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Tag: sergeant mike wells

  • Police hand out ‘holiday cheer’ to Citrus Heights families, kids

    Citrus Heights police officers were out offering some “holiday cheer” this week, hand-delivering community donations to families in need and taking a few lucky students through Walmart for an annual “Shop with a Cop” event.

    Shop with a cop, citrus heights police department.
    Citrus Heights police tweeted this photo of officers helping push a child’s cart through Walmart during the Department’s “Shop with a Cop” event, Wednesday.

    On Wednesday, 13 students were selected to “Shop with a Cop,” where each child was provided with free breakfast by Subway, followed by a trek through the Citrus Heights Walmart — each child armed with a free gift card and two uniformed police officers by their side.

    “Some of the children were more focused on purchasing items for their siblings and parents, as opposed to items for themselves,” said CHPD Sergeant Mike Wells, adding that he and other officers were “touched” when they saw a 12-year-old girl use her gift card to buy socks for her mom and a bike for her little brother. “Although all the children involved had smiling faces, I think the officers involved in the event enjoy it just as much, if not more than the kids.”

    Officers were also out the rest of the day delivering donated goods collected in November and December from the Citrus Heights Holiday Referral Program, a community-involved effort created to help families who experienced a hardship over the past year.

    With lights flashing, and a stop or two to let CHPD officers show off on their motorcycles, police and city officials helped personally deliver donations to the 34 Citrus Heights families who had been identified for assistance this year, according to Sergeant Wells. Donations included clothing, food, toys, household items and 65 turkeys — donated by residents, neighborhood groups, and local businesses.

    “Great Citrus Heights community partnerships is why we can help another family in the Citrus Heights community!!” the Department tweeted towards the end of the day’s deliveries. Police also thanked Walmart and Subway for their contributions to Wednesday’s giveaways.

  • POLICE: neighbor utilized gun to detain theft suspects; say tactic ‘not encouraged’

    Police lights, red blue. Photo credit: Luke Otterstad
    Stock photo. Citrus Heights Sentinel

    The neighbor who single-handedly detained three juveniles in the middle of the street after an alleged vehicle burglary Wednesday was aided by a personal firearm, a sergeant from the Citrus Heights Police Department (CHPD) said today – adding that the Department prefers uniformed officers handle such situations.

    See prior story here: Neighbor detains teens after vehicle break-in; 3 arrested

    CHPD Sergeant Mike Wells made the following statement today in an email to The Sentinel regarding the Department’s position on the use of firearms by residents: [box]“The Citrus Heights Police Department appreciates citizens being aware of the incidents occurring in their neighborhood and contacting police when illegal activity occurs. However, we do not encourage residents to actively get involved with the detention of individuals suspected of crimes, particularly utilizing a firearm to accomplish this task. A citizen bringing a firearm into the equation can potentially cause greater harm than good. The three subjects could have overwhelmed the citizen and taken the firearm and it’s also difficult for responding officers to determine if the subject with the weapon is a suspect or well intentioned resident. We encourage residents to be good witnesses and provide updates of the suspects location and allow uniformed officers to handle the apprehension.”[/box]

    “I’m not discouraging anyone from using a firearm to defend themselves, if serious bodily injury or death is imminent and the firearm is needed to prevent this from occurring,” the sergeant later clarified in a phone interview. “However residents need to weigh out the seriousness of the crime and whether or not they would be best served to let police intervene and be a good witness until police arrive.”

    Although the neighbor is not facing any charges for his involvement, Sergeant Wells said — before involving a firearm — gun owners should question, “Is this a life or death situation? Or is this just a property crime.”

    Wells also said under the newly passed Proposition 47, the teens’ charge for possession of stolen property will be a misdemeanor rather than a felony, since the electronics were valued at less than $950. The Department’s Police Chief Christopher Boyd, as well as the entire Citrus Heights city council, officially opposed the proposition, which reclassified many felonies to misdemeanors if they were considered “non-serious and nonviolent.”

    The teens were also arrested for possession of burglary tools as well as “conspiracy” charges, which Wells said comes in to play when more than one person works together to commit a crime.
    —
    The Sentinel wants to know: What would you have done if you saw three teens breaking into a neighbor’s vehicle at 2 a.m.? Post your comment below: