Ford's Teen Driving Safety Class Coming to Arcadia

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 4-5, 2017, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia. Click HERE to link to the registration page.

Trending in Arrests

Each week, we will post an arrest of interest pointing toward arrest and crime trends within Arcadia. We have had a couple of "hot prowl" residential burglaries reported in recent weeks. This type of burglary is when someone is home at the time, many times associated with a burglary occurring overnight.

On February 21st, a resident in the 100 block of West Foothill Boulevard was awakened about midnight to someone trying to open a rear sliding door at the home. The resident called APD and watched the suspect make his way into the unlocked garage where he ransacked boxes of property. Officers arrived quickly and detained the male suspect in the driveway of the home.

Phillip F. Valle, a 39-year-old Lancaster man was arrested and booked on felony charges at the Arcadia City Jail.

It is unknown if Valle is responsible for any other crimes in the area. Unlocked homes, garages, vehicles are often targets for thieves looking for an easy way to steal your valuables. Anyone with information on this case or other cases is encouraged to contact the Arcadia Police Department at 626-574-5156. Or, if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google play or the App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org. 

Weekly Activity Highlights for February 12 - 18, 2017

https://www.arcadiaca.gov/home/showdocument?id=9212

Weekly Tip - STOP at Blacked Out Signals!

What will you do when you come upon a blacked out or inoperative traffic signal?  California law is pretty straight forward for drivers coming upon inoperative signals at an intersection. STOP! If the signals are blacked out and not working, drivers must treat the intersection like a stop sign. CVC 21800(d)(1) is the section that governs inoperative signals. If there is a Police Officer directing traffic, you must proceed as directed. Otherwise, stop and proceed when safe to do so.

Power outages, collision damage, storm related problems, equipment failure, all can contribute to a blacked out signal. Always be alert, watch ahead, and drive smartly.

Belated Thanks to Holy Angels School

A belated, but big thanks goes out to the students, staff, and parents from Holy Angels School! They sent over notes of support and a batch of goodies for our folks here at APD on Valentine's Day. Thanks for thinking of us!

ROAD CLOSURE: Las Tunas Dr W/of Baldwin Ave, Feb 22-27

The City of Temple City will be celebrating their annual Camellia Festival this coming weekend. As such, Temple City will be closing Las Tunas Drive, west of Baldwin Avenue, from Wednesday Feb 22 through Monday Feb 27, 2017.

This road closure may impact your daily commute or travels along Las Tunas. Please use alternate routes like Longden or Live Oak Avenues to detour around the closure.

Please direct any inquiry to LASD Temple at 626.285.7171.

Trending in Arrests

Each week, we will post an arrest of interest pointing toward arrest and crime trends within Arcadia. One of the newer members of APD, K9 Zoli and his partner proved to be valuable assets this past week. Last Thursday, February 9th, a suspect led officers on a dangerous vehicle pursuit in the south end of town. An officer had attempted to stop the suspect for traffic violations but the suspect chose not to yield. The pursuing officer called off the pursuit due to the dangerous and felony evading of the suspect. A short time later, the suspect vehicle was found abandoned in the 400 block of Rosemarie Drive. The vehicle had been involved in a collision and was no longer drive-able. Inside the suspect vehicle, officers found shotgun ammunition and other items leading to identify the possible driver as a subject with a "no bail" warrant.

K9 Zoli and his handler Officer Foulks were called to assist in a search for the felony suspect. While looking for the suspect, K9 Zoli alerted to a backyard pool bathroom at a home in the 400 block of Palm Drive. K9 Zoli then located the suspect inside the bathroom. During the apprehension, the suspect was bitten by K9 Zoli and the suspect was taken into custody. He was later treated for his injury at a local hospital and he was cleared for booking.

Terence A. Warner, a 35-year-old male from Baldwin Park, was booked at the Arcadia City Jail on felony charges.

In an unrelated incident, K9 Zoli and Officer Foulks were called to assist an outside agency at a local hotel. The request was for a narcotics search of the hotel room. During the search, K9 Zoli alerted and located approx. 15 lbs. of methamphetamine. Zoli is cross-trained for both apprehension and as a narcotics search K9.

Anyone with information on these cases is encouraged to contact the Arcadia Police Department at 626-574-5156. Or, if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google play or the App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org. 

Weekly Activity Highlights for February 5 - 11, 2017

https://www.arcadiaca.gov/home/showdocument?id=9172

Weekly Tip - Don't Fall for Scams this Tax Season!

Tax season is here! While many folks will have legitimate contact with their tax accountants and the IRS, we would like to remind you of recurring fraud schemes where scammers reach out to you. One of the most wide spread attempts to come between you and your money is by use of phone calls to you where scammers claim to be representing the IRS. Many times, they will threaten you with a law suit or pending criminal action if you don't send payment immediately. These calls can be automated and recorded, directing you to call. Don't fall for these scams!

The IRS will not:

• Call you to demand immediate payment. The IRS will not call you if you owe taxes without first sending you a bill in the mail.

• Demand that you pay taxes and not allow you to question or appeal the amount you owe.

• Require that you pay your taxes a certain way. For instance, require that you pay with a prepaid debit card.

• Ask for your credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

• Threaten to bring in police or other agencies to arrest you for not paying.

Visit the IRS website for additional information on scams.

Happy Valentine's Day 2017

Wishing everyone a safe and very Happy Valentine's Day!

DUI Enforcement Operations Planned in Arcadia This Weekend

Officers from the Arcadia Police Department’s Traffic Division will be deploying this weekend to stop and arrest alcohol and drug-impaired drivers in the Department’s ongoing traffic safety campaign.  DUI Saturation Patrols will deploy on Friday, February 10th between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. in areas with high frequencies of DUI collisions and/or arrests.

High Visibility Enforcement using both DUI checkpoints and DUI Saturation Patrols has proven to lower the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug impaired crashes.  Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized proactive DUI operations are conducted routinely.

In California, alcohol involved collisions led to 1,155 deaths and nearly 24,000 injuries in 2014 because someone failed to designate a sober driver.  Over the course of the past three years officers have investigated over 50 DUI collisions resulting in countless injuries.     

Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment.  When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving, which now accounts for a growing number of impaired driving crashes. 

Studies of California drivers have shown that 30 percent of drivers in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in their systems.  A study of active drivers showed more tested positive for drugs that may impair driving (14 percent) than did for alcohol (7.3 percent).  Of the drugs, marijuana was most prevalent, at 7.4 percent, slightly more than alcohol. Everyone should be mindful that if you’re taking medication – whether prescription or over-the-counter – drinking even small amounts of alcohol can greatly intensify the impairment affects. 

Drivers are encouraged to download the Designated Driver VIP, or “DDVIP,” free mobile app for Android or iPhone.  The DDVIP app helps find nearby bars and restaurants that feature free incentives for the designated sober driver, from free non-alcoholic drinks to free appetizers and more.  The feature-packed app even has social media tie-ins and even a tab for the non-DD to call Uber, Lyft or Curb.

The cost of a ride home is cheap!  Drivers caught driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspensions and other expenses that can exceed $10,000 not to mention the embarrassment when friends and family find out.

Funding for this DUI operation is provided to the Arcadia Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reminding everyone to ‘Report Drunk Driver – Call 9-1-1’.

Robert T. Guthrie

Chief of Police

By: Kollin Cieadlo

Traffic Sergeant

Trending in Arrests

Each week, we will post an arrest of interest pointing toward arrest and crime trends within Arcadia. Residential burglary continues to be a focus for our crime prevention and awareness efforts. As we posted last week, several arrests for residential burglary have been made in recent weeks. The trend continued this past week with an individual being arrested after burglarizing two homes in close proximity.

Officers were sent to a home in the 900 block Sunset Boulevard during the evening hours on Saturday, February 4th, after the home burglary alarm had been activated. When the officers got to the house, a male exited the home and ran off when officers tried to stop him. The male was quickly caught after a short foot chase. During their investigation, the officers found not only the home on Sunset burglarized, but also a nearby apartment in the 700 block of Fairview Avenue. Property from both residences were recovered during the arrest. In both cases a rear or side window was the point of entry.

Refugio R. Gomez, 51-year-old male from Hesperia was arrested and booked on felony charges at the Arcadia City Jail.

Anyone with information on these cases is encouraged to contact the Arcadia Police Department at 626-574-5156. Or, if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google play or the App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org. Refer APD case #17-00641/642.

Weekly Activity Highlights for January 29 - February 4, 2017

https://www.arcadiaca.gov/home/showdocument?id=9144

Weekly Tip - Don't Tailgate!

Following Too Closely is the technical term for Tailgating. Unfortunately, this is a term that is all too often used in collision reports as the “Primary Collision Factor”. Maintaining distance between vehicles while driving is one main key in preventing collisions. Even the best driver, with great reaction time, still takes a moment to perceive the need to slow or stop, and then apply the vehicle brakes. With all the rain we have had recently, this is an important topic to think about.

Increasing following distance between vehicles increases our ability to perceive a problem, apply brakes if needed or take some other evasive action. Time and distance is your friend when it comes to speed. As a young driver, you are taught about the Three Second Rule. Sometimes we forget this one important piece of advice. But maintaining a following distance of three seconds between vehicles will definitely increase your ability to avoid a rear end collision. An alternate recommendation is to maintain a following distance of one car length per 10 mph while driving. So, if you are driving 65 mph on the freeway, you should be about 6-7 car lengths behind the vehicle in front of you.

Don’t be overconfident, either in your ability as a driver or in your vehicle. Remember these basic rules and greatly increase your chance to avoid a collision. Think about this; tailgating the car in front of you is not going to "push" them out of the way or down the road. Your disregard for safe following distance will only increase your chances of causing a collision. Take a breath, take your time and we'll all get there in one piece.

Trending in Arrests

Each week, we will post an arrest of interest pointing toward arrest and crime trends within Arcadia. Residential Burglary prevention and suspect apprehension continues to be a focus for our staff. In recent weeks, APD has been able to arrest multiple individuals for residential burglary and attempted residential burglary. On Tuesday afternoon, January 31st, another pair of suspects were taken into custody after a home was burglarized in the 1700 block of Louise Avenue.

Witnesses told officers the female suspect approached the home and knocked on the door. When no one answered, she went back to the suspect's car parked on the street. The male suspect got out of the car and walked to the side of the home and came back out a bit later carrying items from the home. Officers later found a side door window broken out where the suspect entered the residence. The pair fled in their car and a description of the car was given to APD by the witnesses.

As the suspects made their attempt to get out of the area, they were involved in a collision in the City of El Monte near Peck and Lower Azusa. Officers caught up to them, took the female into custody at the suspect vehicle and later found the male suspect on foot, during an area search.

Marquise Shorts, 24-year-old male, and Quanae N. Hunter, 18-year-old female, both from Los Angeles, were booked on felony charges at the Arcadia City Jail.

Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to contact the Arcadia Police Department at 626-574-5156. Or, if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google play or the App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org. Refer APD case #17-00556.

Weekly Activity Highlights for January 22 - 28, 2017

https://www.arcadiaca.gov/home/showdocument?id=9096

Weekly Tip - Explaining California's New Cell Phone Laws

California Vehicle Code Section 23123.5.

(a) A person shall not drive a motor vehicle while holding and operating a handheld wireless telephone or an electronic wireless communications device unless the wireless telephone or electronic wireless communications device is specifically designed and configured to allow voice-operated and hands-free operation, and it is used in that manner while driving.

EXPLANATION - While driving, you cannot use a cell phone or similar electronic communications device while holding it in your hand. If the device is used in a hands-free manner, such as speaker phone or voice commands, that is legal, but never while holding it.

(b) This section shall not apply to manufacturer-installed systems that are embedded in the vehicle.

EXPLANATION – Using communication systems built into the vehicle by the manufacturer is legal.

(c) A handheld wireless telephone or electronic wireless communications device may be operated in a manner requiring the use of the driver’s hand while the driver is operating the vehicle only if both of the following conditions are satisfied:

EXPLANATION - Here are circumstances that make it legal to touch a cell phone while driving:

(1) The handheld wireless telephone or electronic wireless communications device is mounted on a vehicle’s windshield in the same manner a portable Global Positioning System (GPS) is mounted pursuant to paragraph (12) of subdivision (b) of Section 26708 or is mounted on or affixed to a vehicle’s dashboard or center console in a manner that does not hinder the driver’s view of the road.

EXPLANATION - The phone or device is placed in a mount attached either on the dashboard, center console, or a seven-inch square section in the lower corner of the windshield farthest removed from the driver, or in a five-inch square section in the lower corner of the windshield nearest the driver. The mounting or device placement cannot hinder the driver’s view.

(2) The driver’s hand is used to activate or deactivate a feature or function of the handheld wireless telephone or wireless communications device with the motion of a single swipe or tap of the driver’s finger.

EXPLANATION - While driving you can single swipe or tap the screen while it is in the mount in order to activate or deactivate a feature or function. This is not meant to allow multiple taps or swipes such as texting or scrolling.

(d) A violation of this section is an infraction punishable by a base fine of twenty dollars ($20) for a first offense and fifty dollars ($50) for each subsequent offense.

EXPLANATION - After fees and penalty assessments are added the stated base fine, the ticket will actually cost at least $162 for the first offense and at least $208 for the second offense.

(e) This section does not apply to an emergency services professional using an electronic wireless communications device while operating an authorized emergency vehicle, as defined in Section 165, in the course and scope of his or her duties.

(f) For the purposes of this section, “electronic wireless communications device” includes, but is not limited to, a broadband personal communication device, a specialized mobile radio device, a handheld device or laptop computer with mobile data access, a pager, or a two-way messaging device. 

Thanks to Corporal A. Bostrom, Pomona Police Department, for taking the time to prepare this handy quide!