November 2015
Relentlessly local coverage of Gilbert and our neighboring communities
Relaxing on a sunny day
Stephanie Iden gets comfy on the hill with her boys Alex and Nicholas Gallardo.
Police deploy body-worn cameras Superintendent strives for 100 percent graduation rate BY SARAH MARMOLEJO
The Gilbert Police Department has deployed body-worn cameras in a pilot program for officers to use in the field in the hopes of improving police investigative efforts, and the safety of the public and the officers. The department deployed 155 cameras out of 170. Cameras were assigned to 12 patrol teams, traffic enforcement officers, crime suppression officers and the criminal apprehension team, according to police. Gilbert police set this pilot program in motion Oct. 6 and will continue through the end of the year. Officers were trained for several months and took 13 classes on how to operate the cameras. The 170 cameras, docking stations and other hardware cost $110,618.25, according to Sgt. Jesse Sanger. Other see CAMERAS page 6
BY IRENE MAHONEY-PAIGE
Chief Tim Dorn dons a body-worn camera, which will help in the department’s crime-fighting efforts. Photo courtesy of the Gilbert Police Department. Submitted photo
Dr. Christina M. Kishimoto, superintendent of Gilbert Public Schools, said during her second State of the Schools address that the district is continuing to focus on digital learning. The approach is part of the second year of its strategic operating plan, she said on Oct. 8. “We are a state that leads in innovation,” Kishimoto said. “We need to be a district that is at the cutting edge of innovation.” This year, the district gave Chromebooks to all of its junior high school students and the impact has been felt. “Do you know that the greatest impact we already see is that young learner is engaging their learning not [only] in a class period of 40-plus minutes?” she said. see SUPERINTENDENT page 4
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Dr. Christina Kishimoto. Submitted photo
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