 |
| Home I About Us I Contact Us I FAQs I Jobs I Press Release I Site Index I What's New |
|
|
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I am unsure what to do. Can I call 911 to talk to a deputy? The following guidelines should help you decide: Emergencies Calling 911 is for emergencies only, not for routine information exchange. Calling 911 for non-emergencies may block an actual emergency call for help and people could be seriously injured. If you have a bonafide emergency in which someone is in danger or a crime is occurring now, you should call 911 to request assistance (including fire or paramedic assistance). Please be calm and concise, explaining your emergency quickly and clearly, and giving your exact location. You should normally stay on the phone to answer questions until help arrives, unless you need to administer first aid (although the Dispatcher can also help you with that sometimes). Non-emergency Report of Crime or Answers to Administrative/ Procedural Questions Please, call (760) 510-5200 during normal working hours (Monday through Friday from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M., excluding Holidays), if you want to report a crime that happened in the past (and the criminals have already escaped), or you need assistance to preserve the peace for an event in the near future. The clerk at the San Marcos Station will connect you to Sheriff’s Dispatch. Then a dispatcher can send a patrol deputy to investigate or to assist you. After working hours when the clerks are off, the Station number (510-5200) is configured to automatically transfer you to Sheriff’s Dispatch. Alternatively, you can call directly to Sheriff’s Dispatch at (858) 565-5200, but it may be a toll call. Request for Advice or Assistance for a Recurring Complaint (not happening now) If you just want some advice or have a recurring problem that we might be able to help you solve, you could contact the COPPS deputies assigned to your sector. They may be able to suggest solutions, which have been successful in the past, or perhaps refer you to the appropriate government agency or a nongovernmental resource that is able to assist you. Urgent Questions During Nights, Weekends or Holidays At night or during holidays, a rare occasion may arise when you need an immediate answer to a non-emergency question. If you ever do have an urgent question that cannot wait until the Station reopens on the next business day, call the non-emergency number. The dispatcher can ask a patrol deputy to telephone you back when he or she gets a break. This could divert both the dispatcher and the deputy from their regular duties, but it might be worthwhile if you find you are facing a very suspicious situation and you are having trouble recognizing it as criminal activity.
2. I have a traffic problem in my neighborhood. What can I do? The first step is to determine the jurisdiction. Is the problem is occurring within the city limits of San Marcos? As far as traffic is concerned, the roads in the unincorporated portion of San Diego County and each one of the freeways are under the jurisdiction of the California Highway Patrol. You should contact them for traffic problems occurring in their assigned areas. Some roads are not public roads. This does not mean that laws can't be enforced. Instead, a different set of rules applies. Off-road activity that is disturbing the peace can be enforced by “citizen's arrest”, more properly called a private person’s arrest—Section 837 CA Penal Code. (When possible, you should get some good advice before making a private person’s arrest to avoid the risk of civil liability.) In addition, off-road vehicle code laws still apply. The Sheriff’s Department has an Off-Road Enforcement Team made up of reserve deputies who patrol remote areas in which illegal activity has been known to occur. You can make them aware of the problem in your area by reporting the circumstances to a patrol deputy, traffic deputy, or your sector’s COPPS deputy and requesting that the Off Road Enforcement Team be apprised. On rare occasions, if the housing development in which you are living has not yet been completed, you may be able to influence your developer to add “traffic calming features” to your street. If the traffic problem is within the city limits, the relevant authority to contact regarding the problem is dependent upon whether the problem is the result of poor engineering or a failure of motorists to adhere to the vehicle code. As a good rule of thumb, first you should speak to a traffic, patrol, or COPPS deputy about the issue. Alternatively, you may want to call the Traffic Sergeant (510-5212), who can mobilize his traffic deputies and, if necessary, call upon the COPPS unit for additional help, to effect a quick, temporary solution. However, if the primary cause of the problem is that the roadway is not engineered safely, you should then contact either your elected representatives (at the local or state level) or the City’s Traffic Safety Commission (which is the cognizant authority for the erection of additional traffic control devices) to lobby for a long-range solution.
3. I see criminal activity going on. What should I do? FIRST, do not endanger yourself! If the crime is occurring now, call 911 so that deputies can apprehend the suspect(s). (You can request that the deputies do not give out your name or come to your location if you are concerned about a potential risk of retaliation.) Citizens frequently disregard this guidance. Over and over again, we arrive on scene and encounter residents who have already checked inside their house after they came home and discovered evidence of forced entry. They tell us that they just wanted to “see if the burglar was still inside.” A human being will bleed to death in three minutes if an artery is severed. Is there anything in your house that is worth having your children grow up without a parent? Give the location where the crime is occurring, not just your location (this is absolutely essential when you use a cell phone until the cell phone companies perfect their caller ID “location detection” technology). When driving, many people do not know the name of the street they are on, much less the closest intersection or address number. Deputies are often sent to the wrong intersection because a witness sees something suspicious as they are driving by, then continues until he or she passes a cross-street (or freeway exit) further down to get their bearings, and gives the dispatcher that intersection. The deputies get there, but cannot find a crime or criminals because they are searching an area that is blocks away from where the incident is actually occurring. To be a good witness, try to form the habit of knowing your location (which can also help you if your car ever breaks down and you need to call for help).
Keep your directions simple. Remember that the deputy coming to this location may never have been there before. Also, your directions may be relayed through several people reading typed instructions on a computer screen before ever reaching the deputy who is actually responding. Try to observe specifically what actions are occurring. Many people find that they cannot say exactly what happened because they became excited, they did not really pay attention at the time, or they jumped to a conclusion about what was happening, rather than actually seeing it happen.
'If you can get a license plate without placing yourself in jeopardy, this would be very helpful. Write it down as soon as you can—people often mix up the numbers and letters, or they fail to notice if it is a California plate. A correct plate is enormously helpful since the deputies will then know the exact type of vehicle and the address to which it is registered as they try to intercept it. When the suspects leave, tell the dispatcher the name of the road the suspects are taking and which direction are they going.
Try to note details that will allow the approaching deputies to identify the suspects. (Remember, only you have actually seen them.) If you were told to be on the lookout for a car or person, what would you need to know? Colors are one of the first characteristics that people notice. What is the exact color of the car (is it blue or turquoise? . . . red or maroon? . . . gray or silver?)? What color clothes are the suspects (and the victim) wearing. What is their hair color?
Next, what type of car is it? Most people cannot recognize the make and model, so do not say what the specific car is if you’re unsure--we will be looking for the wrong car (though you could say it is “similar to” a certain type of car). Tell us characteristics that will help distinguish the suspect vehicle from all the others we will see--such as: it is a van, or has four doors, or has a hatchback, or has tinted rear windows, or a red bumper sticker on the rear, or a damaged right front fender, etc. The more “easy to see” details, the better. Usually we can only choose one vehicle to stop before the criminal has had enough time to escape, so help us to pick the right car. As for the suspects, quickly give the dispatcher a complete description. Remember that you might be asked to identify them if we can find them (we will make sure they don’t see you as you do this), so try to notice things that will allow you to recognize them. Often, witnesses are so excited that they don’t make the conscious effort to try to “burn” the appearance of the suspects into their memory. The gender, age, race, approximate height and weight, hairstyle, facial hair, scars/tattoos, and facial characteristics (large nose, jug ears, etc.) are helpful. The clothing descriptions are extremely useful because they are easy to see from a distance, although criminals sometimes take hats, jackets, or shirts off as they escape in an attempt to change their appearance. We are especially interested in descriptions of any weapons you see—don’t forget to mention these!
(For practice, some day when you are at a mall or restaurant, try to describe a person in a crowd to your companion as he or she looks in another direction. Sometimes, it helps to start from the top of the head and move down the body, describing prominent characteristics. See if your description enables your companion to pick your “suspect” out in a crowd. Now imagine the suspect has a five minute head start before your companion can go find them. Was your description accurate enough and did it include enough details to pick the suspect out after he or she has blended into a large crowd?) Timing is crucial! Criminals can most easily be apprehended while they are committing the crime. There are many instances when we race to a location only to find out later that we were looking in the wrong direction or for the wrong car during those critical moments when the suspect was escaping. A single call to Sheriff’s Dispatch can result in the capture of a dangerous criminal if the observer just notices crucial details accurately and relays them quickly. (Likewise, if you see deputies scouring your neighborhood and then see a suspicious character hiding in your back yard or scampering over your fence, call 911—he may well be the person we are looking for!)
You can contribute to the safety of your neighborhood and play a significant role in fighting crime simply by being a good observer! Due to the limited number of deputies, they can’t be everywhere. If this is to be a truly safe community, we need to establish a partnership. Your best role is to act as the “eyes and ears” of the team since you know what is normal in your neighborhood. One anecdotal statistic, which may initially appear surprising, is: the probability of a patrol deputy driving through an area and observing at that instant a burglar breaking into a house, will occur, on average, only once in twelve years. Typically, we catch burglars in the act either by residents calling to report something unusual or by us seeing something curious and looking into it further, not by randomly running into a crime in progress. This is another reason why establishing a Neighborhood Watch to notify us when anything suspicious is occurring in your area is so crucial to your family’s safety.
(Incidentally, please don’t try to help by getting physically involved—especially with a weapon in the mix—either yours or the suspects’. You may be familiar with the concept of “the fog of war.” There is some degree of confusion that is inherent in decision-making whenever human beings are thrust into stressful situations in unfamiliar surroundings. Things will be moving so fast when we first arrive that, initially, we will usually be unable to tell that you are not associated with the suspect! This is why off-duty officers in civilian clothes are advised to refrain, whenever possible, from moving around in a crime scene with a weapon drawn as uniformed officers are arriving. Additionally, we train constantly as a team to know how to deal with criminals without getting anyone hurt. We are familiar with how our partners act. Almost nothing that these criminals have stolen is worth having you or someone else be seriously injured. ) Trust your instinct. If you see individuals that are not known to you or your neighbors acting suspiciously (loitering, looking into windows, driving slowly through the area over and over again, parked in a secluded area, etc.), call us so that we can start for your location before they begin to commit a crime (break into cars or homes, etc.) Remember that we could be around the corner or all the way across town, so notify us as soon as you are suspicious.
If a deputy could contact “casers” every time they went through your neighborhood, criminals would be discouraged from plying their trade there. Moreover, you might be surprised by how often a citizen’s call of a suspicious person ends up with deputies making the acquaintance of someone who either has a warrant for his arrest or is in possession of contraband (drugs, stolen property, etc.) That means we will able to whisk him out of your neighborhood and chauffeur him to the guest suite in the Vista Crossbar Hotel. Suspected child abuse If you suspect child abuse, and the child is in immediate and grave danger, call 9-1-1 now! For non-emergency reports, contact either: - Children's Services - Children's Protective Services Hotline at 1-800-344-6000 - Sheriff's Communications Center at 858-565-5200 Domestic Violence If you are a victim of domestic violence, or know someone who is being abused: - For emergencies – dial 911. - For non-emergencies, call the Sheriff's Communications Center at 858-565-5200
Consumer Fraud If you see or suspect theft or fraud, report it immediately. We would like to catch the suspect(s), so call 911 if the crime is occurring now and we can apprehend them. Use the non-emergency line if the crime occurred in the past. This is particularly important in the case of identity theft, which is one of the fastest growing crimes in the nation and can create untold distress and intractable difficulties for the victim for years afterwards.
4. What should I do if I am pulled over by an officer or involved in a traffic collision? Traffic Stop If the deputy activates his emergency signals (flashing lights/ siren, including a steady red light to the front), you are not necessarily being pulled over. Sometimes, the deputy is enroute to an emergency. He or she is expecting you to move your vehicle safely to the right side of the road so that he can get to his destination. Do not just stop in the lane you are in, or pull over to the center divide on the left, as this is contrary to state law and potentially extremely dangerous. Sometimes, however, the deputy has activated his emergency signals because he wishes to speak to you. You will know this is the case because the deputy’s marked vehicle will follow you as you drive to the right. Put on your right turn signal (blinker), carefully move your vehicle to the right side of the roadway, and stop in a safe place. (This should be well away from the road—sometime, as you travel on the freeway, observe how far the CHP officers pull their cars off the shoulder on a traffic stop.) Stay in your car. Roll down the window and take no further action until you are instructed to do so by the deputy. Do not get out of your vehicle unless the deputy tells you to do so--the roadway can be extremely dangerous. Whenever you drive, ensure that you have in your possession: 1) your driver's license, 2) current vehicle registration form (a photocopy is sufficient), and 3) proof that your car insurance is currently in force. It is probably better to have them easily accessible (prepare now while you have the time), rather than searching frantically through your car as the deputy approaches. “Routine” traffic stops can turn out to be very dangerous to officers. Remember, the deputy does not know you and is cautiously assessing the situation. It is always disconcerting to a deputy when he is approaching a car late at night and the driver suddenly reaches into the glove box or under the seat. Traffic Collision If you become involved in a traffic collision, you must stop. Someone may be injured whom you can help and there are things that must be completed to comply with the law. The actions you should take will vary depending upon the circumstances. Vehicle collisions fall into three categories: 1) Vehicle vs. private property (utility pole, tree, fence), 2) Vehicle vs. vehicle (automobile, bicycle, trolley, train), and 3) Vehicle vs. pedestrian. However, all require you to take the following action. If there is an injury (including simply a complaint of pain—it might be serious!), if it involves a hit-and-run, or if the vehicle(s) are blocking traffic, call 911. (As a general rule, try not to move anyone for whom there is the slightest possibility of a spinal injury unless the car is on fire, you have to reposition them in order to stop severe bleeding or restore breathing, or they are in some other kind of grave danger.) Try to remain calm in all circumstances so you can make sound decisions. If you are calling via cellular telephone, it is important to give the location, so try to form the habit of knowing the street and city in which you are driving. Then, all you need to pinpoint your location is any address number close to you, a nearby cross street, or any business name within sight. If there are no injuries and both parties are at the scene, you may exchange information with the other party (i.e., vehicle registration information, driver's license information, insurance information, name and telephone number, etc.) and leave without involving law enforcement, if that is the desire of both parties and your vehicle is drivable. If your vehicle is not drivable, you should call AAA or any tow company you can contact. (Deputies can ask the dispatcher to call one of the Sheriff's authorized local towing services, if necessary, but sometimes they won’t accept personal checks as payment.) IMPORTANT: Always move your vehicles to a safe area out of the traffic lane before exchanging information. Following a collision, if you are on a dark road, on a curve, on the freeway (even on the shoulder), in deep fog, etc. always be aware that you are potentially still in grave danger. Some people have safely survived an accident and then, because they stayed in their vehicle or stood nearby, they were subsequently killed when an unsuspecting motorist came along and ran into them! All vehicle collisions occurring in the City of San Marcos are handled by the San Marcos Sheriff's Station Traffic Deputies. The California Highway Patrol (1888 Oceanside Blvd., Oceanside 92054-3486; tele. 760-757-1675) investigates collisions that occur within the unincorporated areas of the county and on the freeways, including on/off ramps. “911” will connect you to the CHP (as well as fire and paramedics) for an emergency or if blocking traffic. Traffic collision reports take approximately 10-12 days for completion depending upon the complexity. Once the report is completed, all parties, including involved insurance companies, are entitled to copies of the collision report. For information or to pick up a copy of your collision report, you can phone (760) 510-5200 and stop by the San Marcos Sheriff's Station. Normally, however, your insurance company should handle this for you. The California Department of Motor Vehicles, under Vehicle Code section 16000, requires that you furnish proof of insurance within 10 days after a motor vehicle collision has occurred when either one of the following conditions applies:
Each driver must make a report to DMV within 10 days (even if a deputy took a report), whether you caused the accident or not, and even if the accident occurred on private property. You must complete
a DMV
Traffic Accident Report form SR 1/SR 1A (found at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/sr/sr1.pdf)
When you have completed
the form, you can mail it to: If you do not submit
this report, your driving privilege will be suspended. DMV may ask your
insurance company to verify that you had coverage in effect at the time
of the accident. If you did not have insurance, your driving privilege
will be suspended for one year. To get your license back, after the
suspension, you will need to provide proof of financial responsibility
and maintain it on record for three years. The accident may count as
one point on your driving record. Please follow this
link
to get additional information on what to do when you are involved in
an accident. (http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffdl16.htm)
Do not forget. Call 9-1-1 for any injury accident.
5. How can I avoid becoming a victim of criminal activity?
The precautions you take, the educational opportunities you seek out, and the decisions you make before you become a victim can protect you and your family from victimization to a significant degree. Many actions can seem so obvious in retrospect, after a crime has occurred [e.g., locking all doors and windows, not leaving valuable items in plain view, not letting strangers (or even acquaintances, friends, or relatives--if they are dishonest or use drugs) into your home, being aware of what is happening around you/ listening to your intuition, checking situations out or thinking things through before you decide to do something risky, getting advice from someone whom you can trust before making important decisions, etc.] Most of these things are just common sense. Here are a few suggestions that you may find helpful. Missing children
One serious circumstance in which people often delay too long before contacting us is when there is a missing child (or, for that matter, a mentally handicapped adult). Unless the other parent took the child to the store without telling anyone (a common occurrence), the lost individual is somewhere in or near the home. However, frequently, we are not contacted until hours after they are missing when they may have traveled much farther. Moreover, in a surprising number of cases, the parents cannot tell us where their child plays or who his other friends are --where his friends live, what their phone numbers are, who their parents are, etc.
We have experience in finding people and are able to do a systematic, coordinated search employing radios, dogs, helicopter, and, if necessary, the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team. However, it becomes exponentially more difficult if there is a significant time delay before we are notified! Now, before the child is missing, is the time to assemble all of the child’s friends’ names, addresses, and telephone numbers, and to reinforce to your child that he or she must keep you informed of where he or she is going and when he or she will return. Although the chances are statistically very small that your child will be abducted, you should take sensible precautions and educate yourself and your child on how to reduce this risk. The indicated links ahead can start this education. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Remember, you are not bothering us when you ask us to help look for a lost child-family:"
Nothing has a higher priority than the safety of children.
Crime Prevention
Crime Prevention Specialists can provide free advice, classes and on-site inspections that may reduce the chance of you and your family becoming crime victims. The San Marcos Sheriff's Substation staffs a Public Service Specialist for City residents (and there is another one at City Hall) and a Crime Prevention Specialist for the County (unincorporated) areas. They will conduct free security inspections at your home or place of business. They are normally available for information, advice, or presentations Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Weekend and evening presentations can also be scheduled as needed, especially for Neighborhood Watch Meetings. For crime prevention information, contact them at:
-
(760) 510-5255 or (760) 744-1050 extension 3111 or 3168 for the City
of San Marcos. These dedicated professionals also can help you and your neighbors to set up a Community Watch Program. Remember the historic tradition enunciated by Sir Robert Peel when he established the “bobbies” in London in the early 1800’s:
When you help to make your neighborhood safer, you will simultaneously reduce the likelihood of personal tragedy in your family.
Vacation Checks
When you go on vacation, you can ask the Senior Volunteer Patrol to drive by your home and check it periodically until you return. Vacation Check Request
To have your house checked on while you are on vacation, come into the San Marcos Sheriff's Station and fill out a vacation check request card. This card must be signed and dated. Members of the Senior Volunteer Patrol will periodically check your residence.
Extra Patrol
If you are experiencing problems in your neighborhood, you can call the station or come into the station and ask for “Extra Patrol.”
Extra Patrol Request
An Extra Patrol form will be filled out and posted on the briefing board. The deputies working in the area will be notified and provide extra attention whenever possible. This is an expedient remedy. However, your situation may require formal problem solving to address extensive concerns in any permanent fashion.
Problem Solving
Take a look at what is available through the COPPS unit, and then contact your COPPS sector deputy to participate in any offering that interests you, or to collaborate in solving a recurrent problem degrading your quality of life that law enforcement may be able to affect. We have ongoing programs to help reduce threats to you and your family. We are happy to work in partnership with you to keep our community a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.
6. Someone I know was arrested. How can I contact them?
They should be contacting you within the first few hours. Arrestees must be processed according to law, which can sometimes take several hours or longer if we have an unusually large number of “customers.’ However, within a reasonable period after being taken into custody, arrestees are allowed to make phone calls. It is hoped that they will choose to call you to allay your concern.
If not, sometimes Sheriff’s Dispatch at the non-emergency number can confirm an arrest for you, although they usually have more critical duties to perform.
Calling Jail Information after the person is formally admitted will usually be your best way of actually confirming where the person is, and if he or she can be bailed out. Some background on the process may be helpful in understanding why things sometimes take a while to sort out.
There are three classes of criminal offenses: infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies (going from least to most serious).
You may have been told that your friend was arrested. However, if the offense is only an infraction (or they were only questioned, not arrested), the person will be detained and then released at the scene—provided that he or she signs a promise to appear in court for the citation (if issued) and the true identity of the person is not in doubt. (That is why you should always carry identification and sign a traffic ticket—otherwise, by law the deputy must take you to jail until your court date or until you decide to sign the “promise to appear,” which most people eventually do.) Sometimes people think that someone they know was arrested, but he just went somewhere after his contact with the deputy and has not bothered to call home.
If a misdemeanor was committed, it also can sometimes be handled at the scene with a citation and a release with the suspect’s signed promise to appear.
Sometimes, however, the deputy transports the suspect to our station for processing since each arrest should include photographs and fingerprints to ensure the right person is prosecuted, and, on occasion, further investigation or interrogation is required after apprehension. After processing for most misdemeanors, the suspect will then be released from the station. (Formerly, misdemeanors resulted in incarceration, but now most people who are arrested for misdemeanors are released after processing at the station to save jail space for dangerous criminals.)
Some misdemeanor suspects, however, must go to jail. For example, because of serious outcomes in the past, your legislature has directed that domestic violence offenders should be incarcerated to provide a “cool down period” and avoid further problems. In addition, anyone who is so drunk or under the influence of drugs that they cannot care for their own safety, or who may be a danger to others, must be kept in a safe place (once we become aware of their condition).
All felons usually go to jail after initial processing at the station. At that time, they are processed at the jail and finally entered into the jail’s computer. Then, Jail Information will be able to tell you that they have been incarcerated and where they are by consulting the computer. At the jail [usually, Vista Detention Facility –(760) 940-4473 - for those who are arrested in the North County], they are given an opportunity to call whomever they want. Sometimes they do not know the phone number of the person they want to call or they are too high to operate the phone, so you may not get a call from them even then.
After processing at the jail, most arrestees are given a bail amount. If they are able to pay the bail amount, they can be released from the jail until their court date. Frequently, this is when they finally decide to contact you to let you know that they need bail money or a ride home from the jail.
The preceding discussion applies to those who are age eighteen and above. Any juveniles who are arrested for crimes will be handled with appropriate care and segregated from adults. The deputy will attempt to contact the parent or guardian as soon as practicable. They will be released to the parent or taken to Juvenile Hall depending upon many factors, such as the seriousness of the offense and the availability of the parent.
7. How do I get to the San Marcos Station?
SAN MARCOS STATION BUSINESS OFFICE HOURS:
"Fix It Ticket" Citation Sign Off“Fix-it tickets” refer to citations for violations that are correctable without going before a judge. However, a law enforcement officer must certify that the correction has been accomplished by signing off the reverse side of your citation. Almost all Sheriff’s and Police stations (and some courts) can provide someone to sign off tickets. To have a "fix it ticket" signed off, you will need to bring both the ticket (“yes” should be checked next to the violation on the ticket that you want verified) and the vehicle that was cited to the San Marcos Sheriff's station. A deputy will check the vehicle to verify the correction was made, and then sign off the citation. There is a fee of fifteen dollars ($15.00) for this service. The $15.00 fee is separate from all other fees and fines related to the citation. The $15.00 fee does NOT waive the citation fine (or the courts minor administrative fee, if you are eligible to have the charge dismissed after correction). You must contact the court (by mail or in person) to pay their fine/fee.
8. How do I get to the courthouse?
9. How do I get a copy of a report? Please keep the business card (with your case number on it) that the deputy at the scene gave to you. A detective will be assigned to your case and he will contact you by letter, giving his name and other information. If you have new information pertaining to your case, please call the San Marcos Station and ask for your assigned detective.
10. How can I get fingerprints taken?
Information concerning obtaining fingerprints can be found in the answer to the question “I need to get a fingerprint clearance. How do I get one?” on the Attorney General’s website (found at http://ag.ca.gov/consumers/morefaqs.php#fingerprint clearance under the heading “Fingerprinting & Criminal History”) The San Marcos Station does not offer Live Scan Fingerprinting, only ink on paper, which is not accepted by the Department of Justice as of July 1st, 2005. There is a charge of $22 per inked card. Prints are taken by appointment only; please call 760-510-5200. A current listing of Live Scan Sites offering electronic fingerprint services is available to the public on the Attorney General's (AG's) website at: http://ag.ca.gov/fingerprints/publications/contact.php
11. How can I get property released? To pick up property at the San Marcos Sheriff's Station:
12. How do I find out about the sexual offenders in this area? Every person who has been convicted of the offenses enumerated in section 290 of the California Penal Code must register their current address with law enforcement for the remainder of their life. They must contact the head law enforcement officer (Sheriff or Chief of Police) of the jurisdiction in which they reside (even if homeless) within five working days of coming into that jurisdiction, and reregister annually on their birthday (homeless reregister every 60 days). Additionally, if they go to college, they also must register with the Chief of the Campus Police.
The best way to find out about registrants in your area is to view the Sex Offender Locator Site http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/index.htm (which is maintained by the California Attorney General) using any computer that has access to the internet.
13. What is community oriented policing and how can it help me?
Community Oriented Policing is a philosophy, management style, and organizational design that promotes proactive problem-solving and police-community partnerships to address the causes of crime and fear, as well as other community issues. It encourages deputies to interact with the community in a particular area or beat and to involve the persons of that community in resolving both legal and social concerns.
Your Sheriff’s Department has included “problem solving” as an integrated part of community policing. Problem solving refers to a process of identifying problems and priorities through the following:
This approach emphasizes problem diagnosis and long-term solutions rather than reactive, incident-based responses. If you are plagued by a reoccurring problem, whether criminal or civil in nature, or if something is having a negative impact on your quality of life, and it is something that law enforcement may be able to assist you in addressing, you should contact your sector COPPS deputies. They may have encountered a similar situation in the past. They can advise what worked in those situations, and possibly assist you in accessing resources that can aid you in dealing with the problem.
14. Can I go on a ride-a-long with the deputies? Regrettably, at the present time, the Sheriff's Department does not have a citizen ride-a-long program.
15. What is the Senior Volunteer Program?
The Sheriff's Volunteer Patrol Program is a force of senior citizen volunteers, age 55 and over, that augments and assists regular patrol deputies. Senior volunteers help by performing many tasks, such as: vacation home checks, checking on homebound persons (Y.A.N.A. program), issuing handicap parking citations, reporting suspicious activities, etc. They use issued-radios that can immediately alert nearby deputies when necessary. Each volunteer is required to complete several training phases. This training consists of about thirty hours of classroom training and thirty hours of patrol training and ride-a-longs. For information on becoming a San Marcos Senior Volunteer, please call (760) 510-5290/ 5291.
16. What is the Y.A.N.A. program?
The You Are Not Alone (Y.A.N.A.) Program is intended to provide welfare checks on a regular basis to the elderly, disabled, and shut-ins residents of our community. For information on signing up for the Y.A.N.A. Program, please call (760) 510-5290/ 5291.
17. Why don’t deputies arrest undocumented aliens? Deputies do not have the legal authority to enforce the immigration laws (which are Federal, not State, laws) that these individuals are violating. The United States Customs and Border Protection has such authority.
18. Why don’t deputies do something about the homeless individuals in this area?
It is not illegal to be homeless. Unless the individual is committing a crime, he or she is not subject to arrest.
19. How do I get a restraining order against someone?
Questions concerning the issuance and service of restraining orders should be referred to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Court Services Bureau or the courts.
20. What is Small Claims Court? What are other civil remedies?
While patrol deputies, as peace officers, are tasked with taking actions to quell disorder and deal with disasters, their primary charge is to suppress/ prevent crime by enforcing the criminal law. This law deals with public offenses that affect all of us and that your legislature has determined require criminal sanctions such as death, imprisonment, fine, removal from office, or disqualification to hold or enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit in California.
Civil remedies exist to address conflicts between individuals that are generally more of a private dispute. Questions concerning Small Claims Court should be referred to that Court. Questions concerning civil actions such as landlord/tenant disputes should be referred to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Court Services Bureau or appropriate court.
21. How can I protect children?
One of the greatest benefits of being in law enforcement is the opportunity to help protect the most vulnerable members of our society. Sir Robert Peel’s dictum:
The quote points out that all of us have such an opportunity. We all play a role in protecting our community’s children. In fact, this may be our greatest responsibility as members of our society.
For parents engaged in that most awesome responsibility of raising a healthy, responsible adult, we can offer our help and encouragement. No reasonable person argues that a patrol deputy has primary responsibility for keeping your child safe, but we can support you in that goal. Such things as gangs, drugs, and other risky behavior that immature minds find may alluring, are snares to entrap the naive and vulnerable. Deputies can pass along to you the lessons and insights that our training and experience have imparted to us, but only you are with your child regularly and can significantly influence his or her behavior. Please refer to the answer to question number five (above) for some initial help. Then, when you have specific concerns, contact us as a resource that can increase your knowledge of what has worked in similar situations. Talking to the School Deputies, the Juvenile Detectives, the Narcotics Detectives, and the Gang Detectives at the Station can be especially valuable. The COPPS deputies can assist you with problem solving and long-term solutions. The Crime Prevention Specialists can describe how your involvement can contribute to the reduction in crime in your neighborhood.
But crime, while a serious threat, is not statistically the greatest threat to your children’s safety. Unintentional accidents are. A deputy sheriff must conduct a preliminary investigation of every death that occurs in our area. As a result, we have seen the tragic consequences of many poor decisions, or of harried, well-meaning people just losing focus on what is truly important due to the stress of life, to their everlasting regret. Remember the poor father who changed his routine and took his baby to the sitter on his way to work, but due to other things on his mind, forgot and left the sleeping child in the back seat to die from heat stroke? Every time you read about kids finding a loaded gun and playing with it, don’t you wonder why they weren’t taught to anticipate the tragedy that was a moment away? The following advice, while simply common sense that seems intuitively obvious, from our perspective bears repeating since it seems to be ignored regularly.
If every driver who got in a vehicle reminded him or herself each time that they are about to operate a device with the same potential to take a child’s life as a loaded gun, we might reduce the incidence of avoidable tragedy.
22. What are the crime statistics for this area?
Free maps of the San Marcos area with criminal activity statistics are available at the San Marcos Sheriff's Station. You can also get past years’ statistics on the Sheriff’s website and you can access the Automated Regional Justice Information System (ARJIS) website for a more localized view.
23. Who enforces municipal and county ordinances?
Although deputies issue citations for some ordinances, such as those usually related to alcohol, parking, off roading, shooting guns, illegal dumping, or juvenile offenses such as smoking, curfew, fireworks, graffiti, and loitering (and deputies occasionally respond to keep the peace for barking dogs or other loud noise complaints), for the most part, the City’s Code Enforcement Officer, Carl Blaisdell, is the official who cites for violations of the municipal code. The City of San Marcos maintains a Complaint Log of residents’ complaints that are subsequently assigned to the pertinent agency or taken on as a Task Force project by multiple agencies, as appropriate. You can have your complaint entered by contacting Code Enforcement at (760) 744-1050 extension 3206.
If you reside in the unincorporated portions of the county, County Code Enforcement can be contacted at 760-940-2893. You can call or submit a complaint via FAX or through e-mail by going to their website.
24. I have a suggestion to improve law enforcement in the San Marcos area.
We are always interested in ways to serve our community more effectively. You can talk to someone who has responsibility for your area of concern at the San Marcos Station by calling (760) 510-5200 during working hours. Alternatively, you can FAX your letter explaining the suggestion to (760) 510-5200 or mail it to 182 Santar Place, San Marcos, CA 92069. Please include your name and contact information in case clarification is needed.
If you would like to speak informally to your sector’s COPPS deputy, he or she can give you some feedback or direct you to the appropriate party for your concern. Thank you for your interest in our community.
If you still need some help, then give us a call at (760) 510-5200 and we will do our best to answer your questions or concerns. Alternatively, you can FAX your suggestion or question to us at (760) 510-5201. Remember, we need contact information if we are to answer your question. Jurisdiction:
|
|||||||||||||
