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171

C ali forn ia’s Olde st Ne w spaper

– E s t. 18 51

Volume 171 • Issue 118 | $1.00

mtdemocrat.com

Monday, October 10, 2022

Placerville PD has new team, new tactics Eric Jaramishian Staff writer

Mountain Democrat photo by Noel Stack

Sheriff-elect Jeff Leikauf talks about building partnerships between law enforcement and the community at the El Dorado Hills Chamber of Commerce luncheon Oct. 5.

Sheriff-elect creating

partnerships Noel Stack Managing editor

“S

ee something. Say something.” El Dorado County Sheriff-elect Jeff Leikauf brought that message to the El Dorado Hills Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday, emphasizing the importance of trust between the community and law enforcement. Leikauf encouraged luncheon guests, many of whom own local businesses, to partner with the sheriff ’s department to ensure a

safe business environment and community. He pointed to the department’s security camera registration program (edso. crimegraphics.com) as a way local business and property owners could assist his staff. “We need to get our community to work with us,” Leikauf said. On that note he and detectives also in attendance shared a recent case in which two Sacramento residents were arrested on suspicion of multiple thefts after victimizing Hills Church, where the luncheon was held, and an EDH Business Park shop. Thanks

to security footage shared with investigators, which led to them obtaining solid evidence, the suspects face a host of charges. The investigation is ongoing. Touching on crime in El Dorado County’s heavily populated western end, Leikauf said many thieves drive up from Sacramento to strike. “There are people out every night,” he shared, explaining that they look for unlocked cars, items left in vehicles, open garages and poorly lit properties from which they n

See pArtnerships, page A3

City of South Lake Tahoe bans single-use plastic water bottles Tahoe Daily Tribune

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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — The South Lake Tahoe City Council

on Tuesday finalized adoption of a single-use plastic water bottle ban for city facilities and permitted, temporary activities and special events. The ban will go into effect in the spring. The ban will expand to sales citywide on April 22, 2024, allowing businesses additional time to prepare for this shift, according to a city of South Lake Tahoe press release. The ban will prohibit the sale of single-use plastic water bottles less than one gallon with an exception for emergency situations designated by City Manager Joe Irvin. City officials note single-use plastics are a source of waste

“The community really stepped up to overwhelmingly support this at the first City Council presentation but we also heard loud and clear from our business community that they are looking for some support as the ban is implemented.” — Sara Letton, South Lake Tahoe sustainability coordinator and pollution due to the volume of these products produced and used by consumers and the long amount of time they exist in the environment after their short, useful life ends. Discarded plastics are particularly damaging to water quality as they do not break down or decompose. Instead,

they eventually break apart into microplastics that end up washed downstream into other bodies of water. Through the course of an ongoing study, the University of California Davis’s Tahoe Environmental Resource Center recently found n See Plastic ban, page A5

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during the holiday season, might want to think twice. To track them PPD plans to put out decoys at any given time at any unspecified location. “It’s finding (crimes) before they happen or anticipating it,” Maciel explained. The concept is not a new one. Teams like this exist throughout the nation that deal with anything from traffic stops to warrant sweeps to handling major crimes, according to Maciel. “I think there is going to be a large involvement with our community because the quality of life issues that get brought to light come from our community,” Maciel said. The team will look at the police department’s weekly reports to identify crime patterns. “There’s a lot of moving parts to it,” Maciel said. “They will be in different places, will have different hats to wear. Investigative hats, proactive hats, being out there in the community and helping the homeless get back on their feet.” PPD is looking into adding a fourth member to help cover the area. “They are still getting their feet wet and figuring things out but they are out there and hitting the ground running,” Maciel said.

The Placerville Police Department has a new strategy to prevent crime in the form of a new crew — the crime reduction team. The team consists of one officer, detective and sergeant who are not uniformed. The officers specialize in quality-of-life crimes and will work under the radar to reduce crime in the city of Placerville, said Placerville Police Department Cmdr. Dan Maciel. “That is vandalism, burglaries, things like that affect quality of life,” Maciel told the Mountain Democrat. “Placerville is a safe community but these are (crimes) we still deal with that will be the primary objective for this team.” They will also be working with local transients, providing them resources to help them out of homelessness. Undercover work is part of the mission. The crime reduction team will investigate leads from Crimestoppers, anonymous tips and information gathered from officers on patrol. Maciel cited one example of a type of crime the team is targeting — package theft. Porch pirates who take parcels dropped off at homes, especially

Caldor Fire arson suspects appear in court Tahoe Daily Tribune The father and son accused of sparking the Caldor Fire appeared in a Placerville courtroom Sept. 30 and will return for a preliminary examination Oct. 11. Somerset resident David Scott Smith, 66, and Folsom resident Travis Shane Smith, 32, are suspected of reckless arson and illegal firearm possession in connection to starting the 2021 forest fire that burned more than 346 square miles. Tuesday’s preliminary examination is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. in El Dorado County Superior Court Department 1. The Smiths were arrested Dec. 8, 2021. Their initial $1 million bail each was reduced to $25,000 for David and $50,000 for Travis and the two have been out of jail custody since.

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