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Lafayette Today ~ January 2014 - Page 25
February 2014 The Word is Out
Serving the Lafayette Community
By Fran Miller
The word is out, the news is spreading, and criminals are taking notice: L a f a y e t t e is a less-than-inviting location to break the law. Just recently, as if from an episode of CSI, a single drop of blood led Lafayette police investigators to a perpetrator who claimed it was not “fair,” and that it was “crazy,” that DNA testing was used by the Lafayette Police Department to solve property crimes. “Yes, we really are that crazy,” says Lafayette Police Chief Eric Christensen. The “Touch DNA” procedure collecting DNA samples from surfaces touched by crime suspects - is just one of the state-of-the-art practices being employed by Lafayette’s Finest. “And the word starts to spread amongst the bad guys,” says Lafayette Crime Prevention Commissioner Stephen Gelman. “Lafayette is earning a reputation for taking crime very seriously. We are willing to expend the resources necessary to keep our town safe. And we have a good rapport with the District Attorney’s office.” Gelman is one of seven volunteer commissioners on the Lafayette Crime Prevention Commission whose vision is to deliver proactive crime prevention awareness and education, and advise the City Council on appropriate strategies with the objective of enabling a safe and secure community environment. The Commission studies safety issues in the City and works to educate the public through various activities such as neighborhood watch and business alert programs. They also provide crime prevention tips to the local newspapers, support the Child I.D. program in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce, and organize a community safety day with the Emergency Preparedness Commission. The Commission also recently completed a study of the use of cameras to capture license plates in order to assist the police in identifying vehicles used in crimes. The results of that study will soon be presented to the City Council. Each commissioner has a strong interest, and/or background, in law enforcement and lends his or her time and expertise to strengthen the safety of Lafayette. There are former Oakland and San Francisco police officers, a US State Department security specialist, and a former assistant US attorney. Gelman’s employment history, for instance, makes him a rival for Liam Neeson’s role in Taken. Only Gelman would not be acting. He spent twenty years in federal law enforcement as an assistant special agent in charge/criminal investigator with the US Treasury Department, and twenty years as an intelligence officer with the Navy, mostly in the reserves, retiring as a commander. He was recalled to active duty in 1999 and served in Bosnia during the Kosovo campaign, and after 9/11/01, he was again recalled and served three years as an NCIS officer/agent assigned to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He did two deployments to the Iraq theatre of operations
See Prevention continued on page 24
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Previous Green Award winners.
Now Accepting Nominations for Lafayette Green Awards!
Do you know a resident, student, teacher, local business, community organization, or architect/builder that took impressive steps to become more environmentally friendly in 2013? If so, then make sure to nominate them for a Lafayette Green Award by February 28th. The “Environmental Awards of Excellence,” as they are officially known, are jointly sponsored by Sustainable Lafayette and the City of Lafayette, and the program recognizes outstanding efforts that contribute to a more sustainable community. Forty-eight different individuals and organizations have been honored since 2007. Last year’s winners included Beth Ferree & John Eaton, Brad Crane, Quan Nguyen, Nanette Heffernan, Whole Foods, La Boulange, Mechanics Bank, and the Lafayette Community Garden. One example from last year -- Quan Nguyen was nominated as the “EcoCustodian of the Decade.” As the Lead Custodian at Springhill Elementary School, he eliminated the need for plastic trashcan liners by rinsing out the cans instead, and he facilitated the switch from disposable to reusable lunch trays. Quan also manages the school’s compost and food scrap recycling, and he has even helped Springhill’s sister schools with their programs. Nominations are evaluated by the City’s Environmental Task Force, across five different categories, based on three primary criteria: • How successfully did the candidate’s activities reduce their footprint? • How much have the candidate’s activities helped achieve the City’s environmental goals? • How much have the candidate’s activities inspired others in the community? This year’s winners will be announced at the Earth Day Festival on Sunday, April 27th. Mayor Tatzin will award certificates at a City Council meeting in April. To nominate a person or organization for a Green Award, please complete the nomination form by February 28th on the City’s website at www. lovelafayette.org/GreenAwards.
East Bay Regional Park District Offers Student Internships The East Bay Regional Park District employs approximately 24 paid interns each year throughout nine District divisions, in addition to several annual field interns who work alongside staff in the parks. “The economic downturn has especially been hard on youth, principally because they lack experience,” noted Human Resources Manager Susan Gonzales. “Our intern program addresses this issue by
See Internships cont. on page 18
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