Touching Base: A Message from the Chief
January 13, 2013
Dear Community Members and Department Personnel:
Save the Date:
On January 23, the Pasadena Police Department will
host a promotional ceremony at the Main Library’s Donald Wright Auditorium, 285
East Walnut Street. The event will start at 8:00 a.m., and will last
approximately two hours. Seven law enforcement professionals will be
promoted to the rank of Police Lieutenant or Sergeant. Light refreshments will
be served and our community is encouraged to attend. For more information,
please contact Pasadena Police Office Supervisor, Beverly Bogar at (626)
744-4545, or BBogar@cityofpasadena.net.
I hope to see you there to help celebrate these extraordinary public servant
leaders.
On April 13, 2013, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.,
Pasadena Alumnae Chapter is hosting the 2013 Young African American Women’s
Conference at Pasadena City College, 1570 East Colorado Boulevard. The
conference is from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and features diverse workshops,
engaging presentations on educational choices, career options, embracing
youth’s uniqueness, as well as personal development. Dr. Rema Reynolds,
Assistant Professor from Azusa Pacific University, will be the keynote speaker
addressing students, parents, and others attending the conference. If you
have questions, email Pasadena.yaawc@gmail.com.
To register, please visit online at http://yaawc2013.evenbrite.com.
Our Community:
On January 6, the Armenian Community Coalition &
DAAD hosted a Holiday Party at Robins Wood Fire BBQ. Roy Boulghourjian
coordinated the event.
On January 8, I met with Mr. Dick Davis and
Pasadena Police Lieutenant Rodney Wallace on the topic of youth
development opportunities. Mr. Davis has dedicated much of his adult life
to investing in the development of our community youth.
On January 9, Lieutenant Tracy Ibarra and I attended
the Clergy Community Coalition (CCC) monthly meeting, which was held at Lake
Avenue Church. Recently, Pastor Jean Burch handed over the leadership to
Pastor Kerwin L. Manning, after serving as CCC President for more
than seven years. Pastor Kerwin is the religious leader at Pasadena
Church. At this particular meeting, we received updates from the Altadena
Sheriff’s Department, PUSD, and Pasadena Public Health. Dr. Eric Walsh
and Human Services Recreation Director Mercy Santoro also attended
the meeting. I provided an overview of the Christmas Day Homicide of
Victor McClinton, and I announced that the police department had arrested three
suspects as a result of our investigation. I also discussed the Christmas
Day pursuit and fatal traffic collision that killed two people. As you
may know, the Office of the Los Angeles County District Attorney filed murder
charges against two suspects in the fatal collision.
On January 10, Pasadena Police Commander John
Perez, Sergeant Vasken Gourdikian, Corporal Ara Bzdigian,
Officer Sahak Nersesyan, and I attended the Armenian National Committee
of America, Pasadena Chapter’s Annual Holiday Reception. There were
several elected officials at the event, including: Pasadena Vice-Mayor Margaret
McAustin, Councilmembers Jacque Robinson, Terry Tornek, and Gene
Masuda. Assembly Member Chris Holden, Congresswoman Judy
Chu, PCC Board of Trustees Berlinda Brown and Bill Thompson,
PUSD School Board President, Renatta Cooper and Board Member Ed
Honowitz, and PACP Board Members Hovannes Sarkissian and Harry
Kouladjian also attended. Field Representatives form Congressman Adam
Schif and California State Senator Carol Liu, and former State
Assembly Member, Anthony Portantino, were also at the event.
On January 10, I attended a Community Listening
Session at All Saints Church, which was coordinated by Director of Creative
Connections, Juliana Serrano. This session focused on gun
violence. There were several personal testimonies about gun violence and
how it has impacted the quality of life for involved parties. VIPs
included: Mayor Bill Bogaard and his wife Claire,
Councilmembers Steve Madison and Jacque Robinson, Dr. Eric
Walsh, Director of Libraries Jan Sanders, and Flintridge Center
Director, Brian Biery.
On January 10, Deputy Chief Darryl Qualls, Lieutenant
Diego Torres, Sergeant Ed Calatayud, Office Supervisor Beverly Bogar, and I
attended the Pasadena Human Relations Commission’s “Rekindling the Light of
Peace” program. The event was held at Pasadena City College. Mayor Bill
Bogaard opened the event with a few words. Vocalist Allisonne Crawford
sang “The Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” and the Keynote address was
delivered by Mr. Cameron Turner. VIPs included CouncilmembersJacque Robinson and Gene Masuda, City Manager Michael Beck,
Human Relations President Nat Nehdar, and Community Leader, Robin
Salzer. The Good Shepard Church of Pasadena choir performed and Pastor Rick
Eisenlord provided words of reflection.
Pasadena’s Finest:
On December 21, 2012, Pasadena Police Officer Anthony
Russo attended a meeting with members of the Community Violence
Intervention-Prevention Institute at the Flintridge Center. The
Intervention Institute is made up of diverse neighborhood and community
representatives committed to working collaboratively to prevent gang and
community violence as part of the Vision 20/20 Initiative. Anthony spoke
about the responsibilities of the police department’s Special Enforcement
Section (SES) and how the Intervention Institute and Law Enforcement can work
together to reduce the escalation of violence in our community. To learn
more about the prevention and intervention programs at the Flintridge Center,
please visit: https://www.flintridge.org/partners_in_change/the_results.htm.
Jaylene Moseley is the Executive Director of the Flintridge Center.
On January 1, I received an email from a citizen
commending Pasadena Police Officers Linda Mercado, Kim Jones, and James
Riehl for their assistance during a burglary investigation. The author of
the email was walking in the 1700 block of Las Lunas when he noticed evidence
of a burglary. He called the police department and moments later,
officers arrived on scene. Unfortunately, the suspect(s) had already left the
location; however, officers collected evidence and document the incident.
On January 4, I received information that Pasadena
Police Officer Derek Locklin was successful in securing a $20,000 grant
from State Farm GNC Insurance. The grant will be used to improve the
department’s driving simulator. Over the past few years, Derek has
secured about $34,000 in total grant funding. State Farm Insurance
is a committed partner in the effort to educate our community’s youth on the
dangers of impaired and distracted driving.
On January 5, Pasadena Police officers assigned to
the department’s Special Enforcement Section (SES) served a narcotics
search warrant in the 1800 block of East Colorado Boulevard. During execution
of the warrant, officers recovered crack cocaine. Officers Tai Wotherspoon
and Jacob Carey were the lead investigators in the case. The
operation was supervised by Sergeants Jason Clawson and Bobby Crees.
On January 7, I received an email from a community
member commending the Pasadena Police officers involved in a suicide
intervention effort on the Colorado Bridge last week. The author of the
email said, “… I send my compliments to you and all your personnel involved for
saving that person…” You may recall from last week’s edition of Touching
Base that the involved personnel were: Officer Darryl Harris, Corporal
Deanne Nestlerode, and HOPE Clinician Rocio.
On January 8, I received information from Pasadena
Police Officer and Volunteer Coordinator Nicole Bazzo that long time
Pasadena Volunteer, Yvonne Dultz, was leaving the department.
Nicole wrote in part, “It is with bittersweet feelings I report that Volunteer
Yvonne Dultz will be moving to the San Diego area and will no longer be a PPD
Volunteer. Yvonne has been with our program for almost 8 years. During
that time she has been a General Volunteer, a CAPP member, an Executive
Steering Committee member and my overall “go to” right hand person. There
have been several times that Yvonne has been requested by Command Staff to work
on a project which required her professionalism and knowledge. Her dedication
and commitment to the Volunteer Program is second to none….” I echo
Nicole’s observations. Yvonne is an exceptional person. Her kind
and warm personality lights up a room and where willingness to give to others
is beyond measure – she will be missed.
On January 9, Commander John Perez and I
attended the Commencement Ceremony for the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership
Institute (SLI), Class 317. It was a pleasure to watch as Pasadena Police
Sergeant Mario Ortiz accepted his certificate of graduation. SLI
is an intensive leadership development program which covers a variety of topics
over an eight month period. Mario is no stranger to academic riggers. He
holds a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and continues to strive for excellence.
On January 10, I received information that Pasadena Police
Officer Anthony Riley was accepted to Golden Gate Baptist Theological
Seminary. Anthony is pursuing his second Master’s Degree and will start
the program this month.
On January 10, I received an email from District 6
Field Representative Takako Suzuki commending Pasadena Police
Lieutenant, Pete Hettema. In her email, Takako said, “…
Lieutenant Hettema was a guest at the WPRA board meeting last night and made a
presentation that was well-received by the members. Pete is an exceptional public
servant. He is mature, experienced, and dedicated to our community.
Critical Incidents:
Since the 2012 Christmas Day Homicide of Victor
McCLinton, Pasadena Police Department Homicide/Assault detectives have
worked vigilantly to identify and arrest the suspects responsible for this
senseless crime. In last week’s edition of Touching Base I
highlighted the arrest of two suspects involved in the murder. The Los
Angeles District Attorney’s Office filed murder charges (with special
circumstances) against Larry Bishop. The second suspect, Gary Davis, was
charged with Accessory after the Fact. On January 5, Lead
Detectives Keith Gomez and Grant Curry, the Pasadena
Homicide/Assault Unit, U.S. Marshalls from the Pacific Southwest Regional
Fugitive Taskforce, and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested another
suspect responsible for the shooting. Jerron D. Harris, Male Black, 25,
of Pasadena, was arrested without incident in Gardena.
Keith and the Pasadena Homicide/Assault Unit
determined there were two persons of interest in the victim’s car, which was
driven by Mr. Taylor at the time of the shooting. On January 8, Pasadena
Homicide/Assault Unit, U.S. Marshalls from the Pacific Southwest Regional
Fugitive Taskforce, and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies located one of
the occupants. Upon contact, officers discovered the subject was armed with a
loaded firearm. The subject (Male Black, 16) was arrested without
incident for Minor in Possession of a Handgun. The suspect remains in
custody at Eastlake Juvenile Facility. On January 8, Keith
presented his case to the Office of the Los Angeles County District Attorney
and secured the following charges against Harris: Murder, attempt murder,
shooting at an inhabited dwelling, felon in possession of a firearm, and a gang
enhancement. The suspect is scheduled for arraignment later this month
and remains in custody. The Pasadena Police Department’s Homicide/Assault
Unit, Forensic Specialists, other police personnel, and our law enforcement
partners have been committed to solving this crime and proactively reducing the
impact of gangs on our community. Our collective efforts have taken
violent offenders off our streets. Our investigation is ongoing. If you have
any information about this case, please call the Pasadena Police Department at
(626) 744-4241, or you may report anonymously through CRIME STOPPERS at (800)
222-8477, or http://lacrimestoppers.org
(insert key word Pasadena).
On January 5 at about 9:00 a.m., Pasadena Police
officers responded 1400 block of Rexford Avenue regarding a missing
adult. The elderly victim, who suffers from dementia and Alzheimer’s,
walked away from a relative’s home. Sergeant Mike Bugh took
command of the search to locate the victim. Several hours later, the
victim was located in Sierra Madre in good health. Pasadena Police
Volunteers and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Canine Search Team
also assisted in the search.
On January 8 at about 4:30 p.m., Pasadena Police
officers responded to the area of Lake Avenue and Maple Street regarding a
strong arm robbery. On arrival, officers talked with the victim, who said
he was sitting on a bus bench when the suspect approached and demanded his
headphones. The victim refused, and the suspect punched him on the face
and attempted to steal the headphones. The victim fought back by striking
the suspect, which caused him (the suspect) to retreat.
On January 9 at about 3:30 a.m., Pasadena Police
officers responded to the 100 block of Carlton Avenue regarding shots
fired. On arrival, officers discovered evidence suggesting a shooting had
occurred. Officers talked with witnesses, who said they heard the
shots. Our investigation is ongoing. If you have information about
this incident, please call the Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4241.
On January 10 during the day, Pasadena Police
detective and officers served a narcotics search warrant in Highland
Park. The suspect is a known gang member who was involved in narcotics
sales. The suspect was arrested without incident and officers recovered
various packages of methamphetamine. The suspect’s narcotics activity had a
direct nexus to Pasadena.
On January 10 at about 3:10 a.m., Pasadena Police
officers responded to the 400 block of Chester Avenue regarding an assault with
a deadly weapon. On arrival, officers learned the victim and the suspect
are friends. However, on this day the two individuals got into an
argument which turned violent. The suspect used some kind of edged weapon
to cut the victim’s face. The suspect was arrested without incident. The
suspect is a Male Hispanic, 30 to 35 years, 5’9” tall, with a thin build.
He was wearing a DK Zip up hoody and jeans. If you have any information on this
incident, please call the Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4241.
Sincerely,
Phillip L. Sanchez
Chief of Police
Pasadena Police Department
207 N. Garfield Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 744-4545
Mission First, People Always