public safety

UPDATE: Tonight at 8 p.m. there will be a candle light vigil at the Peace Officer Memorial site in Carson City at Nevada State Legislature grounds.
***
A Carson City Sheriff's deputy was killed in a shooting early Saturday morning during an exchange of gunfire on Montez Drive on the northeast side of Carson City. The suspect also died, said Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong.

The following is a statement by Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong:

Operation Vigilance, a multi-agency collaborative effort to verify sex offender registration compliance, was conducted in the Carson, Douglas, Storey and Lyon County areas. Over the course of three days and nights, from Thursday, July 30th through Saturday, August 1st, 2015, nearly 30 officers with area law enforcement agencies knocked on doors and made contact with community members to carry out this important operation.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at press time and the story will be updated when provided.

6/14

Thinning of trees for fuels reduction and forest health has resumed on approximately 340 acres of National Forest System lands on the east side of Highway 267 north of Speckled Avenue above Kings Beach.

Several Troopers from the Nevada Highway Patrol, as well as other employees for the Department of Public Safety, will be volunteering their time to raise money for Special Olympics Nevada and California on Sunday June 14, 2014 in the Hard Rock Café.

Douglas County Sheriff's Deputies will be focusing on traffic enforcement at intersections and crosswalks, looking for red light and stop sign violations, pedestrian violations, speeders and distracted drivers throughout the county from June 8 through June 21.

Key factors in many of the recent fatal highway traffic accidents have been driver inattention and failure to yield to pedestrians. Deputies will continue to enforce all traffic violations on all roadways throughout the county but these violations in particular will be targeted and enforced. Citations will be issued to violators.

If all goes as planned, a new feature will be started at South Lake Tahoe's Happy Homestead Cemetery in the new few weeks that will honor veterans and public safety officers.

The new memorial walkway will display bricks that can be purchased in memory of those both alive and deceased as well as marble plaques that will honor those who have served.

A grassy area in the center of the cemetery, right behind the office, will be the area the monument will be built.

When a wildland fire occurs, will you be ready? Preparedness begins by making a plan for your home and business. Consider the local hazards and what you can do to reduce them. For wildland fires your plan must include defensible space, and how to evacuate if authorities ask you to leave the area. Evacuation plans should include primary and alternate (if available) routes to safety, as well as how to contact friends and loved ones. Establish a rally point at a known location and know each others’ telephone numbers in case your cell phone contacts are not working.

There’s no shortage of views on the question of legalizing recreational marijuana in California.

That much was evident at a series of focus groups earlier this year, where 48 men and women representing a cross-section of the state filed into rooms with one-way mirrors to share their opinions. The research is aimed at shaping an expected legalization initiative for the 2016 ballot.

Closed since last fall's fire which burned over 97,000 acres near Pollock Pines, the King Fire area opens to the public on Saturday, April 25.

"I've decided to reopen the national forest lands in the King Fire area to the public beginning Saturday, April 25, in conjunction with the general opening of fishing season," said Forest Supervisor Laurence Crabtree. "Parts of the fire area are still hazardous, but that will continue to be true for years."

A Senate committee on Friday unanimously approved a bill that would expand legal protections for justifiable homicides involving occupied vehicles, as well as make it illegal for anyone convicted of domestic violence, even a misdemeanor offense, to own a gun.

Senate Bill 175, sponsored by Majority Leader Michael Roberson, R-Henderson, was amended to clarify the justifiable homicide provisions relating to incidents such as carjackings.

The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department has been unable to keep up with completing the duties of fire inspections due to reduced staff and an increased work load for the busiest fire department in the basin.

When the position of Fire Marshall was eliminated during 2011 budget cuts the tasks fell upon the fire department. SLT Fire Chief Jeff Meston said that his department currently lacks the expertise to complete the fire inspection duties.

Employees from the El Dorado County Probation Department were recently honored for the public safety services they provide to the community.

The award categories and recipients were as follows:

Bob Bensen Memorial Award for Deputy Probation Officer of the Year: Deputy Probation Officer II Brian Dolcini (Shingle Springs Field Office)
Employee of the Year: Administrative Technician Jackie Walker (Shingle Springs Field Office)
Special Award Presentation: Deputy Probation Officer - Institutions: Matt Flager (Posthumously)

Preliminary data released today by the Nevada Departments of Public Safety and Transportation show that there were 284 traffic fatalities in the state in 2014, up by 18 deaths from the prior year.

Even though the crash fatalities are far below the state's high in 2006 of 432, the previous downward trend has been reversed the past few years.

Area fire departments respond to fires every year that are caused by people leaving their fireplace or wood stove ashes in a paper bag on their home's deck. These accidents can easily be prevented with correct handling of ashes.

"Can Your Ashes" is a campaign that informs the public of these inherent dangers.

Embers, often concealed in what appears to be cold ashes, can remain hot enough to kindle a fire for several days.

To safely dispose of ashes, fire officials offer these tips:

• Never store ashes in bags or boxes.

Have you ever wanted to in a parade? This fun experience is waiting for you at the Third Annual Holiday Parade on Saturday, December 13. Golden Bear Events of South Lake Tahoe is planning this fun community event.

The 3 p.m. parade will start on the corner of Ski Run Blvd and Pioneer Trail, proceed down Ski Run, west on Highway 50 to TJMaxx at the Y.

I’ve lived in South Lake Tahoe for 22 years, and I’m the Dean of Career & Technical Education and Instruction at Lake Tahoe Community College. I'd like to share a few stories about students I’ve known through my work at LTCC, and how Measure F will provide new pathways to create many more great stories like these – stories about young people whose lives were changed because of the programs and opportunities available through our local community college.

The Forest Service may have to close the Taylor Creek Visitor Center area if visitors continue to disregard the warnings to keep away from the bears frequenting the area in search of salmon.

Visitors are being asked to keep their distance when encountering bears. The Visitor Center staff routinely encounter unsafe situations as guests ignore their instructions and get too close to bears to take photos and videos.

The public can get free firewood at the Wrights Lake Recreation Area on October 25-26 and November 1-2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Portions of the area inside the El Dorado National Forest will be open to the public for woodcutting on both weekends. Woodcutters will be issued a free permit on site.

“The Forest Service is looking forward to a safe and successful wood cutting event. Please help us clean up this popular recreation area,” stated Richard Thornburgh, Pacific Ranger District Ranger.

It's that time of year when recreation areas start to closed down for the season.

Nevada Beach, Fallen Leaf, Bayview, Meeks Bay, and Kaspian campgrounds, and Nevada, Pope, Baldwin, Meeks Bay, William Kent, and Kaspian beaches all closed for the season on Monday, October 13. The Tallac Historic Site closed at the end of September.

Camp Richardson and Zephyr Cove resorts remain open year-round.

The Taylor Creek Visitor Center will remain open on weekends through the end of October.

This letter was given to South Tahoe Now for publication.
September 26, 2014

Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, California 95814

Re: Support for SB 850 State Senator Block – Pilot Baccalaureate Program for
California Community Colleges

Dear Governor Brown:

I am writing to you to urge your signature into law of SB 850 (“The Bill”) by State Senator Block. The Bill as is valuable to our State’s future to increase the education and training of residents of our State.

The Eldorado National Forest has issued a closure order for public safety in the area impacted by the King fire beginning September 18, 2014, until the fire is declared out. The closure order includes the Desolation Wilderness.

“Under our Unified Command System, our top priorities are fighting this fire and keeping the fire fighters and the public safe, said Crabtree. “We cannot safely fight this fire with intermingled publics. Please stay out of the closed areas until I can reopen them, which I intend to do as soon as possible.”

9/28/14 10:00 p.m. update: 4,420 firefighters and support staff are still on the scene of the 97.099 acre King Fire which is now 89% contained.

After 4 days of precipitation with accumulations of 1-3 inches, fire spread has been halted, however heat remains in the heavier fuels and in the heavy duff sheltered from the rain under the dense timber canopy. As the weather turns warm and dry over the next several days, expect to see an increase in fire activity and smoke production; however spread potential is extremely low, doe to the successful suppression efforts.

Property Crime: Several South Lake Tahoe businesses were disrupted over the past three months (June/July/August) by 19 different smash and grab commercial burglaries. Typically, these burglaries are occurring in the early morning hours (between 3am-9am. The offender(s) have broken windows or glass doors to gain access to these businesses across town. The crimes have not been centralized in any one particular area, although several have occurred in the area of the Y and some of the same businesses have been victimized more than once.