The Eureka City Council will consider Tuesday a staff recommendation to hire a Los Angeles firm serve as the city’s independent police auditor as a part of the council’s plan to implement the most robust police oversight policy in Humboldt County. The agenda item that, if passed, will authorize the city manager to enter into […]
Eureka Police Department
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Update: Police Opened Fire During Eureka Pursuit
UPDATE The Eureka Police Department issued a press release tonight confirming that at least one officer fired a firearm during a pursuit that allegedly began after the suspect rammed police vehicles and drove “toward officers” before fleeing the scene, leading to another car crash and, ultimately, a brief multi-agency manhunt that ended with the suspect […]
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Eureka Looks to Discipline Five Officers After Texting Probe
The city of Eureka is moving forward with taking disciplinary actions against five police officers stemming from the months-long investigation into the text messaging scandal that rocked the department earlier this year, when a unit of officers was revealed to have shared a host of vulgar, misogynistic, violent and dehumanizing text messages. Eureka City Manager […]
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Man Already in Custody Arrested in 2017 Eureka Murder
A man once described by former Eureka Police Chief Steve Watson as “a possible serial killer in the making” has been arrested on suspicion of killing a man who was stabbed to death in 2017 while sleeping in an alley. Wesley Lee Starritt, 23, has been formally charged for the murder of 56-year-old Charles “Chuckie” […]
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Man Arrested for Suspected Murder of Missing Woman in Eureka
The Eureka Police Department announced today that 40-year-old Jason Michael Miller has been arrested on suspicion of murder in the suspected death of 32-year-old Kiera Lynn Foley, who was reported missing in June. Foley was last seen in April with her black and brown long-haired Chihuahua and, according to EPD’s Criminal Investigations Section investigation, it […]
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UPDATED: Five Years Later, Charges Brought in Eureka Teen’s Homicide
One day before the fifth anniversary of 18-year-old Jennika Lee Suazo being found dead in a P Street residence where she lived, the Eureka Police Department announced 34-year-old Anthony Lee Hamilton has been charged with her murder. According to a news release, Hamilton has been in custody on unrelated charges since 2017. The Eureka Police […]
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EPD’s Capt. Stephens Will Soon Be Acting Chief
As of Dec. 1, Capt. Brian Stephens will step in as acting chief of the Eureka Police Department as the city searches for an interim replacement over the next month while also recruiting for a permanent appointment. “I look forward to this opportunity to maintain the continuity of leadership within the department and will continue […]
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NCJ Preview: 101 Underwater, Watching Cops and Raising Turkeys
The looming threat of sea level rise is particularly scary along U.S. Highway 101. CalTrans and others are searching for solutions to the flooded future of Humboldt’s main transportation artery, and this week we’re talking about the options and obstacles for keeping the roadway above water. We’re also looking at Eureka’s move toward more robust […]
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NCJ Preview: Nuclear Legacy, a Police Chief Retires and Brewing Cider
The Humboldt Bay Nuclear Power Plant has been decommissioned at last. But that’s not where the story, or its lasting environmental impacts, end. We’ll take a look at the history and future of the plant and its waste products. And what does Eureka Police Chief Stephen Watson’s retirement announcement mean for a department plagued by […]
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Council to Discuss Police Chief Post in Closed Session as Text Investigation Comes to a Head
The Eureka City Council will meet in closed session Tuesday to discuss how to proceed in the wake of Police Chief Steve Watson’s announced retirement and a case of anticipated litigation. Watson announced Wednesday he would be stepping down from the position he’s held for four years at the end of November. With the department […]
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Watson to Step Down as Eureka Police Chief
Eureka Police Chief Steve Watson announced his sudden retirement today. He will leave the post at the end of November after serving for four years. In a city announcement, Watson says the decision comes with a “feeling of bittersweet peace” as he move onto a new chapter in life after 24 years in law enforcement, […]
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EPD Texting Investigation Nears Conclusion
Nearly six months after it began, an outside investigation into misogynistic, dehumanizing, vulgar and violent text messages shared between a unit of Eureka Police Department officers appears to be nearing its conclusion. “All interviews have been completed and they are in the process of compiling all that information into a report,” Eureka Police Chief Steve […]