“Chief of Police driving the wrong way up McKinley in front of Whole Foods at rush hour before knocking over a lamppost and giving chase on foot.”
Absolutely terrible risk management here. For what? Some negligible dollar amount of food taken from a multi-billion dollar company? Not advocating shoplifting of course but can we qualify the response a little bit?
From which budget will the funds be taken to pay for the pole? Where could that (assumedly taxpayer) money gone instead?
Everyone in town knows how crazy that area gets around that time with traffic. How the chief didn’t consider this and instead tried to play cops and robbers and act like a cowboy is fairly disqualifying.
Did we ever get clarity on the issue he had in his last role that resulted in him no longer working there?
Laura - can you please get the formal SPD guide or directive on when to pursue chases like this? I can’t imagine this is in there.
Couldn't agree more- this " hot pursuit" was not worth risking additional public harm. Who's paying for that lamp-post? This food thief- who is likely low income or poor on resources- you can't squeeze blood from a turnip. Thankfully, there's no additional blood shed here.
Unless he's a rapist or murderer, I stand by my statement. Is it worth more possible bloodshed to apprehend this guy in the moment? The cop wrecked his card into a light pole, destroying public infrastructure while driving the wrong way down a one way street that is typically very busy with cars and pedestrians as well. Sorry I don't see it as a worthy pursuit in this way for a misdemeanor crime *which I am NOT condoning, for the record.
All rapists and murderers where a sign? Sometimes a criminal action followed by an arrest gets murderers and rapist off the streets. It is easy to judge sitting in front of our computers.
More bloodshed? Who was bleeding? He didn't wreck his car. Get the facts! Public infrastructure isn't a light post. Well, obviously the street wasn't busy at all or there would have been a pile up.
Since the suspect’s criminal record (and identity) were not known at the time of the chase, that fact is irrelevant to the issue of the chief’s behavior. The chief’s actions need to be assessed based on what he knew at the time he acted, not what he (and we) learned later.
And that matters how? The Chief of Police has an extensive record of moving from one agency to another and engaging in questionable ethical and professional conduct. This the NDA on his settlement out of Colorado.
"Poor food thief?" Good lord. Our society is so doomed if we continue to coddle and "victimize" criminality. I have lived in Bay area for nearly 40 years and watched SF go through this same sort of inane "Criminal Coddling" and watched all of our Walgreens and entire retail landscape become an embattlement of plexiglass. Ironically, it just forces more people to buy from Amazon, the very "Villain" you claim to want to "stick it to." Study recent public policy and you see similarly-minded people, probably with reasonably good intentions, who tinkered and experimented with "decriminalizing." And what we learned is that it lead to organized gangs of shoplifters utterly PILLAGING with impunity in brazen documented attacks, and it happened routinely, nearly ruining Union Square and other shopping districts that are vital to a city's revenue and sense of safety and well being. In SF the entire Retail base was decimated, and, moreover, we developed a reputation all over the world for the awful stuff that "happens when unchecked blue areas run amuck" with bad policy. It was an unmitigatedly disastrous policy to decriminalize shoplifting and celebrating and defending it is so detrimental to our society. It was these same wrongful policy ideas and attitudes that turned SF and other once beautiful cities into a ruinous Batman Dark Knight movie. The city has RIGHTFULLY gone back to policing and DETERRING this type of behavior and crime is way down, they're using drones to peacefully chase and apprehend criminals, and, Lurie's approval rating has been at almost 80%. In short, we learned that policing and DETERRING is vital to public health. Your attitude around it is very "vintage" and harkens back to 2014, when Prop 87 was passed. We all thought it sounded great at the time. But 10 years later it was clear to the vast majority of San Franciscans and bay are residents that it was an abysmal failure. We even flat-out recalled Chesa Boudin, the architect of it all! Lessons were learned! Victimizing criminals and villainizing whole foods or any company doing business in our town, along with villainizing law and order is the same kind of thinking that nearly ruined the beautiful, once globally admired city of San Francisco. I get where you're coming from. Most of us do. (again, we all voted to try it with Prop 87 and it FAILED.) If we encourage stealing, just because it's from a company that makes a lot of money, that soft commendation of stealing as "virtue" ruins society and rots the social contract and moral compass that's vital for a healthy community.
I meant poor in the sense of low income. I’m not advocating for someone to steal- but I am questioning the response here and suggesting that it was beyond the level of risk worthy.
Helpful clarification and I appreciate your willingness to take a position. But do you have his tax records to even know that he's "poor?" He's got a pretty extensive criminal record, btw...that's been confirmed in another thread. The symbolic power of us not tolerating this kind of thing, especially from criminals with extensive record, to me, sends a powerful message to others like him, that they can no longer operate with impunity, like it's still 2014. The newsworthiness of the knocked down pole is what gave this "newsworthy" status so, in a strange, way, it's beneficial. I'm not into super high speed chases, and I DO realize where you're coming from on that and how society has to be balanced and careful not to mortally wound others in the pursuit of justice. But it does send a powerful message to others like him that you can't just cruise into our community and rip us off and that the era of doing that with impunity is officially over.
This poor food thief, are you serious? He has an extensive criminal record! So many people have been raging about the thefts at Safeway and our Chief and officers are doing their jobs and now you are complaining about that?
Again with the "Poor?" You don't know his net worth nor his motivations. There are many people wandering our streets who are probably "poorer," economically, who are working hard and contributing to society in a productive way. Ascribing a purely projected and imaginary economic attribution to him elicits sympathy and it's a gateway drug for apologists to start blaming Whole Foods, like you did at the outset of this thread. Here you go again... Lock him up and instruct others like him that we are NOT a community you can ride into on the Joe Rodota Trail, rip our stores off and ride back out with your stolen plunder. This kind of behavior drives up all our costs, including the cost of groceries and goods for the poor people. Your critique of society putting up barriers to this kind of behavior and placing all of your focus on how it was "mishandled" by our hard working police is quacking like a sympathetic duck. No other way to really frame your points. And, again, that "it's the police and Jeff Bezos's fault" hooey is oozing from you no matter how many times you try and pedal a slightly different path with your narrative angles.
Thanks for this. Looks like both were developed prior to the new chief joining the department. I have to wonder if he has come up with his own plan or will commit to adhering to what’s in the 2024 document.
An established criminal, with extensive, documented record, rides into our town, brazenly rips off one of our stores, and then dashes off, evading police, and we're critiquing the police. This lawless behavior is actually driving up costs for lawful citizens, rich, poor and all points in between, as our food prices go up, as our policing costs go up and we cry about the police? Old, TIRED and utterly failed "policy" ideas and "Luxury belief" systems that have all already been employed and were proven to be utterly colossal failures in SF and other cities. NEXT.
Why is it past police chiefs have not been involved in high speed chases in general- whereas this chief seems to have a monthly routine? Dukes of Hazzard comes to mind, but we're not in the rural south chasing hot rods.
High-speed chases for minor crimes. High-speed chases in his unmarked black SUV, outside the city limits. Is he one determining the risk to everyone without another live person that doesn't report to him, checking his assessment of that risk? That's how the law is written. What could go wrong if someone gets hurt or killed? Our insurance will cover it and the city pays $10k for a million-dollar lawsuit, again.
I'm no expert, but this seems like really poor risk management from the chief. I appreciate his commitment, but scary to know that the leader of our police is willing to drive into bicycles/pedestrians and oncoming traffic for non violent crimes. The consequences could have been so much worse.
Im not sure I follow. The witnesses disagreed, and it seems implausible the wheel of a bicycle would just fall off. Even if you dispute this, it seems incredibly reckless to drive into oncoming traffic on a state highway during rush hour
I appreciate the update and don't think you are taking a side by the brevity of it. What I say isn't at you.
How many unhoused have an extensive criminal record, just by being unhoused, addicted, struggling, etc.? The extensive criminal record isn't a justification for repeatedly and irresponsibly putting innocent people in harm’s way.
The city has an ordinance regarding the exigent use of surveillance technologies.
(Ordinance SMC 8.80.040 requires a report to the City Council within 60 days of any exigent use of certain surveillance technologies, including Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs).)
We deserve the same reporting for his chases. Not any chase, but his, because he's the top of the department and we need to know who he's talking with to make risk assessments.
Betty, you might be glad to know that Sebastopol has extensive resources for food including the interfaith food pantry and free meals at many Sebastopol Churches.
Sebastopol Christian Church (7433 Bodega Ave)
Hot Breakfast & Showers: Mondays and Thursdays from 6:30 AM – 10:00 AM (includes a hot meal, coffee, and sack lunch).
First Saturday Lunch: Special hot lunch on the first Saturday of every month.
Rotating Saturday Lunches (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM)
1st Saturday: Sebastopol Christian Church (7433 Bodega Ave)
2nd Saturday: The Community Church of Sebastopol (1000 Gravenstein Hwy N)
3rd & 5th Saturday: St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (500 Robinson Rd)
4th Saturday: United Methodist Church (500 North Main)
Sebastopol is the provider of numerous social services through churches and the City itself. Within the 2 square City Limits, the City has 3 housing sites for the formerly homeless - Park Village, Elderberry Commons and the soon to be opened Gravenstein Commons. This is more than any other city with a population under 10,000. In addition the City contracts with a homeless outreach coordinator and 2 other programs in conjunction with the County. So the City, per capital has much more supportive services than Windsor - population 26,000.
Reading this, I kept waiting for someone to explain that the Chief was on a mission from God.
Wrong-way driving into rush-hour traffic, motorists having to get out of the way, and ultimately taking out a lamppost sounds more like a scene from The Blues Brothers than a proportionate response to pursuing someone suspected of shoplifting.
Except this wasn't a movie, and those were real people on McKinley.
Whatever ultimately comes of the underlying charges, I hope the City takes a serious look at the Chief's decision-making here. Police pursuit policies exist because apprehending someone isn't worth creating a greater danger to the public in the process. When the alleged offense that started all of this was shoplifting, it's especially reasonable to ask whether this pursuit should have happened at all.
Jake and Elwood could destroy half of Chicago in pursuit of their objective because the credits eventually rolled. Sebastopol doesn't get that luxury.
At this point, it is unclear if the Chief was in pursuit because of the shoplifting incident or if it was the fact that the person had an extensive criminal record. While Sebastopol has been traditionally skeptical of surveillance technology (and I know there is a huge divide on this), San Francisco uses drone technology to catch thieves as it allows for suspects to be followed from the air. San Francisco has radically reduced its crime due to this type of technology. I'm not advocating one way or another - just interesting to note. I can imagine that there are many factors that any police officer must weigh at any given moment (I'm glad that's not my job!) and that police officers use their experience and knowledge to make the best decision available to them. While this happens to be front page news, if you read the Police Logs, you know the police are responding hundreds of times within any given week and we typically don't hear a peep.
Laura, maybe an article about the shoplifting epidemic in downtown Sebastopol and the steps finally being taken to at least slow it down. My understanding is the police have conducted a number of operations in stores that have been frequent targets. The fact one occurred at the moment the chief stopped for coffee indicates it is a common problem.
Shoplifting is often credited to Analy students and considered harmless. Obviously, shoplifting is also criminals taking advantage of a small town that doesn't have any cameras. During Covid we learned it was not poor hungry people, it was gangs from San Francisco. It is apparently still criminals, which is one reason the County DA is focusing a task force on stopping the problem.
We are all paying more in all our stores because of this. It also creates danger to the public if someone is even perceived as interfering with a shoplifter who may also have a criminal history of violence and does not want to be stopped. This may send a message to try somewhere else.
Recently, I watched a semi-truck come up McKinley and take out the traffic light, crosswalk pole, and the street sign and then drive away. Who paid for that damage. We might trust the Chief's judgement that it was safe, traffic has been light in town recently - which is strange. Speed limit there is very slow, the curve slows traffic and lights and sirens require people to stop and pull over. Perhaps the witness, who was contradicted by a companion, simply saw cars doing what they are supposed to do…pull over for siren and lights? At least now the city will cough up the money to replace an old light pole. The important thing is no one was injured and maybe that was because the Chief was careful and exercised good judgement.
Rookie move by the Chief of Police. Coming on the heels of the major payout and financial hit that Sebastopol took due to the criminal negligence and excessive force settlement against SPD (nearly two million dollars, not to mention the trauma they inflicted), and the unnecessary risk to innocent civilians, this is bush league behavior that is against most modern police department policies. Emphasis on "modern police departments". Can we stop hiring these mercenary police chiefs and find someone local who really cares about our community???
If you compare the accounts of the different bystanders you'll notice that they vary on important details, such as 'who hit the lamp post'. This is not unusual and why it's better to withhold judgement until the actual facts come out.
So, this seems pretty not great:
“Chief of Police driving the wrong way up McKinley in front of Whole Foods at rush hour before knocking over a lamppost and giving chase on foot.”
Absolutely terrible risk management here. For what? Some negligible dollar amount of food taken from a multi-billion dollar company? Not advocating shoplifting of course but can we qualify the response a little bit?
From which budget will the funds be taken to pay for the pole? Where could that (assumedly taxpayer) money gone instead?
Everyone in town knows how crazy that area gets around that time with traffic. How the chief didn’t consider this and instead tried to play cops and robbers and act like a cowboy is fairly disqualifying.
Did we ever get clarity on the issue he had in his last role that resulted in him no longer working there?
Laura - can you please get the formal SPD guide or directive on when to pursue chases like this? I can’t imagine this is in there.
Disappointing to say the least.
Couldn't agree more- this " hot pursuit" was not worth risking additional public harm. Who's paying for that lamp-post? This food thief- who is likely low income or poor on resources- you can't squeeze blood from a turnip. Thankfully, there's no additional blood shed here.
According to the update, the suspect had an extensive criminal record.
Unless he's a rapist or murderer, I stand by my statement. Is it worth more possible bloodshed to apprehend this guy in the moment? The cop wrecked his card into a light pole, destroying public infrastructure while driving the wrong way down a one way street that is typically very busy with cars and pedestrians as well. Sorry I don't see it as a worthy pursuit in this way for a misdemeanor crime *which I am NOT condoning, for the record.
All rapists and murderers where a sign? Sometimes a criminal action followed by an arrest gets murderers and rapist off the streets. It is easy to judge sitting in front of our computers.
More bloodshed? Who was bleeding? He didn't wreck his car. Get the facts! Public infrastructure isn't a light post. Well, obviously the street wasn't busy at all or there would have been a pile up.
Since the suspect’s criminal record (and identity) were not known at the time of the chase, that fact is irrelevant to the issue of the chief’s behavior. The chief’s actions need to be assessed based on what he knew at the time he acted, not what he (and we) learned later.
And that matters how? The Chief of Police has an extensive record of moving from one agency to another and engaging in questionable ethical and professional conduct. This the NDA on his settlement out of Colorado.
"Poor food thief?" Good lord. Our society is so doomed if we continue to coddle and "victimize" criminality. I have lived in Bay area for nearly 40 years and watched SF go through this same sort of inane "Criminal Coddling" and watched all of our Walgreens and entire retail landscape become an embattlement of plexiglass. Ironically, it just forces more people to buy from Amazon, the very "Villain" you claim to want to "stick it to." Study recent public policy and you see similarly-minded people, probably with reasonably good intentions, who tinkered and experimented with "decriminalizing." And what we learned is that it lead to organized gangs of shoplifters utterly PILLAGING with impunity in brazen documented attacks, and it happened routinely, nearly ruining Union Square and other shopping districts that are vital to a city's revenue and sense of safety and well being. In SF the entire Retail base was decimated, and, moreover, we developed a reputation all over the world for the awful stuff that "happens when unchecked blue areas run amuck" with bad policy. It was an unmitigatedly disastrous policy to decriminalize shoplifting and celebrating and defending it is so detrimental to our society. It was these same wrongful policy ideas and attitudes that turned SF and other once beautiful cities into a ruinous Batman Dark Knight movie. The city has RIGHTFULLY gone back to policing and DETERRING this type of behavior and crime is way down, they're using drones to peacefully chase and apprehend criminals, and, Lurie's approval rating has been at almost 80%. In short, we learned that policing and DETERRING is vital to public health. Your attitude around it is very "vintage" and harkens back to 2014, when Prop 87 was passed. We all thought it sounded great at the time. But 10 years later it was clear to the vast majority of San Franciscans and bay are residents that it was an abysmal failure. We even flat-out recalled Chesa Boudin, the architect of it all! Lessons were learned! Victimizing criminals and villainizing whole foods or any company doing business in our town, along with villainizing law and order is the same kind of thinking that nearly ruined the beautiful, once globally admired city of San Francisco. I get where you're coming from. Most of us do. (again, we all voted to try it with Prop 87 and it FAILED.) If we encourage stealing, just because it's from a company that makes a lot of money, that soft commendation of stealing as "virtue" ruins society and rots the social contract and moral compass that's vital for a healthy community.
I meant poor in the sense of low income. I’m not advocating for someone to steal- but I am questioning the response here and suggesting that it was beyond the level of risk worthy.
Helpful clarification and I appreciate your willingness to take a position. But do you have his tax records to even know that he's "poor?" He's got a pretty extensive criminal record, btw...that's been confirmed in another thread. The symbolic power of us not tolerating this kind of thing, especially from criminals with extensive record, to me, sends a powerful message to others like him, that they can no longer operate with impunity, like it's still 2014. The newsworthiness of the knocked down pole is what gave this "newsworthy" status so, in a strange, way, it's beneficial. I'm not into super high speed chases, and I DO realize where you're coming from on that and how society has to be balanced and careful not to mortally wound others in the pursuit of justice. But it does send a powerful message to others like him that you can't just cruise into our community and rip us off and that the era of doing that with impunity is officially over.
You're engaging in a battle of the wits with unarmed combatants.
This poor food thief, are you serious? He has an extensive criminal record! So many people have been raging about the thefts at Safeway and our Chief and officers are doing their jobs and now you are complaining about that?
Poor= no money. Not sympathy use of poor. I should choose a different word
Again with the "Poor?" You don't know his net worth nor his motivations. There are many people wandering our streets who are probably "poorer," economically, who are working hard and contributing to society in a productive way. Ascribing a purely projected and imaginary economic attribution to him elicits sympathy and it's a gateway drug for apologists to start blaming Whole Foods, like you did at the outset of this thread. Here you go again... Lock him up and instruct others like him that we are NOT a community you can ride into on the Joe Rodota Trail, rip our stores off and ride back out with your stolen plunder. This kind of behavior drives up all our costs, including the cost of groceries and goods for the poor people. Your critique of society putting up barriers to this kind of behavior and placing all of your focus on how it was "mishandled" by our hard working police is quacking like a sympathetic duck. No other way to really frame your points. And, again, that "it's the police and Jeff Bezos's fault" hooey is oozing from you no matter how many times you try and pedal a slightly different path with your narrative angles.
Well said.
https://www.cityofsebastopol.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SPD-Policy-Manual-Dec-2024-Updates.pdf
Earlier version is: https://sebastopol.planeteria-development.com/SebastopolSite/media/Documents/Police_Dept/SPD-Policy-Manual-April-2022.pdf
Thanks for this. Looks like both were developed prior to the new chief joining the department. I have to wonder if he has come up with his own plan or will commit to adhering to what’s in the 2024 document.
An established criminal, with extensive, documented record, rides into our town, brazenly rips off one of our stores, and then dashes off, evading police, and we're critiquing the police. This lawless behavior is actually driving up costs for lawful citizens, rich, poor and all points in between, as our food prices go up, as our policing costs go up and we cry about the police? Old, TIRED and utterly failed "policy" ideas and "Luxury belief" systems that have all already been employed and were proven to be utterly colossal failures in SF and other cities. NEXT.
“One of our stores” - lol
Ya, actually, the police putting innocent people in danger is worth critiquing.
Why is it past police chiefs have not been involved in high speed chases in general- whereas this chief seems to have a monthly routine? Dukes of Hazzard comes to mind, but we're not in the rural south chasing hot rods.
Because we now have a police chief who doesn't just sit behind his desk.
If only someone could hold him accountable?
High-speed chases for minor crimes. High-speed chases in his unmarked black SUV, outside the city limits. Is he one determining the risk to everyone without another live person that doesn't report to him, checking his assessment of that risk? That's how the law is written. What could go wrong if someone gets hurt or killed? Our insurance will cover it and the city pays $10k for a million-dollar lawsuit, again.
Over food of all things.
I'm no expert, but this seems like really poor risk management from the chief. I appreciate his commitment, but scary to know that the leader of our police is willing to drive into bicycles/pedestrians and oncoming traffic for non violent crimes. The consequences could have been so much worse.
Read the facts. He didn't drive into bicycles and pedestrians.
Im not sure I follow. The witnesses disagreed, and it seems implausible the wheel of a bicycle would just fall off. Even if you dispute this, it seems incredibly reckless to drive into oncoming traffic on a state highway during rush hour
Sad the guy couldn’t just go to a food bank or something other than stealing. Hunger is a problem in America.
Update notes that the suspect had an extensive criminal record.
I appreciate the update and don't think you are taking a side by the brevity of it. What I say isn't at you.
How many unhoused have an extensive criminal record, just by being unhoused, addicted, struggling, etc.? The extensive criminal record isn't a justification for repeatedly and irresponsibly putting innocent people in harm’s way.
The city has an ordinance regarding the exigent use of surveillance technologies.
(Ordinance SMC 8.80.040 requires a report to the City Council within 60 days of any exigent use of certain surveillance technologies, including Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs).)
We deserve the same reporting for his chases. Not any chase, but his, because he's the top of the department and we need to know who he's talking with to make risk assessments.
Betty, you might be glad to know that Sebastopol has extensive resources for food including the interfaith food pantry and free meals at many Sebastopol Churches.
Sebastopol Christian Church (7433 Bodega Ave)
Hot Breakfast & Showers: Mondays and Thursdays from 6:30 AM – 10:00 AM (includes a hot meal, coffee, and sack lunch).
First Saturday Lunch: Special hot lunch on the first Saturday of every month.
Rotating Saturday Lunches (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM)
1st Saturday: Sebastopol Christian Church (7433 Bodega Ave)
2nd Saturday: The Community Church of Sebastopol (1000 Gravenstein Hwy N)
3rd & 5th Saturday: St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (500 Robinson Rd)
4th Saturday: United Methodist Church (500 North Main)
Thanks for the info. I didn't know this! Glad Sebastopol is doing it's part to help the crisis!
Sebastopol is the provider of numerous social services through churches and the City itself. Within the 2 square City Limits, the City has 3 housing sites for the formerly homeless - Park Village, Elderberry Commons and the soon to be opened Gravenstein Commons. This is more than any other city with a population under 10,000. In addition the City contracts with a homeless outreach coordinator and 2 other programs in conjunction with the County. So the City, per capital has much more supportive services than Windsor - population 26,000.
More choices at the Safeway and no line to wait in
Reading this, I kept waiting for someone to explain that the Chief was on a mission from God.
Wrong-way driving into rush-hour traffic, motorists having to get out of the way, and ultimately taking out a lamppost sounds more like a scene from The Blues Brothers than a proportionate response to pursuing someone suspected of shoplifting.
Except this wasn't a movie, and those were real people on McKinley.
Whatever ultimately comes of the underlying charges, I hope the City takes a serious look at the Chief's decision-making here. Police pursuit policies exist because apprehending someone isn't worth creating a greater danger to the public in the process. When the alleged offense that started all of this was shoplifting, it's especially reasonable to ask whether this pursuit should have happened at all.
Jake and Elwood could destroy half of Chicago in pursuit of their objective because the credits eventually rolled. Sebastopol doesn't get that luxury.
At this point, it is unclear if the Chief was in pursuit because of the shoplifting incident or if it was the fact that the person had an extensive criminal record. While Sebastopol has been traditionally skeptical of surveillance technology (and I know there is a huge divide on this), San Francisco uses drone technology to catch thieves as it allows for suspects to be followed from the air. San Francisco has radically reduced its crime due to this type of technology. I'm not advocating one way or another - just interesting to note. I can imagine that there are many factors that any police officer must weigh at any given moment (I'm glad that's not my job!) and that police officers use their experience and knowledge to make the best decision available to them. While this happens to be front page news, if you read the Police Logs, you know the police are responding hundreds of times within any given week and we typically don't hear a peep.
Laura, maybe an article about the shoplifting epidemic in downtown Sebastopol and the steps finally being taken to at least slow it down. My understanding is the police have conducted a number of operations in stores that have been frequent targets. The fact one occurred at the moment the chief stopped for coffee indicates it is a common problem.
Shoplifting is often credited to Analy students and considered harmless. Obviously, shoplifting is also criminals taking advantage of a small town that doesn't have any cameras. During Covid we learned it was not poor hungry people, it was gangs from San Francisco. It is apparently still criminals, which is one reason the County DA is focusing a task force on stopping the problem.
We are all paying more in all our stores because of this. It also creates danger to the public if someone is even perceived as interfering with a shoplifter who may also have a criminal history of violence and does not want to be stopped. This may send a message to try somewhere else.
Recently, I watched a semi-truck come up McKinley and take out the traffic light, crosswalk pole, and the street sign and then drive away. Who paid for that damage. We might trust the Chief's judgement that it was safe, traffic has been light in town recently - which is strange. Speed limit there is very slow, the curve slows traffic and lights and sirens require people to stop and pull over. Perhaps the witness, who was contradicted by a companion, simply saw cars doing what they are supposed to do…pull over for siren and lights? At least now the city will cough up the money to replace an old light pole. The important thing is no one was injured and maybe that was because the Chief was careful and exercised good judgement.
Rookie move by the Chief of Police. Coming on the heels of the major payout and financial hit that Sebastopol took due to the criminal negligence and excessive force settlement against SPD (nearly two million dollars, not to mention the trauma they inflicted), and the unnecessary risk to innocent civilians, this is bush league behavior that is against most modern police department policies. Emphasis on "modern police departments". Can we stop hiring these mercenary police chiefs and find someone local who really cares about our community???
Why the heck are Sebastopol police cars unmarked???? Would I legally have to pull over for an unmarked car ?
If the special lights come on, yes.
If you compare the accounts of the different bystanders you'll notice that they vary on important details, such as 'who hit the lamp post'. This is not unusual and why it's better to withhold judgement until the actual facts come out.
It'll never be a perfect circle.
Lack of Police response or Police response.