I applaud the chief's goal to reduce murders in EPA to aero for 2009. I fully support that goal. I would be interested in the plan to be used, not as a critic, but to see if I could suggest any improvements, or if assistance could be given. I would LOVE to see EPA become a healthy and prosperous community.

Calling in the military is not the answer, I know that. One should never assign police work to the military. The training given and the training required are totally mis-matched. We just need to give the police adaquate resources and support and let them do their work.

Would the murders get wrapped up faster in a wealthy community? Probably, due to the fact that witnesses step forward with needed information more readily on the wealthier communities. You can't blame the police when you don't give them the community support they need.

Make no mistake, this is not a gang problem, or a police problem, or a drug problem. This is a community problem that includes all the above and more. The police are only part of the solution, the good people of EPA are another part. If those two parts cannot work together, there is little either of them can do alone.

There is a simple thing EPA could do that would help. Not a solution, but it would help, and it wouldn't cost EPA a dime.

Call ICE

Outside, please do not speak in riddles. Please define ICE and how that would help. If you have a real suggestion, please make it plain.

JustMe, if you don't know the definition of a word please make an attempt to inform yourself before accusing others of speaking in riddles and not offering a "real" suggestion.
To help you along, ICE is the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Google "East Palo Alto ICE" and you'll come up with this article Web Link with background info on why calling ICE is a terrible idea that goes counter to building the police-community trust that's needed to solve the problem.
Editors, why the need to censor the first few posts? Were they too raw for your tastes or are you trying to shut down voices from the "other" side of 101? Razor-surgery censoring itself gnaws at community trust and willingness to open up.

I could hear the shooting over there last night - the wind carries the sound sometimes. It's eerie.

I hear gunfire at least once a week.

Educate Yourself, you are right, as soon as I saw and "ICE" and wondered what it was, I should have thought to google "East Palo Alto ICE", it is so intuitive. Anyone should know that, right?

However, for those poor souls who lack the sharp phychic ability to link those two together, a little help with definitions might be required. I tend to not like it when people use obscure acronyms, or even coin them on the spot, and then act superior when others cannot make the leaps of logic required to follow along.

I do, however, agree with your protesting the levelof censorship on this message system. Some censorship is certainly required to remove obscene, hateful, or gibberish posts, but the censorship here goes well beyond that. Perhaps we should find another venue.

Okay, I read enough of the article linked above to be able to easily agree that bringing back ICE is not only a bad idea, it is probably wrong to even think that way. While I am not in favor of illegal immigration and I support tightening the borders to stem and control that tide, I also believe that if morally wrong to try to pin the crime problems of EPA on illegal immigrants. I believe that many of those people are good, hard-working, and honest people merely looking for a better life for themselves and their families. I cannot fault that, except I want them here legally. But I do want them here. I think we need to do more to enable and encourage legal immigration while shutting down illegal immigration. I am willing to bet that if you ever came up with a way to suddenly teleport all illegal immigrants back to their places of origin in the wink of an eye, the US economy would probably grind quickly to a halt.

The draconian and mis-represented practices of ICE do not need to be revived. We also need to recognize that many of the criminals operation I and out of EPA are probably US citizens, and ICE would not be effective.

[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]

Here is another one:

Man in critical condition after shooting in East Palo Alto

Bay City News Service
Posted: 12/30/2008 06:50:16 AM PST

A man is in critical condition after being shot in East Palo Alto Monday night, according to police.

The shooting was reported at about 10:10 p.m. in the 2400 block of Fordham Street, police said.

Arriving officers found the victim lying in the roadway and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to a local hospital where he is listed in critical condition, according to police.

Detectives are investigating the shooting and seeking any witnesses who may have seen it take place. Anybody who witnessed or has any knowledge about the shooting is urged to call detective David Carson at (650) 853-5957, East Palo Alto police dispatch at (650) 321-1112, or the police anonymous tip line at (650) 853-8477.

Web Link

Anon, most crimes and shootings committed in EPA are by people, and by trying to pin them on any ethnicity in particular is wrong on too many levels and for too many reasons to go into here. Let's just stay away from bigoted generalizations, shall we?

Justme

Okay you're right. Definitely a bad post, but I was just referring to stats. We'll leave it alone.

[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]

Web Link

[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.] People don't come forward because they are afraid of being killed themselves for going to the police. I had a person I worked with who witnessed a murder a couple of years ago and went into protective custody and was relocated. Some people aren't afraid to talk. If you’re poor or rich it doesn’t matter. What matter is if you’re brave enough to go to the police and let them know what is going on.

It’s time to stop the nonsense and take back our city East Palo Alto. I grew up here and I know it can be tough at times. But I also remember when it was safe to walk the streets and play outside when I was growing up. Now you barely see any children outside playing or teens walking around with there friends it’s sad that it has come to this. It’s time to put the guns down and settle things a different way.

Oh sure. Don't bring in ice. Behave all ye illegals and we will leave you alone. The irony in that statement is 'illegal' implies misbehavior in the first place. Behave means they would probably draw no police attention to themselves in the first place.
Mistrust in the community. Don't hassle us for being here illegally and we will trust you more. I guess some people don't realize that investigating crimes committed by illegals can be like chasing ghosts as we have none of the usual ways to thoroughly ID these people.

Did anyone else find the wording of the article header funny? The Police Chief wants to end homicides. Really? NO WAY! How revolutionary! Isn't that in the job description? How about 'Police Chief vows to stop violence'...

so is the deal that when ever someone clicks the objectionable content button the post is deleted? I simply posted a fact. The victims in most of the epa shooting have been black and the suspects, when a description has been provided has been black. The post about calling ICE remains. Are the editors afraid to post the truth?

Outside observer, see what you started? :-)

no whatever. that is not the deal. i watch these boards closely, as do others. i, along with some others cut and paste copy for later comparisons. the Mad Red Pen Slasher (MRPS) randomly deletes full posts with names, partial posts, and posts but leaves names apparently at will. i have followed the blogs of many other newspapers all over the country and that is not being done anywhere else. not to this extreme and apparently not for content because i see strong, but not obscene or vulgar content left up on most of them. i guess small town paper, small town mentality. or, more ominous, don't agree with the papers party line, don't get to see your post for more than ten minutes.

I agree with part of the content of the web link from poster "educate yourself". ICE agents should not represent themselves as "Police", only as ICE agents enforcing Federal immigration law.

As I said in my prior post, ICE isn't a solution, but it would help and be very cost effective not only for EPA but for all California taxpayers.

How? Simple. It's less costly to deport an illegal immigrant than it is to try, convict and incarcerate an illegal immigrant who commits a serious crime.

So we should deport criminal illegals so that they can come right back in through our pourus border? Then we get to watch him commit morecrimes so we can try to catch him again? Makes sense to me. Job security for the police, catch and release?

I was out in front of my house today in PA when a police car drove by. He stopped, we chatted, he gave my kids stickers.Then my kid and I went to the Home Depot in EPA. Aswe were coming out a police SUV went by us slowly. I smiled and waved, he glared at me. Hmmmm, what's wrong with this picture?

Justme,

Better training, better environment, held to a higher standard, and a lot friendlier citizens in PA. Officers here are not nearly as jaded as EPA.

he just didn't see you

Oh, he saw me, drove by about 10 feet from me, I waved when I saw him looking at me and my daughter.

I have to say, I would much rather be an officer in PA than in EPA, but that is part of the problem that needs to be fixed.

The event certainly not make me feel poorly about EPA police, it made me want to buy him a cup of coffee and chat a bit.

You have to try and understand what EPA cops have to go through. Most of the people in EPA hate the cops. Every call for service an officer goes to is negative. People call 911 for a reason. Not to thank the officers for the job that they do, but to ask them to fix their problems. EPA is understaffed and sometimes have only 3 officers on duty during a friday or saturday night. The calls for service are stacked and violent crime is high. Everyone hates the police and it is very rare, in EPA, that someone shows kindness and gratitude to an officer. I feel bad for those officers. I don't blame them for being jaded and unfriendly.

JustMe,

Of course porous borders are an issue, but at least there has been a little government action and a lot of public attention to the issue.

Stats about returning illegal alien criminals would help sway public opinion to seal the borders.

Outside,

You seem to have a pretty strong opinion on illegals. Do you not have any relatives or know anyone who is, "TNT"?

Anon,

Glad you remember my prior posts :)

No, I have no relatives in the USA who are Tago ng Tago, and no Filipino friends that are to my knowledge.

Very well :)

anon,I didn't knowthe situation for the EPA cops was that bad. I figured they probably got less love than over here, but to be understaffed too just makes things worse.

I said I would rather be a cop here than there, bt after thinking about it a bit, I have to change my mind. I would rather take the harder job and the larger chance to do some good.

Hey, can someone find an excuse to march from Palo Alto city hall to the EPA City Hall to show support for the EPA cops? I would LOVE to show up for that march.

Yeah its pretty bad in EPA. It is hard for them to retain officers because they are underpaid and have to deal with a lot. At least more than the average police officer. I would venture to say that 1 year working the streets in EPA is equivalent to 3 years working in another city as far as skill and experience level goes. That's based on the criminal activity in EPA.

From what I understand, morale is low because of the administration. They just lost 3 good officers within the last few months to other agencies. I dont blame officers for leaving for better pay, health benefits, retirement system, and better support from the citizens and administration. Bottom line is that their families come first. Do what is best for your family first, then your job second.

It sounds to me like the first thing that needs to be done is to beef up the EPA police department, with a pay increase first, then a headcount increase of qualified applicants attracted by that pay. Follow that up with proper tools for the job, effective planning and training, and things could improve over there.

I like the shotfinder system EPA has installed. I wonder if there are any improvements that could be made in its monitoring or police response that would improve its effectiveness.

Those guys have a tough job to do, and they need support to do it. Other than marching on the PA police, what is the mayor of EPA doing to help? We need actions, not words.

Another shot in the legs while skateboarding in EPA.... Shooting after shooting and there is nothing anyone can do about it. EPA is a lost cause until the parents learn how to raise their children better. This crime and way of life is taught from childhood and it is the parents who are corrupting these young lives. No amount of cop patrol can rehabilitate the cultural mess.

Emily, I know people with families who live over there. They are good people that I love and trust, and if any one of them appeared at my door right now asking to borrow my car he would get the keys very quickly. I would ask why only out of curiosity.

There are good people over there, people trying to raise good families. They deserve better than what they are getting.

The crime problem over there cannot be cleaned up by the police, and it cannot be cleaned up by the people, and it cannot be cleaned up by pouring money into the problem. But if we can pour a little money into the police department to beef them up and support them, and then get the people to trust the police and work with them, then a solution can be found. No one piece can work without the other supporting it.

A solution MUST be found, the good people who live there deserve it.