Category Archives: Safety

Proposal To Disband UNET?

Indict The System Sign Held By Man Protesting Next Tuesday, April 26th  at noon, the City Council is having a public meeting to discuss the proposed budget cuts for the Police.

All departments are being asked to  cut their budgets by 4%.

One area they have included is the termination of UNET.

Please inform your neighbors to attend and express their opinions about the need for the Police presence that UNET provides and any other issues they may have.

Since this meeting is a noon ‘workshop’, our best option is to use eComment. Send your thoughts, comments, ideas or concerns about the wisdom of this proposal.

Here’s a link to the agenda.

Police, Fire Public Utilities and Public Works are justifying their proposed budgets. Nobody wants to give up any money. Every department wants to keep operating the way they have.

Threatening to cut services to the neighborhoods is a sure fire way to drum up public comments and hopefully, public support for the departments. After all, we are talking about essential public health and safety services here.

What we don’t ever seem to talk about is how those essential services are being delivered. Take the fire department for example. Most of their calls are medical emergencies. Yet they roll the big equipment with full crews to answer calls that could be more appropriately addressed by a two man paramedic crews. Lots of unnecessary wear and tear on very specialized and expensive equipment.

I’m sure the voters don’t appreciate the prospect of a cut in services. After all, wasn’t it just a year or so ago when we were told that if we didn’t pass Measure A, an armageddon of lost public services would result?

The voters passed it and two weeks later, the Parks Department was threatening to reduce hours or close the City’s pools at the start of Summer. Fortunately, neighbors showed up and embarrassed the Council and we avoided a long hot, dry Summer.

The Police got an extra boost that year as well. We got to see really fast response times for rousting the homeless from the Blaine Street off ramp. In the meantime, the types of service calls the University Neighborhood has, are now coming from Sycamore Highlands, Canyon Crest, University Knolls, and parts of unincorporated Riverside County as well.

So maybe we should all do ourselves a favor and take a look at the budget proposals for Tuesday’s workshop. They’re easy to read. Most of them are going to be power points for the Council. Then share your thoughts via  eComment.

Everybody’s suddenly talking about fiscal responsibility. I say that starts with us. After all, we own it, don’t we?

 

The Clery Act – Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act or Clery Act is a federal statute codified at 20 U.S.C. § 1092(f), with implementing regulations in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations at 34 C.F.R. 668.46.

Report Crime LogoThe Clery Act requires all colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to keep and disclose information about crime on and near their respective campuses. Compliance is monitored by the United States Department of Education, which can impose civil penalties, up to $35,000 per violation, against institutions for each infraction and can suspend institutions from participating in federal student financial aid programs.

The law is named for Jeanne Clery, a 19-year-old Lehigh University freshman who was raped and murdered in her campus residence hall in 1986. The backlash against unreported crimes on numerous campuses across the country led to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. [2] The Clery Act, signed in 1990, was originally known as the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act.

Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women
Office of Postsecondary Education, Campus Security
Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention

See also

References

External links

Laws and regulations

Crime statistics

Other information

 

Metrolink Safety Concerns Raised At UNA Meeting

Several University neighbors raised concerns over the start of Metrolink commuter rail service running through the neighborhood in the next months. Here’s a recap of the concerns form a letter sent to Anne Mayer, Director of RCTC.

​​​​​Hi Anne,

I wanted to update you on several issues that neighborhood residents have raised.

First on the list: UCR is hosting a student group orientation on Tuesday the 22nd. Sargent Seth Morrison wanted to invite Metrolink Safety Program Manager, Martha (Marty) Jimenez from Operation Lifesaver. Could you please make the introduction?

Operation Life SaverMartha made her presentation along with her UCR Grad trainee Ariel Alcon Tapia. Her message would be best suited to the student population climbing the “C” Trail each day.

I asked Ariel, her UCR grad and trainee if he ever hiked the “C” Trail. Of course he had to admit that he had. The presentation fell flat for the neighborhood.

The key issue is a safe crossing. It’s not going to be solved by contracting with LA County Sheriffs for trespassing enforcement. The safety programming necessary as it is, is occurring as inauthentic.

The persistence in resisting tunnels or bridges, is putting RCTC in the unenviable position of appearing callous and guilty of misfeasance when the inevitable student fatality occurs.

Sorority Photo Op On Metrolink TracksI am forwarding a number of photos for you. One of them is a sorority group photo staged on the tracks.

Others point out an issue we’re having with cars driving into Islander Park entering from the Mt.Vernon/Linden crossing.

This is an open invitation to partying and dumping. It’s also an attractive nuisance which will no doubt result in additional drivers getting stuck on the tracks.

Islander Park Drive In Access 2

Drive In Access To Islander Park 3

Dennis McCulloch wants to know what is being contemplated to address his issue.

The seven properties identified in the EIR as requiring sound mitigation have asked when that is going to happen. Other residents have already used the mitigation money offered. These seven are due and want to know if there’s a timeline, a process or someone they should contact. Christopher and Debra Sanchez at 2282 Kentwood
have asked. Please advise.

A suggestion was made about addressing the safety issues of trail crossings by hikers. Dave Roddy is a neighbor and his suggestion was to slow the speed through the neighborhood from Linden to Manfield to 15 mph, about the same as the
current freight train speeds through the neighborhood.

I realize this will immediately bring up a number of reasons why that can’t work. However, in light of no other significant measure in place to successfully address the gaping public safety issue we’re facing, it might be worth considering.

Adding a few extra minutes to the route until we get this resolved is actually the one idea with the greatest chance of making an actual impact on public safety. I doubt the beginning ridership numbers will be significant enough to warrant being overly inconvenienced versus the possibility of a potentially fatal one.

At the very least, it buys us time to continue discussions about a tunnel or bridge. The cost to install either is far under RCTC’s estimates to the Friends Of Riverside’s Hills. To solve this crossing issue, we’re in the low six figures, not the millions as proposed.

In the project plan the crossing at Morton Road was to be gated and closed being accessible only to emergency vehicles. If this is so, what was the reason behind installing full crossing infrastructure? People want to know.

The last item relates to Quiet Zones. We know the City has to apply. What is the process or timeline for this? Do we wait until RCTC signs off as complete? Please tell us how the process works. We know it goes to the PUC. When is the key question in the neighborhood.

As always, I share this in the possibility of shared community benefit.

A vibrant, Badly Eroded C Trail Riverside CAsafe regional trails network starts with Islander Park. The C Trail is the second most popular trail after Mt. Rubidoux. The wear is obvious.

Imagining more crossings not less or none as RCTC insists, is where the majority of community stakeholders are focused..

The Riverside Stem Academy for one, is cut off from accessing the Box Springs Mountains Preserve because they can’t cross the tracks either. Same as the C Trail.

Healthy Riverside County General PlanThe draw to these natural resources has always been present. That was evident from the very first scoping sessions. Now we have significantly larger numbers of the community accessing these resources.

The County’s Healthy Cities Initiative is based on healthy food access and walkable communities.

We’re at a loss at RCTC’s position denying a community access to fulfill a stated health implementation goal.

These issues have already been solved in other Metrolink communities. We are the only residential area on the new Perris Valley line. We feel we should have gotten at least as good a project as in other Metrolink communities.

It is unreasonable to think we can’t come up with a plan to develop the trail heads in Islander Park to function as safe, environmentally sound and effective.

The Metrolink project will alter the fabric of our neighborhood forever. The looming safety and access issues were always key points for us. They are not going away. We think it’s well past time for RCTC to mitigate them in the best interest of the community and the taxpayers.

As always yours for a neighborhood of our dreams,

Gurumantra Khalsa

Chair University Neighborhood Association.

Civilian Oversight Of Law Enforcement Conference Coming To Riverside

Police Review Brian Buchner, Board President of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE), will be coming to Riverside to meet with local community leaders regarding the 2015 NACOLE Conference.

This conference will take place here in Riverside on October 4 – 8, 2015 (please see the attached NACOLE newsletter or the NACOLE website: nacole.org).

This informal meeting will be held in the Riverside City Council Chambers on March 16th, 2015, from 5 – 7 PM.  Please send two – three representatives from your group or organization to this meeting where they will be able to learn about NACOLE and the upcoming conference, and where Mr. Buchner will also learn from community leaders of their concerns regarding local issues.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Phoebe Sherron in the CPRC Office at 951.826.5509.

 

Thank you.

 

Phoebe Sherron

Sr. Office Specialist

 

Community Police Review Commission

Emergency Vehicles Coming To Campus Wednesday

Nothing to worry about if you happen to see hundreds of emergency personnel on campus this Wednesday.

To the Campus Community,

Line of Parked Fire Trucks As part of UCR’s ongoing emergency preparations, the campus has invited more than one hundred emergency responders to come take a tour of the campus on Wednesday, Dec. 17, focusing on the labs and steam plant. Emergency vehicles will be parked in Lot 6. We are trying to share this notice widely to avoid someone mistaking numerous emergency vehicles for a crisis.

“This is important work and part of our ability to communicate efficiently with each other if there is an emergency,” said Russell Vernon, director of UCR’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety.

Line of parked fire trucks with ladders extendedRepresentatives of Riverside County Fire, Riverside Police, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and several other fire agencies will be touring labs, the steam plant, and other areas of campus that might be critically important to an emergency response during an earthquake or other natural disaster.  The tour and workshop lasts from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information about UCR’s emergency preparations, visit:
http://ehs.ucr.edu/emergency/index.html

 

Mailbox Vandalism, Theft Resources From Sycamore Highlands

Community MailboxesSycamore Highlands mailboxes continue to be broken into.  The community mailboxes in our neighborhood were not built to prevent burglary.  If your community mailbox is repeatedly broken into, you might consider purchasing a new mailbox – USPS won’t do it (they have refused to take responsibility for these mailboxes).
You can purchase your own unit through a company like:  http://www.lowpriceclustermailboxes.com/  .  My neighborhood purchased a new standard 13 door mailbox unit from this company (cost about $1100) and every neighbor chipped in their share of the price.  The mailbox base unit fit right over the bolts of the old unit, though the base is thicker on the new unit so that the bolts were just barely long enough to work.  You can also reach out to our USPS authorized repairman Mark Guizlo (http://guizloinstallations.com/) who can purchase and install a new unit for you.
Within a few days of installing our new community mailbox, someone did try to break in…but they gave up quickly, just a few scratch marks to show where they tried to get a hacksaw blade into the unit to cut off a door hasp. Nobody has tried to break in since; though it was broken into weekly when our old box was at this same location.  We also heard that RPD caught someone last week who had checks from one of my neighbors that were stolen from the mailbox, so at least one thief is out of service.
Do consider a new mailbox unit if your unit is repeatedly broken into – the cost of a new box is less than the cost of dealing with identity theft.
__________________________________________________________
Sycamore Highlands Community Action Group
6012 Abernathy Dr.
Riverside, CA 92507
(951) 369-3510