Police services depend on sales tax revenue the Cubs bring to our city’s economy. In order to preserve our exisiting police jobs and salaries, we encourage Mesa voters to vote YES on 420. Members, please contact an executive board member for more information. http://www.cubswininaz.com
Money Spent in Arizona
In 2008:
49% of fans stayed in the southeast Valley for the duration of their stay; 31% stayed in Mesa.
The typical fan from out-of-town spent 5.7 nights in metropolitan Phoenix during their visit; for those who stayed in Mesa the figure was 7.3 nights.
The typical out-of-town fan’s party spent $305 per day during their visit with 33% of the parties surveyed spending over $400 per day.
In 2009:
Cactus League fans spent an estimated $359.5 million, a 7% increase over last year
The Chicago Cubs set a Spring Training single season attendance record with 203,105 fans
In 2010:
The Chicago Cubs played in four of the seven Cactus League record-setting attendance games.
Tourism associated with the Spring Training and the Cactus League contributed an estimated $300 million to the Arizona economy.
No other Arizona police organization can provide a conference with the magnitude of these guest speakers. This three day educational conference provides the most up-to-date police issues…everything from use-of-force, legal and labor information. Please contact a MPA board member if you would like to attend.
This letter is to update everyone on my current situation and how I am doing. There have been a lot of people who have asked us what they can do to help us. There are a few things that you could do if you wanted to help. What we need help with is making meals, cleaning the house, taking care of the yards and helping keep an eye on the kids. I’d also like you to visit me and talk to me since I am losing the ability to speak. I am usually out of bed and in my wheelchair before 12pm. Anyone who wants to come visit, talk or help out could come at that time. Liz is my full-time caregiver and so she will be taking care of any of my needs. We would just like you to come visit and have a good time. My fellow officers could come visit me anytime on or off duty. Our address is 5643 E. Glade Ave. in Mesa, AZ 85206. My cell phone is broken, so call Liz at 480-797-5213. If you are in the area and want to drop by for a random visit that would be fine as long as it is after 12pm.
Now to talk about my current physical condition. I can no longer move my body or limbs. I can only move my head to look around and control my wheelchair. My wheelchair is controlled by a special head rest that lets me drive around the house. My hands have curled up and are stiff and sensitive. In a sitting position I am having pain in my tailbone, since I am sitting 24/7. I sleep sitting up because I have a hard time breathing on my own on my back and side. I am using a bi-pap machine 12 hours a day to help give me the oxygen I need and to expel carbon dioxide. I can only talk in a whisper without my bi-pap machine. So when you come over and I need to talk I will be wearing a facial mask that attaches to my nose. This forces air down my nose, fills up my lungs with air and gives me the lung capacity to talk louder. So don’t be alarmed if I look like Darth Vader or a storm trooper. My ankles swell up and my feet go numb frequently. My mother, sisters and a massage therapist comes over weekly to massage me to keep my blood flowing and to reduce pain. It is getting harder to chew and swallow and sometimes I will choke on food or water. So that is what’s going on with my physically. The next step in the process will include a feeding tube and a ventilator, but that is not for awhile.
I am no longer working full-time for the City of Mesa as a Police Officer because I can no longer perform a service to the city. Since I am unable to talk clearly, my voice recognition software no longer works on my patrol laptop. So I can no longer work. I have about five months of donated time, so I will be collecting a paycheck for the next five months to support my family. The City of Mesa has done a great job looking after us and taking care of us. I have so many great friends who work for the Mesa Police Department and I am proud to call myself one of them. After my donated time runs out, we have not yet figured out what we will be doing for income. So naturally I am concerned about how I will be supporting my family and it constantly weighs on my mind. Since we are living in a rental house, we don’t know how we will make the payment or where we will be living if we can’t afford to live here anymore.
The kids just started school and have adjusted well to a new school, new ward and new house. They are making new friends every day. Bryce also just started pop warner football and plays offensive and defensive line, because he is 105 lbs. Bryce just started 4th grade and is starting to develop a strong type-A personality where he wants to be in charge of everything. Hyrum just started 2nd grade and has a unique personality and is very creative. He is a peacemaker and easily makes friends. Harley is 4 years old and we have a hard time keeping him quiet. He asks a hundred questions every day and is constantly on the move and teasing Bryan. Bryan is 2 years old and needs constant attention all the time because he does so well in getting into everything, making messes and causing problems. Mary is a very good baby. She sleeps through the night, is easy to take care of. Which is a great blessing because Liz has to put her down to help me and she is content to wait for her turn. She is very beautiful. She looks at me, smiles and coos at me all the time. Liz puts a pillow on my lap and I hold her in my arms this way. She has beautiful blue eyes which I believe will turn green as she gets older like her daddy. She has long strawberry blonde hair which stands up on the top of her head. The boys have adjusted to her very well and love to hold her. We have to keep an eye on Bryan because he loves to lay on her and kiss her face and point at her eyes and nose. Which is cute, but also scary because he doesn’t understand that he is smashing her. She doesn’t cry though. Maybe she doesn’t mind. Liz’s mom, Barbara, has been living with us on and off and comes to help when we need her. The kids love her and she keeps everybody in line and taken care of when we can’t. We are so grateful for her. Our dogs are not as happy about the move because they were used to running around on 1.25 acres. They bark at everything that moves and it’s driving me crazy.
That’s pretty much the update on everything and now I’d just like to thank my family, relatives and friends who come over all the time to help us. We are very grateful for all of your thoughts and prayers on our behalf. We really appreciate everything that you do for us and we cherish your friendships. It is my goal to fight this disease and with the Lord’s help, beat it. I want to be around as long as I can to be there for my wife, kids and family. It is my wish and dream just to be healthy and normal again. Never take that for granted. I hope to see you all soon and talk with you before my voice goes. God be with you till we meet again. And as my brother Mitchell would say, “God is my tower of strength.” Take care.
As you vote in the primaries, MPA reminds you to go back in time when Rick Romley was our county attorney. Romley prosecuted innocent cops “to send a message”. Mesa officers were pursued in unjust criminal investigations that ultimately were cleared. We don’t need a county attorney that will go after officers for political reasons. READ THE SF CHRONICLE ARTICLE HERE
Mesa detectives have countless stories of deals that Romley’s office made to let felons walk. One detective recounted where a woman that committed multiple identity thefts and wrote counterfeit checks was let go with a misdemeanor. Do you want to see your good police work count for nothing?
We urge our members to choose their votes wisely for the county attorney race. Don’t vote for Rick Romley.
MESA, Ariz. — Investigators said they are seeing an increase in cases of domestic violence in the east valley.
“I’ve seen my caseload increase 20 to 25 percent,” said Det. Kurt Scanio, secretary of the Mesa Police Association.
Scanio attributed the rise to a number of factors, including an increase in reporting, as well as a change in the law that adds boyfriend and girlfriend relationships to the domestic violence statute.He also said while the bad economy doesn’t create an abusive relationship, but it can make a bad relationship worse.
LaDawnna Hudson, founder of the Lighthouse Women’s Resource Center, said since the economy went south, she’s seen at least a 25 percent increase in women needing help.“There have been an increase in the amount of women we get in here that are coming out of abusive relationships, or are still in them,” said Hudson.
Hudson is a survivor of an abusive relationship. She got married when she was 18 years old, and the abuse began a few months into the marriage, she said.“He tried to kill me — several times,” said Hudson. “I was run over by a car, suffocated, and strangled.”
Hudson said it was a trip to the pediatrician with her 2-year-old son that made her realize she had to get out.”He had a nervous problem. He didn’t cry a lot but he would shake a lot,” said Hudson. “I went to take him one day and (the doctor) said, I don’t know what’s going on in your home, but you have to get this baby out of there.”
Hudson said she saved enough money, then one day left while her husband was at work.A national survey conducted by Mary Kay Inc. found three out of four shelters are seeing more women through their doors. Money and job issues are key factors, according to the study.
In Maricopa County Superior Court, orders of protection are up nearly 6% this past year.In Mesa, domestic violence calls have gone up 5 percent compared to the same time last year.
Investigators say domestic violence calls are up in other east valley cities as well.Domestic violence shelters, safe houses, and services in Arizona: http://phoenix.gov/COURT/resclist.pdf
List of shelters in Maricopa County: http://www.mag.maricopa.gov/archive/DV/Shelters/shelters.html
MPA continues to support the officers involved in this 2009 shooting. Please keep these officers, their families and the family of Celestina Manuel in your prayers.
by Nathan Gonzalez - Jul. 25, 2010 09:31 AM
The Arizona Republic
Many nights Delberta Manuel Almaraz can be found sitting alone in her daughter’s bedroom, where she cries as she stares at dozens of beaming photographs of her little girl framed and taped to poster boards and the sympathy cards lying on a table.
More than 14 months have passed since a Mesa police officer’s stray bullet took the life of 15-year-old Celestina Manuel, and still her mother and family struggle to adjust to life without the girl who had a love for animals, singing and cooking breakfast for her parents.
“She was the only one in my family that was really affectionate,” Almaraz said, crying as she remembered Celestina, the second-youngest of 10 kids. “She always told us she loved us. We miss her a lot.”
Celestina’s family has learned little since the shooting May 28, 2009. They hope a lawsuit filed June 28 in U.S. District Court against Mesa, Detectives Nathan Schlitz, his partner Nicholas Lien and Officer Alicia Reagan, will provide crucial answers.
“They want to know the truth,” said Almaraz’s attorney Barry Shalen, who has accused the officers of acting negligently and using excessive force against Celestina.
The officers were cleared of wrongdoing by the department, but Almaraz seeks damages in court.
City Attorney Debbie Spinner was in trial Thursday afternoon and not immediately available for comment. The city, however, typically does not comment on pending legal matters.
The incident centers on Celestina’s cousin, Gumercindo Balderas, and a fistfight that broke out in the parking lot at an apartment complex at 1415 N. Country Club Drive. As police responded, Balderas jumped into his Ford Mustang and nearly ran down an officer.
What ensued was a 4-mile, 100-mph chase through city streets and onto the Salt River Reservation. Balderas slowed to 20 mph as he turned north onto Mesa Drive, a police car clipped the Mustang from behind sending it spinning to a stop, police reports state.
Balderas “was attempting to again run over” Lien, and Schlitz “fired shots into the car,” Assistant City Attorney James Fritz states in court documents.
In all, five shots were fired into the car, which had dark tinted windows, according to a police report. Balderas was struck and then hit with a Taser before being pulled from the car.
The officers then found Celestina slumped over in the back seat, with a bullet wound to the head.
Celestina “knowingly assumed the risk of physical injury when she chose to ride in (Gumercindo Balderas’) vehicle and sit in the back seat,” Fritz states. Balderas’ actions “rose to the level where defendant officers Schlitz, Lien and Reagan feared the threat of serious physical injury or death.”
Because of that, Fritz states, neither the city nor its officers are liable for Celestina’s death.
The Police Department’s use-of-force policy allows an officer to use deadly force “in defense of life or to stop a fleeing felon,” but states an officer must first warn the person. An officer is prohibited firing to disable a moving vehicle, but can use deadly force against an occupant, the policy states.
A Mesa police spokesman did not know if any changes were made to the department’s use-of-force policy and didn’t return messages for comment. However, Officer Nate Gafvert, a representative of the Mesa Police Association union, said he couldn’t recall that any changes to the policy or training were made.
“Our training is designed to stop the situation as quickly as we can,” Gafvert said. “In this situation, the suspect attempted to kill police officers, not once, but twice. They had to react to prevent the situation from getting worse.”
While “unfortunate” that Celestina was struck by Schlitz’s gunfire, the officers reacted based on the information they had, he said.
“In this case, (Celestina) was hiding in the back seat,” Gafvert said. “Unless you’re Superman . . . you cannot see what’s going on in there. These officers acted on what they knew at that moment.”
Balderas recently began serving a seven-year prison term on felony charges of aggravated assault and unlawful flight stemming from the chase. He will be placed on probation for two years after being released from prison.
Because the shooting occurred on an Indian reservation, the FBI investigated that part of the incident. Special Agent Manuel Johnson said the FBI has completed its investigation, which was forwarded to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for possible prosecution.
U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle said the case was reviewed and prosecution was deferred to Maricopa County Superior Court. No new criminal charges have been filed against Balderas in county court.
*Viewing will take place on Tuesday, Aug 3rd. 1600-1800 will be family only. 1800-2000 will be open to all others.
*Funeral will take place at Mission Community Church, 4450 E. Elliot Rd in Gilbert at 1000.
*Graveside services to follow immediately at Valley of the Sun Memorial Park , Arizona Ave. and Chandler Heights Rd. in Chandler.
Reception after at Ashley Manor/Castle, locaated on Price Rd., just South of the 202 Loop (San Tan Frwy).
Please pray for the two Chandler Detectives that underwent surgery and are listed at this time in stable condition.
Message from our brothers and sisters from Chandler Law Enforcement Association (CLEA):
In this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of our fellow officers and our brothers and sisters who mourn for the loss of a loved one. We thank the community for the support they offer and are encouraged by the many positive acts of kindness. We turn now to assisting those grieving at this moment.
Steven Dieu
Chandler Law Enforcement Association
Donations can be made to Detective Carlos Ledesma’s family through a Wells Fargo Account -#9918672768
“Our thoughts go out to the all the injured Chandler officers and their families, who have suffered from a stressful and traumatic experience,” states Fabian Cota, President of the Mesa Police Association. “We particularly are sending out condolences to the Ledsema family and our brothers and sisters in the Chandler Police Department.”
The RAND Corporation produced a study evaluating the cost of crime and investing in public safety. The analysis showed the benefits of having additional officers and preventing crime outweigh the personnel costs. “Many cities face financial difficulties and have to make tough choices about how to spend taxpayers’ money,” said Paul Heaton, author of the study and an associate economist with RAND, a nonprofit research organization. “Investing in police makes sense if police can improve the quality of life for ordinary citizens.” Crime costs are directly borne by victims, insurers, and government, but Heaton notes that it also is important to consider the costs borne by society in general. Additionally, Heaton suggests policymakers should consider both the tangible costs, such as a victim’s medical bills or lost productivity, as well as the intangible costs, such as a reduced quality of life in a crime-ridden neighborhood.
Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) and Chief Beck both support the findings of the study. LAPPL’s president Paul Webster keenly points out that the report shows, “the importance of putting public safety first when setting budget priorities and making personnel decisions at a pivotal time in our city’s history.”
One goal of the MPA is to get our department to national staffing levels. MPD is about 400 officers short of the national average, with no hope in the future to hire more officers soon. Helping assist the city of Mesa to get more officers continues to be of precedence. It is clear Mesa officers are doing more with less resources, officers and no overtime. Our department cannot handle further cuts. MPA is working on reports to help educate our management and council and align their decision making with community’s priority of public safety.
Officers David Curtis and Jeffery Kocab were laid to rest 07.03.10 after paying the ultimate sacrifice. MPA sent two officers to the funeral, and captured below how the law enforcement community is mourning two of their own. Tampa Police reported on 07.02.10 that the assailant, Dontae Morris, was arrested for their murders.
Hello Everyone,
