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Citrus Heights police announce Easter weekend DUI Checkpoint

An Easter weekend DUI and driver’s license checkpoint will be conducted at “an undisclosed location” in Citrus Heights, police said in a news release this week.

In a statement authored by Sgt. Brian Fritsch on Wednesday, police said the checkpoint will be held between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m., beginning Friday night, March 25. Police said officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and drug impairment, as well as checking drivers for proper licensing.

In an effort to address what police said is a growing number of crashes related to drugged driving, officers will also be on scene to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving, which can include many prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications, according to the news release.

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CHPD is known to hold regularly publicized checkpoints within Citrus Heights city limits, focusing on areas with a history of collisions and DUI arrests. The department says it announces DUI operations in advance because “the deterrent effect of DUI checkpoints is a proven resource in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug involved crashes.”

In Citrus Heights last year there were 73 DUI-related collisions and 340 DUI arrests, according to statistics previously provided to The Sentinel by Sgt. Jason Baldwin. The statistics also showed a 19 percent drop in DUI collisions, compared to 2014.

[Related: 2015 stats show 19% drop in Citrus Heights DUI crashes, but fatalities rise]

Out of six fatal roadway collisions in Citrus Heights last year, police determined alcohol was involved on the part of the driver in at least three of the collisions, and two involved alcohol on the part of pedestrians who were hit and killed.

In prior news releases about local checkpoints, police have emphasized the “preventable nature of drunk driving” accidents, advising those planning to enjoy a drink to designate a sober driver ahead of time, or utilize options like a taxi or Uber. Police also advise calling 9-1-1 to report drunk drivers, and previously recommended sober drivers take the keys of someone who’s been drinking and “help them get home safely.”

Funding for CHPD’s checkpoints comes from a California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) grant, through the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration. Police said last November CHPD had received a $236,190 OTS grant to help fund a year-long program of safety-related efforts, including DUI checkpoints and distracted driving enforcement.

March 25, 2016
Citrus Heights Police: crime reduced by 5% in 2015

Crime statistics released by the Citrus Heights Police Department this week show a five percent reduction in crime for Citrus Heights during 2015, compared to 2014 statistics.

In an email statement Wednesday afternoon, Sgt. Jason Baldwin reported property crime dropped by 4 percent during 2015, and “persons crime” dropped by 8 percent in Citrus Heights. He said property crimes include burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson, and persons crimes include homicide, rape, robbery, and assault.

Overall, the sergeant said the data equates to a five percent reduction in crime for 2015 in Citrus Heights, a figure Mayor Jeannie Bruins said she was pleased to hear.

“I’m very happy with our results, and I think our community will be pleased,” Bruins told The Sentinel via phone Thursday afternoon. She credited Police Chief Christopher Boyd for bringing a program called Crime and Traffic in Citrus Heights (CATCH) to the city several years ago, and said the crime drop was a “direct result” of the program. She said CATCH and its crime mapping technology helps identify “hot spots” and strategic targeting of those areas.

[Follow future stories about CATCH and other local news: Sign up for The Sentinel’s free Weekend Edition.]

Also reached by phone Thursday, Sgt. Baldwin provided additional statistics on crime subcategories, with significant drops including a 28 percent decrease in motor vehicle theft, an 18 percent drop in burglaries, and a 13 percent drop in assaults, compared to 2014.

The motor vehicle theft reduction equated to 105 less stolen vehicles in 2015, according to the sergeant. He said Hondas were the number one stolen vehicle, making up 45 percent of the 271 vehicles stolen last year.

Asked about police efforts which may have contributed to the drop in vehicle thefts, Sgt. Baldwin said he couldn’t address specific tactics, other than police had focused on “hot spots.”

Several categories with upticks in crime included robbery, which increased from 89 in 2014 up to 113 last year. Baldwin said police are “still working on this particular category,” but said changes in reporting practices in the private sector may have increased the number of reported robberies.

Another category with an uptick was homicides, which rose from two in 2014 to five in 2015, according to statistics referenced by Sgt. Baldwin, which are tabulated according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting definitions. Police Lt. David Gutierrez previously told The Sentinel that 2015 homicides in the city reached a total of six, compared to three in 2014. Although Gutierrez could not be immediately reached for further clarification, the difference is likely due to one homicide in each year including an officer-involved shooting, which the FBI says are tabulated separately as "justifiable homicides," after a law enforcement investigation. [Related: Body ID’d in latest Citrus Heights shooting; 6th homicide of 2015] Local annual crime data was released in response to a Jan. 4 request by The Sentinel, which Sgt. Baldwin said CHPD requested from the California Department of Justice. Baldwin said law enforcement agencies are required to report monthly crime statistics to the DOJ, which in turn forwards the data to the FBI and is used in the Bureau's annual Uniform Crime Report. 2015 crime data from other agencies is largely unavailable this early on for comparison, although the Rancho Cordova Police Department, which publishes crime data on its website on a monthly basis, reported an increase in both person and property crime during January through October of 2015, compared to the same period the prior year. As of Jan. 14, Rancho Cordova's online statistics did not include data more recent than October of 2015. [follow text="Get local news:"] Crime data was released by the FBI in its 2014 crime report just a little over three months ago, and the California DOJ released its latest 2014 crime report in July of the following year. According to the latest DOJ report, California's "crime rate decreased for almost every offense between 2013 and 2014." A state crime report for 2015 is expected this summer. [You may also like: Citrus Heights police roll out new 2015 patrol SUVs]

January 15, 2016
CHPD seeks to reduce fatalities with $236k traffic safety grant

File photo, Citrus Heights Police Department Traffic Unit trailer. // CHSentinel

The Citrus Heights Police Department announced last week it was awarded a $236,190 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to help fund a year-long program of safety-related efforts, including DUI checkpoints and distracted driving enforcement.

In a news release issued Tuesday, Lt. Jason Russo said grant funds will be used to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries, citing an alarming rise in roadway fatalities on Citrus Heights streets — with five deaths this year so far, compared to zero in 2014.

“After falling dramatically between 2006 and 2010, the number of persons killed and injured in traffic collisions has been slowly rising,” the police statement reads. “Particularly alarming are recent increases in pedestrian and bicycle fatalities, the growing dangers of distracting technologies, and the emergence of drug-impaired driving as a major problem.”

In an effort to combat these trends, police said grant funds will go toward public awareness and educational presentations, motorcycle safety and distracted driving enforcement, seat belt and child safety seat enforcement, and DUI checkpoints. The Department says anti-DUI efforts will also include “stakeout operations” to monitor the “worst-of-the-worst” repeat DUI offenders, and roving “saturation patrols” which specifically search for DUI drivers.

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, receiving a $182,585 grant last year. In awarding this year’s grant, OTS Director Rhonda Craft said her agency’s goal is to achieve “zero deaths on our roadways,” and seeks “to create a culture of traffic safety” in Citrus Heights and around the state.

November 23, 2015
Citrus Heights police arrest 5 suspects after robbery, chase

Photos provided by the Citrus Heights Police Department of three of the men arrested Tuesday. Two others arrested were both 17-year-old juveniles.

Following a 2 a.m. high-speed chase Tuesday morning, Citrus Heights police announced the arrest of five suspects — including two juveniles — with charges ranging from robbery, burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, felony evading of officers, conspiracy, and vandalism.

The incident occurred early Tuesday when Citrus Heights police said a resident on the 13000 block of Fair Oaks Boulevard reported hearing what he thought was a gunshot and seeing three people on his neighbor’s property “yelling at someone to get on the ground and making some reference to money.”

Responding officers observed several males running from the house into a silver vehicle which left “at a high rate of speed” and refused to stop, according to a news release from the Citrus Heights Police Department. A chase began, with the suspect vehicle running through several intersections and turning its headlights off. Items were also seen being tossed from the vehicle, with officers later recovering a pellet gun and a five-gallon bucket of marijuana along the chase route.

Police said officers were able to block the suspects’ vehicle in a parking lot, where two suspects fled on foot and the other three suspects remaining in the vehicle were detained. A Citrus Heights police dog was able to “apprehend” one of the fleeing suspects, who was later treated at a local hospital for an injury and then released for booking, according to police.

The other suspect was detained after a perimeter was established with help from the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, Roseville and Folsom police, and the California Highway Patrol. Officers found the suspect when several residents reported a man knocking on apartment doors, claiming to have been in a car accident.

[Also on The Sentinel: Police arrest 11 in Citrus Heights Memorial Day weekend DUI crackdown

Suspects arrested were identified as 22-year-old Tevin Bolten of Sacramento, 19-year-old John Sherrard of Orangevale, and 19-year-old Darius Pope of Fair Oaks — all of whom were booked at the Sacramento County Jail . Police said the other two suspects were both 17 years old and were booked at the Sacramento County Juvenile Hall.

Police believe the victim and suspects knew each other and that the victim was “specifically targeted for the marijuana stolen.” According to the police news release, no evidence of a gun being fired was found on scene, as had been initially reported.

[You may also like: ‘Bait Vehicle’ signs raise questions from residents]

Citrus Heights police said the neighbor who called in the initial report of a gunshot can be “partially credited” with the quick resolution to Tuesday’s incident, encouraging citizens to be “vigilant” about what’s going on in their neighborhoods. Police said they advise residents to be cautious about letting unknown individuals into a home, saying it’s “likely much safer to offer to make a call for someone, rather than let them into your home.”

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May 20, 2015
Breaking: heavy police activity, SWAT team at Auburn Blvd tire shop

Citrus Heights SWAT team members near an entrance to S&S Tire on Auburn Blvd. //Citrus Heights Sentinel

Updated Feb. 17, 10:49 a.m. —
Auburn Boulevard was shut down around 8 a.m. Tuesday due to heavy police presence and SWAT team activity outside S&S Tire on Auburn Boulevard near Kanai Ave.

SWAT team members from the Citrus Heights Police Department armed with rifles, saws and other equipment were observed entering and exiting S&S Tire around 8 a.m., with CHPD’s recently acquired Mine Resistant Armor Protected (MRAP) military surplus vehicle parked outside.

By about 8:45 a.m., the SWAT team had packed up and left, the road re-opened and CHPD officers had left the scene, along with Sacramento Sheriff’s Department deputies who were observed to be assisting.

[See updated story here: 3 arrested for weapons violations in Citrus Heights SWAT raids]

According to Sergeant Mike Wells, the Department’s Investigative Services Division “was involved in an active investigation into illegal weapons sales,” and was able to obtain search warrants for multiple locations within Citrus Heights — one of which was S&S Tire.

[Related: Police close Auburn Blvd for 10hrs after Valentine’s Day crash involving pedestrian]

Wells said “due to the nature of the alleged violations,” CHPD’s Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) was used to execute the search warrants, and Folsom Police Department’s SWAT team and “support personnel from other local agencies also provided assistance.

Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, Wells said “no additional information will be released at this time.”

February 17, 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