A 22-year veteran of the Sacramento Police Department was arrested Thursday for the rape of an elderly woman. Officer Gary Dale Baker, 49, was arrested on suspicion of a slew of sexual assault charges stemming from incidents that allegedly occurred over a more than two-year period. The 78-year-old woman had suffered a stroke, which affected her speech and was diagnosed with Aphasia, however she lived independently, according to the warrant affadavit for Baker's arrest. Baker was charged with rape, two counts of forcible oral copulation, attempt to commit oral copulation, assault with intent to commit rape and sexual battery. His bail is set at $1 million and he's scheduled to appear in c

Next time you whip out your cell phone to check or send a quick text while cruising down the freeway, expect to see flashing lights behind you and a hefty ticket handed to you. The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) has teamed up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the California Highway Patrol, and 37 law enforcement agencies across the greater Sacramento region to eliminate motorists’ hand-held cell phone use and texting. The effort is a pilot program using the region to test tactics that may be employed nationally in the future. OTS was awarded $600,000 in federal funds for these special high visibility law enforce

The Sacramento Sheriff's K9 Association held a fundraiser and demonstration Sunday at Pet Food Express on Fair Oaks Blvd. Along with meeting the K9's, getting to rub a K9 belly and meet their handlers, goers had the opportunity to purchase the new 2012 SSDK9 calendar loaded with dynamic images of the dogs and their handlers by XSiGHT Photography and Video. Ike, one of twelve active K9’s in the unit, has seen his fair share of rough and tumble, part of the job as a K9. Deputy Pomerson, Ike’s partner and handler, related how Ike went over a fence after a bad guy and punctured a lung. With the punctured lung, Ike still latched on to the bad guy until deputies apprehended the perp. Ike’s ch

Law enforcement and correctional officers, military personnel and a firefighter went toe to toe in the boxing ring Saturday night, raising money for charity in the Battle of the Badges Fight Series: Road to the Championship. Held in the intimate courtyard setting of Liquid Nightclub in Citrus Heights, the well-attended event benefitted charities including the Armed Forces Foundation, Firefighters Burn Institute and Sacramento Sheriff's Toy Project. Battle of the Badges Fight Series events are a lead-up to the title fight at Battle of the Badges VIII. Last year's Battle of the Badges VII was held in August at Memorial Auditorium. All bouts had a three-round limit, and on the card Saturd

Saturday, June 18, 2011 Registration is open now!  Click here to get started! Foot pursuit in progress. Suspect is wearing running shoes and shorts and was last seen at the corner of Broadway and Marina View Dr. near Miller Park. Suspect is on the run and is going the distance heading East on Broadway. Suspect was last seen suspiciously running down the middle of the street. Suspect is unarmed and traveling at high speeds on foot. The suspect is unidentified but has been accused of public enjoyment of running and raising funds for charity. Come join us for the 5K Foot Pursuit and kids’ ½ mile fun run happening Saturday, June 18th at Miller Park to benefit the Law Enforcement Chaplaincy o

Sacramento, CA | Sunday night at the California Peace Officers’ Memorial, located at 10th Street and Capitol Mall across from the Capitol, a candlelight vigil was held to honor the memory of fallen Peace Officers, and to add 11 more names to the honor roll. Peace Officers from around the State and as far as San Diego made the trip not to only pay tribute to those fallen Officers, but to help keep the memories fresh in citizens’ minds, so that these great sacrifices will not be forgotten. There was an overflow crowd at the event, which not only included fellow Peace Officers and their families, the families of the fallen, but the general public that wanted to pay their respect to those wh

California Attorney General Kamala Harris stressed the need to treat the gang problem with a community approach using prevention, intervention and enforcement. Harris was the guest speaker at Mayor Kevin Johnson’s gang forum Tuesday night in Meadowview. “We have to be smart on crime,” Harris said, eschewing the old notion of the only two choices being to be hard or soft on crime. She likened the gang violence problem to a public health problem like an epidemic: The best way to prevent it is through inoculations and early treatment, but by the time it is being dealt with in the emergency room, it’s too late, and too expensive. Harris said combating gang violence should be dealt with regi

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones said Monday that he will ask faith and business groups to advise him on public safety issues. At a briefing with reporters at the Sheriff’s Department building downtown, Jones said he will create two new advisory boards with representatives from religious, community and business groups within the next three months. Jones had pitched his plan to establish the two new advisory groups during his political campaign for sheriff last fall. These groups will help the department connect with youth and improve the county’s business climate, he said. Jones has not yet named anyone to the new advisory groups, according to the Sheriff’s Department press office.

Posted by tlstay Good Morning, My vehicle was stolen in February from my driveway. It was recovered in perfect condition after only a couple of days one mile from my house. Apparently, standard operating procedure is to have the vehicle towed to a tow yard before we are notified that the vehicle was recovered. We were advised of the recovery at 3pm and couldn’t leave work until 4:30, which was when the tow yard closed. We went to pick it up at 8 am the next morning, and the charge for towing and storage was $245. While I was happy to have the vehicle recovered, this was frustrating, to say the least. While I understand the need to remove stolen vehicles from their location in a timely man

Outgoing Sacramento City Councilman Robbie Waters is backing candidate Darrell Fong in the runoff election for the District 7 seat that covers the Pocket/Greenhaven and Valley Hi neighborhoods. Waters, who has served as the District 7 council member since 1994, lost the race in June to opponents Darrell Fong and Ryan Chin. Waters came in third place out of four candidates, with 27 percent of the vote. Chin led the group in the June election with 37 percent of the vote. He is now competing in a runoff campaign against Fong, who garnered 32 percent of votes cast. The two candidates must face off again because the city’s rules say that a council candidate needs at least 50 percent of the vo

  The chance of a person being killed by a police officer because he or she has a mental illness may rise due to budget cuts, lack of proper treatment and the police being unaware that the person suffers from a mental illness. If you need to call the police on a loved one or someone you know who has a mental illness because of erratic or psychotic behavior, let the police know that he or she suffers from a mental illness. According to the Sacramento Bee, Giat Van Truong, a 35-year-old man who suffers from schizophrenia was shot to death while becoming violent with the arresting police officer. According to Sheriff Sgt. Tim Curran, the arresting officer was unaware that Giat was mentally

Police arrived at the most recent Safe Ground location on North D and North 11th streets Monday afternoon to notify about 100 homeless campers that they must vacate the premises. Safe Ground is an attempt to find a safe, legal space for the homeless to settle. Reverend David Moss was the only arrest made that afternoon for trespassing. Sacramento Police Department spokesperson, Sgt. Norm Leong commented, “He refused to identify if he was camping on the site and refused to leave.” The empty lot is owned partially by the city and two private property owners. Joan Burke, Director of Advocacy with Loaves & Fishes, said those camping were aware only of the city ownership of the property. “W

The following is a press release from Sergeant Norm Leong of the Sacramento Police Department. The Sacramento Police Department was recognized as having the top police dog in the region based on an online contest. Officer Randy Van Dusen and K-9 partner Buck won the contest, beating out seven other police K-9’s in the region. "He meets thousands of kids, and really helps kids come out of their shell when they meet the police," said Van Dusen. "Buck is strictly a patrol dog, he searches for serious bad guys. Those who are hiding and don't want to come out. He's one of the dogs that assists the SWAT team with high risk warrants." The contest was created by Dr. Donna Schwontkowski, a retir

In a recent article in the Sacramento Bee, dated February 26, 2009, The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced that the death of an inmate in their Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga was being investigated by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department. My question to CDCR is simple: Why does the largest law enforcement agency in the western United States, with over 30,000 sworn peace officer personnel, allow a county sheriff’s office to conduct their criminal investigations? CDCR is, bar none, the biggest cop-shop in California, yet they are running on decades-old policies and doctrine, mainly that they (CDCR) are not really law enforcement, but are actually

The City of Sacramento Department of Neighborhood Services announces: The Sacramento Police Department is developing a Law Enforcement Youth Development Program (YDP). They are seeking a diversified group of young adults between the ages of 13 – 18 years old. These selected students must meet minimum requirements, such as a 2.0 GPA, leadership skills, school attendance, citizenship, and be interested in a possible career in law enforcement. Potential candidates must fill out an application, receive permission from their parents (if under age 18), and pass an interview. Upon acceptance into the program, students will be assigned a law enforcement employee to help guide them through the pr