Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Getting Ready Together

Are You Ready?

Read the attached for more information.

Los Alamitos Seeks Crossing Guards

Positon Pays $10.20 per hour.

Looking for a way to give back to your community, help our school children, and provide a vital city service? If so, the City of Los Alamitos would like you to consider becoming a Crossing Guard. There are immediate openings in the City’s Crossing Guard Program and the Police Department is looking to hire qualified people to serve in that capacity.

The Crossing Guard is a paid part-time position that functions under the direction of the police administration and is supervised by the on-duty watch commander. The primary duties of the Crossing Guard are to observe and control vehicle traffic flow to ensure the safe crossing of students on arterial junctions and residential streets.

Crossing Guards are required to observe vehicle and pedestrian traffic at assigned locations; determine when arterial crossings can be made safely and without disrupting traffic flow; stop or signal traffic or pedestrians by using a hand-held stop sign and escort pedestrians across the street; deter school children and other pedestrians from crossing the street at hazardous places and times; and enforce traffic safety rules and procedures.

General knowledge of traffic safety laws and regulations and the ability to learn methods of traffic control are necessary. Applicants should also be willing to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with pedestrians, motorists, and the general public.

If you are at least eighteen (18) years or older, have the ability to work varying hours as assigned, and can provide proof of legal eligibility to work in the United States, the City of Los Alamitos and its Police Department would like you to give this opportunity your consideration.

Interested persons are encouraged to stop by the police department to pick up an application or an application can be downloaded from the personnel section of the City’s website at www.ci.los-alamitos.ca.us . Los Alamitos is an equal opportunity employer and recruitment for the position(s) will remain open until filled. Questions about the position or any of the essential job functions can be directed to Sergeant Maria O’Connell at (562) 431- 2255, extension 418.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Back to School Safety Reminder

Originally posted August 9, 2011:

Summer is almost over and the beginning of a new school year is fast approaching. It is time once again for the many hundreds of students attending various schools throughout the Los Alamitos School District to return and resume their studies. School can be a hectic time for us all, but the beginning of the year always seems to be the most confusing. Some students are attending school for the very first time, many are stepping onto a new campus, and for others navigating through traffic congestion as newly licensed drivers can be stressful.

We at the Los Alamitos Police Department want to welcome all of the school officials, students, and their parents back to school. We anticipate you will have a successful year discovering new things. It is our goal to keep you as safe as we possibly can, but we also hope you understand that being safe is a responsibility shared by everyone. To that goal, here are a few familiar reminders that will help. First, stay alert! Be aware there are plenty of kids traveling our streets. You will see them walking, bicycling, skateboarding, and driving. Make sure your kids are taking the safest possible route to school. Instruct your child to pay attention to the traffic control signals and exercise patience when crossing the street or stepping into traffic. Our crossing guards are here to help and their priority is to keep your child out of harm’s way. Many parents drive their children to school. If that is you, keep in mind you are responsible for obeying the rules of the road. The speed limit in a school zone is 25 MPH, and school buses will deploy stop signs when picking up or dropping off their passengers. Expect kids to do things that are unexpected like stepping into traffic without looking, crossing streets outside of crosswalks, or riding their bikes against the flow of traffic. Remember, other than during an emergency, there really is no excuse to use a mobile device that isn’t “hands free”!

Second, take the time to know your child’s schedule. Teacher training days, conferences, and field trips alter your child’s schedule. Since these events sometimes catch us by surprise, it is wise to plan ahead to avoid problematic child care issues. Third, make sure your child’s emergency contact information is current and stays up to date throughout the school year. Who are the people authorized to pick up your child from school in the event you are unable to? Is there someone who should not have access to your child? How can your child’s school verify that information? Knowing who should be notified during an emergency and making it easy for school officials to find you or your designee takes pressure off of their staff and helps the police mitigate issues that arise. Hopefully situations like this won’t occur, but remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Lastly, your child will no doubt make plenty of new friends during the school year and many of those friends will have social networking accounts like MySpace or Face Book. Under the right circumstances these social networking sites are fun, healthy, and keep us all connected like never before; however, where there are children, there are predators. Be aware of where your child goes on the internet. Take affirmative steps to respectfully monitor their actions and do not be hesitant in reporting unusual activity to the police or school officials.

In order for our children to learn, grow, and succeed, they must be safe on and off campus. We all have a stake in their success and safety. The Los Alamitos Police Department is committed to keeping our community safe for those who live, work, and play here. Parents, teachers, and students play an important role in accomplishing our goal. Let’s all have a safe and successful school year!

Sergeant Sharon Kerbow

Countdown to the Great Shakeout!

On October 20 at 10:20 am, the City will participate in the Great Shakeout, an
earthquake preparedness drill. The Great Shakeout was designed to help people
become better prepared ... More

Weekly Crime Summary

A new Weekly Crime Summary is available for August 14 to August 20.

The most recent Weekly Crime Summaries will be listed on the homepage of our website, http://www.losalamitospolice.org/.

You can find older Weekly Crime Summaries in our COP Team area here.

Be safe. Be Prepared.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Weekly Crime Summary

A new Weekly Crime Summary is available for August 7 to August 13.

The most recent Weekly Crime Summaries will be listed on the homepage of our website, http://LosAlamitosPolice.org.

You can find older Weekly Crime Summaries in our COP Team area here.

Be safe. Be Prepared.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Back to School Safety

Summer is almost over and the beginning of a new school year is fast approaching. It is time once again for the many hundreds of students attending various schools throughout the Los Alamitos School District to return and resume their studies. School can be a hectic time for us all, but the beginning of the year always seems to be the most confusing. Some students are attending school for the very first time, many are stepping onto a new campus, and for others navigating through traffic congestion as newly licensed drivers can be stressful.

We at the Los Alamitos Police Department want to welcome all of the school officials, students, and their parents back to school. We anticipate you will have a successful year discovering new things. It is our goal to keep you as safe as we possibly can, but we also hope you understand that being safe is a responsibility shared by everyone. To that goal, here are a few familiar reminders that will help. First, stay alert! Be aware there are plenty of kids traveling our streets. You will see them walking, bicycling, skateboarding, and driving. Make sure your kids are taking the safest possible route to school. Instruct your child to pay attention to the traffic control signals and exercise patience when crossing the street or stepping into traffic. Our crossing guards are here to help and their priority is to keep your child out of harm’s way. Many parents drive their children to school. If that is you, keep in mind you are responsible for obeying the rules of the road. The speed limit in a school zone is 25 MPH, and school buses will deploy stop signs when picking up or dropping off their passengers. Expect kids to do things that are unexpected like stepping into traffic without looking, crossing streets outside of crosswalks, or riding their bikes against the flow of traffic. Remember, other than during an emergency, there really is no excuse to use a mobile device that isn’t “hands free”!

Second, take the time to know your child’s schedule. Teacher training days, conferences, and field trips alter your child’s schedule. Since these events sometimes catch us by surprise, it is wise to plan ahead to avoid problematic child care issues. Third, make sure your child’s emergency contact information is current and stays up to date throughout the school year. Who are the people authorized to pick up your child from school in the event you are unable to? Is there someone who should not have access to your child? How can your child’s school verify that information? Knowing who should be notified during an emergency and making it easy for school officials to find you or your designee takes pressure off of their staff and helps the police mitigate issues that arise. Hopefully situations like this won’t occur, but remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Lastly, your child will no doubt make plenty of new friends during the school year and many of those friends will have social networking accounts like MySpace or Face Book. Under the right circumstances these social networking sites are fun, healthy, and keep us all connected like never before; however, where there are children, there are predators. Be aware of where your child goes on the internet. Take affirmative steps to respectfully monitor their actions and do not be hesitant in reporting unusual activity to the police or school officials.

In order for our children to learn, grow, and succeed, they must be safe on and off campus. We all have a stake in their success and safety. The Los Alamitos Police Department is committed to keeping our community safe for those who live, work, and play here. Parents, teachers, and students play an important role in accomplishing our goal. Let’s all have a safe and successful school year!

Sergeant Sharon Kerbow

Monday, August 8, 2011

Weekly Crime Summary

A new Weekly Crime Summary is available for July 24 to July 30.

The most recent Weekly Crime Summaries will be listed on the homepage of our website, http://LosAlamitosPolice.org.

You can find older Weekly Crime Summaries in our COP Team area here.

Be safe. Be Prepared.