MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2014 - SEPTEMBER 7, 2014
riversideindependent.com
Riverside County law enforcement received military equipment for domestic use BY VICKIE VÉRTIZ
New York Times on August 15. The federally sanctioned program was intended to reuse surplus military equipment to law enforcement agencies for protection during counter-narcotics and terrorism operations, reported The Desert Sun. Neighboring San Bernardino County received over a hundred fourteen assault
plomas are awarded as a joint effort of the Riverside County Board of Education, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, and the Riverside County Department Please see page 2
Please see page 4
rifles, four helicopters, one plane, and over 280 night vision pieces. The program is operated in California by the state Office of Emergency Services. Riverside County is huge, stretching from the Colorado River to Norco on the west side. Please see page 4
Riverside County Superintendent of Schools seeking to honor veterans with missing high school diplomas at Operation Recognition They answered the call of duty and served in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War. While they served, some missed out on completing high school. Riverside County Superinten-
dent of Schools, Kenneth Young, is calling on veterans to receive long overdue high school diplomas through a program known as Operation Recognition that has presented diplomas to more than 250 veterans since 2007. The di-
Federal civil rights lawsuit filed over Riverside County Sheriff ’s Department shooting of Luis Morin Today, August 26, 2014, Diana Perez filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the County of Riverside and the deputies involved in the January 27, 2014 shooting of Luis Morin. Mr. Morin was unarmed at the time of the shooting and was not a danger to anyone. Tragically, several family members, including children, watched as a deputy working for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department fatally shot Mr. Morin in the back. Mr. Morin is at least the ninth western Riverside County resident fatally shot by law enforcement since June 1, 2013. Shootings by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department have been the subject of numerous civil rights lawsuits in the recent period. In June 2014, the County of Riverside settled for $1,500,000 with the family of Adam Bosch, an unarmed man who was shot and killed by Riverside County sheriff’s deputy Steve Lycopolus on July 7, 2013 at an AM/PM gas station. Deputy Lycopulus fired seven shots at Mr. Bosch, striking him in the back four times. On June 11, 2014, a federal jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of Plaintiff William Howard and against Defendants Deputy Armando Munoz and the
-Photo by Terry Miller
The federal Excess Property Program, also known as 1033, has provided surplus military equipment to civilian law enforcement agencies across the country for nearly 20 years. Riverside County received over 200 assault rifles, two armored vehicles, a helicopter, and a mine-resistant vehicle since 2006, as reported in the
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