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CHPD: 2 arrested, 29 cited in Labor Day DUI checkpoint

Citrus Heights police conduct a DUI checkpoint operation earlier this year on Auburn Boulevard. File photo // Citrus Heights Sentinel

A Labor Day Weekend DUI checkpoint on Antelope Road near Rusch Park resulted in two DUI arrests and nearly 30 citations, according to a lieutenant with the Citrus Heights Police Department.

Setting up Sunday evening and continuing past midnight, Lt. David Gutierrez said CHPD’s Traffic Unit screened 805 vehicles and conducted nine sobriety field tests, resulting in the two DUI arrests. The DUI and driver’s license checkpoint also resulted in 11 vehicles being towed and 29 citations were issued for various vehicle code violations, including driving without a valid license or driving with a suspended license.

Citrus Heights police conduct checkpoints several times a year and have said the operations are a proven way to reduce drunk driving violations, with officers briefly stopping drivers to look for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, as well as checking for valid driver’s licenses.

[Want to know why police announce DUI checkpoints in advance? See story: CHPD wins $182k grant for more DUI checkpoints, safety enforcement]

Last month, police arrested a 36-year-old driver for “felony DUI causing injury,” after colliding head-on with another vehicle on a side-street behind the Citrus Heights Raley’s. Other local DUI-related statistics from police were not readily available upon request.

A prior DUI checkpoint held in June on San Juan Avenue resulted in 689 vehicles being screened, with nine being cited, two vehicles being impounded, and one man arrested for a “felony no-bail drug warrant.”

Police said funding for the checkpoint was obtained through a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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September 8, 2015
Citrus Heights This Week: what’s happening around town (Apr. 27 – May 3)

Updated April 27, 2:08 p.m. —
Events and activities going on around Citrus Heights this week include several “SWAT team up close” presentations, a community marching band yard sale, an international writer’s event at the community center, and more.

Kicking off the week on both Monday and Tuesday night, the Citrus Heights Police Department’s SWAT team will be finishing off their April tour of neighborhood association meetings around the city. SWAT members will show a video highlighting the team’s training and leaders, and will also display tactical equipment used in emergencies and answer any questions from the community.

The Sylvan Old Auburn Road neighborhood meeting will be on April 27 at 7 p.m. in the Sylvan Community Center at 7521 Community Drive, and the Sunrise Ranch Neighborhood meeting will be on April 28 at 7 p.m. at Twin Oaks Avenue Baptist Church at the corner of Mariposa Avenue and Twin Oaks. Both meetings will highlight the SWAT team presentation, along with covering regular business.

[Fliers: April 27 meeting, April 28 meeting]

In addition to the weekly Farmer’s Market held behind Sunrise Mall each Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., this Saturday will feature the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ annual 2015 Spring Spirit conference at the Citrus Heights Community Center. According to the international organization’s website, the 11th annual conference is open to non-members and will feature Dreamworks animator Colin Jack this year.

Also this weekend, the Citrus Heights Community Marching Band will be holding its annual Spring Yard Sale from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 1-3 and May 8-10 at 7620 Linden Ave. in Citrus Heights. Proceeds from the sale go directly to support the band, helping provide for items like uniforms, instruments and liability insurance, according to CHCMB Program Director Kathy Cook.

[Also on The Sentinel: Citrus Heights’ 2015 Red, White & Blue Parade seeks entries]

Check back next week for more May events, including free outdoor movie nights, a Building Safety Month kick-off event, and upcoming Police Activites League events.

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Additional info:

About Citrus Heights Neighborhood Associations: http://www.citrusheights.net/450/Neighborhood-Associations
2015 Spring Spirit conference: https://canorthcentral.scbwi.org/events/2015-spring-spirit-conference/
Marching Band 2015 event list: http://www.citrusheights.net/734/2015-Events

April 27, 2015
Citrus Heights PD swears in 17 new officers at awards ceremony

The Citrus Heights Police Department handed out awards, made promotions, and welcomed more than a dozen new officers to its team last week, during an annual Swearing-In and Awards Ceremony at the Community Center.

“Our men and women work extremely hard, day in and day out, 24/7, to ensure our community is safe,” said Sergeant Michael Wells in a news release, commenting that the ceremony is “just one way” to show the Department’s appreciation for their work.

[Recommended: Citrus Heights PD seeks public’s help to ID armed robbery suspect]

In addition to the new officers being sworn in and taking their oath of office, Police Chief Christopher Boyd also promoted a lieutenant and two sergeants during the ceremony. Members of the support staff were honored as well, including a code enforcement officer, community service officers, program assistants, volunteers, and explorers, according to the news release.

Other awards were also given to members of the police department and community, highlighting noteworthy efforts which included two life-saving awards, exceptional service, and team achievement.

The event, held last Thursday, was attended by city council members, as well as representatives from various law enforcement agencies and members of the public.

CHPD says the ceremony is designed to appreciate “hard work, sacrifice, and dedication” of its team, honoring their efforts to make Citrus Heights “a better place.”

The 9th annual ceremony has been held each year since the City formed its own police department in 2006.

April 4, 2015
Citrus Heights Police try new “Trikke” tech to stop crime

Updated Jan. 22, 3:01 p.m.–
You may have seen them out on patrol at Sunrise Mall already. They’re the new, three-wheeled “Trikke Patroller” electric units — the latest tech deployed by the Citrus Heights Police Department in an effort to minimize crime at the Mall.

Officer Jeff Schouten now patrols the Sunrise Mall with one of Citrus Heights Police Department’s new Trikkes.

The light-weight, collapsible, quiet units are able to go up escalators or down a flight of stairs, and feature California-legal red and blue flashing lights and even a siren — all for a cost of about $4,000 a piece, with civilian versions available starting around $1600.

Officer Jeff Schouten, CHPD’s full-time policeman handling Sunrise Mall, listed nearly a dozen benefits the Trikkes have, including speeding up officer response time and being great for public relations.

“I want one… Where do I get one,” are the repeated comments Officer Schouten said he receives from curious shoppers while he’s out patrolling his “little city,” as he calls the Mall. “You see the smile on their face when they see us [on the Trikkes].”

Officer Schouten — or “Jeff,” as he prefers to be called — said the Trikkes top out at about 15 mph, with officers required to go through a short training course in order to ride them, including learning how to dismount quickly during a pursuit at full throttle.

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The California-based Trikke company advertises that quick mobility of security personnel on a Trikke can enable one officer to cover an area that would normally take three or four officers. For Jeff, he says that means a several-minute walk across the width of the Mall is now cut down to about a minute on a Trikke — helping raise awareness to police presence and likely cause criminals to think twice.

The “zip-zip-zip” speed advantage has also helped cut response time in half, according to a loss prevention worker at Macy’s, whose team relies on the police department’s Mall officer to handle arrests or difficult situations.

Jeff also emphasized the height visibility officers gain when standing on the Trikkes, enabling them to more easily spot people in a crowd and quickly scan activity in a store by looking over racks. He said the height also helps in scanning for suspicious activity in parking lots, and the electric-powered Trikke saves fuel costs with a battery that typically lasts a 10-hour shift.

The Department first considered buying the Trikkes after seeing them at a CopsWest law enforcement exposition last year that featured new law enforcement vehicles and equipment, according to CHPD Sergeant Mike Wells. He said a big plus is the mobility the 53-pound Trikkes have over the Department’s older “T-3” electric patrol units, which were bulkier and couldn’t fit in the back of a police car.

The Trikkes were first put in use at the Mall toward the end of 2014, and police said they plan to feature the new three-wheeled scooters in community events like the City’s annual Red, White and Blue Parade.

January 22, 2015
Neighbor detains teens after vehicle break-in, 3 arrested

Three juveniles were arrested early Wednesday morning after a witness’ husband detained them in the middle of the street following an alleged vehicle break-in, according to a press release from the Citrus Heights Police Department.

Stock photo, Citrus Heights Sentinel.

Police say the incident occurred around 2 a.m. on the 7300 block of Parkvale Way, where a neighbor observed the teens breaking into a vehicle. Officers found and arrested the suspects on Blackthorn Way and Tupelo Drive, where the witnesses’ husband had caught them.

Stolen electronics from the vehicle were discovered on one of the suspects, and the other two had property which police say appeared to be stolen — although ownership is still being investigated. Police say the witness was able to identify the suspects, who range in age from 15 to 17 years old.

The teens were arrested for possession of stolen property, conspiracy and possession of burglary tools.

The press release, sent by Sergeant Eric Dias, reminded owners to not leave valuables in their vehicles — especially in plain view.

Editor’s note: additional updates on story covered in article “Police: neighbor utilized gun to detain theft suspects; say tactic ‘not encouraged’

November 12, 2014
‘Bait Vehicle’ Signs Raise Questions from Residents

An electronic sign warns passerby’s of bait vehicles around Citrus Heights // CHSentinel

Ever wonder what’s going on with the large “bait vehicle” signs around Citrus Heights?

If so, you’re not alone, as questions about the signs have been brought up by residents at several community meetings in the past few months.

To find out the story behind the signs, The Sentinel checked in with Officer Wesley Herman of the Citrus Heights Police Department, who said the signs are part of the Department’s auto-theft prevention efforts.

Explaining that “bait vehicles” look just like any other vehicle on the street, Officer Herman said the only difference is that they’re equipped with a hidden GPS tracking device and strategically placed in areas where police have observed high theft or crime trends, with the hope that criminals “bite.”

Around North America, such vehicles have successfully been used to catch thieves, with some “bait” cars featuring remote door locking, hidden cameras, and an ignition “kill switch” to shut the vehicle off remotely. When British Columbia instituted a bait car program in 2003, a 75 percent drop in vehicle thefts over an 11-year period was documented, according to an Insurance Corporation of British Columbia study.

Although bait vehicles are equipped to help officers track and arrest car thieves, Officer Herman said the primary purpose of the program is to prevent auto-theft from happening in the first place — giving reason to why the big orange and black warning signs are regularly deployed in high-traffic areas around Citrus Heights.

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“We try to be the least attractive girl at the dance,” the officer remarked, explaining that the highly visible “bait vehicle” signs help prevent crime by notifying would-be auto thieves that unmarked, random vehicles in Citrus Heights are actively being tracked.

“They don’t know if we have one, twenty, or any out,” said the officer, calling it a type of “psychological war” on criminal minds.

His message to would-be Citrus Heights thieves is: “Hey, go ahead and steal a car — it might be one of ours.”

October 8, 2014
CHPD Joins Crackdown on Texting while Driving

“Zero tolerance” is what the Citrus Heights Police Dept. is promising, as it joins a month-long enforcement and education campaign to curb hand-held cellphone use while driving.

The campaign is part of April’s nationwide “Distracted Driving Awareness Month,” and seeks to emphasize that phone calls and texts aren’t worth the risk of getting into an accident and endangering ones self or others, according to a press release by CHPD.

The National Safety Council estimates that over 275,000 cellphone-involved crashes have occurred this year, and an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study found that drivers using their phones are four times more likely to get into an injury collision.

The minimum ticket cost for drivers violating a cellphone law is $161, but repeat violator’s can see tickets over $281, according to CHPD.

The California Highway Patrol and several hundred local law enforcement agencies have also joined the month-long campaign.

April 8, 2014