August 2009
National Back to School Month
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Working with the Community
Meet Your
Neighborhood Resource Officers (NROs)
Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety currently has five Neighborhood Resource Officers (NRO) assigned to the Crime Prevention Unit.
NROs are Public Safety Officers who are assigned to specific sections of the city to handle chronic issues in the schools, neighborhoods and businesses, as well as assist with crime prevention measures in those areas. In addition, they play a strong role in coordinating special events, such as National Night Out, Summer Movie Nights at the Firehouse and the Community Pancake Breakfast. Officers typically spend three to five years in this assignment.
This year, veteran NROs James Davis and Benjamin Holt are joined by four new NROs: Officers David Falco, Holly Lopez and Bradley Militano.
Officer David Falco
Joined the Department in 2002 and has spent equal time in police and fire services. He has been a background investigator, a member of the Bike Patrol and Mobile Field Force and is certified in Rapid Response Vehicle operation.
Officer Falco is assigned to the following schools: Bishop Elementary, Columbia Middle School, Ellis Elementary, Fairwood Elementary, Lakewood Elementary and San Miguel Elementary.
 Officer Holly Lopez
Joined the department in 2001 and has held assignments in patrol, fire, recruitment, training and desk officer. Officer Lopez is Crisis Intervention Trained (CIT), which is advanced training in dealing with the mentally ill. She is also a member of the Crisis Negotiations Team (CNT) and a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician.
Officer Lopez is assigned to the following schools: Cupertino Middle, Challenger, South Peninsula Hebrew Day School, Resurrection, Silicon Valley Academy, Strattford - DeAnza, Strattford - McKinley, Sunnyvale Christian and West Valley Elementary.
Officer Bradley Militano
Joined the department in 1996 and has held assignments in both patrol and fire services. He also works in Santa Clara County as a Nationally Registered Paramedic.
Officer Militano is assigned to the following schools: Braly Elementary, Cherry Chase Elementary, Cumberland Elementary, St. Cyprian, St. Martin, Sunnyvale Middle and Vargas Elementary.
Officer James Davis
Prior to joining the department in 1986, he worked as a police officer in San Jose Police for 11 years. Officer Davis has been a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) and a Field Training Officer (FTO). He is currently a member of the Gang Enforcement Team and a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician.
Officer Davis is assigned to the following schools: Adair Community Day School, Peterson Middle, Nimitz Elementary, Ponderosa Elementary, Stocklmeir Elementary and West Valley Elementary.
 Officer Benjamin Holt Joined the department in 2003 and has held assignments in both patrol and fire services. He is a background investigator and a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician. Officer Holt is assigned to the following schools: Fremont High, Homestead High and Kings Academy.
For more information about the Crime Prevention Unit and the NROs, please visit our website: CrimePrevention.inSunnyvale.com or phone 408 730-7140 (408-730-7501, TDD). |
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Explorer of the Month
This month's featured Explorer is Andrew Perez. Andrew has been a member of the Sunnyvale DPS Explorer Post since 2008. He is 16 years-old, currently attends Homestead High School and his interests include football and the HHS Marching Band.
Andrew recently completed the 2009 Explorer Academy at Evergreen College in San Jose. He is always eager to volunteer his time for the community, and he has been a valuable member of the Post. Great job, Andrew!
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SUNNYVALE DPS UPCOMING EVENTS
August 4
National Night Out408-730-7140
August 19
Special Olympics Tip-a-Cop
Firehouse Grill & Brewery
111 S. Murphy Ave
408-730-7140
August 27
Peninsula Burn Relay
Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation
August 27
Challenge Team Meets
Gang Awareness Presentations
All 6th graders
Meet the Officer and Traffic Safety Presentations
All K-8th graders
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For questions and comments about the Sunnyvale DPS newsletter Beyond the Badge,  you can e-mail us at: pubsfty@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us
© 2008-2009 City of Sunnyvale, CA
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 Message from the Chief
I think it is timely to introduce one of the concepts responsible for seamless police, fire, and emergency medical service delivery within our region - Mutual Aid. Over the last few years we have found that our relationship with other police and fire agencies is key to rapid response when resources are stretched thin.
On July 21st, 16 of our police, fire, and dispatch personnel were honored by police chiefs from Santa Clara and Mountain View. The commendation event stemmed from our support of their police departments during critical events.
In Santa Clara, one of their officers encountered a person who had murdered someone in Marysville, CA, just hours earlier. The suspect shot at the officer and the officer returned gunfire - Santa Clara Police Department called and we responded with 13 officers from patrol and fire. Together, we were able to contain the scene. The suspect began shooting at the officers for the second time, and again the officers returned fire - the suspect died during the gun battle and thankfully no officers were hurt.
Mountain View Police Department honored three of our detectives for their hard work in solving several homicides in their city. Several months earlier, we "loaned" our Community Crimes Unit (CCU Undercover Team) to Mountain View. Working together over several weeks, six homicides were solved through cooperation and teamwork - great job by both departments!
These are but two examples of the Mutual Aid concept in action; our firefighters are typically deployed several times each year to fight wildfires across the state, and almost weekly we share police resources with nearby agencies. As Chief, it is comforting to know that when we call for help, it arrives right away - it is the service we give to others, and the service we've come to expect. So the next time you see an officer on our streets, check the patch on his or her shoulder... it may be one of us or someone from another department helping in our time of need.
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Working with the Community
Public Safety Responds to Woman in Labor
On July 8, 2009, at 8:00 AM, a Sunnyvale resident on Del Norte Av used his cellular telephone to dial 911 - as a 21 year-old woman in the residence had gone into labor. With screams clearly heard in the background, Public Safety Dispatcher Joann Gallo calmed the caller and began an immediate response and assessment.  When asked if any part of the baby was presenting, the caller said she would check, then screamed, "Yes! Yes! He's coming right now!" Over
the course of the next two minutes, Joann calmed and reassured the
caller, instructing her on what to do to prepare for the baby's
delivery.
Public Safety Dispatcher Joann Gallo Just four minutes after answering the initial 911 call, the
baby was born safely under the care of untrained bystanders being
directed by Joann. Four minutes later, Public Safety Officers Jason
Wowak and Robert Ciano arrived and immediately assumed care of our
newest resident, Calvin, and his mother, Josephine.
With
the rapid response time of our Public Safety personnel, it is indeed a
rare occurrence for one of our 911 dispatchers to coach an untrained
caller through a complete baby delivery. We have trained for this, and
although Joann had never handled a call like this before in her career,
she provided an excellent standard of care. When Calvin was born, his
mother was anxious, begging to know if he was okay. The untrained
caller's reply said it best when she responded, "He's okay. The woman is telling me
exactly what to do." | |
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Special Olympics Power Pull
This summer, staff, volunteers, family and friends joined together to form the 2009 DPS Power Pull Team to participate in the Special Olympics Power Pull event. On July 25th at California's Great America, nine teams representing groups from the Department of Corrections to Preston Pipes to Star One Credit Union each had two opportunities to pull a Central Concrete cement truck and a DPS fire truck 20 feet for time. The fastest time on each rig was added together to determine the winner. Once again, the undefeated Rudolph & Sletten crew took top honors. The annual event raises awareness and funds for Special Olympics.
Referee Dan Winters (SCPD) watches for the front tires to cross the line as the DPS team pulls the approximately 70,000 pound fire truck.
This year the kids got in on the action pulling a Sunnyvale patrol car. Next year, the Power Pull will feature a kids division.
The 2009 DPS Power Pull Team
Please join us at our next event to benefit Special Olympics: Tip-a-Cop at the Firehouse Grill & Brewery (111 S. Murphy Ave) on August 19th from 5:00 PM-9:00 PM. For more information, call: 408-730-7140, (408-730-7501, TDD).
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Working with the Community
Summer Movie Nights
This year's Summer Movie Nights at the Firehouse have been a great success with families and the community.
The four-part series started off with the animated feature Wall-E at Station 1. Despite the fact that there is very little dialogue in the movie, the central theme is basically a love story that resonated with the young audience. The series moved to Station 2 for E.T, The Extra Terrestrial and reminded the kids of the age old adage that there is "no place like home." The third movie of the four part series was Herbie, The Love Bug, which was shown at Station 4. Herbie, wearing number 53, was so numbered by the writers from baseball player Don Drysdale's (Brooklyn / LA Dodgers) uniform. Last in the series is Freaky Friday which aired at Station 3 on July 22nd and showed both kids and parents how to appreciate each others' roles.
 All of the movies have been very well attended, attracting between 75 and 100 people per showing. The firehouse crews have been exceptionally receptive and despite the occasional technical difficulty, challenging heat and occasional emergency call interruption - the audiences want more!
The opportunity to spend time with family and the department has been overwhelmingly well received. The program has been so successful, in fact, that we hope to broaden the experience with our partners in the Department of Community Services (Parks and Recreation) who have been great in assisting with the events.
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Crossing Guards Needed
Be an important member of a successful team committed to the safety of school children in your community! There are several part-time positions available for Sunnyvale Crossing Guards.
This is a perfect opportunity for grandparents, parents at home, and retirees. Work 10-15 hours per week during the regular school year, assisting elementary and middle school students.
Crossing Guard Lorraine Benkoski
For additional information about the Crossing Guard Program and details about this employment opportunity, please call Sunnyvale's Department of Public Safety at 408-730-7140 (408-730-7501, TDD).
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BBQs - Did You Know?
Fire Code Regulations for Barbeques on Balconies, Patios and Decks
As of January 1, 2008, the following Fire Codes have been adopted by all municipalities in Santa Clara County:
308.3.1 Open-flame cooking devices.
Charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices shall not be operated on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction.
Exceptions:
One- and two-family dwellings
Where buildings, balconies, and decks are protected by an automatic sprinkler system.
308.3.1.1 Liquefied-petroleum-gas fueled cooking devices.
LP-gas burners having an LP-gas container with a water capacity greater than 2.5 pounds [nominal 1 pound LP-gas capacity] shall not be located on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction.
Exception: One- and two-family dwellings.
For more details in a FAQ, go to: www.FirePrevention.inSunnyvale.com. | |
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