Page 12 - Mid Valley Times 1-16-20 E-edition

Thursday, January 16, 2020
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Mid Valley TiMes
ing these meetings that many in the department expressed the need to bifurcate the de- partment – even, according to Rodriguez, Matsuzaki.
“I think the new police chief will say, ‘We should have done that a long time ago’. It’s common practice.” expressed Rodriguez.
That police chief has yet to be hired, though the city of Sanger will soon be an- nouncing an interim police chief who will serve while the city continues is recruit- ing process.
Some the challenges for the incoming police chief, Rodriguez said, will be re- cruiting in the face of an increasingly more scruti- nized profession, staying on top of the gang situation and the growing homeless epidemic.
He said he would ad- vise the new chief to follow the three rules he believes makes for a good department — hire good people, provide training, equipment and re- sources as needed, give them a little guidance and then let them do their job.
As for Rodriguez, at 60, he said he considers him- self blessed to be in good health and is eager to start checking off his bucket list. That list includes traveling, volunteering and perhaps skydiving.
“It’s been my pleasure to serve the citizens of Sanger,” said Rodriguez. “I consider it an honor and privilege. I feel like they’ve been extremely welcoming to me. I’ve done everything I could to the best of my ability of pushing our department to reduce crime and to make Sanger a safer place, and I think we’ve been somewhat successful. It’s been my pleasure to have served them.”
RODRIGUEZ Continued from page A5
lent crimes, and even the SWAT team, all while going from officer to sergeant, from sergeant to lieuten- ant, from lieutenant to cap- tain and finally serving as police chief for the city of Porterville for six years.
He then took the police chief position in Sanger back in 2012. And in the seven- plus years as police chief, the city of Sanger has seen the difference.
The year he took over as police chief, the Sanger Po- lice Department was report- ing anywhere from 1,200 to 1,400 Part 1 crimes in the years prior. Part 1 crimes deal with those crimes con- sidered large on scale or vio- lent; crimes such as murder, manslaughter, sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, vehicle theft and arson.
In the past three years, those numbers have been cut down more than half, with the department reporting around 600 Part 1 crimes per year. Those numbers haven’t been seen in over two de- cades. Rodriguez noted that in 1999, the department re- ported around 800 Part 1 crimes — for a city with a much smaller population.
Part of the challenge, Rodriguez said, to bringing those numbers down was dealing with the city’s gang problem.
“Sanger kind of has a reputation with being a gang town,” he said. “And when I got here the gang situation was pretty bad... It seemed like I was getting calls all hours of the day and night.”
Rodriguez said that though we was able to draw on strategies he learned
Rick Curiel / Mid Valley Times
Silver Rodriguez said he would give Sanger's new police chief three rules to follow — hire good people; provide training, equip- ment and resources as needed; and give them a little guidance and let them do their job.
Person impersonating cop tries to pull over Dinuba woman
MVT Staff Report
A Dinuba woman says some- one impersonating law enforce- ment attempted to pull her over last week.
The incident was reported on Jan. 10 at approximately 9:52 a.m. The woman reported she was driving east on Davis Drive when an older white or silver van passed her. Once in front, the van began applying its breaks several times until she honked her horn, according to a report by the Di-
nuba Police Department.
The vehicle then came to a
complete stop in the middle of the roadway. A male subject then ex- ited the vehicle and showed what appeared to be a badge and mo- tioned for her to get out of her vehicle.
It was reported the woman drove around the subject and con- tinued eastbound on Davis. The subject caught up to her, again passed her and stopped in the middle of the roadway causing her to stop. The driver again got out of is vehicle, displaying “the badge”, as he walked towards her telling her to get out of her ve- hicle. The woman drove off con- tinuing on Davis as the other ve- hicle turned off and discontinued following.
The driver was described as a tall thin Hispanic male adult in his late 30s with a buzz haircut.
Anyone with information is asked to call the department’s Anonymous Tip Line at (559) 591- TIP1 or call (559) 591-5911.
while curbing the gang vio- lence in Porterville, he relied on staff familiar with the town to advise him on what they believed would be the best strategies.
“I’m extremely proud of the work they’ve done to com- bat gangs,” Rodriguez said. “I’m not saying we’ve eradi- cated gangs, by no means. They’re still here, but we’ve put a tremendous amount of pressure on them.”
So, if the numbers are re- flecting an improvement in how the police department is serving the community of Sanger, why the need for the reorganization?
Rodriguez said the reor- ganization reflects the need for the department to im- prove administratively more than anything else.
The need for two lieuten- ants was brought up to the city back when Rodriguez started, something he was told the city could not af- ford at the time. For the past six-plus years, the police de- partment has operated with a lieutenant and a captain position, formerly held by Matsuzaki, who Rodriguez hired in 2013.
But the system, Rodri- guez said, was too linear.
“As a result, some things bottlenecked,” he explained. “Everything was not get- ting its due attention that it needed.”
So when Rodriguez an- nounced his retirement in October, City Manager Tim Chapa met with Sanger Po- lice personnel in anticipation of the transition. It was dur-
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