National Night Out

National Night Out 2009 is scheduled for Tuesday, August 4, 2009. National Night Out is a police and community partnership that is known as America's Night Out Against Crime. Take a look at their website for additional information. The City of Arcadia has scheduled a National Night Out event in conjunction with a summer concert and a celebration of Arcadia's 106th birthday on Thursday night, August 6, 2009. See the Arcadia Newsletter for details.

Drowning

As reported in the Pasadena Star News yesterday, Officers responded to a residence in the 1300 block of Michillinda at about 2:17 PM on Monday to assist with a reported drowning. A ten year old girl was swimming at the location with other children when she was spotted under water in the deep end of the pool. The child was immediately pulled from the pool and life saving efforts were started. Officers continued CPR and were relieved by AFD paramedics. The girl was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.

This tragic event serves as a vivid reminder to constantly monitor your pools when anyone is swimming. Summer is here and swimming is a great way to beat the heat. Safety, safety, safety; no matter what age or how proficient a swimmer may be, always designate a responsible party to monitor the pool. Even in a moment away, tragic events can occur. Link HERE to a post on pool safety tips.

3 Hondas Stolen in an Evening

Three (3) 4-door Honda cars were taken from the Westfield Santa Anita Shoppingtown, 400 S. Baldwin Avenue, on Saturday evening. One Accord and two Civics were taken from the mall parking lot, all within a few hours of each other. No suspect information was available and although highly coincidental, it is not known if the vehicle thefts are related.

Residential Burglaries by Ruse

A pair of burglary suspects hit at least two homes Saturday morning and burglarized each residence by use of a ruse. Both incidents occurred at about 11:30 AM, one in the 300 block of E. Magna Vista and the other in the 400 block of E. Lemon. The pair knocked on the door and told the victim that they were there to conduct some sort of survey or construction work, asking the victim to accompany the female suspect outside. The male slipped into the home and stole money while the victim's attention was diverted.

The suspects were described as a male Hispanic, about 25-30 years old with a shaved head, and a female, white or Hispanic, 25 years old, dark hair wearing a flower print skirt.

This serves as a reminder to not allow persons entry to your home that you do not know and don't allow someone to lure you outside for any reason if you have not initiated the contact. Call the police should this type of event happen to you. Get good descriptions and be a good witness. Anyone with information is asked to call APD Detectives at (626) 574-5160.

Tuesday Tip - Toy Guns?

Our image of toy guns has changed over the years. Cowboys and Indians, plastic guns, playing army, all have all given way to an era of realistic toy weapons alongside real, functioning handguns and rifles. Search the Internet; replica guns, airsoft, toy gun and see how realistic our toys have become. Not only do the kids and collectors love the realistic look, but so can the bad guys. Take a look below at some photos of functioning weapons that are painted or colored to resemble toys.

This trend causes a dilemma for us all. We read about young kids bringing actual weapons with them to school. We have seen tragedy with school and workplace shootings. Our children play with toys that look like the real thing. So with toy and weapon colliding, Law Enforcement is faced with even a greater challenge when responding to calls involving or persons (of any age) armed with a weapon. The red plastic tip of old is no longer a deterrent for an Officer when that weapon is pointed at them. Unfortunately, bad guys have not only colored their weapons, they have also attempted to duplicate the red tip, all to "fool" the Officer and gain that split second advantage.


As parents, we need to do what we can to protect our children. If they play with replica weapons, have a responsible adult around to watch them and guide their form of play. Play in your own yard, not in a school yard, park or around other buildings. Visit paintball courses. Use common sense. The citizen passing by, your neighbor, or the responding Officer may not know that someone is "just playing."

Visit to the O.C. Yields Arrest

Over the course of the last few weeks, a Pasadena man has been escalating threats against his ex-wife, ran from Officers and later threatened two of our personnel. Last Friday, leads pointed toward a relative's home in Surf City USA (Huntington Beach). HBPD Detectives located the vehicle being driven by the suspect near the 16000 blk. Birdie Ln, Huntington Beach, and suveilled the location until APD Detectives arrived. The suspect eventually emerged and literally ran out of his sandals prior to being taken into custody. The suspect was transported back to Arcadia and booked on felony criminal threats charges.

Thanks to Huntington Beach PD for the assist! HBPD jumped right in, assisting in the field and in facilitating an out of county warrant for our suspect. Great teamwork all around.

Officer Albert Matthies, EOW July 19, 1927

Today is the 82nd anniversary of the murder of Arcadia Police Officer Albert Matthies. Officer Matthies was killed in the line of duty on July 19, 1927. Officer Matthies is the only Arcadia Police Officer to be killed in the line of duty. Please visit the APOA website or our previous blog post on this tragedy for a brief history in memory of Officer Albert Matthies.

The murder of Officer Matthies is memorialized at the following locations:

• Plaque memorial at Foothill Blvd/Northview Ave, Arcadia CA
• Los Angeles County Peace Officers Memorial, Whittier CA
• California Peace Officers Memorial, Sacramento CA
• National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, Washington DC
• Officer Down Memorial Page