Replica guns are an increasing
law–enforcement challenge

• Why are people with “toy” guns being shot by police?
• When law enforcement uses lethal force, do they fire more shots then necessary?
• What are the applicable laws? Department policies?
• What are the alternatives to lethal force?
• Vehicle stops are so common, why do officers seem difficult to deal with?
• What’s the value of a K–9 unit?

These questions and many more may come to mind when you read the news, watch cop shows, or encounter the police. At Inside SDPD you can discover the truth.

San Diego Police Sgt. Shaun Donelson instructs participants on SDPD force options and policies.

The Program:

Please join the San Diego Police Foundation and officers from the San Diego Police Department when we host another of our popular Inside SDPD programs. You’ll participate in reality–based scenarios and learn about the important role of the K–9 unit.

Date/Time:
Saturday, March 4, 2006
Check in: 9:00 a.m.
Program: 9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

Location: Miramar College
Cost: $15 ($10 seniors and students over 18)
RSVP: (858) 453–5060 or info@sdpolicefoundation.org. Location and parking details will be forwarded to you upon receipt of your registration. In the meantime, feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Click here to register

Real Gun? Toy Gun?
Can you tell the difference? Should a cop be able to? Recent incidents demonstrate the split–second decisions officers must make, even when the “gun” turns out to be a replica. From a fatal shooting to school lockdown, a replica gun won’t necessarily be treated as a toy.

• District Attorney determines officer-involved shooting justified
  Nov. 15, 2005 – In a letter to San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis determined that Officer Stephen Holliday’s decision to fire in the shooting of Jacob Richard Faust on Apr. 4, 2005 was reasonable and justified. Faust was fatally wounded in an incident that began as a vehicle stop for an illegal left turn.

  According to the police department, Holliday was providing cover for Officer Brian Keaton, who stopped Faust at about 1:23 a.m. and was concerned that Faust might be angry when he learned his car would be impounded. Faust had been arrested on Feb. 13, 2005 for driving under the influence and his driver’s license had been suspended.

  Standing on the passenger side of the car, a police report says it was Officer Holliday who first noticed what he thought was a handgun protruding from the pocket on the passenger seatback. When Faust physically resisted Keaton’s order to get out of the car, and reached for something behind the seat, Keaton pepper–sprayed him. According to police, it was then that Keaton saw Faust with a shiny object in his hand and Holliday fired three rounds at Faust.

  The gun found in the vehicle turned out to be a cap gun replica of a chrome semiautomatic pistol. According to police, the orange muzzle, which indicates a replica vs. real gun, had been blacked out with what appeared to be black magic marker ink.

• School closed due to gun on campus
  Nov. 7, 2005 – Southwest High School was locked down for about 45 minutes while police checked room by room for a male seen with a gun on campus. They finally located the juvenile and his plastic toy gun.

• Incident involving replica gun
  Dec. 18, 2005 – When officers responded to a disturbance call at an apartment complex, they found a male displaying a handgun in a threatening manner. The male entered his residence and refused to come out. S.W.A.T. was called in and watched the residence for three hours. Five hours later a female resident of the apartment convinced officers the gun was only a replica. She allowed officers access and they took John C. Reinhart into custody for displaying a replica weapon in a threatening manner.

Wells Fargo sponsors elementary school safety program
When San Diego Police Department officers arrive in 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade classrooms, they will be equipped with materials provided by a $25,000 grant from Wells Fargo. Through this program, officers create age–appropriate awareness and give children tools that will help guide their choices about drugs, media influences, and pedestrian safety. Measurable outcomes at ESSP campuses include reductions in calls to the police for violence or weapons-related crime.
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Traffic stop leads to cash and cocaine
When San Diego Police Officer Roxie Vigil (Southern Division) pulled over a van shortly after noon, she thought it would lead to a citation for a malfunctioning taillight. The traffic stop produced much more.

The 1987 Aerostar was stopped on Smythe Avenue at Avenida de la Madrid. It turns out that the driver—Francisco Vergara, 47—had a suspended license and two warrants.

He also had $3,000 in cash. When Officer Vigil searched the vehicle prior to it being impounded, she noticed new sheet metal screws securing the ceiling panel. With the assistance of a narcotics K-9, officers recovered 32 kilos (70.4 pounds) of cocaine in the false ceiling. The street value of the cocaine is approximately $544,000.

Vergara was booked for possession and transportation of cocaine for sale.

K-9 Retiree Replacement Program needs your help
We’re proud of the efficiency and alternative to lethal force made possible by the SDPD Canine Unit. Your gifts, large and small, help the Foundation fund the cost (currently $8,515 each) for eight-to-ten young police service dogs that are needed to replace retirees in the next 12 months.
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