Police Services News
June 2009
New Officer at UNRPD
On June 4th, 2009 Officer Seana Baker joined University Police Services after successfully completing the Northern Nevada Law Enforcement Academy - class of 2009-1. Pictured below, Officer Baker receives a badge from Director Adam Garcia.
May 2009
New Reserves Join UNRPD
On May 4, 2009, a Reserve Officer graduation ceremony was held at the Joe Crowley Student Union. University Police hosted the academy for 13 officers who will work for University Police, Carson City Sheriff's Office and Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Pictured above are Mitch Baclawski, Brandon Kaufman and Jim Fitzsimmons, the three officers who will work with University Police. Also pictured are Commander Eric James, Detective Warren Conley and Commander Todd Renwick who served as part of the reserve adacemy training staff. Pictured below, family and friends participate in the badge pinning portion of the ceremony.
March 2009
Eric James promoted to Commander Position
Officer Eric James has been promoted to the position of Commander in the Police Services organization. A badge pinning ceremony was held on March 25th, 2009 at 2:00 pm at Police Services. Director Garcia made the announcement and presented Commander James with his new badge. As is traditional in police service, Mrs. James pinned the badge onto the commander's uniform. The ceremony was attended by Eric's family, members of the department, other university employees, members of the search committe who selected James, and friends and colleagues from the Washoe County SWAT team and fellow motorcycle officers.
In addition to supervisory duties, Commander James will work with student safety programs and special events.
Eric James is a Marine veteran with 15 years combined public service to his country and community, the last 6 of which has been as a University Police professional.
Director Garcia states: "I thank Eric for his distinguished and dedicated service to the department’s core mission, and congratulate him on his promotion to Commander. I look forward to working with him."
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Director Garcia Presents new badge |
Badge pinning by Mrs. Bridget James |
Commander James addresses the group |
December 2008
Officers at University of Nevada, Reno Police Services spent weeks investigating a burglary case on campus and were anxious to make an arrest and return property to its rightful owners. On December 20th, Detective Warren Conley and Officer Eric James made contact with a male subject, who turned himself in to police in connection with the burglaries. The arrest was made and the suspect was placed in custody at Washoe County Jail. Detective Conley was happy about solving the case and making the necessary arrest, but he also had a chance to meet the suspect’s family – a wife and four young children ranging in age from 4 months to 7 years. He realized that the arrest of this husband and father would seriously impact the family’s Christmas.
Police Services contacted Washoe County Social Services to request some help in providing gifts for the children. Thanks to the generosity of the Reno community, Social Services was able to fill this request on short notice.
On Christmas Eve, Detective Conley, Officer Eric James and Officer Seana Baker delivered the wrapped gifts to the family.
“Even though the arrest of this suspect needed to be made, when I saw the kids in this family, I knew I had to do something.” Detective Conley stated. “Unfortunately, sometimes individual actions affect people who are not at fault.”
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| Officer James waits at the door | Officer James and Detective Conley speak with the family | Kids anxious to open gifts | Detective Conley, Officer James and Officer Baker |
October 2008
University Police participate in "Guarded by the Pack"
On October 22nd, University Police joined a variety of university and community organizations for an ASUN sponsored safety fair called "Guarded by the Pack." The purpose of the fair was to provide information and resources to students regarding personal safety and security on campus and in the surrounding neighborhoods. Each organization provided information and handout items for students as well as games and prizes for those who stopped to participate.
Pictured below: Commander Renwick speaks with Channel 8 News, Officer Taylor and police k9, Niko; Officer Martinez and Officer James show the Aggressor Suit from the RAD Course.
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October 2008
University Police donate bicycles to the Kiwanis Bike Program
University Police Officers donated unclaimed biycles to the Reno Sparks Kiwanis Bike Program earlier this month. The bicyles will be cleaned, refurbished and donated to elementary schools, fire departments, and other organizations who distribute bikes to area youth.
Roger and Ellen Jacobsen are the program coordinators. Ellen stated that they have bicycles available for sale to college students who need an inexpensive way to get around campus, or to replace a bicycle that was stolen.
In addition to providing bicycles, the program also sponsors bike rodeos, repair workshops and fun activities in conjunction with schools and youth programs. Volunteers are welcome. for more information on the Kiwanis Bike Program, go to: www.kiwanisbikes.org
pictured below: Student employee David Anderson, Officer Dave Osowski and Officer Charles Hopps deliver bikes to the Reno Spark Kiwanis Bike Program.
October 2008
Local Coalition receives three-year grant to address underage drinking and alcohol related issues
The university of Nevada, Reno and Join Together Northern Nevada will benefit from an $858,000 grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention under the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Discretionary Grant Program: University/College Initiative.
The grant application was written by (pictured below left to right: Kevin Quint, Executive Director of JTNN, Linda Lang & Kathy Bartosz, Project Managers Debbie Penrod of University Police Services and Carol Millie of the University Office of Student Conduct.
The grant is awarded to address community and college issues related to underage drinking, binge drinking, and alcohol use at school sponsored events. It will also enable the university to engage community partners in streamlining the process of dealing with student behavior both on and off campus. The group hopes to create a model community response by working with local judges to create standardized procedures for dealing with college age drinkers.
Funds from the grant award will pay for personnel, officer overtime, supplies & equipment, and to sponsor alcohol free events for students on campus.
August 2008
Link to Channel 4 News Video August 25, 2008 regarding campus safety:
http://www.krnv.com/global/video/popup/
August 2008
Reserve Academy Graduation August 25, 2008
University Police Welcome 7 new reserve officers to the force. The reserve officers completed a 16 week academy and were presented badges at a graduation ceremony on August 25th at the Lawlor Events Center. Pictured below, graduates at ceremony with Director Garcia (far left) and Commander Rinne (far right)
Below: Reserve Officers report to Reno Justice Court to take the oath of office and be sworn in by Judge Harold Allbright.
August 2008
University Police took time out last week to welcome new students back to class for the 2008 Fall Semester. Officers Warren Conley and Eric James addressed parents during orientation to discuss safety issues and officers and other police staff were on hand to answer questions and talk to students about personal safety and crime prevention.
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April 2008
Visit from our Turkmenistan Partners in Peace
On April 3, 2008, a delegation from Turkmenistan visited Police Services and other local emergency services to study our response to earthquake, fire, civil unrest and other crisis situations. Turkmenistan is designated Nevada's "Partner for Peace" under a federal program established by the US Congress after the fall of the Soviet Union. Members of the delegation are pictured here with members of Police Services. In a post-visit email, the group's interpreter states: "The town of Reno, the University compound, the weather, the mountain view and, most importantly, the people left great impression on all of us. . . I really hope that this endeavor will continue and bring great results."
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Pictures (left) Aaron Kenniston, Washoe County Emergency Manager discusses personal emergency preparedness and displays a backpack of emergency supplies. (center) Army National Guard Captain Guerrero, Police Services Director Adam Garcia and Lt. Greg Bannallack pose with the group outside the Fitzgerald Student Services Building. (right) Washoe County Emergency Manager Aaron Kenniston, Officer Tom Emmons, Officer Jaime McGuire, Lt. Ed Rinne and Officer Jon Martinez with the group.
April 2008
Officers Rich Garcia, Charles Hopps and Richard Hicks staff the Police Services table at the 2008 Staff Employees Council Open House
March 2008
MADD Awards for 2007
Two university officers were honored by the Northern Nevada chapter Mothers Against Drunk Driving for thier efforts in DUI enforcement and underage drinking and other alcohol prevention programs. Officer Charles Hopps received an award for DUI Enforcement and Officer Dulcie Lilly received an award for education and prevention programs. The awards ceremony was held at the National Automobile Museum on March 11th, 2008. Laurel Stadler, MADD Chair and Glynn Birch, MADD National President presented the awards.
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February 2008
We wish to express profound sorrow for the loss of life we have witnessed so recently. To the family of Brianna Denison, and the families of those whose lives were taken at Northern Illinois University, we grieve with you for the losses you have suffered. Such callous disregard for the lives of others is difficult to understand, and is a reminder to us all that personal safety can never be taken for granted. Thank you to the many citizens who participated in the search efforts for Brianna, and who called to express concern or to report information on the case.
January 2008
Police seek help in locating a missing person. Brianna Denison disappeared from a friend's home in the early morning hours on January 21st. She is 5'0", 98 lbs, long dark hair and blue eyes. (photo below) If you have any information about this person, please contact Reno Police at 334-2677 or University Police at 745-6195.
Personal Safety & Workplace Violence classes
Officer James prepares to teach a Personal Safety Class for Library employees.
University Police Services offers classes in personal safety and workplace violence through the division of Continuing Education. For information on dates and times, check the Continuing Education website at: http://www.unr.edu/content/academics/extendedstudies.asp
October 2007
2nd Annual George D. Sullivan Golf Tournament
Police Services would like to thank all those who supported the 2nd Annual George D. Sullivan Memorial Golf Tournament on Oct. 26rh, 2007 at Wolf Run Golf Club. Proceeds from the event go to the Police Honor Fund in support of the University Police Honor Guard and local, state and national events honoring fallen officers.
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Thanks to our sponsors and donors:
Tournament Sponsor: Mountain View Estates - John Wolfe
Hole Sponsors:
- Remax Realty - Jim Forbus
- Cashell Enterprises - Robert Cashell Jr.
- Specialty Health -Dr. Greenwald
- L3 Development - Jeff Dominique
Donors:
- 1st Bank of Nevada
- ASUN Bookstore
- UNR Intercollegiate Athletics
- Moana Nursery
- Blue Moon Promotions
- Bonanza Casino
- Boomtown
- Red's Little Waldorf Saloon
- Dreamer's Coffee House
- Fleischmann Planetarium
- The Grill
- Uniformity
- Bully's
- Peak Performance
- Creative Memories - Stacy Demitropoulos
- H & R Block
- Dr. Stewart Quigly - Chiropractic
- Grand Sierra Resort
- Wild Island
New Faces at Police Services
There are two new faces at University Police Services this month, Lt. Greg Bannallack, and Officer John Whitehorn.
Lt. Bannallack comes to Reno with 30 years of law enforcement experience, most of which were earned in the Orange County area of Southern California. Below, Lt. Bannallack is sworn into service on Oct. 22, 2007 by Judge Findlay at Reno Justice Court.
John Whitehorn completed the Northern Nevada Law Enforcement Academy, graduating on Oct. 25th, 2007. He previously served with, and has retired from the United States Marine Corps. Officer Whitehorn will be in training at Police Services for the next few weeks. Below, Officer Whitehorn receives his badge from Associate Director Renwick.
September 2007
Officer James Receives Traffic Safety Award
Officer Eric James received an award from the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety for excellence in enforcement of seat belt and child safety seat laws during a Joining Forces campaign targeting those offenses. University Police Services participates with other Nevada agencies in the Joining Forces grant which targets specific traffic enforcement problems as part of a national campaign. Officer James is the first University Police officer to be recognized by this program. The award ceremony was held at the Eureka Hotel Casino in Mesquite, Nevada on Sept. 21, 2007.
August 2007
Welcome!
University Police helped welcome new faculty and staff, students and parents during a week of orientations for the 2007-2008 school year.
On Monday, August 20th, Director Garcia and Associate Director Renwick mingled with new faculty at an open house in the JTSU auditorium.
Associate Director Renwick also met with new students and parents at an orientation program on Thursday Aug. 23rd.
Officer Warren Conley and Officer Eric James gave a safety presentation to parents on Friday, Aug. 25th at JTSU.
Officer Tom Emmons and Officer "Turner" set up a greeting station at the Friday Festival for new students on the main quad.
Police Services officers are available for safety and crime prevention presentations to campus groups throughout the school year. Contact our office for information.
July 2007
Public Service Video
Police Services took part in the filming of a public service video regarding underage drinking and other alcohol related issues during campus events. Funds for the filming of the video were awarded by Join Together Northern Nevada to the Student Judicial Office, who contacted police to participate in the project. Carol Mille of Student Judicial Affairs, Debbie Penrod of Police Services and Jeff Love, athletics videographer, collaborated on the script and scenarios for the video. Officer Warren Conley and Officer Dulcie Lilly agreed to portray themselves in the film. Other participants included "Alphie," ASUN President, Sarah Ragsdale, members of Greek Life and other student and non-student volunteers. Watch for the video at home football games this fall!
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SWAT Training
Two University Police officers are on-call members of the Washoe County SWAT team and practice with them on a regular basis. Officer Eric James and Officer Richard Hicks passed the rigorous test required to become SWAT team members. They respond to calls, run scenario exercises and do physical training with them regularly. University officers have participated with Washoe County SWAT since 2004. In light of recent events, the type of critical incident and active shooter training conducted by SWAT, is needed by all law enforcement agencies, including campus police departments.
Officer Eric James oversees officer training for the department. As a former Staff Sergeant with the US Marine Corps, he has extensive field and training experience from his military career that enhance the work he does for Police Services. He conducts training in firearms and TASER, He and Officer Warren Conley oversee the department PTO program for new recruits and he gives presentations to campus and citizen groups. Officer James is also one of two motorcyle officers in the department. Pictured below is a SWAT training exercise in the Park Lane Mall in south Reno. (Officer James on the right)
Workplace Violence Presentations
University Police Services offers crime prevention presentations on a variety of topics including Workplace Violence. (See Crime Prevention Link above). Officer Eric James gave a presentation to faculty and staff of the Department of Continuing Education this month, and is available to speak to your department on request. Many campus employees have expressed safety concerns after the Virginia Tech. shootings earlier this year. Police Services is aware of these concerns and will continue to train and prepare for criticial incidents on our campus.
April 2007
Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Training
University Police hosted a multi-disciplinary traing in Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Investigations April 25-27, 2007. The training was funded by a grant from the Nevada Attorney General's Office under the STOP Violence Against Women Act.
Instructors included Susan Medley of London Metropolitan Police. Ms Medley is a forensic specialist and has worked thousands of sex crime cases in England. She also trains extensively in Europe, Australia and recently in the US. Ms. Medley was recruited for our annual training program after a presentation at the End Violence Against Women Conference in Baltimore, MD in 2005. The metropolitan police have spent years developing a process for investigating sex crimes that focuses on the victim and relies on evidence to prove or disprove a case rather than on victim and suspect testimonies that almost always deteriorate into a deadlock surrounding the issue of consent. They have had a great deal of success in prosecuting these cases using the strong evidence model.
Other Instructors were Sgt. Greg Curry of Reno Police Department and William Gardner of the City Attorney's Office who instructed on the use of orders of protection in domestic violence cases. And, Roger Young, FBI Special Agent (retired) who spoke on the relationships between pornography and other sexually oriented business and crimes against women. Mr Young has 20+ years experience in working cases related to the sexual exploitation of women and children.
University Police has hosted crimes against women training under the state grant for 11 years.
Target Rover Robot Unveiled
On April 6, 2007, Officer Eric James presented a demonstration of the Target Rover Training Robot at the Palmer Engineering Building. Officer James coordinated the creation of the robot with the Engineering Department. Under the direction of Dr. Wan, grad. student Mike Ohlert and student Travis Fisher built the robot from spare and donated parts. The remote control robot can move forward, backward and navigate turns at a top speed of 8 MPH - about the average speed of a human being walking briskly. The machine also has a paint gun attached to return fire and can carry a large paper target or a full size training dummy. Officer James sees possible upgrades of video and sound capability in the future. The robot will be used for active shooter scenario training, and will also be shared with other departments, particularly the Washoe County Sheriff's Office - Officer James is an on-call member of the Washoe County SWAT team. Direct Questions about the training robot to Officer Eric James at ejames@police.unr.edu.
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Lt. Paul George Retires from Police Services
After 27 years with University Police, Lt. Paul George announced his retirement earlier this year. An Open house was held at Police Services on April 6, 2007 to give him a proper send-off. Paul worked a variety of assignments during his time with police including patrol, under cover narcotics work, Sergeant and Lieutenant. His co-workers will miss his sense of humor, dependability and willingness to discuss any issue and work toward a solution. We wish him well.
March 2007
Exercise: Pack Fever
On March 29th, University Police Services and the Emergency Operations Center held a practical exercise using the scenario of a national Pandemic.
The exercise was funded by a grant from the Nevada Department of Emergency Management and state personnel were present to observe the day's activities.
Ed Atwell, University Police EOC manager, and Patrick Steinmetz, Consultant, designed the exercise. Personnel from Washoe County Emergency Management and Washoe County Health Services were also involved. Victoria Campbell, of Channel 4 News used her talents to add a sense of realism to the exercise though taped media reports outlining the spread of the disease.
The university Emergency Operations team is comprised of faculty and staff members who meet quarterly for training and keeping thier skills up to date. Director Garcia expresses sincere thanks to all who participated.
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February 2007
On Feb. 23, Officer Warren Conley and Officer Jaime McGuire were honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for thier efforts in education, prevention and enforcement related to underage drinking and DUI. The Law Enforcement Recognition Awards Ceremony was held at the National Automobile Museum in Reno and awards were given to officers from throughout northern Nevada. The ceremony also commemorated the 15th anniversary of the Lyon County MADD Chapter which serves all of northern Nevada. Pictured below are Officer Conley, Associate Director Renwick and Officer McGuire.
January 2007
Police has visitors from Malaysia
On January 23, Director Garcia had a visit from a police chief from Malaysia and two associates. Director Garcia spent some time in Malaysia in November of last year, instructing local law enforcement on Homeland Security and Weapons of Mass Destruction. The guests from Malaysia toured the station and visited our dispatch center.
University Police Services has opened a new, part-time office in Las Vegas in the University Cooperative Extension Building at 8050 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 115. The new office is staffed by University Police officers who travel from Reno to Las Vegas periodically. Officers will handle some criminal investigations from that location, including low priority cases that Las Vegas Metro Police would not normally investigate. Officers will also do campus and community outreach addressing safety issues, self defense training etc.
