5/09 tahoe mt. news
By Kathryn Reed
“What we want to communicate is there are going to be tough decisions to be able to maintain these facilities with decreased budgets and increased demand. We have some challenges ahead of us.”
Daniel Cressy, landscape architect and recreation planner with the U.S. Forest Service, voices these sentiments when it comes to providing locals and tourists with functioning, modern, non-dilapidated recreation sites throughout the basin.
With about 2.5 million people a year visiting the national forest in the basin, the land and infrastructure is for the most part being used to capacity. What worries the Forest Service is that projections are for that number to increase by 50,000 every year for the next 20 years – so by 2029 3.5 million visitors will be tallied in a single year.
A five-year recreation plan was signed into action in July 2008. One of the main goals is to have 20 percent of the deferred maintenance needs met within five years. Ninety percent of the needs are supposed to be met in 15 to 20 years.
“The recreation facility analysis was a guiding document looking at the recreation demand in the Lake Tahoe Basin,” Cressy explained. “We also are looking at where our facilities are in relation to meeting the demands and deferred maintenance associated with those. We have a big backlog of maintenance that we have not been able to get to over the years. Some are in dire need of maintenance.”
He said restrooms at day use sites and beaches are a good example of structures that have outlived their original lifespan. Many don’t meet the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. Tiles are broken, plumbing is so-so.
It’s expected to cost at least $23 million in today’s dollars to fix the mess at the recreation sites. This does include roads or administrative facilities.
Any project that relates to water quality improvements could tap into money from the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. Where the rest of the cash will come from is unknown. The Forest Service is open to a public-private partnership where appropriate.
Increasing fees has been talked about, but is not imminent. Before that happens the public would have a chance to weigh-in.
Several projects will get under way this summer or at least the analysis will be performed. Already the Logan Shoals vista has been upgraded.
Signage throughout the basin is an issue, as is the replacement of picnic tables.
The plan this summer is to replace two restrooms at Pope Beach and one at Baldwin Beach.
After Labor Day, work at Fallen Leaf Lake campground will begin. It’s in the environmental analysis stage now.
“We plan to remove some of the roadways and campsites in the stream environmental zones. We will relocate those campsites on higher capability land in the campground,” Cressy said. The number of campsites will not decrease.
The Valhalla Pier – the one by the boathouse theater – will be extended so people with disabilities may use it.
“There will also be some work to provide some accessible paths to the pier so people don’t have to go down a steep slope to get down to the pier,” Cressy said.
Part of the five-year plan includes replacing some electrical work at Zephyr Cove Resort and improve other infrastructure there. Improvements to the Tallac Historic Site are also on the agenda.
Camp Richardson improvements, which are in the environmental analysis phase, are partly included in the five-year plan. Restrooms will be improved, utilities put underground. The water system is being replaced and upgraded.
Some of the 40-plus-year-old cabins have leaking roofs and walls.
“The buildings don’t meet current standards. That is an example of maintenance that is overdue,” Cressy said.
As time goes forward, Cressy knows that prioritizing what gets fixed first based on the dollars available will continue to be an agonizing process for his agency.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Exploring the depths of Lake Tahoe
5/09 tahoe mt. news unedited
By Kathryn Reed
Only time will reveal whether scientist Scott Cassell and his 14-member exploratory team end their month-long exploration of the depths of Lake Tahoe by uttering something like, “The world isn't ready for what was down there.”
Supposedly that’s what famed undersea voyager Jacques Cousteau said after his visit here. But considering no definitive proof has come forward proving Cousteau was in the emerald water, the validity of his quote is even more suspect.
Nonetheless, conspiracy theorists were overheard jibber-jabbering about what the Undersea Voyager Project may uncover as Lake Tahoe is studied like it never has been.
Cassell and company launched the bright yellow, odd looking pontoon-like, bubble vessel from Tahoe Keys Marina on April 30 with the intent of studying the seven fault lines on the floor of the Lake, the ecosystem, sunken ships, water quality issues, soil toxicity and pollution.
After his first dive of 50 feet, Cassell remarked he was able to see the surface. The vessel can go down about 150 deep. The Lake is 1,645 feet deep, with an average depth of 989 feet. Scuba divers can make it about 200 feet down. With a remotely operated vehicle, the scientific team will be able to reach the bottom.
Third-graders from Lake Tahoe School in Incline were captivated by the team in their orange jumpsuits.
“I might just have found a job for when I grow-up – to drive a submarine,” student Sadie Hart said as the vessel puttered out of the marina.
Classmate Sarina Baratta said her class has been learning about the dangers of zebra mussels and algae stuck to the bottom of boats.
“It’s not going to be a pure Lake anymore if we don’t learn to stop it,” Sarina said.
One thing that is supposed to be beneath the surface is the stonefly. That is something the crew may uncover. Fly fishermen like to use manmade ones.
Something else to study is the underwater forest off Kiva Beach. At the end of the month when the gang heads to Fallen Leaf Lake, the emphasis there will be on the submerged trees.
Jim Kleppe, a UNR professor who lives at Fallen Leaf Lake, is credited with discovering the underwater forest there.
By taking a core sample of a tree it is said historic weather patterns can be revealed. Plus, studying the trees will provide geological history about the basin.
Theories abound whether Coustean, assuming he said the above quote, was talking about some sort of undersea monster or floating bodies. Legend has it the mob dumped bodies in the Lake on a regular basis. Chinese laborers also were supposedly cast into the freezing water.
Even though the Lake preserves bodies fairly well, over time human tissue even in Lake Tahoe would decompose and fish would gnaw away most components. Adipocere could occur. That is when a brown fatty, wax-like substance forms on dead animal tissues in response to moisture. This means it is possible parts of long discarded human remains could exist in Lake Tahoe.
Cassell will release preliminary findings from his dives at a May 29 seminar at Lake Tahoe Community College. He’s working with the Scripps Institute, which will assist in analyzing the data he collects.
Deadlines got in the way of reporting on his May 7 talk at the Tahoe Maritime Museum in Homewood.
Cassell is scheduled to return to Lake Tahoe in October with a different submarine. For more info, go to www.underseavoyager.org.
By Kathryn Reed
Only time will reveal whether scientist Scott Cassell and his 14-member exploratory team end their month-long exploration of the depths of Lake Tahoe by uttering something like, “The world isn't ready for what was down there.”
Supposedly that’s what famed undersea voyager Jacques Cousteau said after his visit here. But considering no definitive proof has come forward proving Cousteau was in the emerald water, the validity of his quote is even more suspect.
Nonetheless, conspiracy theorists were overheard jibber-jabbering about what the Undersea Voyager Project may uncover as Lake Tahoe is studied like it never has been.
Cassell and company launched the bright yellow, odd looking pontoon-like, bubble vessel from Tahoe Keys Marina on April 30 with the intent of studying the seven fault lines on the floor of the Lake, the ecosystem, sunken ships, water quality issues, soil toxicity and pollution.
After his first dive of 50 feet, Cassell remarked he was able to see the surface. The vessel can go down about 150 deep. The Lake is 1,645 feet deep, with an average depth of 989 feet. Scuba divers can make it about 200 feet down. With a remotely operated vehicle, the scientific team will be able to reach the bottom.
Third-graders from Lake Tahoe School in Incline were captivated by the team in their orange jumpsuits.
“I might just have found a job for when I grow-up – to drive a submarine,” student Sadie Hart said as the vessel puttered out of the marina.
Classmate Sarina Baratta said her class has been learning about the dangers of zebra mussels and algae stuck to the bottom of boats.
“It’s not going to be a pure Lake anymore if we don’t learn to stop it,” Sarina said.
One thing that is supposed to be beneath the surface is the stonefly. That is something the crew may uncover. Fly fishermen like to use manmade ones.
Something else to study is the underwater forest off Kiva Beach. At the end of the month when the gang heads to Fallen Leaf Lake, the emphasis there will be on the submerged trees.
Jim Kleppe, a UNR professor who lives at Fallen Leaf Lake, is credited with discovering the underwater forest there.
By taking a core sample of a tree it is said historic weather patterns can be revealed. Plus, studying the trees will provide geological history about the basin.
Theories abound whether Coustean, assuming he said the above quote, was talking about some sort of undersea monster or floating bodies. Legend has it the mob dumped bodies in the Lake on a regular basis. Chinese laborers also were supposedly cast into the freezing water.
Even though the Lake preserves bodies fairly well, over time human tissue even in Lake Tahoe would decompose and fish would gnaw away most components. Adipocere could occur. That is when a brown fatty, wax-like substance forms on dead animal tissues in response to moisture. This means it is possible parts of long discarded human remains could exist in Lake Tahoe.
Cassell will release preliminary findings from his dives at a May 29 seminar at Lake Tahoe Community College. He’s working with the Scripps Institute, which will assist in analyzing the data he collects.
Deadlines got in the way of reporting on his May 7 talk at the Tahoe Maritime Museum in Homewood.
Cassell is scheduled to return to Lake Tahoe in October with a different submarine. For more info, go to www.underseavoyager.org.
Wrong tree cut down
5/09 tahoe mt. news unedited
By Kathryn Reed
Not being elderly or disabled, Billie Jo McAfee is still trying to figure out how her house got on a list for tree removal.
She and her husband returned home on Saturday this spring to find their 30-year-old fir tree cut down and left in chunks in the drainage ditch next to their driveway.
McAfee was told this was part of the Rotary Club’s stewardship day. The California Tahoe Conservancy employee is not seeing this act as good stewardship.
“I was ready to (call) the insurance company because I thought it was vandalism,” McAfee said. “I called the sheriff. They said nothing really happened here, it’s not a crime.”
About 30 properties were part of the Rotarian Work Day, with a handful being CTC lots. Addresses of the private residences were supplied to Rotary from the Nevada Fire Safe Council’s senior wood program. All residents were supposed to be notified about the work day.
McAfee, who said she and her husband should not be on that list, also said they never received a letter or phone call.
South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Lorenzo Gigliotti, who is in this Rotary group, said trees were removed for defensible space reasons and if they were not healthy.
“It was a tree that was half dead and we considered had ladder fuel,” Gigliotti said. “The tree itself would have been a contributor to fire spread.”
McAfee begs to differ.
“It was in perfect health,” she said of the tree. “It sheltered us from noise from the road and across the street. It was a shady spot for the dog.”
The Christmas Valley residents have been offered a sapling to replace the 30-year-old tree that was felled without permission. McAfee said that’s not enough.
“It is still vandalism,” McAfee said.
By Kathryn Reed
Not being elderly or disabled, Billie Jo McAfee is still trying to figure out how her house got on a list for tree removal.
She and her husband returned home on Saturday this spring to find their 30-year-old fir tree cut down and left in chunks in the drainage ditch next to their driveway.
McAfee was told this was part of the Rotary Club’s stewardship day. The California Tahoe Conservancy employee is not seeing this act as good stewardship.
“I was ready to (call) the insurance company because I thought it was vandalism,” McAfee said. “I called the sheriff. They said nothing really happened here, it’s not a crime.”
About 30 properties were part of the Rotarian Work Day, with a handful being CTC lots. Addresses of the private residences were supplied to Rotary from the Nevada Fire Safe Council’s senior wood program. All residents were supposed to be notified about the work day.
McAfee, who said she and her husband should not be on that list, also said they never received a letter or phone call.
South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Lorenzo Gigliotti, who is in this Rotary group, said trees were removed for defensible space reasons and if they were not healthy.
“It was a tree that was half dead and we considered had ladder fuel,” Gigliotti said. “The tree itself would have been a contributor to fire spread.”
McAfee begs to differ.
“It was in perfect health,” she said of the tree. “It sheltered us from noise from the road and across the street. It was a shady spot for the dog.”
The Christmas Valley residents have been offered a sapling to replace the 30-year-old tree that was felled without permission. McAfee said that’s not enough.
“It is still vandalism,” McAfee said.
Tahoe Keys flood insurance quagmire
5/09 Tahoe Mt. News unedited
By Kathryn Reed
An eight-month ordeal that cost some South Shore residents thousands of unnecessary dollars, and countless hours of phone calls and research should be resolved this month.
Thanks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency entering the computer age, the July 3, 1978, flood zone map for the 900-plus Tahoe Keys homeowners was altered as it was scanned into digital format.
The Sept. 26, 2008, map ended up showing Venice Drive drifting into the meadow, Texas Street ending in a canal and other properties submerged or with great potential to be during a major flood.
What seems to an innocent mistake that could easily be fixed by comparing the paper maps of 1978 to the digitized 2008 version and then having the latter match the former has been anything but simple to correct.
A revision to the September map should be on the books this month.
Homeowners were the first to figure out something was amiss. Federally insured lenders require homeowners to have flood insurance if their property resides in a 100-year flood plain.
John Nemes received a letter from Bank of America on Dec. 13, 2008, saying his Kokanee Way house that he’s owned since 1983 needed to have flood insurance because of the September FEMA map.
“Low-risk flood insurance is very inexpensive. High-risk flood insurance is a premium. They put a lien on my house. They charged me interest on the lien,” Nemes said. As of press time he was still wrestling with BofA to get his money back.
Before FEMA decided it had made a mistake, Nemes along with others in the South Lake Tahoe neighborhood paid civil engineers for a certificate of elevation to prove their property was not at risk of flooding. The lowest point on Nemes’ property is 4.5 feet above the threat of flooding.
Nemes is mad at the city, mad at FEMA and mad at BofA.
Eric Simmons, senior engineer with FEMA in Oakland, said city officials, including then Mayor Mike Weber, saw the September map before it became official.
Weber said this is not true.
“To my knowledge, former Mayor Weber was never involved in meetings on this matter and I never participated in them as well,” City Manager Dave Jinkens said.
Jinkens wrote Simmons on March 13 seeking a revision to the September map. A March 25 response said the agency would see what it could do.
Christian Svensk, associate planner with the city, has been the point man to clean up the mess. He says FEMA did notify the city the maps were being digitized, but nothing more.
“… it wasn’t a revision. They said they were not changing the flood plain so there was no formal review period or notice for these maps,” Svensk explained. “FEMA is responsible for the incorrect map. We did not seek that map and force it upon people. There is no sign-off. They don’t follow-up and say are you good with this. It put us in a bad position.”
On April 9, Simmons toured the Keys to see for himself how the September map didn’t reflect reality. He also met with several homeowners. After that meeting, Keys owners were given until May 8 to comment on the draft revise.
The one beneficiary of the September map seems to be Dover Street, which had been in the flood zone before. Bob Henderson had to have flood insurance when he refinanced a handful of years ago. The 1978 map showed the meadow coming to Tahoe Keys Boulevard, which means his house would be in that meadow.
His lender has refunded his flood insurance premium.
Colorado Court still is at risk, according to FEMA, from the Upper Truckee River, not Lake Tahoe.
By Kathryn Reed
An eight-month ordeal that cost some South Shore residents thousands of unnecessary dollars, and countless hours of phone calls and research should be resolved this month.
Thanks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency entering the computer age, the July 3, 1978, flood zone map for the 900-plus Tahoe Keys homeowners was altered as it was scanned into digital format.
The Sept. 26, 2008, map ended up showing Venice Drive drifting into the meadow, Texas Street ending in a canal and other properties submerged or with great potential to be during a major flood.
What seems to an innocent mistake that could easily be fixed by comparing the paper maps of 1978 to the digitized 2008 version and then having the latter match the former has been anything but simple to correct.
A revision to the September map should be on the books this month.
Homeowners were the first to figure out something was amiss. Federally insured lenders require homeowners to have flood insurance if their property resides in a 100-year flood plain.
John Nemes received a letter from Bank of America on Dec. 13, 2008, saying his Kokanee Way house that he’s owned since 1983 needed to have flood insurance because of the September FEMA map.
“Low-risk flood insurance is very inexpensive. High-risk flood insurance is a premium. They put a lien on my house. They charged me interest on the lien,” Nemes said. As of press time he was still wrestling with BofA to get his money back.
Before FEMA decided it had made a mistake, Nemes along with others in the South Lake Tahoe neighborhood paid civil engineers for a certificate of elevation to prove their property was not at risk of flooding. The lowest point on Nemes’ property is 4.5 feet above the threat of flooding.
Nemes is mad at the city, mad at FEMA and mad at BofA.
Eric Simmons, senior engineer with FEMA in Oakland, said city officials, including then Mayor Mike Weber, saw the September map before it became official.
Weber said this is not true.
“To my knowledge, former Mayor Weber was never involved in meetings on this matter and I never participated in them as well,” City Manager Dave Jinkens said.
Jinkens wrote Simmons on March 13 seeking a revision to the September map. A March 25 response said the agency would see what it could do.
Christian Svensk, associate planner with the city, has been the point man to clean up the mess. He says FEMA did notify the city the maps were being digitized, but nothing more.
“… it wasn’t a revision. They said they were not changing the flood plain so there was no formal review period or notice for these maps,” Svensk explained. “FEMA is responsible for the incorrect map. We did not seek that map and force it upon people. There is no sign-off. They don’t follow-up and say are you good with this. It put us in a bad position.”
On April 9, Simmons toured the Keys to see for himself how the September map didn’t reflect reality. He also met with several homeowners. After that meeting, Keys owners were given until May 8 to comment on the draft revise.
The one beneficiary of the September map seems to be Dover Street, which had been in the flood zone before. Bob Henderson had to have flood insurance when he refinanced a handful of years ago. The 1978 map showed the meadow coming to Tahoe Keys Boulevard, which means his house would be in that meadow.
His lender has refunded his flood insurance premium.
Colorado Court still is at risk, according to FEMA, from the Upper Truckee River, not Lake Tahoe.
Tahoe Maritime Museum
Living history – it’s the tagline of the Tahoe Maritime Museum in Homewood.
Most of the vessels on display continue to ply the waters of Lake Tahoe. Miss Tessa, a 1930 Dodge, was on display when the 5,800-square-foot facility opened a year ago this month. In 2007, it churned the waters during the annual Concours d’Elegance.
The exterior of the building is reminiscent of an old boat house. The interior of the two-story structure next to Homewood Ski Resort is open and airy.
Watercraft on display is rotated. Boats not in Homewood are stored at the museum’s annex in Truckee.
It’s an ideal outing for families because of the rich history depicted in seeing old vessels, as well as the display cases that change to keep the museum fresh, the simulator that demonstrates commandeering a boat on Tahoe, the motors filling one wall, activities corner for kids, old tools and other exhibits.
A 1922 Chris-Craft called “Godfather” was the sixth boat produced that year. It’s part of the museum collection. History about Gar Wood and Chris Craft are on display.
Two hydroplane boats are on a wall. Racing those boats used to be a big sport at the Lake. A rowing skiff from the 1960s is propped against one wall looks like it would have been one of heck of a workout to power it across the water.
For information, go to www.TahoeMaritimeMuseum.org or call (530) 525-9253.
Most of the vessels on display continue to ply the waters of Lake Tahoe. Miss Tessa, a 1930 Dodge, was on display when the 5,800-square-foot facility opened a year ago this month. In 2007, it churned the waters during the annual Concours d’Elegance.
The exterior of the building is reminiscent of an old boat house. The interior of the two-story structure next to Homewood Ski Resort is open and airy.
Watercraft on display is rotated. Boats not in Homewood are stored at the museum’s annex in Truckee.
It’s an ideal outing for families because of the rich history depicted in seeing old vessels, as well as the display cases that change to keep the museum fresh, the simulator that demonstrates commandeering a boat on Tahoe, the motors filling one wall, activities corner for kids, old tools and other exhibits.
A 1922 Chris-Craft called “Godfather” was the sixth boat produced that year. It’s part of the museum collection. History about Gar Wood and Chris Craft are on display.
Two hydroplane boats are on a wall. Racing those boats used to be a big sport at the Lake. A rowing skiff from the 1960s is propped against one wall looks like it would have been one of heck of a workout to power it across the water.
For information, go to www.TahoeMaritimeMuseum.org or call (530) 525-9253.
Never a dull moment with SLTPD
5/09 tahoe mt. news
By Kathryn Reed
It’s 11:47 on a Friday night. The handcuffs are taken off the 16-year-old South Lake Tahoe girl and she places her hands on her head like she’s told to. The guard at the Juvenile Detention Center searches her.
The teen removes her shoes and socks. Earrings are taken out. She struggles to remove the nose ring.
“Do you have any piercings I can’t see?” the guard asks.
“No,” the girl says.
The guard re-reads her her rights.
The girl must remove her jacket and belt before entering the holding cell – prevention so she doesn’t hang herself.
She will be spending her first night in juvi because officers could not track down her parents to release her to their custody after she was cited for contributing to the delinquency of minors.
It doesn’t matter the age of the supplier – give a minor alcohol and a crime has been committed.
At 10:23pm South Lake Tahoe police Officers Doug Sentell and Robert Autre show up at the girl’s house in the middle of town. A caller had reported a party was going on and said a chemical smell was detected.
A handful of the girl’s friends are in various stages of drunkenness.
“I don’t do anything wrong except I drink,” the girl said. She never seemed to comprehend what the big deal was.
Officers confiscated the half empty booze bottles and a pipe with suspected marijuana in it.
“That’s my dad’s (pipe). That’s not fair. He didn’t do anything wrong,” the girl stammered. The pipe was found in her pocket. Her fluttering eyelids signaled to Sentell she had been smoking weed.
The teens told the officers they got the alcohol by “shoulder tapping” – literally tapping a person on the shoulder and asking them to buy booze.
“So many kids end up in Barton. Some with a 4.0,” said Sgt. Shannon Norrgard. The legal limit for an adult is a blood alcohol content of 0.08.
Parents of the underage drinkers were called to pick up their offspring.
Norrgard, who has a 14-year-old, never wants to be in their shoes. She said it would be her worst nightmare come true.
Some of the kids sound like they’ve made this call before. Some parents thank the officers for the call. Most are visibly upset with their kids.
One of the boys is sober. He doesn’t have parents to call. He’s a couch surfer – a kid whose home is whatever couch he finds that night. It’s a form of being homeless.
First stop for the underage party hostess is Barton Memorial Hospital for a fit for incarceration exam. She’s worried her stomach will be pumped. Her inebriated state isn’t that bad.
“This is actually kind of fun,” she says while sitting in Room 3 of the ER.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Sentell tells her.
“I’ve never been to the hospital,” she replies. After a slight pause she says, “Juvi is going to suck.”
On the streets
Sentell has been working the streets of South Lake for four years. He was on Clear Lake’s force for two years.
He says morale is improving. The father of four little ones says the switch from 12-hour shifts to 10-hour ones has made a dramatic difference. Plus, he hasn’t had any forced overtime in months.
But not everything is copasetic. Some officers, speaking off the record, say morale is still an issue.
Police Chief Terry Daniels said, “Morale was never as dark as people made it sound.”
He points to the worst time being during negotiations and he was on the city’s team which pitted him against his department’s five unions.
Capt. Martin Hewlett points to the need to “take care of our people.” He offered the tragedy in Oakland earlier this year as an example. “I told the sergeants to talk to the young guys and see how they are and how their spouses are dealing with it.” He bristled at the mention of morale not being good.
Even though staffing has increased significantly in the last year, not always does the scheduling seem logical. Some officers complain not enough vehicles mean officers aren’t always on the streets.
Today full staffing is 44 sworn officers. The department has 42. Testing to hire more officers occurred last month. But with the revolving door of retirements and transfers, it is doubtful staffing will consistently be full.
In the 1980s the department had 57 officers – eight assigned to detectives.
Today there are 27 patrol officers. During the recent lean times that number fell to 18. The department employs 65 employees – not all are sworn officers.
Officers aren’t happy they have to tell burglary victims the crime won’t be investigated because there isn’t a detective to do it.
Daniels said he wants detectives to be fully staffed as soon as possible, which means four officers. One position is not filled, but that equates to being down 25 percent. It wasn’t long ago that detectives was stripped to one person.
Daniels is content he fulfills the department’s obligation to the South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team, especially knowing El Dorado County had to pull its sheriff’s deputy last fall.
If Daniels could have a wish, it’s to have a stable budget and never return to the days of being understaffed.
Hewlett, who runs the patrol division, wants his officers to eventually spend half of their time “dedicated to the needs of the community.” This includes K-9 presentations, working with youth and neighborhood watch programs.
The idea, according to Daniels, is to be proactive instead reactive.
Officers respond to about 36,000 calls a year. Last year crime dropped by 10 percent in the city. Even though property crimes tend to increase in bad economic times, Daniels said that has not been the case here.
“There are only a finite number of criminals in a small town,” Daniels said, adding that segment is about 4 to 5 percent of the population.
Domestic violence and drugs are the issues Sentell says he runs up against most often – with the two often being tied together. He said the biggest abuse he’s seeing is with the prescription med Oxycontin. It’s nickname is “hillbilly heroin.”
“We do have a significant drug problem. Anytime you have a place next to you that gives away alcohol 24/7 you will have alcohol problems,” Daniels said.
He acknowledged the increasing domestic violence problems here. Daniels said the partnership with South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center helps.
He also said he won’t be surprised if when the 2009 crime stats are tallied that drug-alcohol-domestic violence incidents have risen. The economy will be partly to blame.
Another issue out of officers’ control is the influx of people in town, especially during the summer. Staffing is set for the 25,000 residents, not the 60,000 occupants during summer.
Altering course
Hewlett said after a hiatus of a couple years cops will be returning to bicycle patrol this summer. The four to six officers will primarily work the beaches and campgrounds on mountain bikes
The boat program is set to go, as well.
Two officers will be on motorcycles.
“One goal is to reduce traffic accidents in 2009 through focused enforcement,” Hewlett said. “Last year we had DUI enforcement. Arrests increased and traffic accidents and fatals at night decreased.”
A goal of Daniels’ since he took the reigns of top cop a few years ago was to bring back the Police Activities League. Nearly 20 kids – boys and girls – are in the boxing program. Some are gearing up for competitions, other have the potential to box at the collegiate level.
Through the bike program kids are repairing two-wheelers that they’ll eventually be able to pedal.
PAL volunteers took kids to a basketball game at UNR. Fishing, sledding and skating are other activities.
The department is an integral player in the Youth Task Force (www.tahoeytf.com), a coalition of community groups whose focus is all about kids in the community. Information about PAL and a community calendar are on the website.
Daniels said the goal is to get kids involved in something positive, show them parts of the area they’ve never seen and expose them to activities that help them set positive goals.
Union concerns
Robert Autre, president of the SLT Police Officers Association, isn’t thrilled with some of management’s decisions. The seasoned officer who crossed the state line a couple years ago after retiring from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, is not shy about voicing his concerns.
He shakes his head when talking about the training and vehicle budgets being cut. Autre said it will be two years before SLTPD gets new vehicles.
Autre said cutting the training budget can make a city liable when an officer is sued for some incident.
“There is no excuse for a department our size to be in the predicament it’s in,” Autre said. “It’s all about money. They are refusing to properly man, they are failing to properly train and they are failing to properly equip.”
Autre said if what happened in Douglas County recently when three officers were shot in an eight-month period were to have happened in South Lake at the same time, the department would not have had the coverage to handle it.
“What the community fails to see when they see four cop cars and think it’s a waste of manpower is that we get paid for what we might have to do,” Autre said.
Troubled times
Sgt. Jeff Regan is on administrative leave following his DUI arrest in Nevada on April 17. This is not the first time he has been on the other side of the law. In 2005 he was accused of domestic violence, though those charges were dropped.
Officer Johnny Poland, who is on paid administrative leave while the city challenge’s his reinstatement, had his April 29 Superior Court date canceled.
Poland said he and his attorney have until May 15 to respond to the city’s appeal.
May 29 is the next date to watch for. As of press time it was not known if both sides would be in court if a decision would be made then.
Poland was spending the end of April and early May composing documents for the El Dorado County grand jury.
“There were plenty of things said and done that will create a hostile work environment. I need that addressed. I need the grand jury to say that it is wrong,” Poland said. “I can’t expect the city manager or police chief to look into it.”
Poland was fired in June 2007 after a November 2006 incident at South Tahoe High. A three-person arbitration panel last fall ruled he should be given his badge back. The city is appealing that decision without the unanimous consent of the City Council.
“We have put out a gag order. We don’t talk about (Poland),” Chief Daniels said.
Daniels has heard the rumor that Poland’s personnel records have been leaked to the Tahoe Daily Tribune. A copy is kept at the department and one with human resources at city offices. It is a misdemeanor in California to publish such files of peace officers.
If the Poland case is strung out another year, he would have to go through police officers standard training again.
One officer who spoke off the record isn’t worried about Poland coming back. “What worries me more is some other officers. Some of whom are getting promoted and have some black marks against them like totaling cars and others covering for them,” the veteran officer said.
In another incident, Jim Smith who owns Nik-n-Willies Pizza reportedly has gone to the Department of Justice seeking an investigation into Daniel’s behavior from several years ago.
Supposedly Smith has a recording of Daniels making a less than professional call to his business.
“I’ve never called him, so that’s a lie,” Daniels said.
Smith said, “I’m not talking to anyone at this point. I have been advised by my legal counsel not to talk to anyone.”
By Kathryn Reed
It’s 11:47 on a Friday night. The handcuffs are taken off the 16-year-old South Lake Tahoe girl and she places her hands on her head like she’s told to. The guard at the Juvenile Detention Center searches her.
The teen removes her shoes and socks. Earrings are taken out. She struggles to remove the nose ring.
“Do you have any piercings I can’t see?” the guard asks.
“No,” the girl says.
The guard re-reads her her rights.
The girl must remove her jacket and belt before entering the holding cell – prevention so she doesn’t hang herself.
She will be spending her first night in juvi because officers could not track down her parents to release her to their custody after she was cited for contributing to the delinquency of minors.
It doesn’t matter the age of the supplier – give a minor alcohol and a crime has been committed.
At 10:23pm South Lake Tahoe police Officers Doug Sentell and Robert Autre show up at the girl’s house in the middle of town. A caller had reported a party was going on and said a chemical smell was detected.
A handful of the girl’s friends are in various stages of drunkenness.
“I don’t do anything wrong except I drink,” the girl said. She never seemed to comprehend what the big deal was.
Officers confiscated the half empty booze bottles and a pipe with suspected marijuana in it.
“That’s my dad’s (pipe). That’s not fair. He didn’t do anything wrong,” the girl stammered. The pipe was found in her pocket. Her fluttering eyelids signaled to Sentell she had been smoking weed.
The teens told the officers they got the alcohol by “shoulder tapping” – literally tapping a person on the shoulder and asking them to buy booze.
“So many kids end up in Barton. Some with a 4.0,” said Sgt. Shannon Norrgard. The legal limit for an adult is a blood alcohol content of 0.08.
Parents of the underage drinkers were called to pick up their offspring.
Norrgard, who has a 14-year-old, never wants to be in their shoes. She said it would be her worst nightmare come true.
Some of the kids sound like they’ve made this call before. Some parents thank the officers for the call. Most are visibly upset with their kids.
One of the boys is sober. He doesn’t have parents to call. He’s a couch surfer – a kid whose home is whatever couch he finds that night. It’s a form of being homeless.
First stop for the underage party hostess is Barton Memorial Hospital for a fit for incarceration exam. She’s worried her stomach will be pumped. Her inebriated state isn’t that bad.
“This is actually kind of fun,” she says while sitting in Room 3 of the ER.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Sentell tells her.
“I’ve never been to the hospital,” she replies. After a slight pause she says, “Juvi is going to suck.”
On the streets
Sentell has been working the streets of South Lake for four years. He was on Clear Lake’s force for two years.
He says morale is improving. The father of four little ones says the switch from 12-hour shifts to 10-hour ones has made a dramatic difference. Plus, he hasn’t had any forced overtime in months.
But not everything is copasetic. Some officers, speaking off the record, say morale is still an issue.
Police Chief Terry Daniels said, “Morale was never as dark as people made it sound.”
He points to the worst time being during negotiations and he was on the city’s team which pitted him against his department’s five unions.
Capt. Martin Hewlett points to the need to “take care of our people.” He offered the tragedy in Oakland earlier this year as an example. “I told the sergeants to talk to the young guys and see how they are and how their spouses are dealing with it.” He bristled at the mention of morale not being good.
Even though staffing has increased significantly in the last year, not always does the scheduling seem logical. Some officers complain not enough vehicles mean officers aren’t always on the streets.
Today full staffing is 44 sworn officers. The department has 42. Testing to hire more officers occurred last month. But with the revolving door of retirements and transfers, it is doubtful staffing will consistently be full.
In the 1980s the department had 57 officers – eight assigned to detectives.
Today there are 27 patrol officers. During the recent lean times that number fell to 18. The department employs 65 employees – not all are sworn officers.
Officers aren’t happy they have to tell burglary victims the crime won’t be investigated because there isn’t a detective to do it.
Daniels said he wants detectives to be fully staffed as soon as possible, which means four officers. One position is not filled, but that equates to being down 25 percent. It wasn’t long ago that detectives was stripped to one person.
Daniels is content he fulfills the department’s obligation to the South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team, especially knowing El Dorado County had to pull its sheriff’s deputy last fall.
If Daniels could have a wish, it’s to have a stable budget and never return to the days of being understaffed.
Hewlett, who runs the patrol division, wants his officers to eventually spend half of their time “dedicated to the needs of the community.” This includes K-9 presentations, working with youth and neighborhood watch programs.
The idea, according to Daniels, is to be proactive instead reactive.
Officers respond to about 36,000 calls a year. Last year crime dropped by 10 percent in the city. Even though property crimes tend to increase in bad economic times, Daniels said that has not been the case here.
“There are only a finite number of criminals in a small town,” Daniels said, adding that segment is about 4 to 5 percent of the population.
Domestic violence and drugs are the issues Sentell says he runs up against most often – with the two often being tied together. He said the biggest abuse he’s seeing is with the prescription med Oxycontin. It’s nickname is “hillbilly heroin.”
“We do have a significant drug problem. Anytime you have a place next to you that gives away alcohol 24/7 you will have alcohol problems,” Daniels said.
He acknowledged the increasing domestic violence problems here. Daniels said the partnership with South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center helps.
He also said he won’t be surprised if when the 2009 crime stats are tallied that drug-alcohol-domestic violence incidents have risen. The economy will be partly to blame.
Another issue out of officers’ control is the influx of people in town, especially during the summer. Staffing is set for the 25,000 residents, not the 60,000 occupants during summer.
Altering course
Hewlett said after a hiatus of a couple years cops will be returning to bicycle patrol this summer. The four to six officers will primarily work the beaches and campgrounds on mountain bikes
The boat program is set to go, as well.
Two officers will be on motorcycles.
“One goal is to reduce traffic accidents in 2009 through focused enforcement,” Hewlett said. “Last year we had DUI enforcement. Arrests increased and traffic accidents and fatals at night decreased.”
A goal of Daniels’ since he took the reigns of top cop a few years ago was to bring back the Police Activities League. Nearly 20 kids – boys and girls – are in the boxing program. Some are gearing up for competitions, other have the potential to box at the collegiate level.
Through the bike program kids are repairing two-wheelers that they’ll eventually be able to pedal.
PAL volunteers took kids to a basketball game at UNR. Fishing, sledding and skating are other activities.
The department is an integral player in the Youth Task Force (www.tahoeytf.com), a coalition of community groups whose focus is all about kids in the community. Information about PAL and a community calendar are on the website.
Daniels said the goal is to get kids involved in something positive, show them parts of the area they’ve never seen and expose them to activities that help them set positive goals.
Union concerns
Robert Autre, president of the SLT Police Officers Association, isn’t thrilled with some of management’s decisions. The seasoned officer who crossed the state line a couple years ago after retiring from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, is not shy about voicing his concerns.
He shakes his head when talking about the training and vehicle budgets being cut. Autre said it will be two years before SLTPD gets new vehicles.
Autre said cutting the training budget can make a city liable when an officer is sued for some incident.
“There is no excuse for a department our size to be in the predicament it’s in,” Autre said. “It’s all about money. They are refusing to properly man, they are failing to properly train and they are failing to properly equip.”
Autre said if what happened in Douglas County recently when three officers were shot in an eight-month period were to have happened in South Lake at the same time, the department would not have had the coverage to handle it.
“What the community fails to see when they see four cop cars and think it’s a waste of manpower is that we get paid for what we might have to do,” Autre said.
Troubled times
Sgt. Jeff Regan is on administrative leave following his DUI arrest in Nevada on April 17. This is not the first time he has been on the other side of the law. In 2005 he was accused of domestic violence, though those charges were dropped.
Officer Johnny Poland, who is on paid administrative leave while the city challenge’s his reinstatement, had his April 29 Superior Court date canceled.
Poland said he and his attorney have until May 15 to respond to the city’s appeal.
May 29 is the next date to watch for. As of press time it was not known if both sides would be in court if a decision would be made then.
Poland was spending the end of April and early May composing documents for the El Dorado County grand jury.
“There were plenty of things said and done that will create a hostile work environment. I need that addressed. I need the grand jury to say that it is wrong,” Poland said. “I can’t expect the city manager or police chief to look into it.”
Poland was fired in June 2007 after a November 2006 incident at South Tahoe High. A three-person arbitration panel last fall ruled he should be given his badge back. The city is appealing that decision without the unanimous consent of the City Council.
“We have put out a gag order. We don’t talk about (Poland),” Chief Daniels said.
Daniels has heard the rumor that Poland’s personnel records have been leaked to the Tahoe Daily Tribune. A copy is kept at the department and one with human resources at city offices. It is a misdemeanor in California to publish such files of peace officers.
If the Poland case is strung out another year, he would have to go through police officers standard training again.
One officer who spoke off the record isn’t worried about Poland coming back. “What worries me more is some other officers. Some of whom are getting promoted and have some black marks against them like totaling cars and others covering for them,” the veteran officer said.
In another incident, Jim Smith who owns Nik-n-Willies Pizza reportedly has gone to the Department of Justice seeking an investigation into Daniel’s behavior from several years ago.
Supposedly Smith has a recording of Daniels making a less than professional call to his business.
“I’ve never called him, so that’s a lie,” Daniels said.
Smith said, “I’m not talking to anyone at this point. I have been advised by my legal counsel not to talk to anyone.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)