By Sgt. Dee, Antioch Police Patrol Division

On Friday, August 26, 2016 at 4:11 p.m., Antioch Police Officers were dispatched to the report of a fight inside the Somersville Towne Center mall at 2550 Somersville Road. While officers were en route, dispatch received a call of shots fired. Numerous officers responded code 3 and made contact with a vehicle leaving the scene at a high rate of speed.

Inside the vehicle, officers contacted a 20-year-old female suffering from a single gunshot wound to the chest. First aid was rendered at the scene and she was transported to an area hospital where she is in stable condition.

At this time, the shooter is still outstanding and no other persons were injured as a result of the shooting. It appears as if this is an isolated incident and the case is still under investigation. While on scene, officers received information of an unrelated theft. During the theft at least one subject made mention of having a gun. A vehicle stop was conducted as the vehicle was leaving the parking lot and three females were detained. The stolen property was recovered however no weapon was located.

After further investigation it appears as if the gun information was unfounded and the second stop was not related in any way to the original shooting.

This preliminary information is made available by the Field Services Bureau. No further information will be released at this time as the case is still under investigation. Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to contact the Antioch Police Department at (925) 778-2441. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH.

A “Coming Soon” banner went up on the former Hurricane Grill & Wings location one Lone Tree Way in Antioch, Wednesday, promoting the new Mel’s diner.

By Allen Payton

A new Mel’s Diner location is coming to Antioch, and is scheduled to open by the end of the year. It will be in the former location of the short-lived Hurricane Grill & Wings, which was Uno Chicago Grill on Lone Tree Way in the Williamson Ranch Plaza, near Staples and Walmart.

The closest Mel’s Diner location is at the Streets of Brentwood. The new restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. The owners are not sure, yet if it will be open 24 hours.

Mel’s has a long history in California, with the first opened in San Francisco in 1947 by Mel Weiss and Harold Dobbs. That location was featured in the movie American Graffiti. For more information about Mel’s including their menu, visit www.originalmelsdiner.com.

Individuals Sought for Four Seats

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission – the Bay Area’s transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency – is recruiting interested Bay Area residents to fill four vacancies on its Policy Advisory Council. There are two openings for residents of Napa County: one for an individual representing the interests of people with disabilities, and one for an individual representing the interests of the county’s minority residents. In addition, there are two at-large seats available on the Council, which can be filled by individuals who would represent either the economy or the environment from any of the nine Bay Area counties. The Council normally meets the second Wednesday of each month from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the MTC offices in San Francisco, and advisors are reimbursed for their transportation to and from the meeting.

Created by the Commission in November 2009 to advise MTC on transportation policies in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Policy Advisory Council incorporates diverse perspectives relating to the environment, the economy and social equity. The Council advises MTC on a range of topics, including:

• Regional planning efforts linking transportation, housing and land-use plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
• Public transit productivity improvements; and
• Pursuit of new revenues to support a transportation system that better serves all Bay Area residents.

“The Commission wants and needs to hear various viewpoints when making transportation policy and investment decisions,” said MTC Chair Dave Cortese. “Incorporating different perspectives enhances our decision-making process.”

Applications for the four vacancies will be accepted through September 9, 2016. No specific educational background is needed for most seats – just a background in the specific application category, and an interest in transportation and how it affects residents in the nine Bay Area counties. Experience working on public policy issues or community-related issues is desirable. Appointed advisors are expected to attend monthly meetings at MTC’s offices in San Francisco and will serve through the term ending in July 2017. While positions are voluntary, advisors do receive a small stipend for their attendance at certain meetings.

MTC’s appointing Commissioners will review the applications, and the full Commission is scheduled to approve the selections in October. The selected applicants will attend their first meeting on November 9, 2016. To apply for a vacant position or to learn more about the Policy Advisory Council, visit http://mtc.ca.gov/about-mtc/what-mtc/mtc-organization/policy-advisory-council or call 415.778.6706.

Bill, which offers priority registration and academic advising to students, passes key legislative hurdle

Sacramento, CA – The Assembly on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved Sen. Steve Glazer’s groundbreaking legislation to smooth the way for California State University students to graduate in four years.

Senate Bill 412, establishing the “California Promise,” proposes to boost CSU’s 4-year graduation rate which, at 18.6 percent, is 25 percent lower than the national average for comparable public universities. Some CSU campuses’ four-year graduation rates hover at or below 10 percent.

Glazer’s bill was jointly-authored with Senate President Pro Tem, Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles. It now awaits further action in the Senate.

“This legislation will allow CSU students to break through the logjam that has left too many students with graduation roadblocks and high debt,” said Glazer, D-Orinda, a former CSU Trustee.

Senator de Leon said: “Since 2015, the Senate has fought for access, affordability and completion for California students in higher education. SB 412 is an important piece of this agenda. I am proud to joint-author this bill, which will help California students, particularly those from low-income families, complete college in four years.”

Under the California Promise program, CSU students would be offered priority registration and academic advising as long as they commit to completing 30 semester units each year and meet any other guidelines set by individual campuses.

Low-income, underrepresented or first-generation college students who fulfill the requirements would be guaranteed admission into California Promise programs. Qualified community college transfer students would also be guaranteed slots in the California Promise.

CSU Trustees would be required to develop and implement a California Promise program at a minimum of eight CSU campuses and at 15 CSU campuses for qualifying transfer students beginning in the 2017-18 academic year. More campuses would be added in future years.

CSU students and their families pay up to $26,000 per year in tuition, books and living expenses for every extra year in college, according to the Campaign for College Opportunity.

“We know that our CSU leadership is committed to student success,” Glazer said. “The California Promise will add to the effort, giving students the tools and setting a pathway for better results.

“This program’s success will save students and their families hundreds of millions of dollars every year,” Glazer added. “It will free up seats for new students, save the state money and get better qualified students into the workforce sooner. It is projected that we will be one million degrees short in meeting industry demand in the next ten years. This program will help us meet that need.”

By Sergeant Dimitri Barakos #2176, Antioch Police Community Policing Bureau

On Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at approximately 2:23 a.m. the Antioch Police Department received a call of a traffic collision on East 18th Street at the intersection with Parsons Lane. Officers determined that the driver of the vehicle involved in this collision was traveling west bound on East 18th Street west of Blossom Drive in the vehicle.

The vehicle veered from a direct course of travel and struck the north curb of East 18th Street and then a wooden PG&E power pole that was on the north sidewalk of East 18th Street at Parsons Lane. The power pole was snapped in two just above the base, which caused power to go out in the East 18th Street and Cavallo Road corridor. The driver of the vehicle fled on foot and was not  located.

No other occupants were found in the vehicle. Local hospitals were notified of the collision in case the driver sought medical treatment. PG&E personnel responded to fix the pole and restore power.

The case is still under investigation. You may text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

By Allen Payton

If you’ve ever wanted to be in a movie, this may be your chance. Antioch’s own Anthony Ferrante, the director of the Sharknado films, is back in town with his crew filming a new movie entitled Forgotten Evil. And they need extras, starting tonight, Monday, August 22nd.

More about Ferrante and the movie, later. But, for now, according to Kris Wynne, Line Producer for the movie, following is the schedule for extras needed for the film:

 (Please don’t wear black, white or stripes and NO logos)

MONDAY 8/22 – El Campanil Theatre – 6PM-10PM

TUESDAY 8/23 – Riverview Lodge 6PM

WEDNESDAY 8/24 – Southern Cafe 8PM

THURSDAY 8/25 – Los Medanos College (Time to be announced)

FRIDAY 8/26 – Antioch Convalescent Home (3PM)

If interested, please email casfilm2016@gmail.com

I fight crime with a little help from my friends

By Allen Payton

Recently, residents have asked questions on social media, about calls that the Antioch Police Department dispatch does not take and why. Captain Tammany Brooks offered the following explanation and information, and the process for online reporting the APD is asking residents to follow, to assist in their efforts:

“Here are certain incidents and/or crimes where dispatch will direct the caller to complete an online report.  Antioch is not unique in this aspect, as many other agencies use this service as well (including Brentwood, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, and Walnut Creek just to name a few locally).

When the citizen completes the online report, the report is reviewed and (if completed correctly) approved by a patrol supervisor.  This report is then given an Antioch case number and is routed to Records and sometimes the Investigations bureau.  If it is a Part 1 crime (i.e. theft report), it is coded appropriately to be included in the UCR report sent to the FBI.

An event generated by dispatch is generally handled by an officer who gets dispatched to make contact with the reporting party.  If a report is taken, it too is routed to Records and possibly Investigations in the same manner as the online reports.  In other words, the completed product (report) is the same and ends up in the same place regardless of whether it was generated by an officer or a citizen filing an online report.  But if an event is not generated, and an officer is not dispatched, you are correct that this incident would not show up in the weekly total calls for service.  This is the case with all online reports whether the citizen called dispatch first or not.

Now, to answer your question as to how APD would know about a crime if an officer is not dispatched and the citizen does not file an online report…we won’t.  We can only stat the crimes we know about, just like any other agency.  Understand, online reports are used in limited circumstances, designed as a convenience for our citizens and to free up officers to handle other crimes that require a response.  If for some reason a person cannot complete an online report, he/she can demand an officer and one will be dispatched.  Obviously, like every other call to be dispatched, it is placed in a queue and will be sent to an officer when one is available (which may take an extended period of time since calls are dispatched based on priority).  As I’m sure you already know, it would be MUCH quicker and easier for a citizen to just go online and complete a report than it would be to wait for an officer to come take the same report.  Heck, we even have a link to the online reporting system on our PD app so people can complete the report on their smart phone if they like.

So, to close the loop on this, every agency is faced with the “unreported crime” issue.  We cannot force people to report a crime, but obviously we need their cooperation.  I back the chief 100% in that we want people to report crimes.  Not just so we can track them, but so that if a lead is established, we can hold the people responsible for these crimes accountable for their actions.  But in today’s technologically advanced society, this may not always mean making a call into dispatch.  Documentation of certain crimes can be more quickly and efficiently handled through these online reports, and I would encourage people to take advantage of this service when the need arises.

p.s. Also, I will remind you that calls for service and crime stats are two completely separate and individually distinct measurements of different things.  Not all crime reports come from a call for service, and not all calls for service result in crime reports.”

So, be a friend to the Antioch Police Department and help them fight crime by either calling dispatch, texting an anonymous tip to to the PD by texting: 274637 (CRIMES) and including the word ANTIOCH in the body of the text, or by completing an online report. Here’s the link to the online report form or visit the APD’s webpage on the City of Antioch’s website, for the link to the online report on the left side of the page.