San Diego PD Celebrates 100 Years of Women

One century ago, the first female employee was hired at the San Diego Police Department. Rose Longacre was put in charge of female prisoners in her position as jail matron.

January 19, 1912 is the official anniversary of the hiring of the first woman in the SDPD, but there has been some controversy over just how accurate this history of the department is.

According to records at the U-T San Diego archives, “San Diego Police Chief Keno Wilson hires the first female department employee; police widow Rose Longacre, as a jail matron for female prisoners.” This was recorded on January 19, 1912. The San Diego Police Museum, as well as a book titled “History of the San Diego Police Department,” written by Chief William Lansdowne and Steve Willard in 2005, cite Longacre as the first female employee of the department also.

There are some records that credit a woman named Ida Griffin as the first female employee of the SDPD. Griffin had been hired either in April 1912 or Christmas Eve that year to fill a similar role.

History is often recorded inaccurately, which can lead to confusion in the future. However, there are several sources Read more »

How Do I Reinstate My Bail Bond?

Another “Best Answer”  chosen by Voters at Yahoo! Answers.

Question:   A warrant was issued for my arrest in San Diego County for a failure to appear. When I flew from the Bay Area to San Diego and met with the intern that was handling my case, I was very pleased to learn that the case was dismissed.  Unfortunately, now I have a bail recovery agent attempting to locate me for my arrest.  It is disappointing to find out this case was never dismissed, however I am willing to take care of this matter as soon as possible.

If I contact the bail bondsman, will they reinstate the bond so that I am not arrested?  I do not have a criminal history, and I even have a clean driving record.  I am the only signer on the bail bond contract, I own property and have good credit.  I would a prefer a lien against my condo rather than being chased by a fugitive recovery agent. 

Answer:   Your case is very common and something we see regularly.  The bondsman is likely to reinstate the bond, especially if the circumstances are as clean as indicated. The first thing you will want to do is to contact the bail bondsman and ask for a reinstatement.  There is often a nominal charge for this.

If the bondsman is unwilling or is unable to reinstate the bond, you will want Read more »

San Diego Sheriffs Department Offers Vacation Checks

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said if you are going away for the holidays, they’ve “got your back”.

More than 400 members of the Sheriff’s Senior Volunteer Patrol (SVP) will be keeping a watchful eye on people’s homes during their out‐of‐town holiday travels. If you live in the jurisdiction of the Sheriff’s Department you can fill out a form online and submit it to your nearest Sheriff’s Station or Substation.

NBC San Diego said the Sheriff’s Department offers the free Read more »

25 Arrested In Vista Warrant Sweep

A total of 25 people were arrested during the San Diego Sheriffs Department Holiday Watch Operation and taken to the Vista Jail. People contacted during the patrols were arrested for various types of outstanding warrants such as DUI, possession of drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of weapons and domestic violence. Others were arrested for DUI and being drunk in public.

A Sheriff’s command post was also set up outside a local theatre where a Crime Prevention Specialist and Crime Analyst talked to people about crime trends in their neighborhoods and how they can prevent becoming a target or victim of crimes.

Senior Volunteer Patrol (SVP) members also conducted directed patrols and placed notes on the hoods of more than 100 cars of people who left their doors and windows open as well as their wallets, purses, laptops, and checkbooks in plain view.

Persons arrested in Vista are Read more »

Old SD Police Station Renovation Approved

It has reported that the Port of San Diego voted to allow an old police station near Seaport Village in Downtown San Diego to be renovated.

The station was first built in the 1930s and served as the San Diego Police Department headquarters until 1987.  Since that time, however, the property has been vacant.   The developer, Terramar Retail Centers, successfully pitched a $40 million plan which would make the property “more attractive to lure restaurateurs and retail stores”.

Reportedly, said that groundbreaking is expected to take place in March 2012 with completion of the projected forecast for 2013.

The San Diego Police Department has Read more »

DUI Checkpoint Grant For San Diego Sheriffs

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department announced that it has been awarded a traffic safety grant for a year‐long anti‐DUI program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on county roadways.

The $300,000 grant was awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety to the cities of Del Mar, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, Poway, San Marcos, Santee, Solana Beach and Vista.  The Department has said it will aid in ongoing efforts to improve traffic safety and the quality of life.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said DUI and driver license checkpoints are among the grant’s key components. These highly visible, widely publicized events are meant to deter impaired driving, not to increase arrests, he said. Grant funding will also allow for roving DUI saturation patrols, warrant searches and stakeouts for repeat DUI offenders along with court stings targeting DUI offenders with suspended or revoked driver licenses who drive while attending court hearings or court mandated programs.

This DUI Enforcement and Awareness grant will also provide drug impairment training to help combat the increasing problem of drivers under the influence of drugs or illegal substances. Deputies, he said, will now be able to receive specialized training to detect impaired drivers under the influence of legal and illegal drugs.

According to a recent report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies. During this holiday season, the Sheriff’s Department will deploy deputies to conduct DUI checkpoints throughout San Diego County.  Checkpoints will begin Read more »

San Diego PD Welcomes New Leadership to Northwestern Division

There’s a new Captain in town, and his name is Albert Guaderrama. He’s only been in Carmel Valley for three weeks, but Captain Guaderrama has made a smooth transition to the SDPD Northwestern Division. Also joining the Department is newly appointed Lieutenant, Jerry Mills.

“We are going to take  a community police approach… You’re going to see a lot of us out in the community. We want to focus on prevention and teach people to be a hard target for crime,” stated Guaderrama. 

Both Guaderrama and Mills are ready to hit the ground running by working with residents along with the entire community.

Guaderrama replaced Captain, Miguel Rosario who is now a part of the Southern Division of the San Diego Police Department.  Guaderrama comes from a long line of Read more »

La Mesa Police Station Receives “Onion Award”

What does receiving an “Onion Award“ imply? The San Diego Architectural Foundation’s “Onions and Orchids” jury bestowed the name upon the behemoth new La Mesa Police Department building and station. The Foundation found it to be an “aesthetic stinker,” and gave it the 2010 “Onion Award.” The huge police station is the most expensive construction of a public building ever in the history of the city.

The designers chose to opt for the practicality of having no windows in the holding cells or evidence lockers, reflecting an austere but practical site plan and façade.

History of the La Mesa PD

Beginning in 1927, there were many iterations, expansions and developments of the La Mesa Police Station over the years. In fact, in 1951, the City Council approved plans for both a new police and fire station at the mere price of only $85,000. And that was for both! The facility of that time  Read more »

San Diego Lowest Murder Rate In Over 40 Years

Experts and law enforcement are seeing a downward trend in the murder rate in San Diego County where it has hit its lowest since 1968.  Over four decades ago when Lyndon Johnson was the president and 24 people were murdered that year. The recent drop has been attributed to more focused police crackdowns on gangs, better trauma care and curfew sweeps.

The city’s Mayor, Jerry Saunders stated, “I’m absolutely astounded at 29 total homicides for a city with a 1.3 million population… That’s just unbelievable to me.” Saunders served as San Diego Police Chief of from 1993 to 1999.

Credit has also been given to the gang suppression team who use street intelligence to understand where violence may strike.  Additionally, multi-agency curfew and  task force sweeps have aided in putting gang shot-callers behind bars.

According to data provided by the FBI, the entire nation has actually seen murder decrease for four consecutive years.  It has dropped 7.3 percent in 2009 over the previous year and the trend continues.

Reportedly, most of the county’s homicides stem from gang-related and random crimes, fights and domestic violence. Some experts believe the economic downturn places stress on homes that may already be subject to violence which in turn, escalates into worse situations.

However, criminology professor Elliot Currie of UC Irvine believes the Read more »

Assistant San Diego Sheriff Retires After 30 Years of Service

After serving the San Diego Sheriff’s Department for over 30 years, San Diego County Assistant Sheriff, Kim Quaco is hanging up his hat.

Quaco graduated from Indiana University and joined the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department in 1978 after following his older brother’s footsteps into law enforcement. It was his brother who encouraged him to apply in L.A. or San Diego. He stated “The San Diego Sheriff’s Department had me come out three times within five months for testing.”

Quaco was then accepted into the academy. “I was told I had two weeks to get here.  I packed up my car with my belongings and my dog. I got here on a Wednesday and the academy started on Friday. I hadn’t even unpacked my car.”

He recalled that the best Read more »