By Allison Sampite-Montecalvo, The San Diego Union-Tribune
The Chula Vista Police Department could be getting drones as another public safety tool.
Unmanned aerial vehicles were part of discussion about police video technologies, along with quality-of-life issues such as homelessness and marijuana dispensaries during a forum in September hosted by the Police Department at City Hall.
About 50 people turned out for the two-hour event.
Chula Vista police Capt. Vern Sallee, the department’s technology unit supervisor, said the department has sought input from federal law enforcement agencies, the FAA, ACLU and local vendors about the use of drones.
Sallee said they could be used to look for missing people in canyons and rugged terrain, taking a closer look at bombs, suspicious packages and vehicles at hot stops, and help during civil disturbances and crowd management scenarios.
He also said fire personnel could use drones to detect the dryness of brush in canyons in hopes of avoiding wildfires like those that occurred in 2003 and 2007.
On the subject of body-worn cameras, Sallee said one of the first things investigators look for in any case is video evidence.
He said cameras also help fight or discredit false claims and reports by showing “unbiased truth,” and the footage can give different tactical points of view.
Sallee also acknowledged the drawbacks of using cameras, most predominantly “the perception of invasion of privacy, government secrecy and lack of transparency.”
Regarding homelessness, the city started a Homeless Outreach Team to help individuals and families get the resources they need to get off the streets.
The team is composed of sworn officers, public works, code enforcement and fire department employees, faith-based organizations, a mental health clinician and county health and human service employees.
The program uses a three-prong approach including outreach, enforcement and community clean up, with the goal of a safer community.
“I think we get stuck sometimes in the mold of officers being perceived as just the hammer of enforcement,” said Chula Vista police Capt. Roxana Kennedy. “We will help anybody who wants to be helped. The challenge is getting those individuals to accept the help.”
“It’s not a crime to be homeless,” she said.
There are about 500 homeless individuals and families in Chula Vista who are in shelters or live on the street, according to the latest Point In Time Count by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless.
Kennedy said the Police Department receives about 65,000 calls for service annually with many of them related to the homeless population in parks on the city’s west side.
“As a member of the community you have a vested interest in working with us,” Kennedy said. “We’ll carry the heavy load but we need you also to be involved. Don’t get frustrated, keep calling.”
The third topic addressed was medical marijuana dispensaries.
“At any given time in our city we’ve probably had anywhere from eight or 12 dispensaries illegally operating,” said Chula Vista police Chief David Bejarano.
The effort to keep track of them is a coordinated one involving the city attorney’s office, police department, code enforcement and the community.
Capt. Lon Turner is in charge of the investigations unit and police regulated businesses.
“Since the medicinal marijuana dispensaries have been popping up in Chula Vista, we’ve had about 31 total in the city. Of those, 19 have been shut down. That leaves about 12 that are operating,” Turner said.
In Chula Vista, medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivation are banned with violations subject to fines, penalties, civil lawsuit and now criminal prosecution.
Currently the city has lawsuits pending against eight dispensaries.
“We do get a lot of calls in our office, why aren’t you just arresting people?” said Deputy City Attorney Megan McClurg. “It’s more complicated than that … regardless of whether you ban them or allow them, this enforcement issue still does come up.”
Last month, the Chula Vista City Council removed a civil penalties cap of $100,000 per parcel for a related series of violations. Now in egregious cases, the city can assess higher penalties as well as seek criminal prosecution for violations.
©2016 The San Diego Union-Tribune Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
