Pasadena Police Department
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The Pasadena Police Department is the police department serving Pasadena, California
The headquarters of the Pasadena Police Department is located at 207 North Garfield Avenue in Pasadena, just a few blocks from the Pasadena City Hall and Paseo Colorado.
The department employs 241 sworn officers, 13 reserve officers, and 126 civilian employees.
The police chief is Bernard K. Melekian, who has held the position since 1996. Effective January 8, 2008, Melekian will be the interim Pasadena City Manager and Deputy Chief Chris Vicino will be the acting police chief.
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[edit] Overview
The Pasadena Police Department was founded in 1886.
The department is one of the first police departments to have female police officers.
In 2004, the Pasadena Unified School District dismantled the Pasadena Unified School District Police Department, amidst budget cuts. As a result the Pasadena Police Department took over police services for the Pasadena Unified School District and PPD's division on PUSD schools is known as the Safe Schools Team, which is made of eight sworn members--one sergeant and seven officers.
In 2006, Commander Marilyn Diaz left PPD to become the police chief for Sierra Madre, California, becoming Los Angeles County's first female municipal police chief.
Currently the department patrols some notable events, such as the Rose Bowl and the Tournament of Roses Parade, which works jointly with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
The department usually steps up patrols by adding officers in areas of recent homicides.[1] This is known as Operation Safe City. [2]
The department utilizes primarily the Orange County Sheriff's Academy in Tustin for academy training. PPD also utilizes the Rio Hondo Regional Police Academy in Whittier.
[edit] Tasers
PPD has been using Tasers since mid-June 2004. [3]
Three years after the deployment of Tasers, 36-year old Richard Baisner of Arcadia died after being Tasered once by a Pasadena Police Officer. Baisner was Tasered after resisting arrest against PPD officers. After using "soft restraints" on him while on a gurney, Baisner stopped breathing. An autopsy for the exact cause of death is pending. [4].
[edit] Fallen Officers
Since the department's founding of the department, the department has lost only two officers in the line of duty.
- Richard Frank Morris - Shot and killed on March 13, 1969 while conducting an undercover operation
- Officer Kyle Russell Ballard - Died of a heart attack on February 24, 2006 after completing a six mile training run with fellow officers.
[edit] Air Support
The department began air operations in 1969 and was one of the first members of the Airborne Law Enforcement Association.
In 1999, the department expanded its operations by creating the Foothill Air Support Team (FAST), working with nine nearby city police departments by providing air support to those cities after showing interest to airborne law enforcement, but is too costly. Besides Pasadena, cities participating in FAST are Alhambra, Arcadia, Azusa, Covina, Monrovia, Glendora, San Marino, South Pasadena, and West Covina. Each of the nine cities provide a Tactical Flight Officer, whose duties include observing, monitoring radio frequency for all participating cities, navigating, and coordinating ground units.
The department maintains five helicopters, based at an area near Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Rose Bowl.
Each year, PPD Air Support and the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District use PPD helicopters to check swimming pools in 23 cities to ensure cleanliness and to prevent the West Nile Virus. [5]
[edit] Fleet
- Enstrom F28F - 2
- Bell 206 BIII - 1
- Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warrior - 2
[edit] Other departments
Some nearby departments rely on the Pasadena Police Department if any department lacks resources.
- Pasadena City College Police and Safety Services [6] - Patrols property of the Pasadena Area Community College District with seven officers and 85 cadets. Officers are not armed and has direct radio contact with the Pasadena Police Department. PCC students should phone the PCC Police for police services as the Pasadena Police Department does not have jurisdictional authority on campus.
- South Pasadena Police Department - Jurisdiction in the City of South Pasadena with 35 officers. PPD provides air support for the City of South Pasadena. South Pasadena utilized the Pasadena City Jail and the Pasadena Courthouse until 2004 when switching to the City of Alhambra jail and Alhambra Courthouse, citing high costs, and to allow the cities of Monrovia and Arcadia to use the Pasadena City Jail to house their prisoners after the Monrovia Courthouse closed down.
- Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department - Has jurisdiction on Metro buses and trains running in Pasadena, the Pasadena courthouse, the unincorporated area addressed as "Pasadena, California" (including the Pasadena DMV office), Altadena, and assists the Pasadena Police Department in patrolling the Tournament of Roses Parade
