The Capistrano Insider

Murrieta Grapples With Red Light Cameras, Too: Money May Go To Charity

San Juan Capistrano's City Council is due to reconsider what to do about the two intersections covered by red-light cameras at  a future meeting, but the Riverside County city of Murrieta has it on tonight's agenda.

The council there might end its contract for the cameas at three intersections or, if the council takes the police recommendation, add them at other intersections. But one councilman suggests donating the money from the camera fines to charity.

That, he argues, would eliminate the public mistrust that the cameras are just money-machines.

Surprisingly, here in Capistrano, the unofficial poll on the The Capistrano Dispatch homepage found a clear majority of the public support the use of the cameras.

Here's the Riverside Press Enterprise story on the Murrieta debate.

Feds Say California is a Disaster Area

Good news for Capistrano ...

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to California to supplement tribal, state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe winter storms, flooding, and debris and mud flows during the period of December 17, 2010, to January 4, 2011. 

Federal funding is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storms, flooding, and debris and mud flows in the counties of Inyo, Kern, Kings, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Tulare. 

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. 

Sandy Coachman has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.  Coachman said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

Follow FEMA online at http://blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.  The social media links provided are for reference only. 

FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.  FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES LAUNCH ORANGE COUNTY REGIONAL COMPUTER FORENSICS LABORATORY TO FIGHT HIGH-TECH CRIMINALS AND SOLVE CYBER CRIMES



San Juan Capistrano, of course, is served by the Orange County Sheriff's Department ...

January 5, 2011

 Orange County District Attorney's Office

SANTA ANA - Ten Orange County law enforcement agencies announced today the launch of the Orange County Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (OCRCFL) to respond to technological advances and more computer savvy criminals. The laboratory is funded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and is made up of participating agencies which assist with regional, State, and federal cases.

"Gang members boast their crimes on Facebook and intimidate using websites. Pedophiles hide child pornography and delete data files. Major fraud evidence is stored digitally. Cyber criminals use disguised USB drives to make detection difficult," said District Attorney Tony Rackauckas. "This partnership pools our limited resources to fight cyber crime and stay one step ahead of criminals."

OCRCFL is a full-service forensics laboratory and training center devoted to the examination of digital evidence and available to multiple law enforcement agencies. Forensic examiners utilize the most cutting-edge technology to extract information from digital devices and investigate crimes ranging from homicide and child pornography to terrorism and major fraud. The lab was created to respond to the growing number of crimes perpetrated using the Internet, cell phones, and other technology, which provide dangerous criminals greater access to citizens' personal and private information. OCRCFL arms law enforcement agencies with the expertise and equipment to combat these cyber criminals.

Prior to the OCDA's participation in OCRCFL, the OCDA's High-tech Crimes Unit ensured that Orange County law enforcement could successfully process and analyze digital evidence to support and solve high-tech crimes. The Unit provided support to other law enforcement agencies through computer forensic analysis, training, and search warrant service. In 2009 and 2010, the Unit processed 94.8 terabytes of data, the equivalent to over nine times the volume of data in the Library of Congress.

FBI Assistant Director In Charge Steve Martinez is Chair and District Attorney Tony Rackauckas is Vice-Chair of OCRCFL. The OCRCFL Executive Board is comprised of Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, Anaheim Police Chief John Welter, Fullerton Police Chief Michael Sellers, Irvine Police Chief David Maggard, Newport Beach Police Chief Jay Johnson, Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters, Westminster Police Chief Mitch Waller, and Deputy Director of California Department of Toxic Substance Control Gale Filter.

 

OCDA TONY RACKAUCKAS ANNOUNCES NEW POLICY TO PUBLISH THE OFFICE'S FINDING OF

This is a pretty big step forward for Orange County. Typically, the public has never learned the name of an officer involved in a shooting ... the report on the Laguna Beach shooting, for example, is incredibly detailed.

 

December 9, 2010

Orange County District Attorney's Office

SANTA ANA - Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) Tony Rackauckas made the
following statement today:

Starting today, I am changing the Office's policy and procedure by publicly
providing the factual findings and legal conclusion after conducting our
officer-involved shooting and custodial death investigations.

Our decision to change our policy began when Chief John Welter of the
Anaheim Police Department came to me requesting the OCDA include factual
findings and more information in our letter to police departments concluding
the Office's investigation of officer-involved shooting and custodial death
cases. With the buy-in from all police chiefs and the Orange County Sheriff,
we have been working together to come up with a protocol which balances the
public's right to know the facts behind the discharge of police officers'
weapons, facts behind deaths of persons under police custody, and police
officers' legal rights and safety concerns. 

INVESTIGATION
The OCDA's procedure when conducting investigations and arriving at the
legal conclusion will remain the same. The OCDA Bureau's Special Assignments
Unit (OCDASAU) responds within minutes to the scene and investigates a
majority of all officer- involved shootings and custodial deaths that occur
in Orange County. OCDASAU is responsible for investigating officer-involved
shootings within Orange County when someone has been killed or injured by
police gunfire and when someone dies under police custody.

An OCDASAU Investigator is assigned as case agent and supported by other
Investigators from the Unit and other units.  There are six full-time
Investigators assigned to OCDASAU. There are 25 additional OCDA
Investigators assigned to other units trained to assist when needed.  On
average, eight investigators respond to the incident within an hour of being
called and perform a variety of investigative functions including
interviewing witnesses, canvassing neighborhoods, processing crime scenes,
collecting evidence, and processing vehicles. OCDASAU audio record all
interviews and physical evidence is processed by the Orange County Crime
Lab.   

Following OCDASAU's conclusion of an investigation, the file is turned over
to a deputy district attorney for legal review.  A veteran deputy district
attorney of the Homicide or Gang Unit reviews the case for criminal filing
in fatal officer-involved shootings and custodial deaths. A veteran deputy
district attorney of the Special Prosecutions Unit reviews non-fatal
officer-involved shooting investigations for criminal filing. Throughout
this process, consultation between the reviewing prosecutor and his or her
supervisor occurs, and an assistant district attorney will review their
legal conclusion and the resulting memo. Often, the case may be reviewed by
multiple veteran prosecutors including the senior assistant district
attorneys, Chief of Staff, and me. The case may be sent back for further
investigation if necessary. 

The OCDA will conduct an independent and thorough investigation of the facts
and circumstances of this event and impartially review all available
evidence and legal standards. The scope of this review and findings are
expressly limited to a determination of whether or not any criminal conduct
occurred. The OCDA will not be addressing policy, training, tactics or civil
liability.

Each year, OCDASAU conducts an average of 14 custodial death and 16
officer-involved shooting investigations. These complex and time-consuming
investigations require conducting numerous interviews, completing detailed
reports, analyzing evidence, coordinating with involved agencies, and
submitting all reports and materials for legal review. 

LEGAL CONCLUSIONS
Previously, a short letter was sent following the completion of a factual
finding and legal conclusion to the chief of the involved police department
stating whether the OCDA was filing criminal charges. The letter stated the
OCDA's legal finding without detailing factual findings. On occasion, the
OCDA would conduct informational sessions with the media and public and
provide additional facts regarding the investigation. 

As of today, evidenced by the letter involving the shooting of Colby Koenig
in 2010 by officers from the Laguna Beach Police Department, the OCDA will
be sending a letter to the police department detailing OCDA's investigation,
methodology and overview of the procedures employed, evidence examined,
witnesses interviewed, factual findings, legal analysis, and legal
conclusion determining whether there was criminal culpability by the officer
involved in the shooting. The letter titled "OCDA OIS Report (LBPD
01-12-2010)" is available at www.orangecountyda.com.

If the OCDA had filed a criminal filing against anyone involved in the
incident, the factual findings will not be made public until the end of the
trial and/or sentencing.

I hope this new format will foster greater accountability and transparency
in law enforcement and develop greater public confidence and understanding
in the integrity of the process. 

Since Capistrano is the 'Horse Capital of the West'....

 
This is probably of interest -- from the Border Patrol.

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested two resident Mexican nationals on Friday for cross-border horse smuggling after agents observed them attempting to illegally import five horses between the ports of entry near Campo, Calif.   

Agents witnessed two men illegally cross the international border with five horses Friday morning at around 5 a.m., in a canyon near Campo, Calif.  The two subjects returned to Mexico on foot leaving the horses alone on the north side of the border.  At around 9 a.m., agents witnessed a gray Dodge pickup truck towing a small horse trailer containing one horse approach the location of the other horses.  Two subjects exited the truck and were observed loading the five horses into their horse trailer.  

The driver of the pickup truck and trailer was later stopped by Border Patrol agents on Highway 94.  Agents also stopped the second subject riding a horse that had been previously off-loaded from the trailer.  After questioning, the suspected smugglers were arrested and charged with importation contrary to laws of the United States.  The Dodge pickup truck and trailer were seized by the U.S. Border Patrol, and the six horses were turned over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for quarantine and future auction. 

The San Diego Sector Border Patrol’s strategy is to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat targeted transnational threats operating within the San Diego Sector area of influence to affect increased operational control of the Border.