Former Arcadia Police Department officer Christian Blesch gets 180 days in jail for pilfering more than $40,000 from the Arcadia Police Officers Association. He has paid back the amount stolen and resigned.
Arcadia, Monrovia, and Duarte schools all forced to lock down this week due to phoned in threats of a gunman on 4 separate campuses. On Thursday, September 12, the caller contacted Arcadia Police Department, reporting "he was at Arcadia High School and that he was going to start shooting students with an assault rifle." A second call was received during the police search of the campus that told officers to back off or they would be shot. No suspects of weapons were found.
Dorothy Denne honored at Arcadia Police Foundation event, a fundraiser for K-9 Program. She has been a longtime volunteer at Arcadia Police Foundation and has spearheaded efforts to bring K-9 program back to Arcadia Police Department since 2015.
"Blind Justice," an 11-foot tall tile mural at the police station dating back to the 1950s, will not be preserved when the new police station is built. The mural was judged not to have significant artistic or historical merit. The mural will be archived, with some element maintained for display in the new building.
Arcadia Police Department has a new police chief. His name is Bob Guthrie and has been serving as interim police chief since Bob Sanderson retired in April. He joined the Arcadia Police Department as a cadet in 1989.
Dorothy Denne, longtime Arcadia humorist, "Mother of the Force" honored by Arcadia Police Foundation at the Arcadia Police Foundation's Halloween Hoopla. Arcadia Mayor April Verlato and her husband attended. For 20 years, Dorothy wrote a weekly column called "Dorothy's Place" in Arcadia Weekly. She was a teacher for her career and has been a volunteer at the Arcadia Police Department. In 2015 she spearheaded the effort to bring back the K-9 program.
Arcadia City Council approved spending about $297,700 in state police funds for various purposes, including an upgrade to the police shooting range, located beneath the Council Chamber.
Captain Rick Sandona read the names of California peace officers killed in the line of duty during 1999 at the annual Peace Officers' Memorial Ceremony and Law Enforcement Appreciation Service.
Arcadia police surrounded a home in the 1700 block of Mayflower Avenue in a 7-hour standoff with an armed suspect believed to be threatening suicide and harm to other people in the house. Herb Rodrigues said the alleged gunman was his girlfriend's son. When police entered the house, only an elderly man was there, alone. The suspect had fled.
Former Arcadia police officer Christian Blesch (photo), 36, was arrested for embezzlement of Arcadia Police Officers' Association funds. As of September 24, 2013, Blesch was terminated. Blesch allegedly charegd more than $50,000 for personal items on a police association's credit card. He pleaded not guilty to a felony count of grand theft by embezzlement.
Arcadia Police Department offers a safe meet up spot for internet sales. The Internet Exchange “Meet Up” spot is in the police department parking lot. The lot has video surveillance and is adjacent to the police station in the southwest corner of the parking lot.
Receiving stolen property arrests aided by identification of items and social media. On February 21, Arcadia police arrested two female adults, Daijah D. Ellsworth and Rickeira T. Pearson, one juvenile female, and an adult male for stolen property in their car. Police connected the arrestees to a burglary in Palos Verdes using social media platform "Nextdoor."
A man believed to be the "Old Timer Bandit" was shot and killed by an Arcadia police detective after he allegedly robbed banks in Arcadia and Pasadena and led police on a high-speed chase.
Photo shows supervisor for CCS Demolition of Sylmar closing a jail cell door in the old Arcadia Police Station. The facility is being torn down and the cell door will be saved for the Arcadia Historical Society.
Arcadia Police Records Bureau has new hours effective Sunday, September 23, 2012, operating 6 AM to 10 PM daily. The police department lobby will remain open for community access to the online reporting system and overnight parking permit (TOPEC) machine.
Arcadia Police Department officers John Jurman and Jennifer Casillas received life-saving medals, and Stan Flores received the Medal of Merit for helping in the arrest of a kidnapper.