DPS Superman
Beyond the Badge
Vol.1, No.5 November 2008
In This Issue
Working with the Community
Local Crossing Guard
A Helmet for Every Child
Staff Highlight
Article Headline
DPS Calendar
MPMP Hospital Evac Drill
Annual Pancake Breakfast
National Fire Prevention Month
Rides for Toys
Working with the Community

Support Network for Battered Women's Children's Program
 
Every year, over three million children witness and/or are victims of domestic violence.Studies show that men who have witnessed or suffered domestic abuse as children are more likely to batter future partners.The Support Network offers programs to break this vicious cycle by providing individual, and group, counseling for children of shelter residents and others living in the community. For more information about the Support Network for Battered Women, visit: www.snbw.org.
 
Each quarter, Sunnyvale Public Safety Officers pay a special visit to the Support Network's Children's Program. Visits include: a short Meet-the-Officer presentation, a fire engine "tour" and a snack provided by local sponsors Nicolino's Restaurant, Suzette Elliott State Farm Insurance and Sports Basement. Each child also receives a toy fire helmet, stickers and a fire safety coloring book. So far this year, Sunnyvale Public Safety has organized a Pizza Night, an Ice Cream Social and a Hot Dog Barbeque.
 
In addition to our quarterly visits, our Animal Control Unit provides Pet Safety presentations twice a year. Our community educators and their pet partners join our Animal Control officers to teach children about being safe around pets. After the presentation, the children make cat toys to donate to the Humane Society of Silicon Valley.
 

"We work to end the cycle of domestic violence using a multi-faceted approach that includes therapy, education, play and interaction with positive role models such as our public safety officers, volunteers and staff.The new Public Safety component has brought a unique and successful perspective to the program."  
     - Suzanne Josvai,
       Program Coordinator
 

This has been a great experience for all involved. The children get to spend time with a variety of positive role models (men, women, sworn and civilian); DPS staff get to proactively help the children during their healing process, and our sponsors contribute to making our community a better place. 

Together, we send these children the message that they are not alone--there are many people who care and want them to be okay. 
 
Child working firehose with DPS member
DPS firefighter helping child use fire hose
Your Local Sunnyvale Crossing Guard

Crossing Guard Inelle Green
Crossing Guard Green
 on the job


Name: Inelle Green
  
School: Cupertino Middle School
 
Sunnyvale Location: Mary Avenue and Helena Drive

Helpful Hints: "Drivers - please be aware of the crossing guard and cross walks. And, please be aware while driving around schools."


Kiwanis Club of Silicon of Valley and Sunnyvale Public Safety "A Helmet for Every Child" Program
 
Bike helmet

The Kiwanis Club of Silicon Valley partners with DPS on a number of programs through out the year. One of the most visible is our "Helmet for Every Child" program. The Kiwanis Club provides DOT-approved helmets to DPS, as needed, for children who cannot otherwise afford them. These children are identified by Public Safety officers and referred to DPS headquarters where they can receive a helmet.

Since it is the law for anyone under the age of 18 to wear a helmet when riding a bike, skateboard, scooter or other similar type of equipment, many youth end up receiving traffic citations. DPS offers Juvenile Traffic Diversion classes for first-time offenders. After the class is completed, the traffic citation is dismissed and participants are eligible to receive a helmet.
 
The Kiwanis Club of Silicon Valley was formed in 1985 and has served our community for over twenty years. They support children through Builders Club (Sunnyvale Middle School) and Key Club (Fremont and Homestead High Schools) teaching youth the value of service, community, family and volunteerism. They also support the community through service at organizations, such as Our Daily Bread.
 
In addition to "Helmet for Every Child" the Kiwanis Club works with DPS on the Fire Safety Poster Contest, provides volunteers for the Sunnyvale Health and Safety Fair, Firefighters Pancake Breakfast and other community events. 
STAFF HIGHLIGHT -
Gloria Yllan

 
Congratulations to Gloria Yllan who was selected as Apple One Employment Services Temp of the Month for September.

Employee of the Month Gloria Yllan
Employee of the month, Gloria Yllan

Gloria has been assigned with DPS since February of this year and has worked in the Investigations Unit, Fire and Environmental Services and currently is assigned to the Data Unit. A resident of San Jose, Gloria worked for Santa Clara County Social Services prior to joining Apple One. 
 
"Gloria truly deserves a standing ovation for her patience, effort and dedication in helping the Data Unit move forward," says Gloria's supervisor, Anna DeBattista.

Explorer of the Month
Aldo Kcmot

Explorer Aldo Kcmot
 
Aldo Kcomt has been a member of the Sunnyvale DPS Explorer Post since 2004.

He currently attends San Jose State University. 
Aldo credits the Explorer Post for helping him develop his social skills. His strong leadership skills recently earned him the role of Explorer Team Leader. Despite a rigorous full-time school schedule, Aldo has helped the community by accumulating over 400 volunteer hours which earned him the Gold Presidential Service Award. 
SUNNYVALE DPS UPCOMING EVENTS


NOVEMBER
Wednesday, November 19
Sunnyvale Challenge Team meeting
(408)516-7217, TDD (408)730-7501
www.ChallengeTeam.inSunnyvale.com
 
Thursday, November 20
Citywide Retirement Open House for City Manager, Amy Chan
Sunnyvale Community Center
550 E. Remington Drive
from 3:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M.
(408)730-7140, TDD (408)730-7501 

November 25 - December 31
Tie One on for Safety campaign
Sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
 
November 26 and 27
City Offices Closed
 
Thursday, November 27 
   
Thanksgiving


DECEMBER
DUI Checkpoints
For questions and comments about the Sunnyvale DPS newsletter Beyond the Badge,Sunnyvale City Logo Color you can e-mail us at:
[email protected]

� 2008 City of Sunnyvale, CA

Chief JohnsonMessage from the Chief

In the last issue of Beyond the Badge, I mentioned how proud I am to live and work in a community as safe as Sunnyvale. The 2007 FBI Crime Rates clearly showed that our community enjoys a high quality of living. I am equally proud to serve alongside the men and women of Public Safety that work their hardest everyday to keep Sunnyvale safe. The efforts put forth by our staff go well beyond the response to, or support of, police, fire and EMS services. Our folks are doing so much more and I'd like to spend a moment telling you about it.
 
First on the list is expressing my thanks to all who worked on and attended the Public Safety Memorial to our Fallen Officers, which you'll read about in this issue. I don't think any of us can appreciate the painstaking efforts that went into the memorial and the dedication ceremony. I know the families of PSOs Larson, Morris, Fraker, Roth, and Lopez really appreciated the day and our acknowledgment of the sacrifice their loved one made. 

Our folks are constantly trying to improve on what we do and how we do it. Our Hazardous Materials Team in Fire Operations is on the road to being certified as a "Type II Team," which means we will be able to participate at a regional level as one of few teams with a higher capacity. You may have seen some of these teams in news reports, operating at the scenes of disasters in various parts of the country. You can go to www.oes.ca.gov for more information about hazardous materials response and safety. 
 
We recently formed an Emergency Medical Services Continuous Quality Improvement committee to ensure that we are doing the best we can to provide quality EMS services. Based on the committee's recommendations, we streamlined our dispatch protocol to get Police and Fire rolling more quickly, and we changed the patrol response to ensure rapid response to EMS calls that might require an automated external defibrillator (AED). Some of you may not know that every police car in the city has an AED in the trunk. To learn more about AEDs and CPR, go to www.americanheart.org.
 
K-9 Kait GraduationOur members are constantly testing their skills and being recognized for their accomplishments around the region.
Congratulations to our K-9 Team on their completion of the Witmer-Tyson Trials during the month of October. These trials bring K-9 teams from around the region together to test their skills---and to learn new ones.

PSO Mendoza - "Crimestopper of the Year"Congratulations also go to PSO Mike Mendoza on his award of "Crimestopper of the Year". PSO Mendoza was selected because of his consistent and sustained great police work. This award is given annually by the Crimestoppers organization.  For more info go to www.crimestoppers.sjsv.com.
  
You have my promise that we'll keep doing all of these things, and more, to keep our community safe.  Please feel free to contact me.

Chief Johnson
(408) 730-7161, TDD (408) 730-7501
or email at
[email protected]

Fallen Officers Memorial Dedication Ceremony
 
During an outdoor ceremony at the Department of Public Safety (DPS), The Fallen Officers Memorial was unveiled as the families of fallen officers looked on. In the history of DPS, five public safety officers have died in the line of duty. A dedication ceremony at the main entrance to DPS concluded with each family placing a red rose on the memorial.

The Fallen Officers Memorial, located at the main entrance to DPS, is black granite with a peace officer rose, stainless steel engraved badge, and inscribed, "In everlasting tribute and honor to those killed in the line of duty while faithfully serving their community."
 
The permanent memorial honoring these five fallen officers was donated by the Public Safety Officers Association (PSOA) and set in place on September 18th. The City of Sunnyvale, in conjunction with the PSOA, dedicated this memorial to its fallen officers during a formal ceremony on October 18th.
 
Fallen Officer Memorial 2 Wreath
Fallen Officers Memorial created by Mark V. Fontana
 
The five officers honored are:
  • PSO Gary Larson, a 23-year old two-year veteran, was shot and killed January 28, 1962, while attempting to arrest two robbery suspects;
  • PSO Charles Morris, a 34-year old three-year veteran, was shot and killed September 23, 1972, at the scene of a commercial burglary;
  • PSO Charles Fraker, a 25-year old two-year veteran, died August 1, 1976, while fighting a fire when the heat of a flashover hit him;
  • PSO Ed Roth, a 44-year old 16-year veteran, died while fighting a commercial structure fire on North Pastoria; and
  • PSO Manuel "Manny" Lopez, a 29-year old eight-year veteran was killed in a traffic accident March 3, 1987. PSO Lopez was responding to a burglary alarm when his patrol car was struck by a train.
The unveiling ceremony included the DPS color guard, a bagpipe player from the Los Gatos - Monte Sereno Police Pipe and Drum, and a bugler from the 561st Air Force Band located at Moffett Field.  In attendance were family and friends for Officers Larson, Fraker, Roth and Lopez.  Featured speakers included Mayor Anthony (Tony) Spitaleri, DPS Chief Don Johnson and PSOA President Scott Prange.

Fallen Officer Memorial 1
Fraker family relative laying commenorative rose on the memorial
Annual Firefighters' Community Pancake Breakfast
 Pancake Bfast Line 08
The 10th Annual Firefighters' Community Pancake Breakfast was held on October 11, 2008.  Approximately 900 children and adults were served a delicious pancake breakfast and treated to a variety of exciting, educational demonstrations and displays.  Donations of over $4,500 were collected to benefit the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation (AARBF).

This year's event included free document shredding by CintasLowe's Home Improvement Center provided the staging area, as well additional guest parking for the breakfast. In all, 300 cars lined up to shred over 20,000 pounds of personal documents.

Pancake Bfast Cooks2
 
The Department of Public Safety hosts these events to educate residents about crime prevention, fire prevention, emergency preparedness and other City services and to hear from residents about specific concerns in their neighborhoods. In addition, these events offer citizens the opportunity to get together with their neighbors and interact with City employees and community service providers in a fun and relaxed environment. These goals are accomplished through building partnerships with local businesses and organizations our dedicated team of volunteers.

Holiday Safety Tips
 
When Shopping:
  • Be ALERT and AWARE of your surroundings. Pay attention to who is around you and what activities are happening. Don't leave the safety of a building, or your vehicle, until you have ensured all is secure and safe. Trust your instincts; if you feel uncomfortable with a place or person(s), get away.
  • Park in a well-lit area.
  • Remember to lock your vehicle. Keep vehicle doors and windows locked while you are in it and especially when you are not.
  • Keep valuables, electronics (including cell phones and DVDs), gifts and other "theft attractors" out of sight.
  • Protect your purse or wallet and clean out any unnecessary items before leaving home. Don't carry large amounts of cash or extra credit cards. Carry only those cards that you will need to use that day. Keep a master list of all cards so if your wallet is stolen, they can be reported promptly to the appropriate banking facility.
  • Don't overburden yourself with packages while shopping.
  • Shop with a buddy-there is safety in numbers.
  • Role-play with children about what should happen in the event you are separated.
  • Have your keys out and ready when you return to your vehicle.
At Home:
  • Make sure all doors and windows have secondary locks (window pins, deadbolts, dowels, etc.) and use them.
  • Ensure that dark areas and entrances have outdoor lights that are turned on after dark or that are activated by sensors.
  • Place gifts where they can't be seen from the outside.
  • Avoid opening the door to strangers. Legitimate delivery people will be able to show identification.
  • Investigate charities before donating by calling the Secretary of State's office or the charity's main office.
  • Be sure to mail cards with checks or gift certificates from the Post Office or a blue US Postal Service collection box.
  • If traveling, use timers for lights and radios while you're away. Ask a trusted friend, neighbor or Block Watch member to watch your home. Remember to make arrangements for mail and newspapers. 
The City of Sunnyvale
Department of Public Safety Presents
 
"RIDES FOR TOYS"
           
Phil Fire Engine
Saturday, December 6, 2008
10:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M.
 
 

This free event takes place in the Toys R Us parking lot located at 130 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale
 
During this special charity event, each child who donates a new, ungiftwrapped toy will be given a ride on a Sunnyvale Fire engine. Parents will also have a chance to discuss fire safety with Sunnyvale Fire personnel and receive informational brochures. Sunnyvale firefighters will present the donated toys to the local branch of the Toys for Tots Foundation, which is organized by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.
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