Pierce, Medrano, Geller for Council - Clayton Pioneer

Page 4 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com November 7, 2008
Looking behind a crime scene investigation
The Clayton community
awoke to a major police investigation
when a body was found
in the crosswalk in front of Mt.
Diablo Elementary School last
month.
It became the job of the
police department to conduct a
methodical and thorough inves-
tigation to determine who,
what, why, when, where and
how the death occurred.
Due to the many rumors
and misinformation that circulated
about this case, it presented
an opportunity to provide
some insight into the nature
and scope of death investiga-
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tions, which are in contrast with
TV shows.
After receiving the first
phone call, a Clayton officer
responded and determined the
scene was suspicious and was
possibly a homicide. The incident
quickly expended the limited
number of personnel and
resources available to the
Clayton Police Department. As
a result, we asked for assistance
from the Concord Police
Department and the Contra
“Clayton
Counts
Down”
counts on
volunteers
The 6th Annual “Clayton
Counts Down” New Year’s Eve
celebration is quickly approaching.
This fun event has quickly
become a tradition thanks to
the busy hands and strong
backs of dozens of volunteers.
They say “it takes a village to
raise a child.” Well, it takes a village
to celebrate New Years
Eve, Clayton style and volunteers
are needed to ensure the
success of this event. No meetings
are required, just willing
hands early in the day to help
set up, and at the event to help
with craft activities, games, sign
in, and food, take down-clean
up. We need volunteers to fill
time slots between 1 p.m. and
10 p.m. To volunteer, call the
city clerk at (925) 673-7300, or
email to
ljackson@ci.clayton.ca.us.
Clayton Counts Down is at
the Clayton Community Gym,
6:30 -9:30 pm on New Year’s
Eve. This FREE celebration is
funded entirely by community
donations and run by an all volunteer
committee with assistance
from the City of Clayton
and the Mt. Diablo Region
YMCA.
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Costa County Sheriff ’s Office.
Since these events don’t
occur on a regular basis, the
Clayton PD doesn’t have
trained in-house staff to conduct
homicide investigations or
collect the type of evidence typically
found at death scenes.
This cost-effective strategy
allows the city of Clayton to pay
for these extra resources only
when they’re actually needed.
For this investigation, several
Concord PD officers and
support personnel helped us
secure the scene and conduct a
neighborhood canvass for possible
witnesses. The sheriff ’s
office sent members of their
nationally acclaimed crime lab
to collect evidence, and one of
their homicide investigative
teams assisted us with the investigation.
This particular investigation
took about eight hours
to reach a resolution.
During a typical death investigation,
many aspects must be
considered. The first officer to
respond evaluates the scene to
determine the type of resources
and the number of additional
personnel that will be needed to
conduct a proper investigation.
The death of a human can
result from several causes, such
as an accident, natural causes,
self-inflicted injuries or at the
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hands of another. If the officer’s
evaluation of the scene
indicates that criminal behavior
may have occurred, the investigation
will require specialized
resources, additional personnel
and more time.
During this investigation,
Clayton PD retained responsibility
for managing all investigative
personnel and resources.
This role is managed by an incident
commander (IC), who is
the on-duty Clayton sergeant.
The investigation typically
includes the following activities:
securing the scene, establishing
a large perimeter around the
incident, collecting evidence,
controlling vehicular traffic in
the area, talking to witnesses,
questioning possible suspects
and evaluating the culled information
while keeping an open
mind as to what may have
occurred.
The IC also must consider
logistical aspects, such as providing
water and food for the
personnel assigned during the
investigation and coordinating
the department’s response to
routine calls for other police
services that occur during an
investigation.
Meanwhile, managing the
press for television, radio and
newspapers becomes a massive
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JEANNA ROSS
Clayton Pioneer
The distressed economy and
new environmental regulations
dealt a one-two punch to
Clayton Valley Shell when the
station closed for the installation
of a new vapor recapturing
system in late October.
The project closed the
pumps for three days – costing
owner Amir Hatambeiki more
than $5,000 in lost sales in addition
to the $10,000 payment
required by Shell.
When the project started,
Hatambeiki’s tanks were 60 per-
cent full. That’s 18,000 gallons
bought at the top of the market.
“I lost three days of sales,
and also during this time, the
gas prices fell,” he said. “The
prices went down, so the gas
was devaluated.”
The $80,000 system,
required by California’s air quality
legislation, operates as the
customer pumps gas. It transfers
fumes from the vehicle tank
to a preservation tank installed
in the station, rather than allowing
those fumes to be released
into the atmosphere. Eventually,
the residual gas will be transferred
back to the main tank.
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DAN LAWRENCE
FROM THE CHIEF
challenge. Because of the
nature of this investigation and
the recognition that Clayton is a
safe community, a possible
homicide in front of a school
caused the media to descend on
the scene. Police personnel
were busy answering telephone
calls from concerned citizens
and the media.
A previously designated
press information officer (PIO)
is responsible for preparing
press releases. These releases
and any verbal information provided
to the media (or anyone
else) must include only basic
information and not specific
details about the investigation.
Specific information about
injuries, weapons, the nature of
the scene or any information
that a suspect alone would
know is not released so the
investigation will not be compromised.
This strategy is necessary so
that investigators can identify
suspects and/or eliminate persons
as suspects or persons of
interest.
Because specific details
about a crime are not freely
given out, rumors and misinformation
often circulate – as they
did during this investigation.
The PIO balances the “need to
know” vs. the need to have an
uncompromised and thorough
investigation.
Although this case was not a
homicide, it still resulted in the
tragic loss of life. Had it been a
homicide, however, I am confident
the case would have been
solved by the highly qualified
investigative team assembled
for this effort.
Dan Lawrence is Clayton’s Police
Chief. Please send your questions,
comments or topics you’d like to
see covered to DanL@cpd.ci.
concord.ca.us
Library Foundation has variety of gift options
The Clayton Community
Library Foundation has several
holiday gift suggestions.
You can “Buy a Brick” for
$55, which includes three lines
of engraving. It’s a great way
to remember a loved one or
honor that special person. Gift
cards can be supplied. A new
order will be placed in January.
The foundation also offers
a book bag in heavy-duty red
canvas. The bottom is gusseted
and stands easily for filling. It’s
a bargain at $10.
“Buy a Book” is another
way to honor or memorialize
someone. Book plates are put
into the book you choose.
Fiction books can be purchased
for $25 or non-fiction
for $50.
Another gift item is a membership
in the Clayton
Community Library
Foundation $10 for an individual,
$15 for a family and higher
categories. This is a gift that
any book lover is sure to
appreciate.
“Clayton Cooks …” is a collection
of favorite recipes, including
some by local celebrities such
as Gregg and Joan Manning, Joan
Culver, Susan Fossan and Skip
Ipsen. Cost is $5.
T shirts with the 94517 logo
are available for both adults
and children. It’s $14 for adult
shirts and $10 for children’s.
All proceeds from sales go
to purchase new materials for
the Clayton Community
Library. Order forms are available
at the library, 6125 Clayton
Road, or online at www.claytonlibrary.org.
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