Zari, the Arcata Police patrol dog, has retired after eight and a half years of service. During his career with APD, Zari, a German shepherd who joined the force in 2008, was present for more than 1,000 arrests and assisted in many high-risk situations. In 2013, he located a double murder suspect hiding in the […]
police
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Mills: Suspect Pointed Gun at Officer Before Being Shot
The 26-year-old Garberville man wounded in a Dec. 6 officer-involved shooting pointed his handgun at an officer before police opened fire, Eureka Police Chief Andrew Mills said at a press conference today. Mills spent about 35 minutes walking media through the traffic stop, foot pursuit and ensuing shooting that transpired over 12 tense minutes shortly […]
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Expert Opinions Collide in EPD Shooting Trial
Attorneys rested their cases today in a federal wrongful death trial after presenting testimony from law enforcement experts who gave conflicting views on whether a Eureka police officer’s fatal shooting of Thomas “Tommy” McClain was justified. A trio of police officers had McClain at gunpoint outside of his Allard Avenue home in the early morning […]
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Supreme Court Denies Eureka’s Request in Police Video Case
The California Supreme Court has decided not to reconsider a recent appellate ruling establishing a statewide precedent that police arrest videos cannot be considered confidential officer personnel records and shielded from public view. The court’s decision may put an end to a more than two-year battle between the city of Eureka and the North Coast Journal […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Black and White
The tension in our nation between the black community and the police is palpable. It feels like one bad incident and cities will burn … again. Recently Elizabeth (Liz) Smith, a member of the Eureka Chapter of the NAACP and Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Redwoods, had a cup of […]
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Starting the Conversation: HSU forum focuses on race, police
Against the national backdrop of a recent spate of high profile shootings of unarmed black people by law enforcement, students, police and community members gathered on the Humboldt State University campus Thursday evening for a far-reaching conversation on race and policing. Local law enforcement and members of the HSU black community sat side by side […]
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Eureka ‘Evaluating Options’ After Court Ruling
The city of Eureka is “evaluating its options” with regard to this week’s appellate court ruling that it must release a police dash camera video capturing the controversial arrest of a 14-year-old suspect. In its published opinion released late Tuesday, the California First District Court of Appeals ruled that the video in question cannot be […]
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Arrest Video Can’t be Kept Confidential, Appellate Court Rules
A Eureka police video depicting the arrest of a 14-year-old suspect can’t be considered a confidential personnel record and must be released to the public, an appellate court has ruled. The court’s unanimous decision upholds a May 21, 2015 ruling by Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Christopher Wilson, who granted a Journal petition seeking release […]
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In Solidarity
A crowd of about 100 people gathered at the Humboldt County Courthouse last night for a “solidarity vigil,” an event promoted through word-of-mouth and social media. The vigil’s Facebook page asked, “What must change so that these systems meant to protect us, truly protect all of us — especially our loved ones who are Black, […]
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Honoring the Fallen
The rain held off but tears were common in the crowd of more than 200 during the Friday evening candlelight vigil in Rohner Park in Fortuna. After the events in Dallas, the vigil had been quickly organized by Sandi Petersen and others of Eel Valley Crime Stoppers, as well as Humboldt County supervisors Rex Bohn […]
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(UPDATED) Arrest Made in Fatal Shooting of 19-Year-Old
UPDATE: The Eureka Police Department has identified the victim in Thursday’s fatal shooting as Rhianna McKenzie, 19, of Eureka. Police still haven’t released a motive for the slaying, but some posts to the Facebook page of the alleged killer, Maxx Carson Robison, indicate he was going through some emotional turmoil in the days leading up […]
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Get Down With EPD: Active Shooter Training
The Eureka Police Deparment is offering a free training on how to survive an active shooter incident to citizens on Thursday, March 3. EPD Administrative Technician Suzie Owsley said that the training is just one of many community public safety events that Chief Andrew Mills has requested. “This topic seemed to be timely,” Owsley said. […]