The checkpoint was established at about 9:00 PM and officers screened approximately 384 vehicles traveling eastbound on Main Street in the area of Callens Road. Approximately 676 vehicles passed through the checkpoint. During the checkpoint, 1 driver was arrested for 23575 (A)(1) CVC (Interlock Device Required) and 14601.2(a) CVC (Drivers License Suspended/Revoked CDL due to DUI) as well as several warrants. The checkpoint concluded at about 12:05 AM. The following is a list of enforcement activities during the checkpoint:
384- Drivers contacted
676- Vehicles through checkpoint
9- Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST)
2- Driver(s) cited for having a suspended /revoked license 1- Driver(s) cited for being unlicensed
Vehicles impounded
Miscellaneous citations
1- Vehicle impounded
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A precious grandmother saw a chance to be a queen for a moment when she discovered an iceberg that looked like a throne, so she sat on it.
Shortly after, the iceberg broke off and began to drift out to sea with Judith Streng still nestled on her throne. Judith was rescued by nearby boat captain, Randy Lacount.
Judith told ABC News, “I thought it [would] be quite fun. You know I always wanted to be queen. I mean, come on, that was my chance.”
Apparently, right before Judith floated away, multiple girls had been on and off the iceberg, so she assumed it would be okay for her to take a picture too.
This is the definition of adorable.
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The Public Safety Pathways is a career education program that prepares students for college and careers with broad-based foundational knowledge in forensics, the legal process, public safety, law enforcement, and homeland security. Careers in this sector attract students who want to help fellow citizens and make improvements to the communities they serve.
In partnership with the Simi Valley Police Department, Simi Valley Unified School District, and Ventura County Office of Education’s Career Education Center, this program to provides unique learning opportunities to high school students. Students will gain experience through classroom instruction, hands-on training, and community exercises. Work-based learning also includes guest speakers, field trips, and job shadows.
All students have access to Public Safety Pathway coursework including but not limited to:
ROP Criminal Justice
ROP Introduction to Law Enforcement Careers
Public Safety classes are held on all comprehensive high school campuses with the culmination of ROP Law Enforcement Careers which is held at the Simi Valley Police Station on Friday mornings and additional hours as arranged.
The program is free for all SVUSD students and recommended for grades 10 and older.
For more information on enrollment, please contact your School Counselor or register at goo.gl/GLa7ha
Simi Valley Police Department Photo
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The community is invited to come together with Ventura Police Officers in a friendly, informal environment to discuss community issues, build relationships and enjoy a good cup of coffee for Coffee with a Cop which will be held at Starbucks located at 4722 Telephone Road in Ventura, on March 14 from 9:00 am to 10:30 am.
Most contacts police officers have with the public happen during emergencies or emotional situations. Those situations are not always the most effective times for relationship building and some community members may feel that officers are unapproachable on the street or during the course of their duties. Coffee with a Cop breaks down barriers and allows time for relaxed one-on-one interaction.
Engaging the community in public safety efforts is a top priority of the Ventura Police Department. We share the community’s concerns and make every effort to address them. We offer monthly opportunities at Community Council meetings to learn about crime trends and crime prevention. We also provide regular community meetings and neighborhood meetings upon request. Coffee with a Cop is an additional opportunity for residents to get to know the officers that serve Ventura. The Coffee with a Cop effort is a national initiative supported by the United States Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Similar events are being held across the country as police departments strive to make lasting connections with the communities they serve.
The program aims to advance the practice of community policing through improving relationships between police officers and community members one cup of coffee at a time. Coffee with a Cop provides an opportunity for community members to ask questions and learn more about the department’sservice. There is no formal agenda, just a casual opportunity to voice concerns and share ideas. This is a no host event.
Ventura Police Department
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By the time you read this column, the US House of Representatives will almost certainly have passed the following Joint Resolution:
“Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, pursuant to section 202 of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622), the national emergency declared by the finding of the President on February 15, 2019, in Proclamation 8444 (84 Fed. Reg. 4949) is here-by terminated.”
The fake “emergency” in question powers US president Donald Trump’s plan to divert money appropriated for other purposes to his pet “border wall” project (he used to swear up and down he’d find a way to make Mexico pay for the wall, but those days are clearly over).
The resolution’s chances of passage by the US Senate are not quite as good, but the possibility exists.
After which, there are the absolute certainties that first, Trump will veto the resolution and second, neither house of Congress will be able to drum up the votes needed to override that veto.
Most news accounts mention that last part, but emphasize the notion that this Joint Resolution constitutes a damaging “rebuke” to the president.
In fact, it’s just a cowardly way for Congress to avoid doing what it should do by pretending that it did “something,” then go back to business as usual while Trump proceeds merrily on his wall-obsessed way.
Congressional Democrats started talking up impeachment before Trump was even inaugurated. They’ve spent two full years on various investigations of their own and on promoting the prospect that Special Counsel Robert Mueller would get them the goods.
Now Democrats have a majority in the House and Trump has served them up, on a veritable silver platter, a clear-cut, air-tight, irrefutable case for his own impeachment.
Twice in the last two months, Congress has denied Trump funding for his wall, weathering the longest partial “government shutdown” in US history rather than give it to him in December and denying it a second time with the funding bill he signed in February.
Congress saying “no” when the president asks for money is not an “emergency.” He only gets to spend the money they give him, and he only gets to spend that money on the things they’ve told him he can spend it on.
As Article I, Section 9 of the US Constitution puts it, “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” That’s one of many provisions in the Constitution that make the US a representative democracy with separation of powers rather than a monarchy or dictatorship.
Trump’s declaration of a fake “national emergency” was actually a declaration that he is now an absolute monarch, a dictator, no longer accountable to Congress for his actions.
If that’s not covered by the Constitution’s “high Crimes and Misdemeanors” clause outlining grounds for impeachment, what is?
And if Congress isn’t prepared to respond accordingly, why should they — or we — bother with the continuing charade that they, or the law, matter at all?
Photo by Avens O’Brien
Thomas L. Knapp (Twitter: @thomaslknapp) is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida.
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Ventura County Sheriff Department – Incident Press Release
On February 27, 2019, patrol deputies from the City of Thousand Oaks Police Station and Detectives from the East County Street Narcotics Team contacted and arrested numerous subjects for narcotics related violations taking place in the City of Thousand Oaks.
On February 27, 2019, Narcotics detectives conducted an investigation involving local probationer Jonathan Hood of the City of Thousand Oaks. During the investigation, Hood offered to sell an undercover detective illegal narcotics. Detectives located Hood in the 300 block of Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks and conducted surveillance. Detectives watched as he associated with Nevin Bennett and Bailee Rios, both out of Simi Valley. Detectives recognized Bennett, as he was a subject of a separate narcotics investigation. Detectives knew Bennett had an outstanding felony warrant for his arrest. Additionally, Bennett’s girlfriend, Rios, was also on active Ventura County probation for narcotics related offenses.
Detectives watched as probationer Blakely Harrell-Barona of Simi Valley arrived in a separate vehicle. Harrell-Barona met with Hood, Bennett and Rios for what detectives believed to be a narcotics transaction. Detectives converged and contacted all four subjects involved. During the contact, Bennett attempted to maneuver his vehicle in an attempt to flee, but was unsuccessful. All four subjects were detained and subsequently arrested for various narcotics related charges. In all, detectives seized 34 grams of heroin, 6.5 grams of methamphetamine and over one hundred prescription pills that were destined to be sold to an undercover detective. Detectives also seized paraphernalia indicative of narcotics sales.
Detectives ultimately arrested both Hood and Bennett for possession for sale of controlled substances. Bennett was also arrested for his felony warrant. Rios was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance and Harrell-Barona was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. All four subjects were transported to the Thousand Oaks Police Station. Hood and Bennett were later booked at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility while Rios and Harrell-Barona were released with misdemeanor citations. All four are awaiting criminal proceedings.
HoodBennett
Heroin and prescription medications are highly addictive and widely abused by narcotics users of all ages. Heroin and prescription medications obtained both legally and illegally are among the leading causes of both fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses plaguing Ventura County.
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This morning, I rode with a woman I didn’t know to a funeral for a man neither of us had ever met — but today, we were all family.
My day began with a text message from my husband, a baker on his way to work, at 1:46 a.m. — which included a link to a local story about a veteran who was going to be buried alone at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in just hours.
Today I go to pay my respects to an Airman I never met. That I did not know him does not matter – because I owe him, and others like him, everything.https://t.co/5ZLqEnKKp2
I parked just outside the gate at Jefferson Barracks a little after 9:30 a.m. and began walking the half mile or so to the ceremony’s location. Every road wide enough to accommodate a vehicle was packed with traffic extending off the property and onto the main road.
I was a little more than a quarter of a mile from the ceremony when a woman in her 70s driving a little red car rolled down her window and asked if I would like to ride with her.
“My name is Maggie,” she said as I got in the car. “I just heard about this on the news this morning, and I thought I should come. My dad is over there,” she added, pointing out the passenger side of the car.
“My dad is back that way,” I responded, pointing back toward the front gate at the section where my father, a retired U.S. Army captain, was buried two years ago. “Where did your father serve?”
And then her story came pouring out. “He was in the Navy, and he served on a Destroyer in the South Pacific. He’s not really over there,” she waved to the right again. “He’s somewhere at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean with his shipmates.”
“My father’s Destroyer was torpedoed by the Japanese in 1943,” Maggie explained. “I never knew him. He never even knew my mother was pregnant.”
With that, she disappeared into the crowd gathered around the flag-draped coffin.
Sgt. Wunderlich was buried with full military honors, surrounded by well over one hundred members of the local and military community — the “family” he had never met.
In 2018, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office saw a 16-percent decrease in Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) crime statistics for Part 1 crimes (Homicide, Rape, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Theft and Arson) as compared to 2017. The data represents the information collected from the five contract cities and the unincorporated areas of the county. The Sheriff’s Office provides police services for the cities of Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, and Thousand Oaks.
Only homicides had an increase from 2017 to 2018. This was due to the Borderline shooting where 12 people lost their lives at the hand of a lone gunman. The Sheriff’s Office had five reported homicides in 2017. However, that number rose to 18 in 2018.
Aggravated assaults had a 26-percent decrease, and there was a 24-percent decline in robberies. There were 236 aggravated assaults in 2018, which was down from 317 reported in 2017. Reported robberies fell from 117 in 2017 to 89 in 2018. Overall, violent crime across the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office jurisdictions saw a 21-percent decrease with a total number of 423 incidents, compared to 536 reported incidents in 2017.
Property crimes (Burglary, Theft, and Arson) continue to be our most common type of crime reported, and accounted for 89-percent of the reported crimes. In particular, there were 1578 reported petty thefts and 1017 reported grand thefts. Although both the reported grand and petty thefts number dropped from 2017, these reported crimes account for the greatest percentage of crime within our jurisdiction.
Grand theft was down 17 percent, and petty theft saw a 13-percent decrease in 2018. Arson had the greatest percentage decrease at 51 percent, with only 17 reported crimes compared to 35 in 2017.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to remind residents they can partner with us to reduce crime by reporting suspicious behavior or criminal activity by calling 9-1-1 or our non-emergency line at (805) 654-9511. We would also like to remind residents to lock their vehicles and not leave valuables visible inside.
I was asked to represent American Freedom Alliance in January at the Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission to speak in support of the Sheriff allowing ICE to pick up illegal criminals from our jails. I explained American Freedom Alliance was concerned with the threats to Western Civilization and that unchecked illegal immigration was one of them. After I spoke a Commissioner warned that Western Civilization was a White construct and to think what that meant. I returned this month to address her comments. The following is my statement.
“Last month one of your members was offended by my saying American Freedom Alliance was concerned with the threats to Western Civilization. I spoke her after the meeting and asked if she thought Western Civilization was a dog whistle for White Supremacy. She said yes she did and that I should chose different words.
We live in dangerous times when terms and words are redefined to mean something they were never intended to mean and paint negatively all who use them.
Western Civilization created governments of the people not of the government, where all men were created equal and justice was blind. They brought more people out of poverty than any other system. They protected the liberty of the individual and allowed self determination. The liberty of individuals allowed innovations that made our lives easier and more fun. Light bulbs, cars, planes, radios, television, cell phones, computers. Is the system perfect? Does it achieve all it’s promises? No, but it aspires to and it created a system that is the fairest and freest for all who lived there regardless of race, religion or creed.
At it’s inception Western Civilization was mostly White because without planes, trains and automobiles migration wasn’t as wide spread as it is now. Western civilization may have been created by White men but it created the highest standard of living for all, even our poorest. It created a system that benefit ALL, not just White people.
It is divisive to suggest anything developed by White people is racist. Do White people seek their own self interest? Sure, as do Blacks, Latinos, Asians, etc. It is normal for people to seek what is familiar, to be more comfortable with people who share their values and culture. That is human nature, not racism. If we are ever to live peacefully with each other we need to stop demonizing human nature.
Before last month no one had ever suggested to me Western Civilization was synonymous with White Supremacy. It is not. I don’t intend to chose different words and I will never stop working to protect Western Civilization.”
Michael Greer
Michael Greer retired from the film/television industry and is the co-organizer of the Santa Monica Tea Party and the Los Angeles Tea Party, on the board of directors of the Citizens’ Alliance for Property Rights and was a member of the Republican Central Committee for the 41st Assembly District. Her website is: http://madderthanhell.wordpress.com/
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A Stanford University study recently found that middle school, high school and college students are “easily duped” when asked to identify legitimate sources of news. For example, eighty percent of middle-schoolers didn’t understand that articles labeled “sponsored content” on news websites are paid advertisements and not objective journalism. The study’s authors reached this alarming conclusion: “Overall, young people’s ability to reason about the information on the internet can be summed up in one word: bleak.”
It’s a problem that Cathy Reznicek, an Educational Technology Specialist at the Ventura County Office of Education, is working to address. She says, “The rise in the amount of media we consume on digital devices came fast, and educators haven’t caught up. It’s at the point where it’s critical right now.”
Reznicek says today’s students face challenges in conducting research that older generations didn’t have to contend with. “If you get a book at a library, it’s a relatively safe bet that there was some scrutiny as to what was written in the publishing process,” she says. “Online, anyone can publish anything and you don’t have those checks and balances.”
That’s why students need to learn to be skeptical about the information they find online. Instead of assuming the first result in a Google search is the best one, they need to look for trusted sources and know how to determine whether a particular publisher is trying to inform or to persuade. Reznicek says one of the best ways to teach these skills it to have students create their own digital content. “As they produce their own digital media, they start to better understand how it’s produced by others and they can see through the veil.”
There are endless opportunities to teach media research skills and critical thinking in any subject at all grade levels and Reznicek says it’s starting to happen at a growing number of local schools. She’s glad to see the issue getting more attention because in the 21st century, literacy is about much more than knowing how to read and write.
About the Ventura County Office of Education
The Ventura County Office of Education provides a broad array of fiscal, training and technology support services to local school districts, helping to maintain and improve lifelong educational opportunities for children, educators and community members. VCOE also operates schools that serve students with severe disabilities and behavioral issues, provides career education courses, and coordinates countywide academic competitions including Mock Trial and the Ventura County Science Fair. Learn more at: www.vcoe.org.
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That’s why students need to learn to be skeptical about the information they find online. Instead of assuming the first result in a Google search is the best one, they need to look for trusted sources and know how to determine whether a particular publisher is trying to inform or to persuade. Reznicek says one of the best ways to teach these skills it to have students create their own digital content. “As they produce their own digital media, they start to better understand how it’s produced by others and they can see through the veil.”