On May 26, the department held its first Coffee with a Cop event at Specialty's Café, located at 605 Tasman Drive. The purpose of the event was to engage in conversation with residents and local community members. There were no agendas or speeches, rather just an opportunity to ask questions, share information and to make personal connections with members of the department. DPS personnel from nearly all divisions within the department met with over 30 members of the community.

Some community members were aware of the event and came specifically to speak with DPS staff, while others just happened to drop in for morning coffee and took the chance to engage with our personnel. Conversations included questions about crime rates, residential burglaries, DPS staffing, traffic issues and 49er Levi's Stadium-related events. Community members were encouraged to subscribe to the department's Nixle messaging system at http://local.nixle.com/sunnyvale-department-of-public-safety/ and the Beyond the Badge Community Newsletter at http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs090/1102146311877/archive/1102609312957.html to keep up to date with contemporary public safety information.

The next "Coffee with a Cop" event will be held in late July with more details to follow when the date and location is confirmed. We would like to thank all of the community members who participated in our first event and Specialty Café for being such a gracious host.

In addition to the coffee event, DPS personnel have been very busy with a multitude of other community engagement events and fundraisers. The DPS Public Safety Officers Association held the annual "MDA Fill the Boot" fund raiser and the DPS Police Athletic League held their first Texas Hold'em fundraising tournament for Special Olympics. Both of these events were very successful in large part due to outstanding community participation and support. Each of the events is in addition to the regularly scheduled community outreach events such as the Boxing Program, Kick Lead and Dream Summer Soccer Camp, PAL Jr. Giants and DPS Crime Prevention Unit safety fairs. We sincerely appreciate the community support with all of the events and know that each of the events provide an opportunity to engage with members of our community. Wishing all a safe and enjoyable summer!

Chief Grgurina

TEL (408) 730-7140
TDD (408) 730-7501

or email to: pubsfty@sunnyvale.ca.gov

June is National Internet Safety Month

June is National Internet Safety Month: National Cyber Security

Alliance Calls For Online Users to STOP. THINK. CONNECT. When Accessing the Web. Also encourage every adult to take a few moments to teach a young person about better online safety so that they use good judgment and behavior all-year long.

National Internet Safety Month brings an important opportunity to evaluate our digital behaviors and identify better ways to increase online safety. NCSA research released in November 2011 found that less than half of the U.S. population (46%) reports that they feel safe from viruses, malware and hackers while roughly half (48%) of parents are not completely confident that their kids can use the Internet safely (http://www.staysafeonline.org/in-the-home/research-and-resources). This data shows that Americans should further embrace their shared responsibility in making the Internet safer. Additionally, as young peoples' online use increases during summer break, parents should remain committed to teaching their children how to stay safe online. To help with this, NCSA advises Web users to follow the below steps when accessing the Internet:

STOP: Before using the Internet, take time to understand the risks and learn how to spot potential problems.
THINK: Take a moment to be certain the path ahead is clear. Watch for warning signs and consider how your actions online could impact your safety, your kids' safety or that of your family.
CONNECT: Enjoy the Internet with greater confidence, knowing you've taken the right steps to safeguard yourself, your family and your computer.

"Everyone - youth and adults alike - can benefit from learning better Internet safety practices and should become more aware of potential threats. Recent research by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that youth ages 8-18 spend upwards of eight hours online daily while most adults spend an even greater amount of time on the Internet per day," said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance. "This is why integrating these three simple steps: STOP. THINK. CONNECT. into your online experience is critical to staying safer and more secure. Considering how critical Internet access is to our daily lives, we want all Internet users to understand that they have a shared responsibility in protecting themselves online and that safer practices online help protect everyone."

Fill the Boot 2015

Sunnyvale PSOA Raises More than $32,000 for MDA During 2015 Fill the Boot Campaign.

More than 100 members of Sunnyvale PSOA
raised more than $32,000 during the annual Fill the Boot campaign on May 30 to help save and improve the lives of people fighting muscle disease in the Sunnyvale area. Muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other related life-threatening diseases take away people's ability to walk, move, smile, talk and even breathe.

"For six decades, fire fighters have fueled MDA's mission to find treatments and cures for life-threatening muscle diseases, and this year's Fill the Boot results are a perfect example of the true dedication Sunnyvale PSOA has toward supporting the families we serve," said Executive Director P.J. Smith. "We're grateful for the support of these inspiring, selfless individuals who provide life-saving help that will fund research, advocate for children and adults affected by muscle disease, and rally our community to fight back."

Local firefighters fuel MDA's mission to find treatments and cures for life-threatening muscle diseases. Funds raised through 2015 Sunnyvale PSOA Fill the Boot event builds on decades of research progress, helping push science to its limits in the search for treatments and cures.

Dollars raised also help support MDA's life-enhancing programs such as state-of-the-art support groups and clinics, including the MDA Clinic at California Pacific Medical Center at Forbes Norris in San Francisco, Stanford's Adult Neuromuscular Clinic and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Pediatric Neuromuscular Clinic in Palo Alto, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Pediatric Neuromuscular Clinic and UCSF Medical Center ALS Clinic in San Francisco. They also make MDA summer camp possible so kids with muscle disease can enjoy "the best week of the year" at Westminster Woods in Occidental, CA and nearly 80 other locations nationwide.

Thank you to our Community Partners:

Sunnyvale PSOA, the Cain family, Chick-fil-A, Pizza My Heart, the City of Sunnyvale and all donors who helped to make this year a success.

Bike Rodeo at Ellis Elementary School with Traffic Safe Communities Network

The Santa Clara County Public Health Department's Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program hosted a Bike Rodeo for the 4th and 5th grade students at Ellis Elementary on June 2, 2015. Ellis parents, teachers, Sunnyvale Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, and DPS collaborated to make this a successful event. DPS provided officers and staff throughout the duration of the Bike Rodeo. The bike rodeo created an opportunity for the students to positively engage with the officers in learning about bicycle safety. Over 200 students had a chance to ride their bikes or walk through several skills stations that represent real life scenarios youth encounter riding through their streets and neighborhoods. Students were taught the rules of the road, how to apply bicycle safety skills when they are on their bikes, and how to properly wear a helmet.

Safe Routes to School (SRTS) in Sunnyvale first developed programming in 2008, in partnership with the Santa Clara County Public Health Department and Traffic Safe Communities Network (TSCN). Grant funding allowed the SRTS program to expand services to the majority of the schools in Sunnyvale. The success of the Sunnyvale SRTS program is due to strong partnerships with the four Sunnyvale school districts, more than 17 schools, City of Sunnyvale staff, DPS, community partners, volunteers, parents, and youth. For more information about the Safe Routes to School Program contact Tonya Veitch at tonya.veitch@phd.sccgov.org or (408) 793-2700. You can also visit the SRTS website at www.sccphd.org/traffic.

Sunnyvale Public Safety, Sunnyvale PAL and Special Olympics

Sunnyvale Public Safety and Sunnyvale PAL partnered to host their first Texas Hold'em Tournament to benefit Special Olympics Northern California on Saturday, May 30. The sold out event was held at the Sunnyvale Elks Lodge and raised nearly $11,000. Every $500 raised sponsors an athlete for an entire year of training in their choice of 11 different sports.

The Texas Hold'em Tournament was part of the Dept. of Public Safety's participation in the Law Enforcement Torch Run Campaign.The Law Enforcement Torch Run® began in 1981 when Wichita, Kansas Police Chief Richard LaMunyon saw a need to raise awareness of and funds for Special Olympics. He conceived the idea of the Torch Run as a way to involve local law enforcement with their communities and Special Olympics, by running the torch in intrastate relays that converge at their local Summer Games.

Now a global event, all 50 states and more than 35 foreign countries participate in the Law Enforcement Torch Run®, generating more than $34 million a year for Special Olympics Programs around the world. Since its inception in 1981, the Law Enforcement Torch Run® has raised more than $100,000,000 worldwide. It is the largest grass roots fundraising program and public awareness vehicle for Special Olympics.

Other Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety LETR events include Tip a Cop, Torch Run and Power Pull. Each year DPS sends representatives to the Special Olympics Northern California Summer Games at UC Davis where they participate in opening ceremonies alongside the athletes. This year, the Special Olympics Flame of Hope passes through Sunnyvale on June 18 on its way to summer games. Sunnyvale runners receive the torch from Santa Clara Police Department at approximately 2:30 p.m. in front of the Fish Market Restaurant on El Camino Real at Halford Ave. Sunnyvale DPS carries the torch 3.9 miles along El Camino and passes it to Mountain View and Los Altos Police Departments in front of Togo's at El Camino just past Knickerbocker.

So far this year, Sunnyvale's LETR Campaign events have raised more than $18,000. With one more Tip a Cop on August 20 at Faultline Brewing Company, the Torch Run, the Power Pull still ahead, and DPS is sure to clear $20,000 and may even reach $25,000.

TorchRunEvents.inSunnyvale.com

http://www.sonc.org/events/our-fundraisers/power-pull-californias-great-america-santa-clara

Young Men's Ultimate Weekend

June 19-21 Napa, CA

Sept. 18-20 Boulder Creek, CA

Successfully teaching old-fashioned values in this digitally dominant era, the Bay Area based non-profit, Young Men's Ultimate Weekend (YMUW), is hosting its forty third initiation event in the Bay Area. Designed for young men of all socio-economic backgrounds between the ages of 13 and 20, the YMUW helps young men channel their energy constructively and become responsible and independent young men.

The YMUW is a non-religious, modern rites of passage initiation that allows all young men to freely voice their concerns about becoming a man and acquire the leadership skills necessary for a responsible adulthood.

"Every man is obligated to initiate young men into the community, and every young man should have an opportunity to have a rite of passage to learn who he is personally and discover his place in society," said Mark Schillinger, a San Rafael chiropractor who is the co-founder of YMUW.

Reviving a tradition that is thousands of years old, the YMUW is staffed by volunteers who oversee events that include sporting competitions, intellectual challenges, drum circles, a ropes course, community service, trust falls and open forum discussions regarding issues about sex, drugs, relationships, goal setting and anger management.

YMUW event coordinator, Fred Vesey, states, "Young men not only need encouragement, they need guidance to learn what it means to be a man. It's the biological nature of young men to want to explore, seek out and test their limits. This natural aggression needs to be honored as well as shaped by a mentor."

There is still time to register! Please visit www.ymuw.org for more information.

ASSET OF THE MONTH --- Safety

Asset #10: Youth person feels safe at home, at school, and in the neighborhood.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SAFETY

Feeling safe at home, at school, and in the community is necessary for young people's health and
well being. There are multiple elements of safety for young people, all of which are important to help
children thrive. These elements include safety from accidents and hazards, safety from crime and
violence, and safety from bullying and harassment, just to name a few. For young people, feeling
unsafe often results physical, emotional, and social consequences. Youth who feel unsafe skip school
more often, achieve less academically, have fewer friends, and are more likely to bring weapons to
school.

To help raise awareness of the importance of safety to youth's psychological as well as physical
well being, the following discussion topics can help young people identify the ways and locations where they do, and do not, feel safe, and promote conversations about how to improve safety for themselves and others.

Has anything happened at school, in the neighborhood, at the mall, or anywhere else to make you feel unsafe, afraid, or worried?
Do you know what to in case of an earthquake? Fire? Serious injury or illness?
If you or a friend were being bullied, what would you do?

While safety is a critical concern, it's also important that adults help young people understand that
small risks are normal. Sometimes over stressing safety can lead children to avoid healthy risks that
help them grow. Helping young people learn to manage their own safety and react in case of
emergency will help them develop confidence and independence that will serve them well throughout
their lives.

ACTIVITIES

FOR FAMILIES

Does everyone understand the rules about answering the phone, opening the door to strangers, spending time at home alone? Work together on rules that everyone can agree upon and follow.
Does everyone understand where to go and what to do in a fire or other emergency? Practice fire and earthquake drills so that children can easily recall the instructions during the stress and confusion of an actual event. Together, identify at least three neighbors to whom your children can go in case of an emergency at home.
Hold honest, open, and age-appropriate discussions with your children about personal safety, avoiding dangerous situations, and what to do if they feel threatened.
Talk to your children about bullying, including what to do if they or their peers are being bullied. Bullying is a form of intimidation, and directly impacts young people's sense of personal safety and comfort.

FOR ALL ADULTS

Make your home a safe place for all children in the neighborhood to go if they're threatened, hurt, or lost.
Create or serve on a neighborhood watch group for your community.
Be an "askable adult" who youth can go to when they have questions or concerns about their safety.
Model safe behaviors! Wear a helmet when you ride a bicycle and fasten your seatbelt in the car.
Pay attention to what's going on with the youth around you, and intervene if it seems that someone is being threatened, harassed, or bullied, or if youth are engaging in unsafe behaviors.

AT SCHOOL OR IN YOUTH PROGRAMS

Take a safety walk! Canvass the area with youth to identify places where people might get hurt or threatened, and discuss where the young people do and don't feel safe at the site. Brainstorm ways to address the issues, and work with the administration or facility staff to solve the problems.
Involve parents and caretakers in safety discussions to ensure message consistency and reinforcement
Create and communicate clearly defined rules for physical behaviors as well as interpersonal behaviors. It's important that youth know that bullying is not acceptable. Discuss and role-play ways that youth can stand up for themselves and their peers if they're being bullied. Make sure that youth understand the importance of reporting bullying incidents and the difference between reporting and "telling."

This article was provided courtesy of Project Cornerstone. For more information, visit www.projectcornerstone.org.

Nixle

What is Nixle?

Nixle is a free community messaging system which utilizes a secure network to ensure creditability and reliability of information. DPS will use the NIXLE system to notify residents about important events happening within, or affecting the city. Residents receive updates via text, web, and email to stay informed of important notifications.

How can I sign-up for Nixle notifications?

Go to www.nixle.com
Click on "Sign Up Free!"
Enter information on this screen (There is no need to enter home phone since the cell will be used for text alerts)
Your account is started. Go to "Settings" and sign up for "Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety." Just be sure to click "Save" when completed. (You can sign up for other agencies by using either their name or a zip code to receive alerts.)

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