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NEWPORTBEACHINDY.COM
JUNE 7, 2024 | VOLUME XVI, ISSUE 12
American Legion Post 291 in Newport Beach Celebrates 100th Birthday on July 4
Residential Burglaries in Colony Community and Villas Fashion The post’s remaining members comprise Island Community the Sons of American Legion (including
Tim Sullivan, Commander of the Sons of The American Legion; Evan Planto, Commander of American Legion Post 291 Newport Harbor; Mary Beth Martin, President of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 291 Newport Harbor; and David Campagnari, Commodore American Legion Yacht Club.
By Richard Simon | NB Indy It will be quite the celebration! Come July 4 there will be a new centenarian in town: Post 291 of the American Legion. In its 100-year existence, the 8,000-member, Balboa Peninsula-based Legion has grown from an energetic, proud and patriotic group of 30 WWI veterans to its current membership of more than 4,200 vets.
According to American Legion Post Commander Evin Plant, the Newport Beach Legion is the second largest in the nation. Included in that number are 34 service members from WWII (1941-45); 260 from the Korean War (1950-53); and 2,437 from the undeclared Vietnam war (1955-75). Like the Legion post, several of the current members also have reached the century mark.
daughters and spouses), the American Legion Auxiliary, and the American Legion Yacht Club. The American Legion is far more than a group of service members getting together over “brewskies” to rehash and re-embellish memories of wartime adventure (many never saw combat, but all nonetheless served in invaluable assignments). It is a charitable organization providing support in three general areas: Veterans, Community and Youth. Under the “Veterans” label, the Post supports 10 different groups or activities, including the Long Beach Veteran’s Hospital, Operation Comfort Warriors, Socks for Heroes, Mental Health Association of Orange County, the Scan Van Ride (a Vets’ Bike Ride), American Spartan (a service to disabled veterans), Homes for our Troops, Orange County Air Force Family Readiness, 5th Marines Combat Golf Tournament, and the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. The Community component supports the Bob Hope USO Center, Newport Beach Police Association, Firemen and Lifeguard Recognition, Patriot Paws (Service Dogs) and HOAG Hospital City Charity Shoot. The Youth category gives to Boys State, Boy Scouts of Orange County, CHOC
LEGION Page 4
Newport Beach City Manager Update
Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager A series of recommendations to improve the Newport Beach Police Department’s crime prevention and investigation techniques through upgrades in technology will move forward, following a presentation to the Newport Beach City Council. At a City Council study session on
Tuesday, May 28, Newport Beach Police Chief Joe Cartwright and Deputy Chief Javier Aguilar presented findings and recommendations from the Public Safety Technology Ad Hoc Committee. The committee spent several months evaluating new technologies used by neighboring police departments, and visited agencies where some of the proposed technologies are now in use. The primary goal, Chief Cartwright told the Council, is to equip officers and civilian police staff with the latest tools to gather and analyze crime information to improve decision-making, which will aid in crime prevention, the apprehension of criminals, and the recovery of stolen property. Deployment of the technology will also act as a deterrent for individuals and groups who evaluate potential crime targets, increasing overall community safety. The committee recommendations include: • Developing a Crime Information Center (CIC) to serve as the central technology hub for real-time intelligence
gathering and assessments. The CIC would integrate new technologies with existing data systems to provide realtime information to field officers, analyze crime tends and patterns, and aid in crime prevention. • Installing 70 Flock cameras (also known as ALPR, or automatic license plate readers) at all Newport Beach inbound and outbound gateways. The system includes access to nationwide data and flags “hotlisted” vehicles that have been used in crimes. The system provides alerts on stolen vehicles, Amber Alerts, missing and endangered persons, and more. The cameras will only be accessed as part of a crime investigation (not for traffic enforcement) and do not include facial recognition. Such cameras are already in use in 42 states and nearly 300 California jurisdictions. • Licensing FUSUS software to boost the department’s access to video surveillance. FUSUS brings together video feeds from private, institutional and government systems, and integrates them into a single,
By NB Indy Staff A residential burglary recently occurred in The Colony Community between approximately May 6 and May 21. While the victims were away, an unknown suspect removed a window screen to get into the unit. Inside, the suspect rummaged through the nightstand and ransacked the closet in the master bedroom before fleeing the scene through the front door. There was no reported Loss. Suspect info not available. A residential burglary recently occurred in the Villas Fashion Island Community between May 2 and May 22. While the victim was away, an unknown suspect accessed the rear sliding glass door and shattered a pane in the door to get into the unit. Inside, the suspect went through a nightstand in the master bedroom, a nightstand and dresser in the guest bedroom, and cabinets in the kitchen before fleeing the scene. Loss is unknown at this time. Suspect info not available. NBPD says “If you see suspicious activity within your neighborhood (especially at a home where you know your neighbors are on vacation, have gone out for the evening, or their home is for sale), please call the Newport Beach Police Department immediately at (949) 644-3717. Please review the Home Security Tips available at nbpd.org/what-we-do/ information. The NBPD website also has a Home Security Checklist that can be used to conduct a security assessment on your home to see what security measures you can take to “harden the target.”
cloud-based platform. Investigations can proceed more quickly because private video feeds can be accessed immediately, rather than gathered from various locations. Participation is voluntary for businesses and others with video feeds, such as homeowners associations, who wish to include their cameras in the system. • Developing a drone program. The NBPD will develop a program in which CITY MANAGER Page 11
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