Employee Recognition:
Officer Jacob Morua and members of the law enforcement community in the County of Los Angeles were recognized during the 2024 MADD Law Enforcement & Prosecutor
Recognition Awards Luncheon held at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on
June 27th. MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is a huge supporter of law
enforcement and fosters collaboration between agencies to keep our roads safe from drunk drivers. We are proud of Officer Morua for his work to keep our community safe and his recognition is well deserved.
Suspects Identified through DNA CODIS Hits
Three individuals suspected of being involved in incidents that occurred in the city have been identified through DNA evidence. The first individual was involved in a robbery that occurred in April of this year at 140 E. Santa Clara Street. The second was involved in a commercial burglary incident that occurred in April of last year at the preschool located at 325 E. Live Oak Avenue. The third was involved in a hit & run incident that occurred in October of last year. The names of the individuals are withheld due to active investigations. The use of DNA technology is one of several resources that serves as an effective tool for our investigations.
DUI/License Checkpoint
On May 24th, a DUI/License Checkpoint was conducted in the southern area of our City.
A total of 909 vehicles traveled through the checkpoint and a total of 776 vehicles were contacted at the primary and secondary inspection areas. Our efforts yielded a total of
five arrests. The checkpoints are funded by a grant issued by the Office of Traffic Safety.
The objective is to promote public safety and promote awareness of the dangers associated with drinking and driving. We extend our appreciation to the officers who
worked at the event along with our Police Cadets and Police Volunteers.
Arrests:
GPS – The GPS Tracker Program continues to prove its worth as an effective method to track porch thieves.
On June 15th, a package containing the device was stolen along with other pieces of mail from the residence located in the 200 block of E. Sycamore Avenue. Police officer tracked the signal and located a vehicle stopped in the parking lot of the baseball field of Eisenhower Park. The driver was detained and mail belonging to the address on Sycamore was recovered along with the GPS tracking device.
Good Investigation - Through investigative follow ups, a suspect involved in four separate cases that occurred earlier in the year related to prowling, mail theft, and attempted residential burglary was identified.
This individual was in custody at the Men’s Central Jail for a crime unrelated to Arcadia during the investigation. Arcadia officers arrested the individual immediately upon his release from Men’s Central Jail and transported him to the Arcadia Police Department for processing. The cases were presented to the District Attorney’s Office and returned with a felony and misdemeanor criminal complaints.
Residential Burglary - Four suspects were arrested for residential burglary that occurred on June 10th. The residence, located in the 400 block of Walnut Avenue, is currently used as a rental. At the time of the incident, the residence was in between renters and yet, the owner saw shadows in the home during a check of the location. Prior to the arrival of the police, an altercation between the homeowner and the suspects occurred which did not result in injuries. The suspects were arrested on multiple charges including possession of narcotics, outstanding arrest warrants, possession of a firearm, and residential burglary. One of the suspects had a history of burglary. The District Attorney’s Office filed felony charges on all four suspects.
Police Canine Program
On Monday, June 17th , Officer Morrill and Police Canine Kopper received a mutual aid request from the California Highway Patrol to assist them in tracking a suspect wanted for attempted murder. The suspect had shot two victims on a public transit bus along the 10 Freeway and fled into the city of Baldwin Park.
Utilizing some discarded clothing that the suspect had dropped, Kopper tracked the suspect for approximately 1/4 mile to a nearby hotel, where he continued to track indoor to the elevator. This information allowed the CHP to focus their investigation on the hotel and its security camera footage, which led them to locating and taking the suspect into custody the next day.
P.A.C.E. Team
This two-officer assignment was created in March of this year, and it falls within the Operations Division.
PACE is an acronym for "Protecting Arcadia through Community Engagement" and the concept of the team is to focus on community issues brought about by Watch Commanders and Area Commanders. It may also work in collaboration with the Quality-of-Life Detective. This is a two-year assignment providing lateral opportunities for rank-and-file officers.
The acronym “PACE” was part of a program called “PACE 2000” created under Chief Ronnie Garner’s administration (1995 – 2000). PACE 2000 stood for “Peaceful Arcadia Through Community Effort by 2000.”
We retained PACE and changed the wording to meet today’s needs. Officer Jacob Morua and Officer Giovanni Capra (son of retired city employee, Tony Capra) have been selected as the inaugural members and they were instructed to literally set the pace and the standard for the program as it moves forward.
Here are some of their accomplishments so far:
24-1832 | A residential burglary at 18 Bishop Court. The unit identified the suspect vehicle, located it, and arrested one of the two involved suspects. They are now working on the second suspect.
24-1696 | A robbery and shooting occurred at 140 East Santa Clara. The unit has identified the vehicle and is in the process of identifying the involved suspects.
24-0889 | A robbery and stabbing occurred at 1234 Short Street. The unit has identified one of the two suspects and is working to identify the second.
The team has addressed multiple quality of life issues, such as homeless outreach and enforcement, traffic enforcement and education in city areas, and burglary suppression patrol. The unit has also been proactive in responding to in-progress crimes, which have resulted in arrests for vehicle theft, domestic violence, and property thefts. Additionally, the unit has acted as the surveillance team for Detective Bureau follow-up on multiple types of crimes, including marijuana-grow houses, houses of prostitution, and assaults involving
weapons. The unit has also taken on the task of conducting scouting missions for Detective Bureau search/arrest warrants.
Residential Burglaries
Burglary investigations continue to reveal homeowners are leaving themselves vulnerable to becoming victims of a crime. Doors and windows are left unlocked. Many homes are not equipped with an alarm system. If they are, it is not being set, non-functional, or homeowners are unfamiliar with their system and unable to operate it.
Identified Trends
Notably, all incidents occurred towards the rear of the homes. The suspect(s) wear clothing with hoods, masks, and gloves. Get-away vehicles with a driver are used and are either parked in the vicinity of the target residence or circling the block. The drivers are either male or female and the vehicles are higher end vehicles to “blend in” the neighborhood.
Message from the Chief
Regarding residential burglaries, the media has reported on “Tourist Crews,” use of trail cameras, and use of radios to monitor police transmissions. It appears we have had incidents in Arcadia involving “Tourist Crews” who targeted homes in the Whispering Pines Estates based on our investigation. We have yet to come across cameras being placed in neighborhoods to monitor the daily patterns of homeowners. Yet, it is a good idea to be familiar with your neighborhood and to report anything that appears out of the ordinary.
Trends such as the use of cameras come to light because residents have taken the time to report their discoveries with their local police departments. Therefore, I continue to share the slogan, “See Something, Say Something.”
Criminals are always trying to monitor police responses using devices or by placing false reports of a crime.
We employ tactics on every response knowing this information. So please bear with us. A police car will not always be visible when you call but know that we are in your neighborhood or place of business.
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