ever listening to the police scanner and hear an Arcadia unit broadcast a traffic stop, or make reference to "Chicago Park", you are not alone if you don't know where that is.  The light industrial area, east of Peck Road, that is home to the Arcadia Public Works Services Department, among other business locations, is known to the more tenured officers as "Chicago Park".

"...little known piece of history about Chicago Park, Arcadia...Actually, Chicago Park was just an outrageous, not viable real estate developer scheme. This proposed town lay almost entirely in the San Gabriel Riverbed. Periodic flooding changed the landscape and altered the river channel. And the land sat idle for decades...in 1957, Chicago Park was annexed to Arcadia..." (VillageProfile.com)  With land develoment and modernization/control of the San Gabriel River flow, the area is now home to numerous commercial and residential locations.

The Arcadia city border actually extends along the north side of the Peck Road Conservation Park, widening out in the "Chicago Park" area, and runs south, east of Cogswell Road.  The southern tip of Arcadia again widens and encompasses the Arcadia Reclamation Project and several commercial locations along Lower Azusa Road.

Ford's Teen Driver Class Coming to Los Angeles

Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, the Governors Highway Safety Association, and The California Office of Traffic Safety have teamed up to bring Ford Driving Skills for Life (Ford DSFL) to San Diego and Los Angeles California for two FREE hands-on training events.

Ford Driving Skills for Life is a national award winning teen driver safety program and the most comprehensive teen driver program in the nation.

Teens will receive hands-on advanced training by some of the top driving instructors from across the world. They will learn crucial skills in the four areas that experts have identified as most crucial in decreasing teen driving crashes and fatalities: speed management, space management, vehicle handling and hazard recognition.

The Los Angeles class will be held March 2-3, 2013, at Hollywood Park.  Click HERE to link to the registration page.  Ford was offering 400 free spots in this event.

Driver's License & Sobriety Checkpoints This Saturday

News Release
Incident: Sobriety & Driver’s License Checkpoint

February 23rd, 2013

The Arcadia Police Department will conduct sobriety and driver’s license checkpoints at multiple locations within the City on Saturday, February 23rd.

One of the goals of the checkpoint 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. It simply is not worth it to drive while impaired. Be responsible and use a sober designated driver. Remember, “Friends don’t let friend’s drive while impaired.”

Jan’s Towing provides a no cost “Don’t Drive Drunk” detour program, 365 days a year, and will provide a free lift home for drivers and their vehicles up to 7 miles in their service area. Call (626) 334-1383 for more information.

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!

Robert T. Guthrie, Chief of Police

By: Brett Bourgeous, Traffic Sergeant

(626) 574-5475