Citrus Heights police said they were able to safely locate an “at-risk” missing man Tuesday morning, crediting an “alert citizen,” social media and a news report for aiding in the success of the search.
57-year-old Carlos Arvizu reportedly had last been seen on Monday afternoon and was classified as an at-risk missing person “due to the details of the incident,” according to an initial police news release sent out Monday evening. He had also reportedly suffered a “traumatic brain injury” in the past.
According to police, a citizen reported spotting the missing man near San Juan Avenue Tuesday morning, with responding officers confirming Arvizu’s identity and returning him back to his home. He did not require any medical aid and “appeared unharmed,” according to a followup police news release announcing the missing man had been located.
Police said the unnamed citizen who contacted police had been able to identify the man after recalling a local news article posted on social media, Monday.
Sgt. Mike Wells said the incident’s outcome “highlights the importance of relationships between law enforcement, local media, and the community.”
As previously reported on The Sentinel, the Citrus Heights Police Department receives an average of about 50 missing person calls per month, which has led the Department to encourage at-risk persons with conditions like Alzheimer’s, dementia, autism and Down syndrome to be enrolled in a voluntary tracking program called “Project Lifesaver.”
In December, Citrus Heights police said they quickly located a 61-year-old missing man with dementia using the “Project Lifesaver” system to track a signal from a personal transmitter the man was wearing. The Department says the program is currently free for Citrus Heights residents, with each enrollee receiving a trackable radio frequency transmitter to wear around the ankle or wrist which enables police to help find the person, if reported missing.
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Updated Aug. 28, 8:21 a.m.–
Citrus Heights police closed down Auburn Boulevard near the Roseville border for about six hours Friday morning in order to investigate a fatal collision involving a pedestrian in the roadway.
Police said officers responded to a vehicle-versus-pedestrian collision on Auburn Boulevard near Twin Oaks Avenue around 11:05 p.m. Thursday, finding a man in the roadway “with injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle,” according to a news release. Metro Fire personnel arriving shortly after pronounced the man deceased at the scene.
Police have determined the pedestrian was not in marked crosswalk at the time of the crash and said a preliminary investigation revealed “the pedestrian was down in the roadway, for an unknown reason, prior to being struck by the vehicle.”
The driver of the vehicle involved is “cooperating with the investigation,” according to police, and neither alcohol or speed appear to have been a factor in the collision.
Thursday night’s fatality marks the third pedestrian killed on Citrus Heights streets this year, while police statistics show last year had no pedestrian or vehicle-related fatalities in the city. The first fatal collision occurred near Kanai Avenue on Auburn Boulevard around 2 a.m. on Valentines Day, and the second occurred earlier this month on Sunrise Boulevard at the intersection of Old Auburn Road.
Another pedestrian was struck and critically injured on Auburn Boulevard near Twin Oaks Avenue in January of this year, but police said he is believed to have recovered.
Anyone with information related to Thursday night’s collision is asked to contact the Citrus Heights Police Department at 916-727-5500.
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Citrus Heights Police Chief Christopher Boyd highlighted details from a study on body cameras last week. (File photo, CHSentinel)
Updated Aug. 20, 8:58 a.m.–
Body-worn cameras on police officers could likely become a future reality in Citrus Heights, Police Chief Christopher Boyd told somewhat-wary city council members in a presentation last week that summarized pros and cons his department had identified in a council-requested study on the issue.
“I do think this is likely in our future,” the police chief said regarding body cameras, indicating it’s the direction law enforcement is moving toward. “I think there’s a lot of good reasons to have the technology, but I think there’s a lot that needs to evolve in the technology itself.”
Citing general benefits found during his department’s study, Chief Boyd told council members various agencies have reported improved accountability, performance and police behavior after introducing body-worn cameras, with other benefits including better evidence-gathering and the possibility to prevent or resolve “frivolous complaints” against officers. But the chief said the study also found camera benefits differ from department to department, largely depending on the level of trust between the community and police.
Addressing several concerns about the technology, Boyd highlighted privacy issues involved in entering a private home with a camera rolling, the possibility of witnesses being unwilling to cooperate on camera, and the potential for “massive releasing” of video records under California’s Public Records Act. He estimated that requests for public records of the video footage would be “enormous,” and said additional staff time and costs would be involved to “review, redact and scrub” the records of any non-releasable portions prior to release.
The chief also told council members body-worn cameras could send a signal to officers that there’s a lack of trust within the department, but said “most all” of his officers would “embrace” the technology, if implemented. He said the Citrus Heights Police Department (CHPD) tested out various body cameras for several months in studying the issue, but currently have none in use.
City Attorney Ruthann Zeigler also added her perspective during Boyd’s presentation, telling council members there’s “a tremendous number of unanswered questions” about the use of body cameras — referencing privacy issues, public records requests, and concerns about recording minors.
Boyd said new local policies to handle these concerns could be crafted, but cautioned that cities could end up with “very little local control,” pending the outcome of body camera legislation currently in the California legislature that could end up dictating such policy at the state level.
“I think we have an interest to wait and to watch and see how police might ultimately be regulated under new laws enacted with this kind of technology,” Boyd told the council. “It might be in our interest to make sure we know, before we own technology subject to regulation – what that regulation might be.”
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Boyd said estimated costs involved would include $64,000 to purchase cameras for 80 officers, $250,000 for related staff and IT technician costs, and an annual cloud-storage cost of about $100,000. For an alternative cost of about $300,000 every five years, Boyd said the City could purchase its own servers to host the estimated 300 terabytes of data needed to store and backup video footage. The chief said actual costs were difficult for his department to estimate, citing unknowns like how much staff time would be involved in responding to public records requests, how long videos would be required to be stored, and under what conditions body cameras would need to be recording video.
Council members react:
Although no action was planned or taken on the body camera issue following the police chief’s August 13 council meeting report, all five city council members expressed their reservation over implementing the technology in Citrus Heights, citing concerns like cost and questioning if the cameras are really necessary.
“In Citrus Heights we really don’t have the problems they have in Baltimore or Ferguson,” Mayor Sue Frost said during the meeting. “I don’t ever get complaints about how our police act in our community – I get compliments.”
“I’m not a fan of body cameras at this point,” said Councilman Mel Turner, commenting that the push for body cameras seems to be a reactionary approach to what’s going on in other parts of the country. “I like to take the proactive approach, which is to make sure we hire the right officers in the first place, so we don’t have to have these problems.”
“If you’re having a problem, I would be all for it,” said Councilman Jeff Slowey. “But knowing – at least today – that we’re in a good place with our police department, I personally would be a little hesitant to jump out and spend that kind of money.”
Council members had previously requested the police department study the costs and ramifications of body-worn cameras following national discussion on the topic over the past year, according to Mayor Frost. She said no action related to implementing cameras is anticipated in the near future.
Citrus Heights police officers investigating on-scene after a pedestrian was fatally struck on Sunrise Boulevard, Sunday morning.
Updated Aug. 17, 6:14 p.m.–
Citrus Heights police closed down several lanes at a busy Sunrise Boulevard intersection Sunday morning after a 28-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle while attempting to cross the street.
Traffic Sgt. Dave Gutierrez said the fatal collision occurred around 5:13 a.m. at the intersection of Sunrise Boulevard and Old Auburn Road, with an investigation revealing the pedestrian was hit while crossing in a crosswalk — but during a “don’t walk” signal.
According to a police news release, officers responding to the scene attempted lifesaving efforts on the pedestrian, but the man was determined to have been killed upon impact by Metro Fire personnel on scene. The pedestrian was later identified by the Sacramento County Coroner’s office as Joseph Downing, who was described by family members as “high-functioning autistic,” according to Sgt. Gutierrez.
An investigation following the incident resulted in several lanes on Sunrise Boulevard near the intersection of Old Auburn Road being closed down for at least six hours on Sunday. Sgt. Gutierrez said the extended road closure is standard for any fatality and was necessary for officers to investigate and “forensically map the entire intersection.”
The 58-year-old driver involved cooperated with the investigation, according to police, and it was determined the vehicle had been traveling on a green light when the collision occurred.
Although police said Citrus Heights saw no pedestrian fatalities last year, Sunday’s tragedy marks the second such fatality of 2015 within city limits. The incident earlier this year occurred around 2 a.m. on Valentine’s Day at the intersection of Auburn Boulevard and Kanai Avenue, with the 26-year-old woman involved passing away several days later from critical injuries.
“We take this as a critically important issue,” said Sgt. Gutierrez, reflecting on the pedestrian deaths this year. “But it’s important that pedestrians utilize the crosswalks [properly].”
Gutierrez said neither alcohol nor speed appear to be a factor in Sunday’s collision.
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Police officers compete in last year’s motorcycle competition at Sunrise Mall.
A K-9 police dog demo and helicopter landing will be featured in this year’s Citrus Heights Traffic Safety Day and Police Motorcycle Competition at Sunrise Mall, as officers from across California and as far as Nevada descend on the city to compete in the third annual event this Saturday.
“There’s gonna be tons of stuff for the kids and family,” said Citrus Heights Police Sgt. David Gutierrez, highlighting plans for a driving simulator, kids bike safety skills rodeo, bounce houses and various demo’s throughout the day.
The free event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 25 in the mall parking lot just south of Elephant Bar, according to Sgt. Gutierrez. He said this year promises to be “quite a treat,” with the police competition featuring a new “head-to-head motorcycle dual, a motorcycle-basketball shooting event and a unique slow speed challenge course.”
Last year, the annual event drew about 2,000 people and raised over $2600 for charity, according to Officer Anthony Boehle. It also left the Citrus Heights Police Department (CHPD) with six awards earned by several competing officers.
Although the event is free to the public, police say any proceeds will go to support the Citrus Heights Police Activities League, a local nonprofit which seeks to “build positive relationships” between police officers and youth by hosting and participating in various activities in the community.
The annual event began in 2013 and is sponsored by CHPD, Sunrise Mall and Marketplace, and the Police Activities League.
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Event flier: Motorcycle Competition & Safety Fair
Police officers compete in last year’s motorcycle competition at Sunrise Mall.
Police officers from across the western states plan to show off their motorcycle skills in the Sunrise Mall parking lot, as Citrus Heights Police host the 2015 Traffic Safety Day and Police Motorcycle Competition on July 25.
The free Saturday event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature a safety-cone competition course for officers to navigate through in various timed challenges, as well as a bike safety skills rodeo and bounce house for kids, vendor booths, and various demonstrations throughout the day.
Last year, the annual event drew about 2,000 people and raised over $2600 for charity, according to Officer Anthony Boehle. It also left the Citrus Heights Police Department (CHPD) with six awards earned by several competing officers.
Although the event is free to the public, police say any proceeds will go to support the Citrus Heights Police Activities League, a local nonprofit which seeks to “build positive relationships” between police officers and youth by hosting and participating in various activities in the community.
The annual event is sponsored by CHPD, Sunrise Mall and Marketplace, and the Police Activities League.
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Event flier: Motorcycle Competition & Safety Fair
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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Citrus Heights police responded to an officer-involved shooting at a Greenback Lane apartment complex, Monday.
Citrus Heights police said four officers responding to a domestic violence incident at a Greenback Lane apartment complex shot and killed a 35-year-old man Monday night, after the suspect allegedly fired at officers.
Although “countless officers” responded to the scene from multiple agencies, Citrus Heights Police Lt. Ryan Kinnan said the shooting involved four officers firing their guns at the man. Those officers will be placed on administrative leave — a standard department procedure for officer-involved shootings, according to Kinnan.
The shooting occurred at an apartment complex located near San Juan Avenue on the 7500 block of Greenback Lane. Police said no officers were injured in the incident, but the suspect’s wife sustained injuries from being “hit and struck.”
The incident is still under investigation and additional details will be released shortly, according to Kinnan. The suspect’s name will be released by the coroners office.
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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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Citrus Heights police and a Sacramento Sheriff’s Department EOD specialist at the scene where a woman reported finding a world war two-era hand grenade, Wednesday.
Updated June 13, 11:23 p.m.–
Citrus Heights police said a woman cleaning out her deceased father’s residence Wednesday reported finding a “World War II style hand grenade,” causing an explosives specialist to be deployed to the scene and streets near Kingswood Drive and Sunrise Boulevard temporarily shut down by police.
Witnesses reported hearing an explosion around 6 p.m., which a Sacramento Sheriff’s Department Explosive Ordnance Device specialist on scene described as “rendering safe” an “unknown package,” rather than explosion.
The woman’s discovery of what she said was a hand grenade was made around 4:30 p.m. according to police, who evacuated some residents as a precaution.
According to a police media advisory, several roadway closures in the area of Kingswood Drive and Sunrise Boulevard were made around 5:20 p.m., in reference to an investigation of possible “hazardous” items in the area. Roads were observed to have re-opened by 6:15 p.m., after officers had determined there was no immediate threat.
Update: Officer Anthony Boehle said police did not end up finding a grenade Wednesday, telling The Sentinel “there was really no merit to the whole thing,” and calling the incident “a big misunderstanding.” He said the “suspicious package” ended up being an old water thermos.
