Dear Jessica,

A journalist would ask, "These are junior personnel, how could they be involved without oversight?" A citizen of our region might ask, and have, "Are these officers being thrown under the bus?"

You are very good and there is a story here.

halbailey@yahoo.com

I'd say there is more than a story here. There's a pattern here that likely will prove to be more broad reaching than the 3 DUI stops mentioned. Likely there was money changing hands between the dirty lawyer (her name mentioned in some of the articles), the PI, and the officers. I hope that DANVILLE will conduct an investigation as to our own police department. Given the pattern of pulling over many people for no apparent reason, as well as targeting people for no other reason than they stepped out of a downtown restaurant makes one wonder. I wonder if there's more layers to this onion.

As well meaning and responsible as Joe's letter is, there still remains the question what should (or can) the Town do to insure this does not happen again and the professionalism of our police force is maintained? It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bushel !

I did not know there is now a second member of the DPD involved. Is there an article on this somewhere? I don't think our local media covered this second person allegedly involved.

The long history of the "police officer" sad sacks provided to Danville by the Sheriff's Department, and of the clowns named Police Chief to oversee them, continues.

Dear Jessica,

May we return this exchange to proposals of resolutions being sponsored by Mr. Calabrigo? Commentators should not assume current results were part of Danville government's planning or management. Even Sheriff's command might not be the management issue that is part of the overall issues of regional relationships with Danville officers.

Consider the political relationships of the deputies' association (union) with various political office holders and their participation in campaigns during the past decade. Further, consider how exceptional the service is in Alamo from our substation and officers. There is a very complex set of issues impacting police services in Danville and Danville Officers activities in our region. If it were not isolated in a few officers and events, then Danville would not have the exceptional police services that have been recognized by civic groups.

Isn't it appropriate to focus forward and help Mr. Calabrigo define applause for those that serve well and resolution for those that have been exceptions. Mr. Calabrigo wants to be held responsible for the performance of Danville Police, so readers should help him with proposals of resolution.

halbailey@yahoo.com

I would again ask Mr. Calabrigo of the amount of salary expense we are charged for the services of the county sheriffs how much of that was "overtime" in our last fiscal year? Seems like a logical question from a financial standpoint. We want to know.

we are up in arms because a danville cop gets arrested in our town but for weeks no mention of the mail clerk taken out of danville post office by the feds.no one knows or cares about what happen to mark.

Wow...that's news to me. He has been there for years, whats up with that?

@cubpower,

Are you asking what happened to the clerk, or what's been happening or not happening that would warrant having him removed?

Last December in my San Ramon Observer blog in the San Ramon Express I interviewed City Manager Herb Moniz. Here's an excerpt from that interview that might be of interest to readers in Danville.

"I asked Moniz if he has considered contracting our police services to Danville and Alamo. He said he has made them an offer but they have not shown any interest even though it would cost them less than they pay the County."

Maybe it's time for Danville to take up San Ramon's offer to contract for an honest police force.


Roz

@Roz What a stupid thing to say. Just because one cop gets caught crossing the line you paint the whole department as dishonest? Have you vetted every single SR cop? Do you even know how many SR cops came from Danville PD when SR when on their own? Danville PD has a pretty good track record over a much longer time than SR's new force. The Danville City manager has obviously done more math than you because in 5 - 10 years when SR PD has a number of cops out on disability, SR will be paying for it with extra money or lack of service. If a Danville cop is injured (or arrested), the county has to replace them. Don't forget the manpower available to Danville for the large events like the 4th of July parade or Devil Mtn run. The Sheriff's reserve unit provides sworn police reserves that volunteer their time. Does SR have a reserve unit or do they pay massive overtime for special events? When you look at the big picture, being a contract city has value that many people like you overlook. Shame on you for branding Danville PD as dishonest based on one bad cop over 25+ years of outstanding service. If you are going to post or blog, do us a favor and please have some basic facts before making dumb remarks.

Dear Jessica,

Your exchange is now further adrift from Mr. Calabrigo's request to our corridor. Easily said is the option of using San Ramon and Walnut Creek Police as replacement for County Sheriff services in Alamo, Danville and elsewhere. BUT the issue is the major service provision by Danville Police and Sheriff's substation Alamo. And that is not an issue beyond the remaining investigation by CCC-DA.

The request and consideration by Mr. Calabrigo is corridor issues that have impacted Danville Police relationships with Danville and surrounding neighborhoods. Let's get to that subject in this exchange?

Danville Police cannot answer a challenge unless they know the specifics of the issue.

halbailey@yahoo.com

Do they "volunteer" their time on the 4th of July to make sure all of us parents with kids on our shoulders get the extra police supervision required to maintain order? What a joke...they do traffic flow. Amber is clearly a cops wife. I can't get a straight answer from Danville about overtime expense the county charges us. Do cops in San Ramon really abuse disability? Hal, there are no specifics, our $310,000 per year manager remains mum on overtime expense. Lafayette and Moraga saw the light years ago...the "contract services" are a thing of the past.

You are right, Amber. It was a snarky remark. I have no way of knowing if any other police officers in Danville are dishonest or if all of the officers in San Ramon are honest.

However, forming our own Police Department has worked very well for San Ramon so far and probably would for Danville too.

Roz

@jrm I am not a cop's wife but I did have a long chat with an DPD officer when Danville was researching creating their own force a year or two ago. Nice how you bully people like me that don't share your views or have knowledge that might help in a civil discussion. By the way, why do you have your boxers in a bunch over the Danville PD in the first place? Also get your facts straight about contract cities. Lafayette IS a contract with the Sheriff and the new city of Oakley is the latest addition yet you wish all to believe contracts are a thing of the past.


@Roz Thanks for your very mature reply. It would be nice to have rational discussions on this site but there are a handful of haters that shout down anyone that tries to respond. If you read the first paragraph of the city manager's letter it says something about having access to the full resources of the Sheriff's department if needed. At the year 2000 4th of July parade a kid jumped off a moving float and ran into the crowd. When he returned and tried jumping back on, the float moved and his leg got caught in the wheel fender thing. A Danville cop was right there and immediately got the float stopped and began removal of the kid from under the wheel which took the help of the crowd to lift the float trailer. The cop began first aid and Sheriff search and rescue members (volunteers) quickly arrived to assist. The cop turned out to be a reserve officer. jrm, a bully in my book, will have you believe volunteers just do traffic flow. When full time cops get injured in bar room brawls or car accidents, they go out on disability. Some can't return to duty. I was just saying that starting your own force may look good on paper but in 5-10 years it's possible San Ramon could be carrying disabled officers on the payroll while the county continues to provide healthy replacement officers to Danville?
Sounds like you could blog about the differences if enough research is done looking at long term costs vs. short term. But who wants to read about facts when the handful of bullies, on this site anyway, will just shout down any other views or opinions counter to their own. They just hate DPD yet I never hear any facts about why other than they pull people over for no reason. (Get a name or badge number dude) I have politely made my point and am done. Time for me to go so jrm can blast me again before his boxers totally cut off his circulation. I'd be interesting if he would admit his mistake about Lafayette but I'll just say "whatever jrm" now so I won't need to reply later. I'm done here, see ya around town.

Yup...lots of "bar room brawls" around here Amber to use your term I guess. Don't be so defensive, I am not a bully and the honus is on you to tell us about bar room brawls in Danville where a cop got hurt. How many have been injured? Can you please be more specific? Happy that a cop was there 11 years ago for that isolated incident. I assure you if a kid got caught under a float us Danville parents would have came to the rescue, this is a town of "uber parents". There is nothing wrong with a periodic financial review of "outsourcing" versus "doing it ourselves" so get over it...it is our tax dollars...why are you opposed to a current analysis? Sounds like you purport to be financially literate so what's the big deal? Why such an investment in the status quo based upon a parade incident years ago? Please respond to my logical questions. Roz apoligized about her comment about "honesty" which was a bit beyond the pale. Interesting you are so defensive about "contract services" are a thing of the past. This is a new era financially...I am sure you will not respond as you made a very tacky comment about my testicles being deprived of circulation due to "tight boxers"...that kind of says it all...hope your kids read it...and you feel better...I will not make a similar pelvic reference in response.

We've had a few teen reprobates recently that have started to look upon our local grade school as a party place (at night I mean). We let it slide twice, but last night - after having found broken beer & booze bottles where the kids play - I called the non-emergency line. I made it clear that it was not an urgent task, and I figured if the slackers were gone before the officer arrived, that was okay too. But he came after maybe 15 minutes, and shooed away the perps. Thank you. Overall, though I do enjoy poking fun at Tanabe, I have to state that we've had pretty good luck with the DPD in the five+ years we have lived in Danburg. As long as they don't stake out stop signs!
As I have stated before though, keeping your garage door open at night, and your valuables in plain sight in curbed cars, will certainly guarantee that the police will be spread thinner than they would be if you use a little common sense. If you force them to waste time on preventable crime, then you only have yourself to blame if they don't get to your call in a prompt fashion.

Yo Amber...you are correct...only Moraga and San Ramon cut their contracts with Warren Rupf's squad, not Lafayette and Moraga. I stand corrected.

Yo jrm.... keep standing while being corrected again. Moraga didn’t “leave Sheriff Rupf’s squad”. When Moraga decided to go on their own, they were a contract with East Bay Regional Parks Police. (Thanks you for manning up to your Lafayette error BTW) My cards are on the table when I say I support the town’s recent study (within the last 2 years) and decision to stay a contract city. You get on people like me’s nerves when you spout off about overtime and periodic financial reviews when this contract vs. solo study was recently done and when you provide misinformation slated against contracts. Why not ask about how much overtime was saved by the City because of the reserves (both Danville and County) being used for events like the 4th parade, Hot Summer Night car shows, the Tree Lighting etc. etc. The City reserves donated 2560 hours of time in 2010. (Thank you Amber as I didn’t even know we had reserves let alone 8 sworn officers.) This doesn’t include the County patrol reserves and Search and Rescue volunteers that help with the large events. Oh and no, I’m not a cop’s wife, this is data from the Danville City website 2010 annual police report. You ask about how much overtime was paid to the county. I counter with how much money was saved by the Sheriff providing reserve forces to one of their contracts? You say the reserve that did first aid on the kid was an isolated incident. Then I counter with Tanabe being an isolated incident. People like me read this site and don’t want to bother with a reply knowing they will get shouted down by DPD haters. I just couldn’t take the misinformation and lopsided debate any longer without speaking up which I’ll probably regret. There seems to be many unsung benefits of being a contract that go unnoticed and are left out of your side’s discussion. I stand confused about you yourself as I don’t know if you have a personal beef with DPD, with contracts, Sheriff Rupf or if it’s just simply a purely legitimate financial question. What say you?

Let me help you with your question Walter...it is a "purely legitmate financial question"....as your missive concludes. I am not a DPD "hater" have never been arrested, got my last traffic ticket in San Francisco in 1985 on my way to work ostensibly driving through a yellow light. Many of us fellow taxpayers are increasingly aware of the huge overall comp packages our fine city, police and county employees receive. Remember these total comp packages have been a highly guarded secret for many years and are now only recently revealed after extensive litigation by the media. Not sure if you have read the incredible pension obligations we may have as residents of Contra Costa County to pay off this largess...what say you....fellow taxpayer? Are you a recipient of this golden system?

@jrm… My missive didn’t conclude anything. I had to ask you a multiple choice to get the answer of what you were standing for in this debate. Thanks for clarifying that for you this is a financial issue and concern in your view. We’re in agreement when it comes to the benefit packages that unions have worked out where we now know that the cities, counties and the state can’t afford. Where I got lost and then defensive was you bringing this up under the topic about Tanabe. You were clearly harsh on Amber when she tried to level the playing field raising the point of how much benefit from volunteer man hours received from sworn volunteer officers (learned from the city annual report). You even said they were a joke only doing traffic flow and attacked her as being a cop’s wife because, in my opinion, she didn’t support your side which sounded anti-contract. Again you twisted Amber’s words when she raised the legitimate question of what happens when a cop is out on disability short or long term. You somehow turned that into a question “Do SR cops abuse disability? Nobody said anything about abuse. It’s a fact that cops get injured. And by the way if you have a scanner, listen on Friday and Saturday nights about fight calls in front of Meenar’s or the Crown. While you’re probably snug in bed there are barroom brawls most every weekend.
I remember hearing something about Danville losing an officer that was rear ended while getting out of his car. He’s now on the county’s books not Danville’s books. While Amber was just saying to look at the long term costs vs. short term, it sounded to me like you were shooting down all the benefits of contract cities instead of staying on point about the cost of the benefit packages. If Roz is still following this, maybe she can follow up on the question of cost for cops going out on disability, the history of cops in our valley being disabled AND when she suggested Danville hiring an honest SR police department, how many SR cops came from Danville or the county.
No I’m not a cop’s wife or cop that will benefit from the golden system. I’ll be a working schmoe at least until 65 thanks to what the overspending in Congress (both parties) have done to the economy. If you would have stated your position much earlier or had been more clear about it, I’m sure this thread would have been much different. Yes public employee unions across the state got some outrageous benefit packages approved and we now know they have bankrupted the state (not just Contra Costa deputies). But it is what it is now. If a city goes on its own, how do they attract good officers without competing with some sort of equivalent benefits package? I would have agreed with you from the beginning about retirement packages that are breaking the bank had you stayed on topic.