Rialto Police Funding OK'd (SB Sun 08062006) Rilato Awaiting New Cruisers, Comptuers.

Rialto City Council finally is giving funds to something that has needed the funding for the last Five years (5 years). They left there Police Department Abandoned, while they delivered superb Police Services. Why they Lowered the Crime Rate almost a whole 15% while the City Council was trying to not fund them and force them into deciding to flee to other agencies. Well it worked some did flee, Three Officers went to Riverside Police Department, for More money, Less hours, and the thought that they might be working for Sheriff Penrod.

There was also Two Sgt.'s that left and went to work for the Riverside D.A. Investigator's Office. Once again Rialto's Loss and Riverside City/County's Gain!! But this was all brought on by the City Council fighting with the Police Departments Union. Rialto Police Benefit Assoc. & a group of Citizens known simply as Voice United!

Owens, the city Attorney would have you think in every City Council Meeting that he won in that days Court meeting with the Voice United/RPBA's Lawyer, but Four out of the Four times that they met in court Owens LOST!! Even when he paid an Election Expert to testify against the RPBA, they had lost, at the expense of the city!! (Experts are not free you know). But still Owens drives the city's Legal seat, at over $280,000.00 a year. Sad to know that someone could lose that many cases and it didn't matter, just sit right back and we will still pay you over 3/4 of a million dollars.

The city Admin. with whom brought this great idea up to get rid of the Police Department. This Idea, which cost them more then likely the whole Utility tax for the full five years that they had it, to try to get rid of the Police Department, but that is all water under the bridge now. and we should just be quiet, and let it go. Let Owens just sit back relax and keep his nice high paying job. And the City Admin. Should too, sit back enjoy life and have his cake and eat every crumb too. After all he got his $250.000. to try to get rid of the police department with the Utility Tax money, now it is time to start to fund the Police Department with that Utility tax money it is almost gone. So, the panic has been written about in the papers about how they need to get the Utility Tax Passed Again to they can pay for the Police Department now!!!

Are they not sick!! I say don't vote for the Tax and watch them squirm their way out. The City Council, The City Administrator, and the City Attorney knows that they will not clean their desks up to make up for the losses in the funds. although if you ask me they should!!

Starting with the City Attorney! then the administrator!!

That is must my thoughts on this matter...

BSRanch

Rialto Funding OK'd
Rialto awaiting new cruisers, computers
Robert Rogers, Staff Writer

RIALTO - Sgt. Randy De Anda and his Multiple Enforcement Team of four officers know what it's like to get the job done under difficult circumstances.

Six months ago, when dissolution of the Police Department seemed likely, they were pulling overtime shifts while their colleagues were turning in their badges.

Today, they are policing the city's two most high-crime sectors in 5- to 7-year-old cruisers without mounted computers.

But De Anda is at ease. He knows he and his team are about to get some new tools to do the job.

The City Council on Tuesday approved a $71,923 increase in funding to bring the total for 29 new police vehicles to $684,825.

The council also gave the go-ahead to the Police Department's request for $354,140 to equip the vehicles with modern technology, including mobile data computers.

"The equipment upgrades make us more effective at keeping the city safe," De Anda said. "The computers, for instance, will allow us to eliminate the step of running names through dispatch and instead run our own names for information."

Although the fleet of regular patrol cars has mounted computers, some unmarked cars and special cruisers, like the ones used by Multiple Enforcement Team members, do not.

It's a hindrance not to have them, De Anda said, because the team is charged with the task of patrolling East Jackson Street and the Willow-Winchester complex, two known havens for gang members and drug dealing.

Funds for the new equipment were originally approved after a recommendation by interim Police Chief Frank Scialdone in June. Tuesday's action authorized funding for three more cars for traffic enforcement.

The Police Department should have 29 new vehicles within 12 months, including 12 patrol cars, four multiple enforcement units, three K-9 units, five administration vehicles, three traffic cars, a command vehicle and an animal-control truck.

The upgrades are part of a larger rebirth of the department, which the council had voted to disband in September before backing off in the face of public pressure. New Police Chief Mark Kling is expected to take his post later this month.