Eureka Police Department’s Animal Control Officer, Rob Patton, escorted an unwanted guest from Ramone’s in Old Town on Friday morning. The bushy-tailed varmint had been curled up beneath the pastry counter for an undetermined period of time, only to be noticed by a barista coming in for her mid-morning shift. As customers and staff watched, […]
Eureka Police Department
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UPDATE: Eureka City Council Chambers Packed for Budget Drama
UPDATE: A second budget meeting, held last night, explored options to preserve funding for public safety, according to an article in this morning’s Times-Standard. Council Member Melinda Ciarabellini suggested halving funding for Eureka Main Street and the chamber of commerce and cutting funding entirely for such organizations as the Retired Senior Volunteer Program and the […]
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UPDATE: EPD’s “Streamlined” Budget
UPDATE: Chief Mills released a summary of his budget proposal on the Eureka Police Department’s blog. Citing the need to make the department more “streamlined and efficient to fill the vacuum created by laying off PSOs and annuitants”, the workload currently carried by police services officers will be redistributed between officers, technical support and citizens. […]
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Mall Cops
For the last month, the Eureka Police Department has been under contract to provide daily foot patrols at the Bayshore Mall. The written agreement between the city and the mall has been in place since March 17, with an EPD officer walking the mall in four- to five-hour shifts, seven days a week, with the […]
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Scenes from a Sweep: Images from behind the Bayshore Mall and a look at what’s next
The Eureka Police Department led a multi-agency effort Wednesday to remove what Chief Andrew Mills called a “criminal element that has infiltrated” the network of homeless camps near the railroad tracks behind the Bayshore Mall. Dubbed Operation Safe Trails, the full-day sweep of the encampments involved more than 50 officers from at least seven agencies, […]
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Coffee with the Captains
A crowd of about 30 citizens, public officials and police officers squeezed into Vellutini’s Bakery in Henderson Center this morning for the Eureka Police Department’s first “Coffee With the Captains” — an informal sit down with local law enforcement. Suzie Owsley, with the city’s Problem Oriented Policing team (POP), said that this gathering was one of […]
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EPD Officers May Start Wearing Cameras
As the ripples of last year’s national and local police-involved shootings reverberate through the country, Eureka’s police department is considering outfitting officers with wearable cameras. Chief Andrew Mills supports the idea, but said much needs to be sorted out before it will happen. Mills’ plan is to repurpose $60,000 currently earmarked for police car dashboard […]
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No Criminal Charges Against Officer in Tommy McClain Shooting
There will be no criminal charges against Stephen Linfoot, the Eureka police officer who shot 22-year-old Tommy McClain to death on Sept. 17. A District Attorney’s office press release states, “After reviewing the [Critical Incident Response Team investigation] report in its entirety, the District Attorney’s Office concluded that the evidence does not prove beyond a […]
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Police Promotions
Being a bit old school, I was put off at first. Eureka Police Chief Andy Mills was on the phone asking me to take part in a community panel that would help him decide who to promote to the position of EPD captain. The positions are critical to Mills’ plan for policing Eureka, which involves […]
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Scenes From Friday’s Shooting Vigil
Friends and family gathered Friday evening to remember Thomas “Tommy” McClain, a 22-year-old Eureka man fatally shot by police early Wednesday morning. The shooting, which occurred as officers held McClain at gunpoint in front of a residence on the 1600 block of Allard Avenue, opening fire when he allegedly reached for a gun, is currently […]
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3rd Update: Police Investigating Eureka Double Homicide;
The second of two men shot to death Wednesday evening in a Harris Street home has been identified by the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office as 25-year-old Lance Delbert Henry. Henry and Richard Charles Storre Jr., 60, were both found dead of gunshot wounds to the head by Eureka police at about 6 p.m. Wednesday. Police […]
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The Most Powerful Woman in Eureka
A glimpse of her uniform and cropped gray hair from an office window sends people bolting to their cars. Grown men and women plead with her for mercy. She does not negotiate. There may or may not be a Facebook page devoted to tracking her movements. Parking Enforcement Officer Lynda Punch has been chalking tires […]