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MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2014 - DECEMBER 14, 2014 - VOLUME 3, NO. 49
USC Eye Institute opens state-of-the-art Arcadia clinic The University of Southern California (USC) Eye Institute, one of the nation’s Top 10 ophthalmology departments nationwide according to U.S. News & World Report, opened its latest community clinic during a special event there last night at 65 N. First Ave., Ste. 101, in Arcadia. As part of USC’s commitment to Southern California, the ophthalmology clinic has served the San Gabriel Valley community for 20 years. The new clinic, which moved two miles north from its previous location, expands its services in a 3,161-square-foot state-ofthe-art space adjacent to the Metro Gold Line’s future Arcadia Station. As one of six locations in Southern California where USC Eye Institute experts practice, the new Arcadia clinic offers comprehensive eye services, with sub-specialty expertise in glaucoma, cornea Please see page 4
L.A. County Citizens Can Now File Limited Incident Reports Online, 24/7 The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will now accept limited propertyrelated reports online. The Sheriff’s On-line Reporting and Tracking System (SORTS) has been created for the convenience of the public we serve. Citizens can submit these reports via computer or a smartphone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Through the use of technology, citizens can submit a report to document limited property-related incidents and receive a copy of the report via email. SORTS is not intended to replace our current tradition of service to the public, but to enhance it by providing an additional option. No emergency reports or tips will be taken through this system. Please see page 4
Keck School of Medicine of USC Dean Carmen Puliafito, M.D., MBA -Photo by Terry Miller
Republic of China – Taiwan – Island of Change It took a mere 14 hours on a very comfortable, direct flight from LAX via EVA Air to be transported into another world. This was my first visit to the Republic of China, Taiwan and it was most certainly full of revelations and genuine wonder. I was invited to attend the 10-10 celebration in Taipei last month and, along with journalists from all over the world to cover the events leading up to and surround-
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ing the National Holiday in Taiwan. From one of the highlights of the trip, shaking hands with President Ma at the awe-inspiring President’s Residence in Taipei to the splendor of nature and the sea at Yehliu, on the northeast coast of what was formerly known as Formosa, our trip was truly a remarkable experience. Our guide and host, Mr. Please see page 3
Chiang-Kai Shek memorial -Photo by Terry Miller
Increasing the Use of Body Worn Cameras, and Improving Community Policing Top of Obama’s Priority List The President has proposed a three-year, $263 million investment package that will: • Increase police officers’ use of body worn cameras • Expand training for law enforcement agencies (LEAs) • Add more resources for police department reform • Multiply the number of cities where the Department of Justice facilitates community and local LEA engagement Part of the proposal is a new Body Worn Camera Partnership Program, which would provide a 50 percent match to states and localities that purchase body worn cameras and requisite storage. In fact, the proposed $75 million, three-year investment could help purchase 50,000
body worn cameras. As noted in a recent report released by Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), evidence shows that body worn cameras help strengthen accountability and transparency, and that officers and civilians both act in a more positive manner when they’re aware that a camera is present. The President is planning to create a Task Force on 21st Century Policing, chaired byPhiladelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, who also serves as President of the Major Cities Chiefs Police Association; and Laurie Robinson, profesPlease see page 4
Colby Fire Starters Slapped with $9 Million Restitution Order Three men convicted of setting the Colby Fire earlier this year have been ordered to pay $9 million in restitution. The three men, Clifford Eugene Henry Jr., Steven Robert Aguirre and Jonathan Carl Jarrell must pay $4.4 million to the United States Forest Service, $1.9 million to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, $1.1 million to the California FAIR Plan Association, as well as hundreds of thousands to the Glendora Police
Department, Azusa Police Department, Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, and other government entities and private citizens. The court ordered that “restitution be paid first to the individual victims, second to the insurance companies and their insured’s, and as the last order of preference, to the government entities.” The 1,925-acre Colby fires on Jan. 16, destroyed five homes and 17 structures.