California Data

• In 2013, the California Department of Motor Vehicles reported over 426,000 handheld cell phone and texting convictions, with more than 57,000 tickets issued in April alone. (California DMV and the California Office of Traffic Safety)

• In 2014, 61% of California drivers surveyed said they had been hit or nearly hit by a driver who was talking or texting on a cell phone. (California Traffic Safety Survey)

• In 2014, nearly 40% of Californians surveyed thought texting or talking on a cell phone while driving posed the biggest safety problem on California roadways. (California Traffic Safety Survey)

• In 2014, more than 50% of Californians surveyed said that texting while driving is the most serious distraction for drivers. (California Traffic Safety Survey)

• In 2014, nearly 53% of drivers admitted to making a driving mistake while talking on a cell phone. (California Traffic Safety Survey)

• The total percentage of distracted driving due to electronic devices observed decreased from 7.4% in 2013 to 6.4% in 2014, a 13.5% reduction and the lowest since surveys began in 2011. (CA Statewide Observational Survey of Cell Phone & Texting Use by Drivers)

National and General Data

• As of January 2015, 44 states banned text messaging for all drivers. (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration)

• According to the latest data from NHTSA, nationwide in 2013, 3,154 people were killed and an estimated additional 424,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. This represents a 6.7 percent decrease in the number of fatalities recorded in 2012. (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration)

• Ten percent of drivers of all ages under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted. (Distraction.gov)

• Engaging in visual-manual subtasks (such as reaching for a phone, dialing and texting) associated with the use of hand-held phones and other portable devices increased the risk of getting into a crash by three times. (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute)

• Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted. (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, VTTI)

• A quarter of teens respond to a text message once or more every time they drive. Twenty percent of teens and 10 percent of parents admit that they have extended, multi-message text conversations while driving. (University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute Library)

• Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that's enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded. (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute)

The Morgan Hill Community Law Enforcement Foundation (CLEF) is a group of people that live or work in Morgan Hill who support and promote public safety through partnerships that provide resources to help the Morgan Hill Police Department (MHPD) perform at its highest level of service to the community. They believe that public safety is the most important service that the city government provides its citizens and see the foundation as the perfect vehicle for the community to express its support for the police department. They raise money to see that the MHPD has the tools and training it needs to be effective and to better serve our community.

The foundation, through a variety of fund raising events works closely with the MHPD administration to provide equipment and services not covered by the usual City budget process. The most recent accomplishment was funding of the department's new K-9, Sony, including his continued training and support. Other recent items the foundation has provided have been body cameras for all officers, a generator for the CSI trailer, a vehicle mounted thermal imaging camera, and outfitting two patrol cars with automated license plate reading cameras. One of the foundation's goals in the coming year is to raise funds for an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) pilot program whereby 5-6 patrol cars will be outfitted with the devices. Should the pilot prove as successful as anticipated CLEF will continue efforts to ensure that every department vehicle contains one of these life saving devices.

The largest fund raiser is the annual CLEF sponsored Cops and Robbers Ball, a formal, black tie dinner and auction event open to the public. Every year at this event CLEF, working with the MHPD administration a list of names is created, from which they select a person that, through volunteer hours, has provided an exceptional addition to the public safety of the community. The honoree selected for 2015 is part-time employee of the police department, CSI Bruce Dudley; selected not for his work as an employee, but for the many volunteer hours he gives to the police department, as well as other City departments, including the Parks and Recreation's Youth Action Council, (YAC), and the senior citizens program. The volunteer hours Bruce provides exceed his paid hours as the CSI for the police department. Bruce Dudley is also a retired Sunnyvale Public Safety Officer and the "founding father" of the Sunnyvale CSI Unit.

at the Morgan Hill Community & Cultural Center

The event is a fundraiser to help CLEF, a completely volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit, raise money to enhance public safety in the Morgan Hill community by providing funding to the Morgan Hill Police Department for equipment, services and training not covered under the City budget.

This fun-filled night will include:

• Hosted reception
• Catered dinner by Mama Mia's
• Award winning wines provided by Leal Vineyards  
• Silent & Live Auctions 
• Presentation of our annual Public Safety Award to this year's honoreeBruce Dudley, MHPD CSI

The event will conclude with an evening of music and dancing. Each couple will also receive a complimentary "Bonnie & Clyde" photo with the MHPD '55 Oldsmobile.

Tickets are $95 per person and must be purchased in advance. Black tie optional.

For more information, to purchase tickets or to review sponsorship opportunities, please see our website at www.morganhillclef.org or contact us at info@morganhillclef.org.

The Community Law Enforcement Foundation of Morgan Hill Inc.

305 Vineyard Town Center

Morgan Hill, California 95037

Federal Tax Identification Number: 20-4774304 |The Community Law Enforcement Foundation is a 501(c)3 Corporation. 

An aggressive and sophisticated phone scam targeting taxpayers, the elderly, and citizens in general has been making the rounds throughout the country. Telephone callers will claim to be employees of the IRS, PG&E, Cable Company, a local or foreign law enforcement agency, or other collection agency. These con artists can sound very convincing when they call. They will use fake names and bogus identification badge numbers. They may know a lot about their targets and they usually alter the caller ID to show the agency which they claim to be calling from.

Victims are told they owe money and it must be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. If the victim refuses to cooperate, they are then threatened with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver's license, or termination of services.  In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting.

Victims may also be told they have a refund due to try to trick them into sharing private information. If the phone isn't answered, the scammers often leave an "urgent" callback request.

It is important to note that the IRS, a law enforcement agency, or any reputable business will NEVER:    

• Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
• Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
• Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
• Threaten to bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

If you suspect you've been the victim of this scam, please contact Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety. Otherwise, we urge you to be on the lookout and help spread the word to prevent others from falling victim to these scammers.

On Wednesday, March 18, Environmental Services staff in collaboration with staff from Public Safety and Library and Community Services hosted a Mercury Fever Thermometer Exchange and Pharmaceutical Take Back Event at the Sunnyvale Senior Center. During the two and a half hour event, staff assisted 93 individuals and collected 105 pounds of unneeded medications and 36 mercury-containing thermometers.  

The items will now be properly disposed of; assuring that these pollutants will not end up in our waterways or the trash. Participants stated several times how grateful they were for the service at the Senior Center. Staff plans to continue offering this service at the Senior Center, with the next event taking place in September 2015.

Tip a Cop Breakfast/Lunch at  Country Gourmet 

Neighborhood Crime Prevention Workshop

Sunnyvale Fit and Fun Earth Day Fair