Gilbert robot teams impress at tourney PAGE 15
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An edition of the East Valley Tribune
This Week
BY JIM WALSH GSN Staff Writer
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GPS, Higley reap $2M for good test scores.
BUSINESS.........................
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TopGolf mulls esports addition.
GETOUT........................
Sunday, DECEMBER 8, 2019
Gilbert police, civilians ‘Ring’ in crime together
INSIDE
NEWS.....................................
Fall wrap for Gilbert high school teams PAGE 26
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doorbell never made as many friends and enemies, but then again, The Ring is far from the ordinary lighted button with chimes. Ring videotapes people walking up to your front door – some of whom might be up to no good. And at a time when Christmas online shoppers are expecting packages, Ring has become a new crime-fighting tool for Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert police. In police Commander Ed Upshaw’s south Chandler district, Ring has helped police nab a stalker, porch pirates swiping Ama-
zon packages – even a couple of Amazon delivery workers caught stealing packages they supposedly delivered or a previously delivered. Chandler police also used the Ring to bust another sort of ring – a carload of teens from Phoenix who jumped out of a car early in the morning and opened the doors of unlocked, park cars to steal whatever valuables they could find. “We have used it in multiple cases. It is a valuable tool our agency uses,’’ Upshaw said. “It’s 2019. It’s not the same world you lived in in 1970. The world has changed. You are under constant surveillance.’’ But some civil libertarians consider Ring a technological manifestation of Big Broth-
er and a dangerous intrusion on privacy rights, with innocent people suddenly accused of suspicious behavior without reason and cops obtaining evidence quickly, with no oversight, through a network of nosey doorbells. Upshaw and other East Valley police officials say their concerns are overblown. They consider Ring the equivalent of a digital block watch, an update on an aspect of community policing departments have promoted for decades. Instead of holding a Block Watch meeting or calling each other, neighbors are sharing videos and issuing potential crime alerts of
see RING page 6
A special coffee shop run by special kids BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
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Pets, owners celebrate Christmas at Freestone Park
COMMUNITY...................... 15 BUSINESS............................. 18 OPINION...............................24 SPORTS................................ 26 GETOUT............................... 30 CLASSIFIED.........................35
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econd-grader Calvin Rogers was at his station, following a check list – write teacher name on label, put label on coffee cup, get the matching K-cup from the bin and then pass the order form and cup to the next person. It was Wednesday morning at Sonoma Ranch Elementary’s Sugar and Spice Coffee Shop, where Calvin and 10 fellow students with autism were brewing and delivering coffee, decaf coffee, tea and hot chocolate to the school’s teachers and staff. “We have 40 students that play a role in the coffee shop,” said Tasha Cerimeli, the school’s speech language pathologist, who came up with the concept three years ago. “The whole purpose of the program is to help them
see COFFEE page 3
Logan Brandon, left, and Jayden Rucker add milk to some of their coffee orders at Sonoma Ranch Elementtary's Sugar and Spice Coffee Shop. [Chris Mortenson/GSN Staff Photographer)
Inspiring Excellence in Every Learner Now taking Registration and Open Enrollment for 2020/21 We invite you to schedule a tour at any of our schools to learn more! Enroll Today!
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