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Letters
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- Written by: Philip Murphy
There seem to be several recurring themes here, some of which were displayed in the recent public statement made by the local deputy sheriff's association, which has accused the new sheriff of having made three major mistakes at the helm of the LCSO.
The first of the alleged errors was to not inform the the city of Lakeport police and fire departments when there had been a bomb threat at the courthouse recently, a fair enough gripe except that since the police and fire departments were a mere two blocks away the genuine potential harm to public safety was minimal at best, it was mainly an issue of courtesy and protocol – not quite the spin the DSA put on it.
The second example the DSA complained about was the fact that the SWAT team was sent code three (lights and sirens) to stop the Hells Angels from coming into the county to allegedly confront another outlaw biker gang, the DSA thought that was too bold a response and was worried that the Hells
Angels civil rights may have been violated – probably the first time in history a law enforcement association has been to the left of the ACLU on defending the civil rights of outlaw biker gangs!
It seems doubtful many local citizens have a problem with some fast driving in this case, and it is surprising the DSA even thought this was worth mentioning let alone making a big deal out of.
The third issue the DSA had with the sheriff involved an incident in the city of Clearlake, where the DSA made the inaccurate claim that city police held members of the Lake County Narcotics task Force at gunpoint for several minutes as a result of the sheriff's decision to not notify the city police of their presence in the city.
The city police had seen the undercover LCNTF cars nearby, knew from dispatch that the call they were responding to (three men had taken another man hostage) involved “suspects” who were armed and had walkie- talkies and handcuffs, and the “victim” was well known to the city police due to numerous contacts resulting in nearly a dozen pending charges – so a call was wisely made to dispatch to see if the “suspects” might in fact be undercover cops.
The city police observed the home where the incident was believed to be taking place and after a few minutes sent an officer to the door to inform the people inside the police were there, the deputies inside opened the door and a bit rudely informed the city police who they were.
For the city police to approach the door in such a manner there must have been a high level of confidence in them that they were in no serious danger, as a situation where they were really up against an unknown number of people armed with who-knows-what would have called for far more caution to be exercised, like waiting for backup and securing the the perimeter along with evacuating the neighbors.
It was again a bit of bad protocol and poor courtesy shown to the Clearlake Police (by the direct order of the sheriff) not to tell the city police what was going on though it was also not the genuine threat to the lives of the officers involved as the DSA has asserted, based on the version of events coming from the Clearlake Police department.
So what's really going on here? We seem to have a number of people within the DSA who are upset about several things other than the three listed above, namely the facts that their candidate lost the last election, and that the new sheriff has been getting a lot of very favorable press due to a steady stream of meth busts that make the previous administration look anemic by comparison.
It could also be fueled by the fact that the sheriff has recently made scheduling changes that will probably save the county money on overtime pay, and the DSA wasn't happy about that as the losers in the plan were their members.
It is hard to say why the sheriff didn't get the Lakeport police and fire departments into the loop during the bomb threat there, but in the city of Clearlake there is a bad relationship between the sheriff and the chief that seems to be clouding the sheriff's judgment as there was no legitimate reason to not tell the city police that there was a LCNTF unit doing an undercover operation there – even when it was a rapidly evolving event as it was in this case.
We need a law enforcement system here that is comprised of cooperative law enforcement agencies, and one that doesn't let petty personal disputes interfere with the daily functions of the departments.
We don't need employees that sue their employer over frivolous and absurd disputes like the correctional officers have, and we don't need the DSA laying down a smoke screen about what really bothers them or acting out over the last election.
In other words it's time for all involved from the top to the bottom to act like the professionals we pay them to be, or to find another line of work.
Philip Murphy lives in Lakeport, Calif.
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- Written by: Agustin Rosado
My boat never leaves this county and I have never moved from the address this boat is registered to. Yet I did not receive anything stating this had changed. the fees for the new sticker is $10 and I believe that’s what I paid for our new sticker last a year. I believe that in all fairness my sticker should have been given that year as well, at the very least.
I was told by the officer that wrote me the citation that being I was a Lake County resident it had been inspected and that the banner at both docks which I have pictures are red and white, the same color as my sticker and not a year had gone by since my last inspection. I had a good case if and when it went to court. I have been in contact with Capt. Howe of the Lake County Sheriff's Office. He stated because of the instruction given to his department his hands were tied yet he agreed my case was something that could be dismissed.
I am currently a case worker in this county and also a registered drug and alcohol specialist. I serve my county of residence well and obey the law. I am scared of what this registering for a misdemeanor will have on my record.
My entire family was present while I was being cited and told that I would be arrested if I did not sign this ticket, which I did not want to sign. I begged the officer to escort me to the other shore and I would take my boat out of the water and not return to the water until I have this new sticker. He understood my plea yet he stated is hands were tied.
You, sir, are my last door to knock. I have followed the chain of command. I do not want to register for a crime I did not commit. I believe the only crime I committed was saying no to the answer to the sheriff that cited me when he asked if I read the Record-Bee. I will sweep my local dock after this weekend for not knowing about the changes but $2,700 court cost and misdemeanor, that is hard.
Sir, as you well know, Lady Justice wears a blindfold yet she still listens to the facts. Please I would like to meet with you. We sat together in the same workshop at the Lodge at Blue Lakes where your office gave Lake Family Resource Center a $10,000 check. You and your staff seemed like reasonable people and hard working like me to serve this county the best way possible.
Agustin Rosado lives in Lucerne, Calif.
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- Written by: Herb Gura
During the last couple of shows, I have received anonymous, off-topic phone calls just as my show was ending. On both occasions the caller blurted out something derogatory and untrue about the Konocti Unified School District, the organization on whose board I have served for some 17 years.
This tactic: making an anonymous off-topic and libelous statement when there is no opportunity for a reply, is strangely similar to something that readers of Lake County News have come to experience.
There are several anonymous LCN bloggers (one in particular), notorious for writing defamatory comments about others, usually having little to do with the topic at hand. I am relatively certain that the hit-and-run phone caller and a particular abuser of the LCN blogs are one in the same, although his identity is not particularly important.
I do not shy away from discussions about the Konocti Unified School District or any other topic and in fact I welcome input from the public no matter how critical it may be of me and no matter how much I may disagree with the point of view expressed.
In that spirit, on this coming Saturday, May 29, on “The Law Show” I will host an open-ended discussion about public education in general and the Konocti Unified School District in particular.
I invite everyone listening, including the drive-by phone caller, to phone in with comments and questions.
I welcome a meaningful dialog about this topic and look forward to hearing suggestions about how to make public education better.
My guess is that name calling and running away is all I will get from the anonymous caller/blogger. But I am hoping he will step up and get involved in a more positive way.
KPFZ broadcasts “The Law Show” at 88.1 FM on Saturdays at 5 p.m. Phone in at 707-263-3435.
Herb Gura lives in Clearlake Oaks, Calif.
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- Written by: Ken Savin and Michele Bush
The following companies or businesses were instrumental in helping us to put on this community event: Safeway, Ray’s Foods, Foods Etc., Small Town Ceramics, Girlfriends, Main Street Bike Shop (Lakeport), Cycle Path Bikes (opening soon – formerly Ride on Bikes), Ba Weembo Shirts, Calvary Chapel of Clearlake, Joey Luiz and the Clearlake City Council, and city staffers Julie Burrows and Melissa Swanson.
Ken Savin and Michele Bush are Clearlake BMX/Skatepark Committee Members. They live in Clearlake, Calif.