Question #7 / How do I register my home alarm system?

From Melanie, "How do I go about registering my home alarm system with the Police Department? I was given the number 916-874-4616, but it is not a valid number."

That is the correct number to call. It is the Sacramento County Sheriff's Alarm Bureau, who also handles all alarm-related issues for the City of Rancho Cordova.

If you call the number and get a voicemail, you can press 7 and speak to a person during business hours (9:00 am - 4:00 pm Monday through Friday). You may also download the Rancho Cordova Police Department Permit Application by going to the link below:

http://www.sacsheriff.com/forms/documents/RC_APPLICATION1.pdf

Question #6 / Where can a tow truck park?

From Phyllis, “Where is a tow drive driver to park his truck? My husband received a ticket for parking it on the street.”


The City of Rancho Cordova has a commercial vehicle parking ordinance (RCMC 10.24.075) which requires vehicles over 10,001 lbs gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), or over twenty feet in length, or over seven and half feet in height, to park off the public roadway in residential areas. This would include almost all tow trucks.

Your husband may park his tow truck in the commercial areas of Fitzgerald and Luyung or Recycle Road.

You may access Rancho Cordova’s Municipal Codes by going to www.codepublishing.com/CA/RanchoCordova/

Question #5/ Hands Free Cell Phones for Officers?

Question;
This Morning while driving to work, I witness one of the Rancho Cordova officers was talking on a hand held cell phone. I was gettinng off the Zinfindel exit off of 50. He was on it the whole time while I was exiting and waiting at the light. He turned onto Zinfindel towards Folsom while talking on the hand-held cell phone. I was unable to see the license plate or car number. I understand the new law, but don't you think your officers should be leading by example? What does that tell your average citizen or a child, that the police are above the law? Doesn't the Rancho Cordova dept have funds to assist officers who can't afford hands free devices? Please stress to your officers, the importance of leading by example.

Thank you, Patrick

Answer;

Thank you for your concerns regarding this matter.

First, none of our officers feel they are above the new cell phone Law and they take their jobs very seriously. As you will see below the law exempts all law enforcement officers from this restriction as do many other laws related to driving while responding to emergencies.

An example of this is when our officers need to respond in a “code3” status (lights and sirens), while maintaining the due regard of safety for others; they will drive much faster than the speed limit and often need to drive through stop signs and red lights.

If you were not aware the new law does not affect Law Enforcement Officers from using there cell phones without a hands free device; "Operators of an authorized emergency vehicle during the course of employment are exempt as are those motorists operating a vehicle on private property." CVC 23123

Here is the entire verbiage from the vehicle code.

“23123. (a) A person shall not drive a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone unless that telephone is specifically designed and configured to allow hands-free listening and talking, and is used in that manner while driving.

(b) A violation of this section is an infraction punishable by a base fine of twenty dollars ($20) for a first offense and fifty dollars ($50) for each subsequent offense.

(c) This section does not apply to a person using a wireless telephone for emergency purposes, including, but not limited to, an emergency call to a law enforcement agency, health care provider, fire department, or other emergency services agency or entity.

(d) This section does not apply to an emergency services professional using a wireless telephone while operating an authorized emergency vehicle, as defined in Section 165, in the course and scope of his or her duties.

(e) This section does not apply to a person driving a schoolbus or transit vehicle that is subject to Section 23125.

(f) This section does not apply to a person while driving a motor vehicle on private property.

(g) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2011.”

Even though Law Enforcement is exempt from this new law, we are waiting for the arrival of hands free devices for all of our officers to use while on-duty. This process will take some time, however due to the large numbers of devices we need and the cost of these devices.

Question #4 Posted by DH22

Question: What are the laws and regulations regarding the use of firearms on car burglars, being that it is different from protection of life and home? Also, what is the best way to act in a situation where one sees a car burglary in progress? Notifying the police is a given but it’s possible the burglar is able to get in and out of a car within minutes and getting away before the police arrive.

Answer: California Law states that you have a right to use the amount of force necessary to protect yourself and others if you feel that your life is in danger. This doesn’t apply when using deadly force to protect your property. If you were to shoot one of the suspects, you could be arrested.

If you see a car burglary in process, call 911. Narrate to the dispatcher what the suspect looks like. Describe him/her from head to toe, including a clothing description, age and race. The dispatcher will voice your information over the radio to units in the area. Officers will then be dispatched to respond to the area. If the suspect takes off before officers arrive, they can look for him/her in the area as they pull in. Be sure to give the dispatcher the last direction that the suspect took off. If you see them get into a car on hop on a bike, be able to describe that too.

If the police catch the suspect, they will detain them. The police will then contact you for a "field show-up." Officers will then pick you up, transport you to the scene of where the suspect is being detained. You will stay in the squad car while officers take the suspect out. You will then either positively identify the suspect, or say no. If it is a positive identification, the suspect will be taken to jail.

Another factor about vehicle burglaries is that if the vehicle was unlocked, and item stolen from inside don’t exceed $400.00 it is a petty theft, and is considered a misdemeanor.

Using deadly force for a property crime is not acceptable.

Question #3 Posted by Jeff

Question: How often do officers have to use their guns? When can they use them?

Answer: There are several levels of force that the police use including and up to the use of deadly force. We first attempt to use our voices. This often times diffuses situations where we don’t even need to use a weapon. We also carry pepper spray, a baton, and a Taser in addition to our service weapons. Should the need to draw our weapon occur, we give verbal commands. We repeat commands over and over which often leads to the compliance of a hostile subject. When to use a weapon is on an individual basis and governed by California Penal Code 832. Basically, we are trained to use the amount of force necessary to stop a hostile subject who is using force that is likely to cause death or serious physical harm to ourselves or someone else. We often draw our weapons, but rarely discharge them.

Question #2 Posted by Joe

Question: Is there a place we can forward emails that appear to be scams when the sender is asking for me to send them money orders and not to tell anyone about this or I might lose out on a good opportunity?

Answer: Receiving scam e-mails can be very frustrating. This is the website that our Financial Crimes detectives refer people to for reporting Internet related issues: http://www.ic3.gov/

Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).

Question #1 Posted by Robert

Question: I wanted to get some information on where I can obtain pepperspray. I am a manger in an apartment complex and I have had some trouble with people parking in our complex smoking drugs or having sex. Sometimes when tell them to leave they do get pretty upset. I’d like to get something to protect myself in case of an violent confrontation.
Thanks for the response

Answer: My advice to you is to let the police handle these problems. You never know when someone is going to be aggressive towards you or when someone is armed, and you never know if someone might try to assault you in the process. The police are trained to deal with hostile subjects, and sometimes our mere presence is enough to discourage future criminal behavior. You may use the amount of force necessary to protect yourself; however, you are not a sworn officer, and you shouldn’t go out with a can of pepper spray with the intent to confront these subjects. If you used it on these people, it may be interpreted that you have the intent to assault someone, which may be considered an assault with a deadly weapon. Even the best of intentions sometimes can go awry.

Act as a good witness. Describe the subject(s) to dispatch when you call. Get a license plate and make of the vehicle they are in. Give dispatch as much detail that you can so that they can disperse the information to responding units.

If you are having habitual problems, contact your local Problem Oriented Police (POP) team. They can help you with these types of situations.

Additionally, you may want to look into some security measures such as lighting and fencing. Contact the apartment owner as well. They have an obligation to make sure things run smoothly on their property. Good Luck!