[DPSDist] News From Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety

As this prints, Deputy Chief Mark Stivers is preparing to enter well deserved retirement from the Department of Public Safety. While we wish Mark all the best, his retirement is bittersweet - because we are really going to miss him... It's that push pull thing - great for Mark, tough for the rest of us who rely on Mark every day. Deputy Chief Stivers came to us in 1980 and will depart December 27, with more than 30 years of strong service to our department and to the community.

Mark was instrumental in building our Canine Program, our SWAT Team, and has been a contributor at every turn. I've always relied on Mark's experience and wisdom when facing difficult decisions, as have others - Mark is definitely the guy you want in your corner! I can tell you that Mark has always given his very best; Mark describes it as "Bleeding Public Safety Blue," and it comes from the heart. So, to Mark - from all who have benefitted from your service, from those who will find future benefit from the foundation you set - we wish you well, but most of all,
we thank you for your dedicated service.You've left a legacy that is enduring.

Chief Johnson
(408) 730-7140, TDD (408) 730-7501
or email pubsfty@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us

National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month

Every day, 36 people in the United States die, and approximately 700 more are injured, in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver.

This December, during National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month (3D Month), consider what you and your community can do to make injuries and deaths from impaired driving less of a threat.

The Problem

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives.
In 2006, 13,470 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.
In one year, over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This accounts for less than 1% of the 159 million self-reported episodes of alcohol-impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.

Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost about $51 billion a year.

Protect Yourself, Your Family and Friends

During the holiday season, and year-round, take steps to make sure that you and everyone you celebrate with avoids driving under the influence of alcohol. Following these tips from NHTSA can help you stay safe:

Plan ahead. Always designate a non-drinking driver before any holiday party or celebration begins.
Take the keys. Do not let a friend drive if they are impaired.
Be a helpful host. If you're hosting a party this holiday season, remind your guests to plan ahead and designate their sober driver, always offer alcohol-free beverages, and make sure all of your guests leave with a sober driver.

Know How Communities Can Help

Proven community and state-level methods for reducing alcohol-impaired driving include:

Sobriety checkpoints. Studies found that fatal crashes thought to involve alcohol dropped by about 22% following implementation of sobriety checkpoints.
Minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) laws. Studies found that raising the MLDA to 21 reduced crashes by about 16% among people ages 18 - 20 years.
0.08% BAC laws. Fatal alcohol-related crashes declined about 7% after 0.08% BAC laws were passed.
"Zero tolerance" laws for young drivers. Three studies found that zero tolerance laws resulted in declines in fatal crashes among drivers ages 18 - 20 years of between 9% and 24%.

Rides for Toys

The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety hosted its third annual Rides for Toys event on Saturday, December 11. During this free special charity event, each child who donated a new, unwrapped toy was given a ride on a Sunnyvale fire engine.

The event was a major success. DPS firefighters collected enough toys to fill up a 15 passenger van from Sunnyvale Community Services. Len Williams, from Fire Associates of Santa Clara Valley, brought his 1920's fire engine for viewing, which was a huge hit with the families.

Parents had a chance to discuss fire safety with Sunnyvale Public Safety personnel and received informational brochures. Sunnyvale firefighters presented the donated toys to Sunnyvale Community Services, One of the biggest demands this year for Community Services are toys.

DreamPower Horsemanship

Building lives filled with dreams, and the power to make those dreams come true...DreamPower Horsemanship

A young person in a residential treatment center might dream of being adopted into a loving family; an addicted teen might dream of overcoming drug and alcohol dependence; a fearful adult might dream of learning to ride a horse without anxiety. DreamPower Horsemanship provides the guidance and instruction to help participants reach their goals and realize their dreams.

0.9166666666666666 Working with horses provides a wonderful opportunity to engage in activities outside of a traditional therapeutic environment. Reaching for a ball while seated on a calm horse can make physical activity fun for a disabled child. Learning to halter a horse in an open pasture can catch the attention of an urban teen that has issues with authority figures. Watching a horse respond to body language and tone of voice can reinforce the power of calm, assertive behavior over aggressive or anxious behavior. It is life-changing when a person experiences the mutual respect that occurs when a horse and person come to know, trust and communicate with each other.

Public Safety and the Sunnyvale Youth Mentoring Initiative are partnering with DreamPower Horsemanship to bring eight Fremont High School students to participate in this unique program in Gilroy.

The selected students will be paired with adult mentors who will meet with them for about an hour a week to start. In January, the mentors and students will spend a day at the Sunnyvale Ropes Course working on team building skills. Then, in February they will begin a nine week program at DreamPower.

The students and mentors will travel to Gilroy once a week for a 1 ½ hour lesson with the horses. On the bus ride to the ranch, students will be provided with information about interesting career, educational and community services opportunities. At the ranch, they will learn life skills such as communication, patience, responsibility, focus and confidence while working with the horses to reinforce the lessons. On the way back to school, students and mentors will enjoy refreshments and have the chance to discuss their experiences.

Thank you to the generous sponsors who are helping to make this program possible - Cintas Document Management, Sports Basement and Century Graphics. During December and January, pick up a 10% off coupon and receive 10% off all purchases at Sports Basement - Youth & Horses will receive 10% of your total spent. Just in time for the holidays!

More information: Youth & Horses - Crime Prevention Unit (408)730-7140.

DreamPower www.dreampowerhorsemanship.com

Sunnyvale Youth Mentoring Initiative www.rpmovement.org/mentoring

Boxing Program Finds a New Home

0.8925925925925926 After several years of searching, the Public Safety Youth Boxing Program has joined forces with Gateway Neighborhood Outreach and will be re-opening in 2011 at the Gateway Building behind Trinity Church on Mathilda Ave. In addition to boxing, there will be other activities available at the center such as youth fitness, volleyball and basketball. The program will be staffed by volunteer coaches and is funded by donations.

The boxing program was highly successful during its first few years when it was located in the multi-purpose room at Columbia Middle School. As many as 40 children a day took advantage of this unique free after school program and more than 700 participated over the course of those first years. Ever since the program closed its doors about three years ago, program leader Public Safety Officer Jose Ramirez has been searching for another location.

Gateway Neighborhood Outreach is the building coordinator for a 33,000 square foot building owned by Trinity Church. Trinity Church has raised the necessary funds to complete code compliance renovations which should be completed by mid-March. The church has a broad vision to use this space for the community's benefit. Many meetings were held with community leaders to determine how the space could be used. The boxing program will be the first of these opportunities to be launched in this new facility.

The planned Grand Opening of the after school boxing program will be in April. Hours of operation are expected to be Monday through Friday, 3:00-8:00 p.m. and potentially some Saturdays to be determined. The program will give neighborhood youth a place to go to after school with great role models and mentors. They will learn about healthy activity and good nutrition and, along the way, build confidence and a sense of belonging.

For more information about this program, please contact the Crime Prevention Unit at (408)730-7140.

Challenge Team Donation Collections

A picture is worth a thousand words................. Thank you, everyone!