Police Officers are frequently called on to help others.  Sadly, sometimes this means giving the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty while trying to help someone else, usually someone they have never met. In cooperation with the California Transplant Donor Network, a Richmond Police Officer’s Widow tells her story:

“Three years and two days ago my life was completely flipped upside down when I received a call I prayed I would never get.”

What Susan Moody learned that day in October, 2008 was that her husband, radley Moody, an officer with the Richmond Police Department, was seriously injured after his patrol car crashed as he drove to aid a fellow officer.

Susan told her story on Oct. 6 at the California Transplant Donor Network’s “Power of One-Organ and Tissue Symposium” which drew about 350 medical professionals.  CTDN encourages organ and tissue donation and works with organ donor families.  The day-long event in Pleasanton included discussions about improving the donation process.

Bradley would not survive the accident but once her husband was declared brain dead, and after initially saying “No,” Susan Moody agreed to donate his organs and tissues.  Four people’s lives were saved.

And six months to the day after Brad’s death, she hugged a towering oil industry worker named Michael Lause.  Susan pressed her ear to his chest, listening to the steady sounds of his lungs – her husband’s lungs. “I felt a calm come over me.”

Susan, with her two children, got to know Michael and his family.  “I am truly glad I changed my mind about organ donation.  Knowing Michael the last three years has made me a better person.”

To change lives, register as an organ and tissue donor at www.donatelifecalifornia.org or go to   http://www.ctdn.org/   and click on DONOR.

The California Transplant Donor Network saves and improves lives by facilitating organ and tissue donation for transplantation.  The Transplant Network helps 175 hospitals in 41 Northern and Central California and Northern Nevada counties offer the option of organ and tissue donation to families whose loved ones have died, coordinates deceased organ recovery and placement, and provides public education with the hope that every resident will become a donor.  It is federally designated as this region’s organ recovery organization.  For more information, visit www.ctdn.org or call 1-888-570-9400.

Members of the Walnut Creek Police Association actively contribute to many groups and charities. In particular, many of us feel passionate about those that benefit veterans and military families. These include great organizations like Sentinels of Freedom, Fisher House, and the USO that have a nationwide reach.

The Walnut Creek Police Association recently had the opportunity to contribute  as a group to a more local project that will highlight the sacrifices of several Walnut Creek residents during World War II. The project is the brainchild of Rossmoor resident Patricia Weaver who was inspired by the patriotism of her friends and neighbors around Rossmoor. Weaver set out to produce a professional documentary titled “I am One of the Children of the Greatest Generation”. The documentary is in its final stages of completion and will debut in Rossmoor next week on Veterans Day.  However, raising the necessary funds to complete the project has been a challenge.

If you would like to contribute click the following link for more information:  http://www.patriciaweaver.net

We will bring you more information about this documentary as it becomes available.

It’s about protecting our investment. Early this morning, just before 5 am, the driver of a large commercial vehicle accidentally crashed on Ygnacio Valley Rd, near the John Muir Hospital – Hospital Dr. entrance. This large vehicle struck a retaining wall and then a critical power pole, knocking out power to the John Muir Hospital , the Ygnacio Plaza Shopping Center, other businesses, and what will likely be thousands of Walnut Creek residents. The hospital reverted to emergency generator power.  Meanwhile, the lone police dispatcher was on-duty and was quickly overwhelmed with a flurry of 9-1-1 calls about the accident and related communications. Emergency calls were needed to PG&E, the Fire Department, and city crews for detour signs, cones, and road flares.  The skeleton crew of graveyard police officers all responded to the scene to help the trapped motorist and control traffic for the thousands of cars involved in the morning commute. All lanes of eastbound Ygnacio Valley Rd. were closed for over an hour. As you can imagine, this is no small task.

As residents, we have all invested a great deal into making this community the great place it is today. But just like the family car, some preventative maintenance is needed to keep things running smoothly.  Like maintaining your car, adequate police staffing levels (both civilian and sworn officers) provide the preventative maintenance to keep the city running smoothly.  By appropriately staffing the police department personnel and other essential city services at all time, we are in reality protecting our investment in Walnut Creek.

The WCPA first brought up the issue of staffing during last Novembers election and we have occasionally presented some additional research supporting our conclusion that more staff is needed to reach an acceptable level of quality service to the community.  Quality police services are what this community deserves and our residents expect that 9-1-1 calls will be answered promptly. Our residents are not used to 9-1-1 calls being placed on hold or delays in picking up the initial calls.  It’s about protecting our investment in the community.

This particular collision will likely take all day for the related investigation, the repair to the downed power pole, and the extrication of the  large involved vehicle from a ravine.  The heavy equipment required will necessitate extended traffic control duty. The associated wide spread power outages generally cause havoc with burglar alarms throughout the area. False alarms, closed businesses, and the potential for burglars can also present some unique crimes of opportunity during large scale incidents such as this one. Power outages also create problems for residents who rely on powered medical equipment to survive. These all generate more calls for service when staff is stretched thin.

All of these issues involve critical city employees.  Tonight’s incident illustrates how city employees are so important towards keeping the city running smoothly. From the dispatcher who answers the 9-1-1 call to the city workers who help to deploy cones and traffic signs, to the first responders which all play a critical role in protecting  Walnut Creek.

Let’s work together to make sure we have enough personnel on duty at all times to handle these emergencies and to help protect our investment in Walnut Creek.

An alert Officer spotted a drug deal in progress this Saturday night,  in the parking lot of  a popular Locust Street Bar.  On July 16,  Officers were on foot in the area and contacted the occupants of a vehicle who were parked in a disabled parking spot. One of the Officers noticed one suspect was holding a large bag of suspected Methamphetamine. The other suspect was found to have an undisclosed amount of cash.  The driver of the vehicle presumably panicked and attempted to flee the scene in his vehicle, almost running over one of the uniformed police officers.

Another associate and more drugs were found in a second nearby vehicle.  A subsequent search netted the recovery of a stolen computer and other property. In the end, three suspects were arrested for charges including possession of drugs for sale, transportation for sale, possession of stolen property, and numerous other charges.

This investigation tied up several officers for a significant period of time while numerous pieces of this puzzle were investigated. (Updated: The department has now made an official press release on this incident. See more details here. ) Meanwhile, another downtown bar had a special event.  The “usual” fights and disturbances occurred and were only amplified by this additional crowd. Officers responded to several subjects fighting when this bar let out.

A short time later, a vehicle crashed into a parked car on San Carlos Dr. and then the driver fled the scene. The damage was significant and both cars will likely be totaled by the insurance company. Luckily, the suspect left an important clue behind; a cell phone. Through additional investigative efforts, Officers were then able to locate the suspect in another part of town and impound his damaged vehicle for evidence.  At the end of the night eight people had been arrested in total.  The Officers working the overnight graveyard shift were very busy this weekend and had hours of paperwork ahead to document everything that occurred.

Earlier in this same weekend we also reported on Facebook about the group of Hells Angels that were spotted downtown, one who was urinating on a downtown restaurant patio, and a citizen that confronted a car burglar on Trinity Ave., early Friday morning.  This was the second weekend in a row where a citizen has interrupted a car burglary.

We feel it is important for the public to know about what types of situations our Officers encounter. This weekend is another good example.  Our residents should be well informed and keep these incidents in mind when important decisions are being  made about our staffing levels and department funding.  Being a Police Officer  not an easy job and it is one most people are not willing to do. However, the dedicated members of the WCPA take pride in trying to do our best to keep the community safe and to put criminals behind bars.

Update # 2: A bouncer at LIFT lounge has also been arrested for narcotics offenses. See more here on this media article.

On December 30th 2010, Alameda Sheriff’s  Deputy Marco Ortiz lost his life in an automobile accident while returning home from work.  Deputy Ortiz fell asleep at the wheel after a lengthy graveyard shift.

A short time before his death he was blessed with the information his wife was pregnant with their first child. Marco purchased life insurance to protect his new family but the policy did not go into effect until Jan 1, 2011 hence no award was provided.

Please help out this special family by attending the Iron Spartans memorial ride or you may help by purchasing a meal at any local Kinder’s Meats tomorrow June 3, 2011. Kinder’s will be donating 15% of all proceeds to help the Ortiz family.

Please be sure to mention Dep. Ortiz when purchasing your meal at Kinder’s.

On Monday, May 23, 2011 at 10:00 am, the Walnut Creek Police Department (WCPD) will hold our annual Awards Ceremony at the Lesher Center for the Arts. Several citizens will be honored for assisting law enforcement. In addition, WCPD will be honoring all newly hired or promoted employees, as well as announcing our Volunteer of the Year and Cadet of the Year.

The ceremony is open to the public and a way for WCPD to recognize not only our own hard working employees and volunteers, but those citizens who help make this such a great community.