Community FORUM sports digest Ask Dr. Gott Our readers write .............Page 6 ..............Page 5 ...................................Page 4 INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper ..........Page 2 Tomorrow: Cloudy 7 58551 69301 0 TUESDAY April 1, 2008 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 14 pages, Volume 149 Number 358 email: [email protected] Officer-involved shooting justified says DA’s office By BEN BROWN The Daily Journal Mendocino County District Attorney Meredith Lintott found Monday that the shooting of a man by Ukiah Police Department Officers last December was justified. “It was a tragic event for everyone involved and we are glad to have this step behind us,” said UPD Chief Chris Dewey. Lintott found that UPD Sgt. Sean Kaeser and Officer Chris Gordon acted in self defense and in defense of others when they shot Hernan Martinez Perez as he was trying to break into his girlfriend’s home at 495 N. Dora St. on the evening of Dec. 29, 2007. According to police reports, the girlfriend called 911 to report that Perez was banging on her door, that he had assaulter her earlier in the evening, that he had been drinking and that he might be armed. Kaeser and Gordon responded to the house and found that the front window had been shattered and the front doorknob had been broken off. The two officers entered the house where they found Derrick Castillo, a neighbor, holding the back door closed while Perez pounded on it, according to the DA’s report. See SHOOTING, Page 2 Sarah Baldik/The Daily Journal Deputy Sheriff Derrek Paoli gives a demonstration on the functions of the ICop Camera Screen inside his police cruiser at the Mendocino county jail Monday morning. Keeping an eye on crime BOARD OF SUPERVISORS By BEN BROWN 4th candidate enters The Daily Journal Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputy’s now have an extra eye work- race for 1st District seat ing for them out on the road, one By ROB BURGESS “I am very much outraged attached to a hard drive. The Daily Journal by the lack of understanding Earlier this year, the Sheriff’s Office Making it the most crowd- of the democratic process,” he bought windshield mounted cameras ed supervisorial race sched- said. “I don’t think the way for all their cars. uled for the June 3 primary, Measure B was put into place The cameras will record traffic Ukiah Sativa Morrison has was constitutional or in line stops, chases and all manner of arrests with what the people voted and can be activated by the touch of a joined Dolly Brown, Jimmy Rickel and Carre Brown in the for. If it had been voter-driven button, by turning on the emergency what could I have said? The lights or by exceeding a set speed. race for Michael Delbar’s 1st District seat. process would have been “It’s a great tool,” said Mendocino adhered to.” County Sheriff’s Lt. Kurt Smallcomb. The county’s first district “It’s going to reduce costs and time.” covers a portion of the eastern Morrison said his cam- The camera’s were built by ICop part of the county and paign will also focus on other, and were installed by Sheriff’s Deputy includes Redwood Valley, non-marijuana related mat- Joey DeMarco who learned how from Talmage and Potter Valley. ters. the manufacturer, said Sheriff Tom Morrison has been a life- “There are other issues I Allman. guard since the age of 15 and would like to focus on,” he The cameras are mounted next to the has previously been a life- said. “I’m concerned about rearview mirror and output to a small guard instructor. He served the environment. The board is Sgt. Dan Edwards points to the camera mounted by the rear view who people look to for those screen on the dash that also contains mirror in his police vehicle. The ICop cameras were installed in the three years in the Army as a the controls. In addition to the video, kind of instructions as a com- Mendocino Sheriff vehicles earlier this year. communications specialist, munity as a whole.” the camera also records which vehicle one of which was spent in it’s in, the speed the car is traveling at, The earlier system, installed in the the microwave communication system Morrison said he chose this early 1990s, used videotapes to record the county is planning to install. South Korea. He was also a election cycle to make a run at the GPS coordinates, the time and former Florida jail guard and whether or not the brakes are on. data. Salespeople for ICop have said inte- the supervisors seat because “It’s a lot of useful information,” “It was a very cumbersome system gration of the systems would allow a member of Law of what he saw as a lack of said Sheriff’s Sgt. Dan Edwards. that required a lot of work from the video to be downloaded from squad Enforcement Officers Against representation of the younger Deputies using the system all wear a deputies,” Allman said. cars wirelessly and will make it possi- Prohibition. generation by the board. receiver on their belt that transmits With the new ICop system, all the ble to watch the output from the cam- Morrison said one of his “We’re just doing the same sound back to the camera, making a data is stored on a hard drive that plugs eras in real time, Allman said. main concerns is the board’s things the same old way and recording of law enforcement actions. into a slot behind the screen. At the end All of the cameras were payed for involvement over the past few expecting a different result, Allman said being able to present of a shift, officers can pull the hard using asset forfeiture money, months with the issue of med- which I’ve heard it said is one the District Attorney’s Office with that drive out of the device and take it to the “I see them as our silent partners in ical marijuana, specifically definition of insanity,” he information could help in convicting main computer where they plug it in law enforcement,” Allman said. sighting his opposition to the said. “I’m the youngest candi- offenders. and all the video is downloaded. process with which the board- date in the race. I don’t have a This is not the first time the sheriff’s Allman said by Fall the camera sys- Ben Brown can be reached at [email protected] sponsored ballot initiative lot of old-school mentality.” office has had cameras in their cars. tem should be working in concert with which would repeal Measure Rob Burgess can be G if passed was approved. reached at [email protected]. Public hearing for funding low-income housing repairs tonight By ZACK SAMPSEL Element requires a detailed housing the 4,000 residential housing parcels The Daily Journal condition survey, which helps to throughout the city divided into three A public hearing at a special meet- UKIAH CITY COUNCIL shape policy and programs to main- groups: The Central Zone, The ing of the Ukiah City Council tonight tain and enhance the housing stock Redevelopment Zone and The Other could lead to $500,000 worth of state within city limits. Last year, the city Zone. From this group of 4,000, 900 money to fund repairs for low- Chambers, 300 Seminary Ave., will these repairs comes at the perfect contracted Applied Survey Research parcels were randomly selected to income homes throughout the city. also be open to the public. time. to conduct the 2008 Housing represent data for the city. This potential funding comes with According to Senior Planner “We have a significant number of Conditions Survey, which was con- Of the parcels examined, 63 per- help from the state’s Community Pamela Townsend, the city typically units that require rehabilitation,” said ducted throughout December and cent, or 2,960 parcels, were found to Development Block Grant, which applies for this state funding when- Townsend. “We need to keep them in January. be in good condition, needing no typically provides money for hous- ever it becomes available, and with good or better condition, which will The Planning and Community repairs. But 1,445 units were found ing repairs each spring. hundreds homes in need of repairs, help satisfy some of the requirements Development Department’s Project in need of moderate, substantial or The meeting, set for April 1 at 6 according to the recent citywide in the city housing element.” Oversight Committee determined minor repairs, including new roof- p.m. inside the Civic Center Council that the survey for would focus on housing survey, the chance to fund Ukiah’s General Plan Housing See REPAIRS, Page 14 Make 2008 APARTMENTS AVAILABLE Your Best Year Ever Prices Begin at $1,325/month Brookside RETIREMENT RESIDENCE Move to Brookside Ask About Our Move In Special 1199 South Dora Street • Ukiah • 462-6262 2 – TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2008 DAILY DIGEST Editor: Richard Rosier, 468-3520 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] officers are innocent until proven guilty. POLICE REPORTS People reported as having been arrest- FUNERAL NOTICES ed may contact the Daily Journal once The following were their case has been concluded so the [\ served 19 years. of Ukiah, Jenny Lee at the Northern California compiled from reports results can be reported. Those who feel the information is in error should con- THOMAS JENE GRIFFIN He married, raised 4 chil- Wattenburger of Ukiah, Veteran’s Cemetery prepared by the Ukiah tact the appropriate agency.