The things that they are talking of doing they where talking of doing that back when I was still on the beat so to speak. First off they did re-align the beat system, because we changed to the POP-System, and to do so they needed to Re-Adjust the Beat structure. They made the city into Four Sectors instead of Six Beats. The Sectors is what they are still doing today I think, I am not sure, because I have been away from the game for a while.
However when we switched to the POPS (Problem Oriented Policing System) it was a huge success, however the department ran short of manpower and they were forced to stop the POP Offices, which consisted of one Sergeant and Two Officers. The last Two Officers that were in there one of them got promoted, and rather then reassign him to another Corporal position they kept him in there because he had so many things going on in the city. Asset-Forfeitures, Where the City was to become the owners of some property that was ruined down, but never the less it was property. They also impacted several area's positively by starting a new program that had never been tried or tested in the United States before. We thought that the Cases that Rialto Police Generated from Arrests and Citations were going to be challenged all the way to the Supreme Court, rather then that happening, it was observed through the appeals courts to be done okay.
We took apartment complexes and did what was called Welfare Sweeps. We would close off an entire block surrounding an apartment complex, and set up road blocks. We then would only have one way in and one way out. If there was something wrong with a car or they didn't want to be hassled by the Police our argument was that their Escape was to simply park their car and walk in. some people did just that. Many didn't and many got tickets, for anything from Unlicensed Driver to uninsured. We Towed as many as 50 sometimes 60 cars, see before the closure of the Streets, In fact 72 hours before we would go in and start tagging the cars with 72 hour removal tags, as abandoned vehicles, or parked on a firelane ect ect..just what ever the violation was that we could find they got a ticket for. Why by the end of the night we would have 2 or 3 Drunk Driver's, 50, 60 on Warrants. 100 to 150 Welfare violations to where they were cut off from the welfare program all together. The narcotics team would go in on that morning and serve any paper that they had pending and clean up the drugs in the area. and it was a department, County wide thing that was done.
Rialto was the first to do this and we have not done one since, maybe they were challenged in another state or because the welfare laws have changed, that has made it harder to do it. Maybe it also is because we no longer have the supervisor that masterminded the whole thing, he has since retired and is gone from Rialto Police Department. In fact the POP Officers are both have since left Rialto. One has moved on to work in the area of Ojai, Ca. I think the other has gone to work or the DA's Office as a DA Investigator. The Winchester/Willow/Lilac Apartments-Condo's that have been discussed by the press before has been targeted by the POP team at one time, and we did a Drug Free Enforcement Zone, where we closed off and did the Welfare, Parole, Probation, and Warrant Service was done, Drug Task forces did Drug search warrants and made several arrests, traffic (Yea!) did over 200 tickets, and I cannot remember how many DUI Arrests, and Over 70-110 cars were towed from the complexes, and the people that drove them in. We confiscated Alcohol, Drugs, and Parole's were arrested for Weapons charges, It was a great night. Calls for service in the Winchester-Willow Condo-Apartment complexes went down over 50%, it was a job well done.
I am hoping that Kling can give that kind of policing back to the city of Rialto, so that the clean up can start all over again. The Gangs were wild in Rialto when I started in the 80's. Rialto had the highest Identified Gang Population in the Inland Empire. When someone did a robbery in San Bernardino and they got a street name on who did the robbery, chances are they lived in Rialto, and our Gang unit knew who and where they were. Rialto was that kind of town.
Yes, I am a bragger!! I Loved where I worked, I thought it was great and I had a great time working there. I miss it and I would still be working there today if I didn't have this damm accident!!
So, with this great pride that I have in Rialto, I hope and pray this. Chief Kling does a great job unlike the dud's that Garcia, and the City Council's, and City Management's from days past had hired. From the first report here Kling seems like he really is off to a great start, and they have not been hiring Officer's waiting for Kling to start so that he can hire the people that he wants on the street. From what I have heard from the people that have been working with Chief Scialdone, he would have been a good person to be at Rialto, but he also was there for more then one thing, and that was to look for the Corruption that one or a certain City Council Member was making the accusation that there was on the department, back when they were first trying to Contract with Sheriff Penrod, and the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department. Dept. Chief Hoops, could not make it clear enough that he would not be the leader of the city of Rialto, merely the overseer of Rancho, Rialto, Yucaipa, Loma Linda, Grand Terrace, Highland, and all the contract city's below Highway 138, and Cajon Pass. Hoops was looking forward to having another commander in his grasp.
The Citizens of Voice United had worked so hard, along with the Rialto Police Benefit Assoc., to see to it that Hoops, Penrod, The Rialto City Council (minus the mayor), Rialto City Administrator Garcia, City Attorney Owens, City Clerk Barbara McGee, Rialto Fire Chief Wells, and the entire Rialto City Fire Department (with the exception of a couple of quiet types) didn't get their wish and get the Sheriff's department to take over the department after all. So, now the Fire Department has to worry about those calls where they get those people that start to get threatening, and they call the Police department, or should they call the Sheriff Department. It is going to be an age old dilemma for the departments forever.
I am happy that the Voice United Team of Concerned Citizens took their time to help the Police Department out and did what they could to help us. in this time of need. I just hope that the Fire Department for what ever reason will get over what ever it was that separated them from us. and If it was something that was life threatening I am sorry about that. However if it was just the inconvenience of an old guy that felt he was more important then the people of Rialto, then I am not sorry.
BSRanch
Welcome Aboard Chief Kling!! I cannot wait to meet you, not that you read my BLOG..LOL..
BSR
Police chief has big plans
RIALTO: The new boss wants to step up recruitment to rebuild the city's department.
10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, August 23, 2006
By MASSIEL LADRÓN DE GUEVARA
The Press-Enterprise
| Police blueprint A plan authored by Rialto City Administrator Henry Garcia and interim Police Chief Frank Scialdone to overhaul the city's Police Department calls for: Replacing the deputy chief position with two captains -- one to oversee all police operations, and the other to handle administration. Dividing the city into three sections, with each commanded by a lieutenant. Filling vacancies and buying police equipment. Realigning beats. Improving computer technology. | | |
RIALTO - The man chosen to rebuild the city's Police Department began his first week on the job Monday with a goal of stepping up Rialto's recruitment program.
Chief Mark Kling, former head of the Baldwin Park Police Department, has spent his time meeting with officials, officers and interim Chief Frank Scialdone to get acquainted with programs and top issues.
Feedback from supervisors made it clear recruitment is the department's paramount issue so it will get immediate attention, Kling said.
"We are going to fire up the recruitment machine and start getting qualified officers," Kling said.
The department staff is down 25 percent, Scialdone said.
At full staff, the department has 115 officers. There currently are 88, Scialdone said.
To get prospective officers to the interview and background stage quicker, Scialdone said he has worked with human resources to cut the process down three to four months.
In the past, applications from officers working for other departments were held until there were 30 to process them all at once.
"Now, as soon as an officer from another department applies, the application is processed immediately," Scialdone said.
Kling said he agrees applications shouldn't be held and will meet with human resources this week to see if there are any other ways to expedite the process.
"A lot of Chief Scialdone's ideas ... will continue because I believe in the processes that he has started," Kling said.
The efforts made at Rialto's East Jackson Street and Willow-Winchester area have been good, Kling said.
East Jackson Street was the setting of high-profile raids in March that focused on crime and living conditions in apartment buildings.
The Willow-Winchester area also was plagued with crime and poor living conditions. It is now part of a $38 million project that will rehabilitate condominiums and offer social programs to residents.
As chief, Kling said he will work to continue those good efforts.
Getting to know officers' expectations of him also is important, Kling said, so he'll meet with small groups in the coming week.
Scialdone, whose last day was Wednesday, said he will be pushing Kling toward community policing, which encourages city officials, social service providers and the community to work with police to prevent crime.
Lt. Joe Cirilo, who has been with the department 27 years, said he believes Kling is going to bring the organization focus and direction.
"He comes with a lot of energy and excitement, and that is transcending to the organization because we see a leader who is ready to take this department on ... and elevate the standard to make us a premier organization once again," Cirilo said.
Rialto's new top cop helped rebuild the Baldwin Park Police Department when he was appointed chief there in April 2001, officials there said.
The year before, the Baldwin Park City Council was looking at disbanding the city's department and contracting with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
The council narrowly voted to keep the department despite recruitment problems and a lack of unity.
Today, the experience of getting Baldwin Park to that point will help in Rialto, Kling said.
Cirilo said the renovation of the Baldwin Park Police Department is a good indication of what will happen in Rialto's department.
"The city of Baldwin Park was under similar conditions and (Kling) took an organization that nobody had any hope in and he turned it around," Cirilo said.
"He said he would bring that same effect here ... and we look forward to the challenges that face us and we look forward to working with him."
Reach Massiel Ladrón De Guevara at 909-806-3054 or mdeguevara@PE.com
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