Coronado Common Sense

City Of Coronado Publishes Tsunami Preparedness Guide

 

The City of Coronado was recently named the 100th TsunamiReady/StormReady city. These brochures were created for the event. Note that the flip side has a Tsunami Inundation Map.

 

[Click on images to enlarge for easier readability]

Put Down The Phone And Drive

 

 

How many times have you been driving down the freeway and glanced over to see the person in the car next to you texting on their phone? It's a spooky feeling to realize that car is traveling at 65+mph . . . driverless. Because if you're texting on your phone, you're not driving . . . much less paying attention to what's going on around you.

 

The California Highway Patrol and the San Diego Sheriff's Department are working together to find people—who are either texting or talking on a cell phone without a hands free device—and cite them. Last week, over 400 citations were written up. The Sheriff's Department said that three citations went to juveniles and 414 to adults.

 

 

"The problem with the cell phone is that we stop focusing on our primary objective, which is to get somewhere safely," said Lt. David Gilmore, traffic coordinator for the San Diego Sheriff's department. He reports that distracted driving is very comparable to being drunk behind the wheel.

 

If you need to answer a text, dial a phone number or do anything that requires more than two seconds of your attention, find a nice little spot and pull off of the road. This simple feat could save a life, even your own. 

 

 

Coronado Community Invited To A Disaster Survival Training Class

 

Police Implement License Plate Reader Technology

 

A new high-tech device will give Coronado Police officers the ability to scan license plates on parked or moving vehicles and immediately be alerted if they are stolen or wanted in connection with a crime.

 

The automated License Plate Reader already has been affixed to the roof of one of the city’s marked patrol cars, which has been on the streets of Coronado as usual. As the patrol car is driven around town, it automatically scans up to thousands of license plates an hour, and runs the information through a local, state and federal database of law enforcement agencies.

If there is a hit, a photograph of the plate and vehicle pops up on a screen in the patrol car, along with details about any suspected crimes.  The device also works at night.

In addition to finding stolen vehicles, the reader can place a car at the scene of a crime. It also can be used to follow up on investigations, support homeland security issues and help alert other officers if a license plate number they have entered into the database comes up during a patrol.

Coronado Police Chief Lou Scanlon said the system was put into service last week and so far there have been “no hits” on any vehicles. If a car is identified as stolen, officers will take the necessary steps to find the driver or have it towed.

 

Data from the reader is shared among 85 law enforcement agencies through San Diego County’s Automated Regional Justice Information System, or ARJIS.

 

“We believe this system will enhance our ability to protect the public,” Scanlon said. “It has proved highly effective during Amber Alerts, in the recovery of stolen vehicles and aiding detectives in their investigations.”

 

Coronado paid for the License Plate Reader through a $30,000 grant from the Urban Area Security Initiative Program funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The city is investigating additional grants to pay for more of the devices.

 

Scanlon said the devices may be used to identify vehicles associated with criminals as well as individuals on the terrorism watch list.  He said it is another tool officers will use to keep Coronado safe.

 

“This technology makes it more difficult for criminals to hide,” Scanlon said.

 

The devices are used in several cities around the county.

 

Press Release from the Coronado Police Department

 

 

City of Coronado Appoints New Fire Chief

Coronado, CA (June 13, 2011) – Coronado City Manager Blair King announced today that he has appointed Fire Division Chief Michael Blood as Fire Chief for the City of Coronado. Fire Chief Blood will begin his new duties July 2, 2011. Chief Blood has worked in Fire Services for 24 years, 22 of which have been for the Coronado Fire Department. He has held every rank within the department leading up to Chief and will be the first Coronado Fire Chief who has progressed up the entire organizational ladder, from firefighter to Chief.

 

“We conducted an extensive recruitment, which produced an outstanding pool of candidates, including strong in-house candidates,” said City Manager King. “Through the recruitment process Chief Blood rose to the top. I am confident that he is the best person for the job and will be an outstanding Fire Chief.”

 

“I am so proud to be given this opportunity. I can’t wait to build upon the solid base that the department has now and to increase its efficiency and effectiveness in delivering our core services,” said Chief Michael Blood.

 

A total of 52 applications were received for the position with the finalists interviewed before three separate panels and then the City Manager.

 

Chief Blood will be the next Chief following re-retiring Fire Chief John Traylor, who is retiring from the Fire Department after previously serving as Fire Chief from 1997 to 2003 and then returning as Chief in 2009.

The Coronado Fire Department has 34 full time employees and operates two fire stations. The Fire Department provides fire protection, emergency medical services, disaster preparedness, and beach lifeguard services.

 

Chief Blood’s initial base salary will be approximately $142,000 annually. Chief Blood has a BS Degree from California State University, Long Beach. He is 49 years old and is a married father of two. A badge pinning ceremony is planned for a future date.

 

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The City of Coronado is a full-service city providing services such as public safety through the Police and Fire Departments; construction and maintenance through the Public Services and the Engineering and Project Development Departments; building and planning through the Community Development Department; and leisure activities through the Recreation Department, Library and public golf course.

 

 

Source: Press release from the Office of the City Manager

Coronado Police Detective Honored At "San Diego Crimestoppers" Luncheon

 

Detective Tom Adkins, pictured with District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and Keith Slotter, Special Agent in Charge of the San Diego Office of F.B.I., was honored by the  "San Diego Crimestoppers" organization at a luncheon on Thursday May 26th.

Detective Adkins was honored for his outstanding investigative work exemplified by two of the many cases he solved.  One involved an individual writing fraudulent checks to local businesses.  He was able to locate, arrest and subsequently tie the individual to multiple unsolved cases being investigated by the U.S. Postal Service.  The individual was charged with over 30 cases of check fraud and is currently serving prison time.  The second case involved an individual that burglarized homes in military housing while the residents slept.  Detective Adkins linked the suspect to burglaries of homes in military housing in the City of San Diego. The suspect was convicted and is now serving a 35-year sentence.

 

Submitted by the Coronado Police Department

Coronado Fire Department Hosts Annual Spaghetti Dinner On July 17th

 

The Coronado Fire Department and the Coronado Firefighters Local 1475, will be hosting its Annual Spaghetti Dinner on Sunday, July 17th from 4:00 to 7:00 pm.  All proceeds will benefit the Burn Institute of San Diego.  There will also be a raffle and silent auction with prizes donated by local Coronado businesses.  The dinner cost for adults is $10, with $5 plates for children 12 years and under.  Please plan on joining the firefighters for dinner, or ask for a "to go" dinner and enjoy it while listening to the Concert in the Park.

 

In addition, California American Water has offered to purchase half of the food cost (approximately $700) while extending a challenge to any or all businesses that would like to raise the funds for the other half! 

 

Please help the community raise enough money to surpass the $9000 we raised last year by bringing your friends, family and neighbors.

 

 

Submitted by the Coronado Fire Department

Mark Your Calendars Now For The Demolition Derby And Burn Run!

 

Here is the Coronado Firefighters' entry for the Demolition Derby on June 18th. Fire Engineer Scott Stepanof will be the driver and smashing his way to victory.

 

You won't want to miss the 21st Annual FIRE EXPO and Firefighter Demolition Derby to be held on June 18th at the Del Mar Fairgrounds!

 

Watch firefighters demonstrate their skills, witness a parade of fire trucks and learn about the latest in fire/burn prevention technology. At the end of the day, firefighters will gather at the Chevy Arena for the Burn Institute’s Firefighter Demolition Derby and smash for cash using their creatively customized clunkers.

 

• Firefighter Demolition Derby

• Burn Run Parade of 100+ fire trucks

• Live firefighting demonstrations (All Day)

• Fire and burn prevention education pavilion

• Interactive activities for the kids

• Booths, local bands and free giveaways!

 

                                  —Burn Institute

 

Great fun for kids of all ages!

Coronado City Council Votes For Increase In Emergency Medical Services Rides

 

A ride in this Coronado Emergency Medical Services vehicle is going to cost you a little more change.

 

If you haven’t heard, a ride in a Coronado ambulance is going to cause you to dig a little deeper into your pocket. Coronado City Council recently voted to boost fees for emergency medical services. Wendy Fry of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote the following:

 

"CORONADO — Suffer from a medical emergency in Coronado and the bill for an ambulance ride to the hospital could leave you feeling queasy.

 

Emergency rides will now cost between $825 to $925 after the City Council approved fee hikes at a Tuesday meeting.

 

Council members voted unanimously to boost fees for emergency medical services by 63 percent for patients requiring advanced life support and by 80 percent for those needing basic life support.

The hike comes after a consulting firm conducted a comprehensive review of the city’s fees and recommended Coronado try to recover more of its costs for some services."

 

For the rest of Ms. Fry’s informative article revealing all the details, read “Coronado boosts fees for emergency medical services.”

“How Satisfying is Life in Coronado?”

 

That was the question asked in the headline of the latest edition of Coronado Currents mailed out this past week by the City of Coronado. It pertained to a survey the City will be mailing out to find out satisfied Coronado residents are. But only 1,200 randomly selected homes will receive the questionnaire . . . the other approximately 27,000 residents will not. Maybe the City could put the questionnaire on their website so that all opinions could be heard.

 

Stranger Danger is a growing concern in Coronado neighborhoods.

I was less satisfied after I read the Coronado Police Department’s article “Have a Safe Summer in Coronado” in the same Coronado Currents. Here’s the condensed version:

 

• Lock your bicycle. Lock it in your garage at night.

 

• Park your car in a locked garage.

 

• Don’t leave anything in your car because the window could be broken and the items taken.

 

• Don’t take watches, jewelry, iPods, wallets (cell phones?) to the beach because they could be stolen if you swim or stroll.

 

• Don’t open windows or patio doors because burglars could enter.

 

Shouldn’t Coronado residents feel more secure than this? Usually if you pay a higher rent or mortgage, then you have a greater sense of safety or security because some of your costs go to paying for a stronger police force. Maybe the Coronado Police Department should take a tougher stance on crime. Then maybe these undesirables will decide that this is not a Mayberry-type of town where it's easy to commit their crimes.

 

Incidents this past weekend:

 

Friday night: National City police, responding to a disturbance call, find an unconscious woman lying on the street. They pursue a vehicle that fled the scene and stop it. The driver refuses to cooperate and drives toward an officer on foot. The officer fires two rounds into the car, missing the driver who then hits a parked car before driving away. The officers continue the pursuit until the driver crashes on the Coronado Bridge.

 

Saturday morning: Residents in the area between C and D Avenues and between Fourth and Seventh Streets wake up to a Sheriff's ASTREA helicopter  searching the area and broadcasting a fugitive description over the public address system. They are looking for a tattooed Hispanic male adult who has eluded them. A car had been pulled over on Orange Avenue for an "open container" of alcohol and the suspects ran from the vehicle. Once the helicopter left, the 22-year-old man crawled out from hiding and an alert resident notified the police. Apparently he had quite a record and was on probation.

 

Some of the local crime could be contributed to Coronado residents, but those from over the bridge carry out most.

 

The north beach bathrooms have had a constant ongoing problem with graffiti since they were build in the Lifeguard Public Safety project. The fire pits on north beach have been involved in many incidents (including drowning) after the lifeguards go off duty. Dog Beach is a favorite of dog owners but is unsupervised by lifeguards or police. Aggressive dogs are even more of a concern because not all the dogs visiting from nearby Mexico have their immunization shots.  Bayview Park on First Street is a known meeting place for San Diego gang members. I went there one day to take a photo of the ocean and literally cleared the park.

 

So how satisfying is life in Coronado? And could it be safer? I think that where we live and raise our families can always be a little safer. How about you?

 

All suspected criminal activity should be reported to the Coronado Police Department at 619.522.7350.