File photo, Target. Police said a 37-year-old woman is believed to have committed suicide outside the Citrus Heights Target store on Tuesday. // CH Sentinel
Updated July 30, 11:10 p.m.–
Citrus Heights police said a missing 37-year-old woman was found dead in a car outside the Sunrise Boulevard Target store, Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Officer Anthony Boehle confirmed police believe the woman’s death was a case of suicide. He said the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department had been involved in a missing person search for the woman, before her body was found.
The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office later identified the woman as a resident of Antelope and listed the initial classification of death as “undetermined.” The Sentinel has chosen not to publish the woman’s name out of respect for the family.
According to the Coroner’s Office, the woman’s body was found around 1:30 p.m. at the Target store located at 5837 Sunrise Blvd.
A request for additional details from the police investigation was not immediately returned. Additional information will be updated as available.
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Earlier this year in February, an 85-year-old woman committed suicide outside a Citrus Heights Walgreens store on Greenback Lane. Police said a suicide note had been found and the woman was determined to have caused three self-inflicted gunshot wounds to her chest.
Police Sgt. Jason Baldwin previously told The Sentinel that anyone experiencing great depression or suicidal thoughts can contact the Citrus Heights Police Department at any time to be connected with a variety of resources.
According to various suicide prevention resources, warning indicators of suicide can include talking about feeling hopeless, having no reason to live, and other behavior or mood signs.
A local Suicide Prevention Hotline, operated by WellSpace Health, can be reached at (916) 368-3111. The group says its hotline is also available for those concerned about friends or loved ones who may be suicidal.
Update: Sgt. Chad Morris said Saturday that police are “confident that there was no foul play” involved in the woman’s death and said the apparent suicide “was purposeful on her part.” No other information was available, pending a coroner’s report.
Citrus Heights Police Sgt. Eric Dias stands next to a new 2015 Ford Interceptor SUV.
Updated June 29, 9:49 p.m.–
Citrus Heights police are rolling out a fleet of new 2015 patrol SUVs and will be auctioning off their 2006 patrol cars in favor of what officers say is a better-handling, faster, safer, and more “roomy” vehicle.
Although Citrus Heights residents have been seeing police SUVs in use around town since the end of 2013, Police Sgt. Eric Dias said the department had only purchased a limited number initially and had them retrofitted for K-9 or sergeant use only. He said the first patrol units hit the streets in June this year, with more to follow in the next few months.
Through a discounted rate, the SUVs cost about $28,200 for the base unit, with an additional $4,800 for additional equipment through Ford like a backup camera and blind-spot notification sensors. Dias said an additional $12,500 is put into the vehicle to install items like computers, radios and lights, bringing the total price to about $45,500.
In charge of managing Citrus Heights Police Department’s vehicle fleet, Sgt. Dias said the decision to go with SUVs rather than cars came after Ford discontinued its Crown Victoria Police Interceptor line in 2011. He said the automaker since released two “police package” vehicles, with its car version based on the Taurus platform and the SUV version based off the Explorer.
Dias called the Police Interceptor SUVs “essentially Ford Explorers,” except for a police package that includes upgraded electrical, cooling and braking systems, as well as contoured seats that accommodate officers’ waist gear.
The new SUVs are popular among officers and include several advantages over the discontinued Crown Victorias, such as all-wheel drive (AWD), standard bullet-stopping ballistic panels on side doors, larger storage space, and a more efficient 304-horsepower V6 engine, compared to the Crown Victoria’s 250-horsepower V8.
According to Sgt. Dias, License Plate Reader technology will also be featured on two of the new SUVs, bringing CHPD’s total up to six LPR-equipped vehicles. Dias said the department uses the camera technology “strictly for criminal vehicles,” like tracking stolen vehicles and high-risk probationers, rather than finding cars with expired tags.
Several Citrus Heights officers interviewed by The Sentinel all expressed a preference for the SUVs over the Crown Victorias, citing more space inside, AWD handling advantages, and various tech features the older “Crown Vics” don’t have.
“As it is, it’s an all-around better vehicle,” said Officer Anthony Boehle, commenting the SUVs were built and engineered as pursuit-rated vehicles by Ford. “It’s not a Porsche or Ferrari or anything else — however, in my 20 years, it’s probably the best police vehicle I’ve ever driven.”
Although the older model 2006 patrol cars are being rotated out this year, Sgt. Dias said residents will still see the department’s 2011 model Crown Victorias patrolling the streets for several years, due to CHPD purchasing about a dozen of the cars back in 2011 after hearing the cars would be discontinued.
Dias said the 2006 patrol cars are up for replacement due to increased maintenance costs as the vehicles put on miles over the years. He said the vehicles typically see a little over 100,000 miles of use before being replaced, and have a “vigorous maintenance program” that includes routine service and oil changes every 3,000 miles.
In addition to wear-and-tear from mileage, he said patrol vehicle life is also affected by extended idling – a practice he said officers get asked about all the time. Dias said police idle their vehicles for a variety of reasons, including protecting temperature-sensitive electronic equipment in the vehicle, as well as to compensate for battery draw from emergency and interior lights, computers, radios and charging units that are consistently on in the vehicle.
That idling also plays a role in the gas mileage averages of police vehicles.
“With the eight (SUVs) that we have on the street right now, we’re realizing a two mile per gallon increase,” said Dias — although clarifying that number might drop once the latest vehicles are used for patrol. He said the Crown Victorias averaged about nine miles per gallon, while the SUVs have so far seen about 10 to 12 miles per gallon with sergeant and K-9 use.
Dias said within three months, the older 2006 Crown Victorias will have all been replaced by the 2015 model SUVs. He said the department plans to keep the remaining 2011 model police cars on the streets until they are eventually rotated out and replaced with SUVs.
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Stock photo, Citrus Heights Police Department DUI and driver’s license checkpoint.
Citrus Heights police conducted a six-hour DUI checkpoint on San Juan Avenue Friday night, screening 689 vehicles and reporting nine citations, two vehicle impounds, and one arrest.
Although eight sobriety tests were administered by officers with Citrus Heights Police Department’s Traffic Unit, Sergeant David Gutierrez told The Sentinel there were “zero DUI arrests” during the checkpoint — though one was arrested for a “felony no-bail drug warrant.” Gutierrez said officers also issued various citations for violations including driving without a valid license or with a suspended license.
Police announced on Thursday the DUI and driver’s license checkpoint would begin at 8 p.m. Friday and continue through 2 a.m., with the location chosen being “based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests” in an effort to deter drunk and drugged driving.
As previously reported on The Sentinel, CHPD Officer Anthony Boehle said the Department goes out of its way to publicize DUI operations ahead of time in an effort to raise awareness and prevent drunk drivers from getting on the road in the first place.
“DUI checkpoints are not intended to make arrests,” Officer Boehle said, stating the more people know about heavy DUI crackdowns, the less likely they are to attempt a drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. “It’s all about public awareness.”
In contrast to the checkpoints, Boehle explained the Department’s “Saturation Patrols” have a much higher potential for making arrests, because of a difference in goals. While checkpoints may arrest a small number of drunk drivers, he said “Saturation Patrols” are deployed specifically to “hunt” for DUI drivers — adding that a single patrol car can make more arrests in one night, than a checkpoint can in the same time.
Funding for Friday night’s DUI checkpoint came from a grant Citrus Heights police received last year from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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Updated Jan. 19, 10:10 a.m.–
About 700 cars were screened by Citrus Heights police during a Friday night DUI Checkpoint on Auburn Boulevard, resulting in 14 citations, 1 arrest and 6 vehicles being towed, according to police.
Citrus Heights police conduct a DUI Checkpoint operation, Friday night.
More than a dozen officers, including several sergeants and a lieutenant, were involved in the six-hour checkpoint operation, with officers briefly making contact with each driver passing through, and looking for signs of alcohol or drug impairment.
Officer Anthony Boehle said the Department conducts such operations six to eight times a year in an attempt to reduce DUI-related accidents, and receives funding assistance from a California Office of Traffic Safety grant.
According to a press release by Sergeant Dave Gutierrez, research shows crashes involving a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol “can be reduced by up to 20 percent, when well-publicized DUI checkpoints and proactive DUI patrols are conducted routinely.” The release also cited data from 2012 showing 802 deaths and almost 24,000 serious injuries in California could have been avoided by designating a sober driver.
“We really want people to take it serious,” said Officer Dave Jones, who was out checking ID’s and looking for signs of intoxication during Friday’s checkpoint. “Even just a simple mistake can cost someone their life.”
The Citrus Heights Police Department (CHPD) announced Tuesday it was awarded $182,525 in grant money for a one-year special enforcement and education program, aimed at reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries in the city.
Stock photo, Citrus Heights police officers
“I am proud of our continued partnership with the Office of Traffic Safety,” said Lieutenant Ryan Kinnan in a press release, referring to past grants the local Department has received from OTS.
CHPD says deaths and injuries fell significantly between 2006 and 2010 in Citrus Heights, but saw “slight increases” in 2011 and 2012. Kinnan is hopeful that “innovative strategies” funded by this latest grant will help reduce collisions and injuries in the city.
In addition to anti-DUI efforts, the Department says grant funds will go toward public awareness and educational presentations, motorcycle safety and distracted driving enforcement, seat belt and child safety seat enforcement, as well as other traffic-related enforcement activities.
Answering a common question about why the local Department goes out of its way to publicize DUI checkpoints ahead of time, CHPD Public Information Officer Anthony Boehle previously told The Sentinel that awareness efforts are about preventing drunk drivers from getting on the road in the first place.
“DUI checkpoints are not intended to make arrests,” Officer Boehle said, explaining the more people know about heavy crackdowns on DUI’s, the less likely they are to attempt a drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. “It’s all about public awareness.”
In contrast to the checkpoints, Boehle explained “DUI Saturation Patrols” — also funded by the grant money — have a much higher potential for making arrests, because of a difference in goals. While checkpoints may arrest a small number of drunk drivers, the officer said “Saturation Patrols” are deployed specifically to “hunt” for DUI drivers — adding that a single patrol car can make more arrests in one night, than a checkpoint can in the same time.
The Department’s high-visibility anti-DUI efforts in the past have been aided by similar grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the latest funds are designed to work towards what OTS calls their shared vision: “Toward zero deaths, every 1 counts.”
