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Prepared by Valerie LittleHawk, Volunteer, Riverside Police DepartmentABOUT OUR NEW NAME AND LOGOFirst: apologies for the lack of communications. At this review it appears that the last Arlanza Newsletter was created for you sometime around the new millennium. It was touted as the First-Ever-Of-The-New-Century newsletter and that many good things were to come. Then I, Ms. LittleHawk, volunteer newsletter writer extraordinaire, dropped the ball. Suffice to say, you, our residents, Y.A.N.A.s, Crime-Free Multi-Housing, and Neighborhood Watch participants have been without news of your beat. Shame! So, Onwards! We have changed our logo: our logo now encompasses both our Police Department affiliation with a depiction of the two tree roses which grace either side of the Arlanza Police Center’s front door. A SECOND LOOKThe new millennium newsletter contained an overview of what is to be offered to our readers this year. A second look at this optimistic forecast is worth reading. For a start, regular columns will continue such Crime Analysis Statistics from the offices of Rebecca Simcox, articles describing resources available to area families, changes in phone numbers of City Hall or the Police Department, etc. We are also accepting comments regarding improving this newsletter - please think thin and cheap - and will make every effort to accommodate your suggestions. Want the letter in Spanish? Call! Letters, comments to and articles for the newsletter may be mailed to: "NEWS IN AREA FIVE" AREA FIVE COMMANDER TRANSFERS TO NEW POSITIONOn Wednesday, August 9, the Watch Commander’s duties for our part of town were passed from Lieutenant Henry Lucas, our Commander for five years, to Lt. James Cannon, recently commander of Traffic Division. Those of us with the good luck to have served with Lt. Lucas can attest to his dedication to Area Five and its residents. Lt. Lucas is a pioneer in supporting the Police Center concept for the City of Riverside and has been a friendly, responsive presence at Area Five functions from Neighborhood Watch meetings, Safe Streets Now efforts, Mayor’s Night Out sessions, etc. Good bye, Lt. Lucas! We will miss you! Good luck in your new assignment! WELCOMES NEW COMMANDERLt. James Cannon , a twenty-five year veteran with the Riverside Police Department, has received the Area Five Watch Commander position. While Lt. Cannon may be new to us, he has served the La Sierra/Arlington region of Riverside as patrolman, Sergeant and Lieutenant. Lt. Cannon is married; he and his wife have four children, "two grown and two little", as he says. Our new Watch Commander states his ambition is to build a close working relationship with our community. He shares with us our concerns regarding safety and quality of life here in Area Five and understands the "broken window syndrome" approach to crime fighting: solve the little problems and the big ones rarely occur. The Lieutenant looks forward to meeting Area Five residents at the various community functions as they occur. Questions, comments, or suggestions regarding Area Five which you wish to address may be sent as follows: Lt. James Cannon Welcome to Area Five, Lt. Cannon! NBC NEIGHBORHOOD BEAT COP PROGRAM COMES TO ARLANZAFor a time the City of Riverside and especially Area Five benefited from a program called POP or, Problem-Oriented- Policing. Citizens who had a particular problem, whether it was as serious as a possible drug house in the neighborhood to teens "slamming" the block with their thumping "boom" boxes, had a place to turn for help. By contacting respective Police Centers, residents could present their grievance, assess the issue and have an officer assigned to the grievance. The officer would contact the concerned resident and together solutions would be found. The P.O.P. project members were re-assigned to Crime-Free Multi-Housing and the Department began NBC: Neighborhood Beat Cop. Originally, beat Officers were asked to volunteer for the assignment. They were to "adopt" a neighborhood in their beat in need of help and would work with the residents through problem-analysis/solution meetings. The response from the Officers has been unprecedented. If anyone were to question the dedication of Area Five Officers all one has to do is check the Arlanza Police Center schedule. Over half the day shift Officers have adopted a street/neighborhood and even a few of the "swing" shift Officers have made themselves available. If you feel you have a legitimate need for "adoption", speak with your neighbors, find out their readiness to commit some time - and some solutions/recommendations - then call the Arlanza Police Center (358-2704). Along with our Police Service Representative, a decision will be made as which of the Officers will assist you and to the time and place for a meeting. As with all civic responsibilities, some dedication to solutions must come from us, the citizens who live in Arlanza/La Sierra. Now, however, we have another resource from which we may seek support. PROJECT BRIDGEProject BRIDGE (Building Resources for the Intervention and Deterrence of Gang Engagement) is the result of community collaborative efforts committed to reducing the incidence of youth gang violence. In 1995, the program was established through a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention, and is one of two sites in the nation which implements a model program to reduce gang violence, gang membership, and gang-related crime. The model includes five strategies: community mobilization, opportunities provision, organizational change and development, social intervention, and suppression and control. From May 1995 to August 1998, the project was administered by the University of California, Riverside, Office of Education and Community Initiatives. In September 1998 the lead agency was transferred to the City of Riverside Police Department Alvord and Riverside Unified Schools, the Probation Department, the Youth Service Center, and the Robert Presley Center for Crime and Justice are key participants. Outreach services are designed to assist youth between the ages of 12 - 22. The range of services provided to youth includes mentoring, job training and development, , assistance in school enrollment and educational support. The services also include counseling for individuals or groups, anger management classes, parent consultation and conflict resolution. Outreach workers provide direct services to gang-involved and at-risk youth in the Arlanza and Eastside neighborhoods. Outreach also works with schools, community agencies and project participants. Project Probation Officers make home visits, monitor case progress and court compliance, identify resources in the community to assist target youth, and provide in-service seminars on gang identification and awareness. The City of Riverside Human Resources Department provides job skills preparation, job training and job placement for project youth. The provided services include one-on-one job coaching, basic life skills training, finance management, resume writing workshops, cultural diversity training and job-related training. Project TRY provides laser tattoo removal to youth age 25 and under. The Loma Linda Medical Center makes treatment available for individuals whose visible gang, cult or hate/racial tattoos serve as barriers to employment and educational opportunities. For more information, contact CELESTE WOJTALEWICZ WOJTALEWICZ (pronounced Voy ta lev ich) , City of Riverside (SIB), 4102 Orange Street, Riverside, CA 92501, (909) 320-8136.
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