Weekly Tip - Lock It, Hide It, Keep It!

We can't express the practice of Lock It, Hide It, Keep It enough!

With the holidays upon us, the likelihood of folks leaving items in their vehicles increases and thieves know this. Please remember to remove items of value from your cars, roll up the windows, lock the doors, and set the alarm if you have one. Taking the opportunity and target away are great ways to help prevent the crimes from happening! Spread the word and pass this along to family and friends!

Weekly Activity Highlights for November 20 - 26, 2016

https://www.arcadiaca.gov/home/showdocument?id=8779

Instant Pot pressure cookers on deep sale today

I've written twice before about the Instant Pot, an electronic pressure cooker that helps make healthy food in a time-efficient manner (1, 2).  At some point, I'll write another review of my Instant Pot, but the gist is that it still works flawlessly and looks sharp after more than four years of frequent use.  Here are a few of the reasons why I like it so much:

• It increases my efficiency in the kitchen, especially with beans, beets, artichokes, and bone broth.  It's automatic, so you can do something else while it works.
• It's durable.  The inner pot is stainless steel without a nonstick liner, and the gaskets are silicone.  The whole thing has a solid, quality feel.
• It replaces multiple bulky kitchen items.  It isn't just a pressure cooker, but also a steamer, slow cooker, and rice maker.  The latest version is also a yogurt maker.

Today only, Amazon is offering the Instant Pot on deep discount.  If you're considering getting one, today is the day.  The older version (LUX50) is only $49, and the newer version (DUO60) is only $69.  That's an incredible value for what this thing does.  

If you purchase through the following links, you'll be benefiting my work at no additional cost to yourself:

Instant Pot LUX50

Instant Pot DUO60

Black Friday = Lines, Crowds, Traffic

Happy Thanksgiving 2016!

From all of us at the Arcadia Police Department, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

This is your brain on pumpkin pie

Image credit: Evan Amos

Thanksgiving is a special time in the United States when we gather our loved ones and celebrate the abundance of fall with a rich palette of traditional foods.  Yet a new study suggests that the 6-week holiday period that spans Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve accounts for most of our country’s weight problem (1).  Understanding this fact, and why it happens, gives us powerful insights into why we gain weight, and what to do about it.

Elina Helander, a postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University of Technology in Finland, and her colleagues set out to answer a simple question: how does a person’s body weight change over the course of the year?  To find out, they used internet-connected scales to collect daily body weight data from nearly 3,000 volunteers in the United States, Germany, and Japan.  After crunching the data, a striking pattern emerged: no matter what you celebrate, at any time of year, the holidays are likely to be your period of greatest weight gain.

Read more »

Weekly Tip - Take Care if Deep Frying a Turkey

Five dangers of deep frying a turkey:

1. Turkey fryers can easily tip over, spilling hot cooking oil over a large area.
2. An overfilled cooking pot will cause cooking oil to spill when the turkey is put in, and a partially frozen turkey will cause cooking oil to splatter when put in the pot.
3. Even a small amount of cooking oil spilling on a hot burner can cause a large fire.
4. Without thermostat controls, deep fryers can overheat oil to the point of starting a fire.
5. The sides of the cooking pot, lid and pot handles can get dangerously hot.

Thanks to the US Fire Administration for the safety info. Take a look at their webpage for additional tips.

Records Section Closed for Thanksgiving

The APD Records Section and front counter will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, 2016. The Records Section will reopen at 6:00 a.m. Friday morning. No overnight parking permits will be required on Thanksgiving. If you need police assistance, please call 626.574.5123, or dial 911 for emergencies.

No Overnight Parking Permit Required for Thanksgiving

To help you celebrate Thanksgiving, APD will not be conducting overnight parking enforcement from Wednesday night, November 23rd through Saturday night, November 26th. Overnight parking enforcement will resume Sunday night to Monday morning on Thanksgiving weekend. All other parking regulations will be enforced.

Additionally, our Records Section and front counter will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, 2016. The Records Section will reopen at 6:00 a.m. Friday morning.

ROAD CLOSURES: Arcadia Festival of Bands

On Saturday, November 19, 2016, the 63rd Annual Festival of Bands Parade will take place within the City of Arcadia. This year’s parade route will travel south on Baldwin Avenue from Huntington Drive, turn east on Duarte Road, turn north on El Monte Avenue and end on Campus Drive in front of the High School.

During the parade Baldwin Avenue, Duarte Road, El Monte Avenue, and Campus Drive will be closed in these areas to vehicular traffic with the exception of residential traffic on Duarte Road between Lovell and El Monte Avenue. In this area, residents will be allowed to drive from their homes eastbound on Duarte Road and out of the area assisted by police personnel.

There will be no street parking in the above areas on November 19, 2016 between 6:00am and 1:00pm. Temporary No Parking signs will be posted – vehicles parked in violation will be towed.

The temporary road closures will be from 8:00am until approximately 1:00pm and may require you or your patrons to access your home or business from an alternate route. Businesses on the south side of Duarte Road will require customer access from Naomi Avenue. Businesses on the north side of Duarte Road will require customer access from Arcadia Avenue.

Residents living south of Huntington Drive, north of Duarte Road, east of Baldwin Avenue, and west of Holly Avenue should use Huntington Drive and La Cadena as the main ingress and egress to come and go from the area.

We appreciate your understanding and continuing support of this outstanding community event. Also, we apologize for any inconvenience to you or your patrons during this time. The Festival of Bands has a wonderful tradition of showcasing the finest high school bands in California and the nation. Arcadians are proud to act as host each year. If you have any questions, please contact Sergeant Kollin Cieadlo at (626) 574-5475 or email at kcieadlo@arcadiaca.gov.

Weekly Activity Highlights for November 6 - 12, 2016

https://www.arcadiaca.gov/home/showdocument?id=8735

Weekly Tip - Holiday Shopping Season...Help Prevent Package Theft!

The holiday season is upon us...are you ordering  presents over the phone, via the Internet, or by mail? Chances are that those packages will be delivered straight to your front porch. The majority of deliveries do not require a signature and are generally left at your door, even if no one is home to accept them. This time of year brings out those looking for a crime of opportunity as well as those thieves that actually target your delivery. Thieves will follow or watch for the UPS, Fed Ex or other delivery trucks and then target a home after a delivery is made.

Here are some suggestions for helping to prevent a theft of your packages:

• Use your workplace as the shipping address.
• Track your shipments by phone, on-line, or by carrier app so you know what day they should arrive.
• Ask you neighbor to watch for your delivery and then hold the items until you arrive home.
• Keep an eye on your neighborhood and report suspicious persons and vehicles sitting or cruising the area. See Something, Say Something!
• Request a signature delivery option, if available.
• Have the shipment be held at the shipping facility such as a UPS office.
• Utilize a "mailbox" businesses in your town and see if they will accept shipment of your item for a fee.
• If you do not receive your shipment on time, check with the company of origin and confirm the delivery. If the item was delivered and you did not receive it, then report the theft or loss to the original company, the shipping company, and your local police.

These tips are good year round, not just at holiday time!

Airbag Recall! Don't Risk Your Safety!

Certain vehicles, equipped with Takata Airbags are currently being recalled nationwide.

Customers are being urged to go to the NHTSA website; https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/and enter the vehicles Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to see if their vehicle is included in this recall.  VIN numbers can also be checked through the OTS website; http://www.ots.ca.gov.  If the vehicle is included, they are to immediately contact their nearest dealer and schedule an appointment to have the vehicle repaired for free.

In particular, if you own a 2001-2003 Honda or Acura vehicle, you are asked to immediately take your vehicle to an authorized dealer for inspection. Even if you don't own this type of vehicle, please visit the SaferCar.gov website and check your vehicle VIN. It will identify other recalls as well.

Welcome Our Newest Officer - K9 Officer Zoli

The Arcadia Police Department is proud to announce the arrival of our newest Officer. Please welcome K9 Officer Zoli, an 18-month old German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois mix, born in Slovakia. Officer Zoli and his handler, Officer Josh Foulks, will complete training this week. Officer Foulks and Zoli will begin Patrol training and be introduced to fellow members of APD next week. Training has been extensive and was completed through Gold Coast K9 in Moorpark.

It has been over 12 years since the Arcadia Police Department fielded a K9 unit and we are looking forward to this addition to our services. Funding for Zoli and his training was made possible through the Arcadia Police Foundation, founded in 2015.

We look forward to providing additional information on K9 Zoli and the return of our K9 program in coming weeks as Zoli and Officer Foulks hit the streets.

For questions pertaining to the K9 program, please contact Lt. Colleen Flores at 626-574-5156.

Honoring Those Who Served - Veterans Day 2016

Please join us in honoring and saying thanks to all who have served our Nation.

Happy Veterans Day 2016!

Weekly Activity Highlights for October 30 - November 5, 2016

https://www.arcadiaca.gov/home/showdocument?id=8687

Weekly Tip - Holiday Time Often Sparks Home Burglaries

Over past years, we have seen an uptick in Residential Burglary reports during the holidays. Take a look at the current area crime map above for burglaries having occurred in the last week.

The majority of Arcadia burglaries have been committed during daytime hours. 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.

Time for a Change! Clocks Fall Back 1 Hour Tonight!

Set your clocks back one hour tonight before you go to bed. Officially, the time change is at 2:00 a.m., Sunday, November 6, 2016.  Gain an hour of sleep and wake refreshed!

APD Color Guard at Breeders' Cup

Members of the APD Color Guard were proud to present our Nation's Colors during opening ceremonies at Breeders' Cup World Championshipstoday at Santa Anita Park with Natalie Grunnan.