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YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 16, No. 31
by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
Brentwood Police volunteers Mike Graziadei, Sha1y n Carroll and Kruin Tompkins aren't on the front lines of fighting c1in1e in the city, but they're always ready to serve if called upon. "I tell them (the officers) 'you ling, I bting,"' said Graziadei, 80, whose tasks include picking up or delive1ing vaJious department documents. The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation recently honored the three volunteers for each serving more than 100 hours last year as members of the Brentwood Volunteer in Police Services Program. All three received a lapel pin designed by the Office of the President, a congratulatory letter from President Barack Obama and a certificate of achievement duJing a ceremony at the police depa1t ment earlier this month.
Photo courtesy of the Brentwood Police Department
Brentwood Police Department volunteers, from left to right, Sharyn Carroll. Karin Tompkins and Mike Graziadei, seen here with Brentwood Police Chief Mark Evenson, were recently honored for their service to the community.
"We wanted to recognize these folks individually for their efforts, what they do for the city and the time they spend in support of our sworn employees as well as our civilian employees," said Sgt. David
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Schroer, who oversees the volunteer program . The volunteers serve a vaJiety of roles for the depa rtment, including pe1forming cleJical tasks, routine patrols, vehicle ma intenance,
Staff Writer
M
ary Casey Black Elementary School teacher Concha Martinez walks her kindergarten students to lunch during their first day of schoo l on Monday.
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see Honor page 22A
Popular Antioch councilman dies by Kyle Szymanski
Photo by Dana Eaton
traffic control and working at community events. They also recently began being trained to perform other duties, such as parking enforcement, vehicle abatement and vac-ation watches. All of ilie department's eight active volunteers are also on call in case of a large-scale incident or natmal disaster. Their work is essential to ilie department, helping relieve police and community service officers to focus on cJitical aspects of the job, Schroer said. "They free up om officers to do what we want them to do, which is fighting and detemng c1ime." G raziadei, Carroll and Tompkins typically volunteer a couple times a week for four to five hours at a time. All experienced in ilieir roles, ilie tJio is fueled by a will to give back and pride for the department. "I enjoy the company of the people in the records depattment,"
Ga ry Agopia n, a high-energy civil servant with a passion for bettering a nd unifying the community, died this week a fter a I0-month battle with brain cancer. He was 57. The 19-year Anti och resident, who was elected to the city council in 20 10, was diagnosed with an inoperable bra in tumor last September, but never stopped serving his city. He fiercely advocated for the passage of Measure C, a halfcent sales tax toward p ublic safety, leading up to its ap proval last November, and attended council meetings until the end of June,
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the last two escorted in a wheelchair. News of his death on Monday led to an outpouring of fond memories by many friends and fellow city leaders. "Gary was a likable fellow, a real extrovert a nd a natura l for governa nce," said Wa lter Ruehlig ,who was elected to the school board with Agopian in 2004. " He liked vigorous dialogue a nd wore the mantle of public service with distinction. When he made a decision, agree or disagree with him, you knew he was coming from a platform o f integrity and considered forethought." see Leader page 22A
Global education go to news/WebExtras! The American Scandinavian Student Exchange is looking f or host fam ilies.
August 1, 2014
Bountiful harvest
From East County f arms to your t able, let our Healthy Harvest section be your guide to f inding the best local produce. Page 18
Falcon under investigation
A local f ootball star is in hot water over an altercation t hat occured in Oklahoma. Page 4A
Kicking it in Carolina
The AJAX East Bay 98 Girls recently compet ed for a national soccer title. Page 17A Calendar .. ..... ........... ..... ..... 11 B Classifieds ............... ..... ..... .. 7B Comics ..... ...... ........... .... .. .. .. 15A Cop Logs ....... .. ... ..... ...... ..... 1OB Entertainment ... .... .... ........ 7A Hanging In There ... ..... ..... ... xB Healthy Harvest ..... ..... ..... .. 1B Sports .. .. ... ....... ... ....... ......... 17A
Best for bab~ go to news/press releases Contra Costa Health Services celebrat es World Breastfeeding Week.