Moreno Valley Learns About Their Public Safety

The City of Moreno Valley recently held a Public Safety Expo for its residents at Calle San Juan De Los Lagos. This was an opportunity for members of the community to meet and interact with officials that help protect local lives and public safety. Children were given the opportunity to examine law enforcement vehicles while parents got the chance to ask questions and sign up to volunteer with groups like the Emergency Response Team. Youth volunteers were also given the opportunity to join the Moreno Valley Fire Explorers. The Explorer Program is a program for youth ages 14-21 that introduces participants to a career in law enforcement. Cedonia Frierson has a son in the program and shares, “It keeps him out of trouble, and has good structure and discipline. I think it’s awesome, it prepares them to go into the community and [gives them an idea] of what they want to do for a career.” Also at the event, the public was able to learn more about the new Citywide Camera System with tours of the Emergency Operations Center and the Public Safety building. There were also demonstrations from the Hazardous Device Team’s use of robotics for their drivable camera, the K-9 and bloodhound training, and fire suppression by the Community Emergency Response Team. Steve Hargis, an employee, demonstrated how the cameras can be programmed with a “mask” over any windows or doorways that the camera might be able to see inside of. “We try to be sensitive to peoples’ rights,” he said on the matter. Hargis also discussed how the network of cameras is of use to officers in the field. One way was that the network allows officials to know what they are going to encounter before they arrive. It helps give them a leg-up as they can tell what weapon a person is carrying. The network also has great value in crime solving. Officials can review footage and identify suspects that they would not have known of otherwise; “the investigative value is huge,” Hargis shared. Butch Rasmussen, the Community Service Supervisor with the Moreno Valley Police Department shares, “We wanted to take the secrecy off the camera system and show what we do and how we can keep the community safe. We wanted to show the camera system because there’s been negative publicity and we’re acutely proud of this thing.” He shared that this is the first year, the expo has been held, but would like to have it annually. In addition to the public safety information officials, the City was present handing out literature on upcoming events and classes during the summer, how to adopt a trail, and the upcoming Memorial Day Celebration. The Citywide Camera System is a relatively new force multiplying tool being used by Moreno Valley Police Department. Utilizing the camera’s pan/tilt/zoom capabilities, residents can view “real time” images from more than 260 cameras at 74 locations throughout the city. The cameras are producing significantly positive results as they have assisted in nearly 200 wide-ranging investigations. Jeff Schmitz, a firefighter paramedic and part of the Riverside County Fire Department/Cal Fire, shared, “it was informative, it was nice to have the public involved and educate them about the services provided by Moreno Valley.” Local resident, Esmeralda Eckenrode, whose husband is in law enforcement, attended the expo with her family. “I loved it,” she shared, “the kids loved it, especially the K-9 Unit performance. We learned a lot of information, especially from the scuba diving program from the police unit.”