Public safety officers report monthly statistics...

OFF THE WIRE

By Georgia Zermeno,

Reporter, The Friday Flyer

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The following departments provided monthly statistics at the March meeting of the Public Safety committee.
• Canyon Lake Police – The Police Report submitted by Lt. Paul Bennett informed the Public Safety Committee that the Canyon Lake Police Department handled 344 files during the month of February. The report stated there were 11 Part 1 crimes, including two assaults, one burglary, seven general/petty theft, zero vehicle thefts, one theft from vehicle, four vandalisms and zero public intoxication arrests.
Under traffic enforcement, there were 13 citations issued, one DUI arrest and three traffic collisions.
Lt. Bennett informed the Committee that an increase in traffic enforcement would likely be visible during the next report due to extended coverage of motorcycle patrol in the construction area of Railroad Canyon Rd. Concerns brought to the department include tailgating, unsafe lane changes and speeding.
• Canyon Lake Fire Services – Fire Captain Brent Carter submitted Riverside County Fire Department/Cal Fire's incident report for Canyon Lake for the month of February.
The report indicated responses to 44 calls for medical assistance, four false alarms, seven public service assistance and three traffic collisions. This totaled 58 calls for the month of February, with an average response time of 3.9 minutes. There were 45 calls with a response time of less than 5 minutes, and six calls with response time of plus-5 minutes.
Station 60 responded to 14 calls for medical assistance, three public service assistance and one traffic collision. Station 94 responded to 19 medical, one false alarm, four public service assistance and one false alarm. Station 5 responded to 11 medical assistance calls.
• Code Enforcement – Code Enforcement Officer Jean Voshall submitted a report on property inspections, business licenses, building permits and special activities. The report indicated two properties were secured and six new registrations for vacant properties. According to the report, five registered properties sold in February and were removed from the vacant list. Forty-eight joint inspections with bank field personnel were completed.
Eight citations and verbal warnings were issued to obtain business license and eight business licenses have been obtained.
No NPDES citations were given this month, but Jean says that numerous phone calls from residents had been received inquiring about the correct way to wash a boat or vehicle, drain a pool or clean a spill in the street. Jean credited communication educating residents about the above for the calls, and appreciates residents questions.
• Special Enforcement Officer Ivan Henery submitted a report on activities Special Enforcement participated in during the month of February. Ivan noted that there were two sightings of jet skis in the back bay area. Citations could not be issued because they were removed before officers could reach them. One family was assisted in the BLM area with a jump start when their car battery would not start. They were given a warning in regards to vehicles prohibited in the area.
• Emergency Preparedness Committee – Director Nancy Carroll reported on the success of the Canyon Lake Emergency Preparedness Drill that took place on February 25. She explained the duties and recommendations as follows:
Animal Shelter – Maureen Locken and Joyce Dettling headed the program, along with two representatives from Animal Friends of the Valley (AFV). Training was provided on tagging, registration and paperwork for pets.
Functional Needs – Managed by Karen Bevans, the site was set up in a classroom of the gym closest to the kitchen, with two cots and blankets, one table, one chair, one wheelchair, one walker and one potty chair.
Childcare Activities – The volunteers were two Sunday School teachers and two teenage girls with childcare certificates who were completing community service hours. The site was prepared to play games, color, show videos, take children to the playground, etc.
Nursing Staff – Managed by Mary Craton, this department was located in the second room from the kitchen. Three tables were set up for registration and blood pressure checks. Trudi Wicke, Mary Craton and two volunteers took blood pressures and other procedures.
Spontaneous Volunteers – LaRue McNamara was in charge of signing up volunteers. For this drill she remained at the church, but it was noted that for real emergencies this position would be at City Hall where the ability to screen volunteers for area coordinators, damage assessments or other department needs would be better met.
Beds/Blankets – Ginger Harris was responsible for the sleeping area and setup of cots.
Spanish Speakers – John Guzman, CLEPC treasurer, provided services as an interpreter. It was discovered that the two teenage girls in the child care department also spoke Spanish and could provide assistance when needed.
Registration Desk – Joanna Spiller, under the direction of Operations Section Chief Connie Sogn, used standard Red Cross registration forms, but had suggestions for revisions, and will turn in a sample.
Food Services – J.C. Taylor who holds a food certification, managed and cooked hot dogs and chili, and provided bags of chips and cans of soda. Yvonne McKenzie served fruit salad, cut vegetables, crackers and cheese cubes.
Radio – Ellen Dyer and Karen Lamb were in charge of radio communication and were positioned in their vehicles or at the table.
Logistics – Mike Harris, Ginger Harris and Don Riley headed the logistic area. Their services were used to message out the need for cots, blankets and numerous other items.
A total of 28 CLEPC committee members worked the drill. Thirty-eight people came as "victims," 37 of them stating they were homeless. City Council members Barry Talbot, Jordan Ehrenkranz and Nancy Horton were onsite as participants.