HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - August 5, 1992 (67)CITY COUNCIL MEETING
August 5, 1992
SHERIFF'S TEAM OF ACTIVE RETIRED
SENIORS (S.T.A.R.S.) PROGRAM
CC -6 Council Member Snider asked that
CC -24(b) to the Lodi Senior Citizens
regarding the Sheriff's Team of
IS. T. A. R. S .) program.
the City MaLager pass on
Commission, information
Active Retired Seniors
CITY COUNCIL
[AMES W PINKERTON Mayor
N-11LLIP A PENNSNO
Mayor Pm Tempr"
DAVID M. HINCH%iIN
VACK A S1GL(XK
"N R (Rand() SNIDER
CITY OF LODI
CITY HALL, 221 WE5T PINE STREET
PO. BOX 3006
LODI, CALIFORNIA 95241-1910
!2091 334-5634
FAX (2091 33346 -
August 7, 1992
-Lillian Goldsmith
Chairperson
Lodi Senior Citizens Coma ai s s ion
1830 S. Hutchins Street 1507
Lodi, CA 95240
Dear Lillian:
THQMAS A PETER50N
City Manager
4LICE M RFIMCHE
City Clerk
509 WNArT
CitY Attorney
Attached is information pertaining to the Sheriff's Team'of Active
Retired Seniors (S.T.A.R.S.) Program. The purpose of the pr4ram is to
use volunteer senior citizens in law enforcement programs such as
traffic and crowd control at special events, graffiti abatement,
bicycle registration, etc. thereby freeing regular law enforcement
officers for basic crime -fighting duties.
The City Council asked that this information be forwarded to the Senior
Citixens Commibsion for review and response as to whether or not the
Covoission feels the Senior Citizens of this community might want to
become involved in such a program.
We would appreciate receiving your insight into the matter.
ve)4 truly yours,
46-4 � (ton, ir.�
Mayo) ,
JWP/ANK/ice `• �/
bc: Charlene Lange, CanRwd ty Center Director
The
Stockton
Renard
Monday, July 27, 7992
EDITORIALS
VWS
It's an opportunity
for 'just plain folks'
to become true VIPs
Manteca's program. the !'first in
the San Joaquin County. doesn't
have a Bever name — and atten-
dant acronym.
The connty's does —STARS for
Sherifrs Team of Active Retired
Seniors.
Now &oclrton will with its VIPS
for V of utz teers in Police Service a p
pw�l� by the City Council last
Hat ckvtr am -nm car -just plain
senior aides, the idea of using older
residents as additional ayes., ears
and hands for
law enforce -
VIP aaanaro? ment is what'S
CaN *a 2iocrklen important
Pollee Depart- YIPS, like
menta C�- Mgbteca's se-
rAY W- nior aides and
We M $44-4201 the sheriff's
for informatlon STARS, will do
eb*+rt Stodcton'a everything from
new Volunteers traffic a n d
in SWWks crowd co n tro I at
Pte, special events to
graffiti abate-
ment to bicycle
registrati)n, facing regular oMcers
for bas is crime-fightingd u t i es.
Lino Giovannetti, a retired busi-
nessman and longtime member of
the Stockton Police Reserves,
summed it up nicely: "It's an oppor-
tunity forjust plain folks to counter
our crime problems."
The cost is minimal: Start-up
costs to train 50voIuntetrs and pro-
vide them with uniforms and vehi-
cles during the first year will be less
than $30.000.
it is. as Deputy Police Chief Ed-
ward Chavez said, "a minor cost for
a major program."
And even if the money wasn't
coming from drug seizures, it would
be a w � w use of funds.
Senior Spectrum — July 2.1992
S.T.A.R.S. shed new light
on county law enforcement
By Hugh Donnelly
S e n iof 5 pact ru m
Uniform -clad senior citizens
driving around in marked patrol
vehicles searching out wrongdo-
ing in the unincorporated areas
ofSan Joaquin County?
Ridiculous!
That might have been citizen
reaction to such a proposal a
year ago, but the earty success of
the Sheriffs Team of Active Re-
tired Seniors — 57.A.R,5, —has
put new Iight on the subject.
The idea formed in the mind of
Sheriff Baxter Dunn while he
was attending a state sheriffs'
conference last fall. 'Several
sheriffs were discussing the idea
cf using seniors in different func-
tions within their departments,'
�r
O
4 a
co
LU
cc
40-
z
W
Ir
ccU
he recalls. 7 thought, if we could
combine all their ideas into a
comprehensive program. it
would allow us to continue our
patrol levels of service during
deep budget cuts."
-;T.N104
-714
Weldon Burson. 55 -year-old
former farmer, San Jose police
officer and Los Angeles area Cal-
ifornia Highway. Patrolman. was
put in charge of coordinatingthe
new program. Burson. who holds
the title of crime prevention offi-
cer. says. "I was asked to go to
Southern California. where most
of the similarprograms are in ex-
istence, and I interviewed 14
agencies. South cfthe Tehachap-
is. there are about 22,000 volun-
teers working in uniform.
Following t he trip. the best of
all the different programs were
picked to adapt to San Joaquin
Steve Chanecka/2
Marjorie Flaherty/3
Insurance/4
Health/9
Travel/13
County. The sheriff reviewed the
information, contributed his tri•
Put and designed the program to
assist the sheriffs' o ff:c e,"
The first training class was
graduated last December.
(rhe City of Manteca instituted
a similar S.T.A. R. S. program ear-
lier I ast year.)
Those wishing to join the se-
nior program must be at least 50
years ofage with no criminal his-
tory. 'Being handicapped or not
having a driver's license is no
problem." Burson emphasizes.
'Handicapped people can work
in office support systems and a
non -licensed driver can ride with
a licensed driver."
Each training course con-
sumes 40 hours, spread over a
period of two weeks. Trainees
meet weekdays from 9 a.m. to I
p, m, at the new sheriffs' depart
ment complex on Matthews
Road.
We teach 11 subjects,' Burson
explains, W e are not training or
creating police officers but em-
phasizing the importance of
sheriffs' policies to support the
deputies."
Senior voluntebrs do rant carry
weapons of any k i n d a n d always
work in pairs. They are in radio
contact on the same frequencyas
regular deputies.
"Requests for assistance by the
volunteers become priority calls
in the department to relieve any
problems they may have or have
discovered." Burson says.
The vehicles used by the se-
niors are second hand and pu r
See S.T.A.R.S.Ip89e 7
For Subscript
S.TARS. shed new light on law'
FROM PAGE 1
chased from the county out of
the patrol budget at a cost of
$2,804 each. The department
currently has a Bert cf v,"n ve-
hicks marked with S.TA,R.5 in-
s ign i $:s and s ht ri ,'-f s' department
sea's on the doors.
The vokwfte. who purchase
their own uniforms, patrat sec.
ovals of the coranry ftm 8a.m. to
4 p m. Morklay through Friday.
T7*r duties include routine ab.
saPrat's . s pGUML check-
itxjh�m whikrafderrts art on
.-*cation andchtck-mg evabl'ms -
arerrlt alter lh W o s hours.
The c"rage is split into rrve
utaaa - Lathrop, Morada, Goon.
try Club. Norlhtast and North.
*tsl - and each area has a team
aptain
Dorr's MctaughhN 76.c* -cap-
tain o -f the Country Club arta,
ot9►e she enjup helping the sher-
iffs' department. `It's very inter•
e" and I f eel I'm doing s—c-
thingtohelp saneboay.'
S hr spe n t mo re than 20 yt a rot
working in hospitals hefom he -r
retirement 10 years ago. "Then I
lost my husband.- she says. 'and
I was rrinne, I hcfnrrf; to FlOnm
Crxintry Ouh and did a lot of
golfing but that wasn't enough."
She telephoned Burson and
joined the first class.
McLaughlin clearly recalls one
frightening incident - a bomb
scare: 'My panner and 1 were ai
a mffer shop and a man walked
over to us. He had a package and
said he *isr11 sure what it was
but somKtorre had handed it to
him. He saw our uniforms and
gave ii tous.
"Ve immedistely took it out-
side and set it in the slrr-e t, then
wr called a depvty sheriff. who
called the bomb squad. It was a
bomb, A bomb squad "mber
told us wr w" very fortunate
that we didn't have the bomb
with us when we w e d t he car ra
dw because it would have gone
off.'
In Mosada, reVred newspaper•
man Bob Uec-ker captains the pa-
trol Uecker joined the program
'because no police agency. and it
doesn't matter if its city or coun-
ty. can hire enough police o f f i
cern. What it takes is senior dli-
zens like " and others willing
to volunteer their time.'
Uecker, FA, adds. 'I feel" can
make a difference. We have no
authority. but we can do a lot of
things in the field of crime pre•
venlion. 'The captain, who was
publisher ofthe Stcckt" Record
for 12 }-ears and earlier served as
controller of a newspaper in Sam.
to Cnw4 is responsible for sched-
uling each month's shifts. He had
60 shifts slated during Jurte,
His roster includes Charles
SM S.TA.R_RJ "O B
I
STAR.S. shed new light on law
FROM PAGE 7
Briggs and wife Eva: he was
graduated with the second class.
she with the third. The couple
mnavtd to Stockton six years ago
and. notes Charles. 64. most of
their friends were in the Bay
Area.
Joining the program 'gave us
the opportunity to meet new peo-
ple and gave us social contacts,'
e says.
His most memorable assign.
ment was helping to control trnf-
f i c forthe S.WALT team during a
crisis.
At present, 110 seniors have
Completed the training and the
department is aiming for a vohm-
eter force of 200 by the end orthe
year.
"it has far excttded our wild-
est dreams.' Dunn says. 'The
field of talent vtreNe d i scare red
Out there is tremendous and
we're as excited with what (the
volunteers) can do forus as they
a re t o se eve the program.
"I believe the patrol dtp u h s
were aIittie apprehtnusKt at first
ind ptrhaps viewed the volun-
teers as a burden.' he admits.
'Rut now. after seeing the re-
sults,
e-
suIts, they're embracing them
with open arena and I see a real
bond bttween the patrol deputies
and the senior volunteers.'
Anyone interested in joining
the program may Contact Burson
at 4684469.
r'
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LODI
SENIOR CHIZENS
COMMISSION
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September 2, 1992
Mayor James Pinkerton
221 W Pine St
Lodi, CA 95240
Dear Mayor Pinkez'�on,
The Senior Citizens Commission met Septe#nber 1, 1992
with Mr. Weldon Burson, Coordinator for crime
prevention in the San Joaquin Sheriffs Department and
Mr. Floyd Williams, Lodi Police Chief.
Mr. Burson explained to us the purposes end programs
of the S.T.A.R.S. program. (Sheriff's te'a m of Active
Retired Seniors) We enthusiastically endorse the
program.
Mr. Williams expressed a desire to have sdch a program
in Lodi. After considerable discussion, Ann Areida,
Senior Center Director, said she could help in many
ways, namely, providing a place for training of
volunteers and advertising for their enrollment in the
program.
We believe the next step is up to Mr. WiIDiams and the
City Council. We will wait for your input.
Sincerely,
Lodi Senior Citizens Commission
125 S HUTCHINS S1 RE T. SUIT}= R 1.01M. CA 95240' 209-369.6921