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Clearlake Police Department plans June 22 'Tip-A-Cop' fundraiser for K9 program
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department is holding a “Tip-A-Cop” fundraiser this Friday, June 22, to support its K9 program.
The benefit event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Main Street Bar and Grill, 14084 Lakeshore Drive.
During the event, officers and volunteers from the Clearlake Police Department will be taking food orders, serving food, busing tables and answering questions about the police departments K-9 Program.
There also will be K-9 Supporter shirts available for purchase at the event.
All tips and proceeds from the event will go directly to the K-9 program as the program is funded 100-percent by donations.
No city funds are used to fund the Police K-9 Program, which includes any training courses, maintaining or feeding the police dogs, purchasing any K-9 equipment or the police K-9 itself.
The Clearlake Police Departments K-9 Program started in 2010 when Officer Michael Carpenter was appointed to K-9 handler and received his new K-9 Partner “Dex.”
To date, Officer Carpenter and Dex completed the five week K-9 Handler Course, and are currently in the five week Narcotics Detection Course.
In 2012, Officer Michael Ray was selected to the position of K-9 Handler after an intensive testing process.
A candidate police dog has been selected and Officer Ray and that dog will be attending the K-9 Handler Course at the end of this month.
Upon completing the handler course, Officer Ray and the candidate Police K-9 dog will go straight to the streets. Officer Ray and his police dog will attend the 2013 Narcotics Detection Course.
On average, a five week K-9 Training course for an officer and his K-9 partner costs approximately $8,000, the department reported. This covers the cost of the training class, lodging, meals and transportation expenses.
With the addition of the second police dog, this allows there to be two police dogs on duty in the city of Clearlake seven days a week. Both police dogs will be able to apprehend violent offenders, search and locate violent fleeing offenders and conduct article searches.
With Officer Carpenter and Dex completing the Narcotics Detection Course, this will mean the city will have a drug detecting dog on duty.
Officer Carpenter and Dex will be called on upon to assist in searches when narcotics are believed to be concealed in vehicles, residences, or on probation and parole searches.
The Clearlake Police Department and the officers of the K-9 Program offered their thanks to Sam Polo from Main Street Bar & Grill for his and his staff's continued support to the department.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Police offer details on early Sunday morning assault
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department said it is investigating an early morning assault that has left a Clearlake man seriously injured.
Edward Alden, 44, was the victim of the incident, according to a report from Sgt. Nick Bennett.
Bennett said Clearlake Police officers reported to 4780 West 40th Ave. at 12:27 a.m. Sunday on the report of an injured person.
Early morning radio reports indicated that Lake County Fire Protection District also responded to the scene along with Clearlake Police, with Alden reported to have been unconscious due to being kicked in the head.
Bennett said the police investigation revealed that Alden had been involved in a physical altercation earlier in the evening.
Alden received severe injuries during the altercation, Bennett said, and was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
A REACH air ambulance picked Alden up at St. Helena Hospital Clearlake and left for Santa Rosa shortly before 1 a.m., according to radio reports.
Clearlake Police Detective Tim Alvarado responded to the scene and took over the investigation, Bennett said.
No additional details on Alden's condition were immediately available.
Clearlake Police Department is asking anyone with information regarding this case to contact Det. Alvarado at 707 994-8251.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Sheriff's office, Community Development Department take part in marijuana raid, abatements
NICE, Calif. – An area that residents say has become a hotbed of illegal marijuana cultivation was raided on Wednesday, with plants pulled and county officials issuing abatements to stop camping activities that are giving rise to health and safety issues.
The Lake County Sheriff's Marijuana Suppression Unit and the Community Development Department participated in the operation, which took place on Harding Drive, located off Pyle Road in Nice, according to Community Development Director Rick Coel.
Sgt. Steve Brooks said there were four to five grow sites involved, with about 400 marijuana plants pulled and several arrests.
Brooks said the sheriff's office will be releasing more information on the operation's specifics.
Lake County News has received reports from residents of the area describing illegal growing activity that has taken over the hills, making it too dangerous to walk, hike or ride ATVs.
The reports from residents mention motor homes, tents and newly installed water tanks showing up in large numbers, as well as people who indiscriminately drive across property in order to stake out grow areas, strangers carrying guns and hundreds of plants.
Coel, who was on the scene Wednesday, called the Harding Drive situation “the typical outdoor marijuana cultivation operation on undeveloped land.”
While the Marijuana Suppression Unit led the operation, Community Development Department staff was there to address the RV occupancy and camping, as well as the environmental issues, Coel said.
He said they found an occupied pickup truck with a camper shell on one side of the main grow site, and someone camping under a tarp on the other side of the site.
Community Development staff also took part in order to determine what will be needed to clean up the property and what process to use, Coel said.
There was raw sewage in a tributary stream and garbage left around the property. Coel said the growers had no sanitation facilities or onsite water supply.
He said there were other problems, but the sewage and garbage were among the most immediate problems that necessitate a 48 hour Community Development summary abatement process.
Coel said Supervisor Denise Rushing granted him permission to initiate the summary abatement for the immediate health and safety violations.
He told Lake County News that his department had abated the same Harding Drive site last year due to garbage left behind from a previous cultivation operation.
Also on Wednesday, a sheriff's deputy provided security for a Community Development staffer who visited several other growers in the area and posted 48 hour summary abatement notices on their trailers and motor homes, Coel said.
He said the county was going to start impounding RVs that are being occupied on undeveloped properties where marijuana cultivation is taking place throughout the county.
“There are huge health and safety risks from raw sewage and open campfires, and this simply cannot be tolerated,” Coel said. “The cumulative environmental impacts of all of these grows is significant.”
Coel said his staff is committed to assist the sheriff's office “in any way we can,” adding, “we greatly appreciate the work that they are doing.”
On Tuesday the Board of Supervisors directed Coel to bring back a draft interim urgency ordinance later this month in order to deal with marijuana cultivation-related issues, including grow sites on undeveloped properties like those encountered in the Harding Drive operation.
Coel said an interim ordinance banning cultivation on undeveloped properties is being recommended for approval by the Board of Supervisors at its meeting Tuesday, June 26.
“If approved it will be a tremendous help to law enforcement efforts, and likely streamline the enforcement process,” Coel said.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Longtime Lakeport Police 'evidence guru' dies
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A longtime Lakeport Police Department member has died.
William V. “Bill” Mooney of Lucerne died on Wednesday, June 13.
Mooney had spent 16 years working the Lakeport Police Department as its property and evidence officer.
His knowledge, organizational skills and dedication would eventually earn him respect around the county and beyond, and see him take up additional assignments.
Mooney was one of the finest property and evidence officers in California “and truly the best we ever worked with in our agency,” Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said.
“Bill's reputation with the California Association for Property & Evidence (CAPE) was unparalleled and he had the highest degree of respect from other property and evidence officers throughout California,” said Rasmussen. “He was often asked to and did assist other law enforcement agencies with property and evidence issues. Bill provided a great service to law enforcement and the community and will be missed by many.”
Mooney came to the Lakeport Police Department on Jan. 4, 1995, as a volunteer through the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, the agency reported.
He was assigned to the department's property and evidence function, as it had been neglected for many years, was in disarray and had not procedures in place for organization, according to a department statement on Mooney's accomplishments compiled by his Lakeport Police colleagues.
His organizational skills, perseverance and commitment transformed the property and evidence function into a first-class facility, according to the agency's report. As a result, Mooney quickly earned the respect of the entire law enforcement community because of his knowledge and dedication to this task he had been given.
Mooney continually sought out training classes and conferences, and had membership in several professional organizations for networking within the field. His knowledge of his field, and his professionalism, made him a valued member of the Lakeport Police Department.
His reputation quickly spread throughout the law enforcement community. In April of 1997 Mooney was asked by the Lake County Narcotics Task Force to be their evidence custodian/technician.
He specialized in the complex legal mandates governing the narcotics field. Mooney's property room was consistently rated as an outstanding example of how property and evidence should be handled when audited by the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement.
His position with the task force came to an end in March 2009, when they were forced to disband due to lack of state funding, the department reported.
In September 1999, then-Lakeport Police Chief Tom Engstrom proposed to the Lakeport City Council
that Mooney be granted a paid position with the department.
At that time Chief Engstrom reported that Bill had donated 5,570 hours of his time to the department, and that was the time that had actually been documented.
The position was granted. However, the agency reported that Mooney continued to volunteer many hours of his personal time, doing whatever necessary to complete the task at hand.
In December 2011, Mooney was named “Officer of the Year” and recognized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2015-Lakeport, as Lake County News has reported.
“Bill’s position was vital to our agency, and his knowledge and expertise prevented any liability issues,” his police colleagues said in a Thursday statement. “Bill had utmost integrity and professionalism. His work ethic and dedication to the mission of this agency were unparalleled. Bill served as a rare example of true and selfless community service.”
Mooney is survived by his wife, Eva, as well as children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and extended family.
Services will be private, but the community is invited to sign the guest book for Mooney's family at http://www.jonesmortuary.com/ .
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- Written by: Lake County News reports