East County Neighborhood Watch Association ECNWA

01/18/2023

These TRAVELING ROMANI people have been known to frequent the lakeside area!

San Diego – San Diego Police Department detectives have arrested 13 people in connection with a jewelry theft ring that spanned multiple communities. Beginning in early 2021, SDPD saw a rash of jewelry theft and street robbery cases that were occurring all over San Diego County. The cases involved a large group of traveling thieves who were operating nationwide. Detectives collected crime reports and intelligence from other agencies and began identifying hundreds of suspects involved in these crimes.
This group of thieves preyed on our most vulnerable community members and took advantage of their kindness to steal and profit. The loss is estimated to be in the millions of dollars. Detectives also discovered the thieves targeted specific communities where elderly and people of Asian descent live and shop.
In a typical case, the suspects approached a victim in a parking lot of a shopping center or while the victim was out for a walk in their neighborhood. The suspects asked for directions or told the victim they were robbed and needed assistance. The suspects often said they were from “Dubai” and needed help returning home. Once the victims began talking to the suspects and let their guard down, the suspects used distraction and sleight-of-hand techniques to steal necklaces, watches, rings, and cash. In some cases, when the suspect was unsuccessful in their scheme, force was used to steal the jewelry.
In the past nine months, SDPD detectives arrested 13 people in San Diego and Southern California counties. Other suspects are currently under investigation and arrests are pending. Based on our conversations with community members, we know only a very small percentage of the actual crimes have been reported by victims to the police.

12/20/2022

ATTENTION FORD TRUCK OWNERS !!!

The Ford V10 engine should have at least two catalytic converters because the engine is quite big. But Ford decided to save up some money and they made only one catalytic converter. So, it's pretty big and expensive.

This V10 Triton engine is known for having a very expensive catalytic converter. Unfortunately, this is the main reason why Ford F250 and many other trucks with this V10 engine very often suffer from cat converter theft.

The scrap price of the Ford V10 catalytic converter is between $500 and $1200. The price is determined by the weight of the precious metals that the company can take out of the converter. And in the case of the Ford V10 engine, it's not that bad. They can get over 2 grams of rhodium ($650 per 1 gram), over 10 grams of platinum ($45 per 1 gram), and over 7 grams of palladium ($75 per 1 gram). The prices are approximate and they can change every hour.

As seen above, this is why Cat Thieves are so interested in this make and model of vehichle.

Be vigilant.

07/21/2022

Sheriff candidate John Hemmerling strongly opposes the placement of Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) and Child Molester Douglas Badger in the Borrego Springs community.

Hemmerling provided the following public comment to the SVP Release/SAFE Task Force for presentation to Judge Theodore Weathers, who will determine the suitability of this placement at a court hearing on August 5, 2022:

Honorable Theodore Weathers
Judge of the Superior Court for the County of San Diego
Department 1702
Central Courthouse
1100 Union Street
San Diego, CA 92101

Re: Hearing re Placement of Sexually Violent Predator Douglas Badger in Borrego Springs, Department 1702, August 5, 2022, 9:00 a.m.

Dear Judge Weathers:

I am writing as a concerned citizen to strongly oppose the placement of Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) and Child Molester Douglas Badger in the Borrego Springs community.

One of the primary functions of government, including the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and other local law enforcement, is to protect the community from violent predators. Likewise, citizens deserve the protection by a deliberative, informed and public safety-minded judicial branch. Judges must weigh the rights of a convicted felon against the best interests of a law-abiding community. The balance in the case of a Child Molester and Violent Predator weighs heavily in favor of the law-abiding community.

I fully support District Attorney Summer Stephan’s ongoing efforts to prevent SVP Badger’s release into Borrego Springs. This is based on the fact that Badger has been determined by multiple qualified SVP examiners in the past as likely to engage in s*xually violent criminal behavior if he was released into ANY community. Over the last 10 years attempts for Conditional Release have either been denied, revoked or withdrawn. For good reason.

SVP Badger is diagnosed with Sexual Sa**sm Disorder. Between 1959 and 1991, he was convicted of several offenses, including child molestation, kidnapping, and forcible oral copulation in concert. His victims were young, and many of them hitchhikers. He served five separate prison terms and three parole violations in between 1975 and 1991.

In 2022, s*xual offenders don’t have to go to parks or drive around in vans looking for persons to victimize. They can get their hands on computers or personal communication devices in their own home and lure their victims to them. The court can try to restrict this access; however, these s*xual offenders always find a way.

Everything about releasing this Sexually Violent Predator into the Borrego Springs area is wrong. There are multiple schools, homes with children, youth organizations and community centers within a short distance of the proposed site. This placement of an individual with a violent criminal history, who has been deemed likely to reoffend, presents significant, disqualifying public safety and law enforcement concerns.

GPS monitors can be effective, however, as we all know, they don’t work the best in remote, desert areas. The Borrego Springs area is challengingly remote to police, and even more so to monitor a predator. An SVP should be only placed at a location where authorities can easily and often check up on him. That location should also be most conducive to a GPS ankle monitoring system that would work flawlessly without interference. Placement should only be permitted at a location where the predator can’t easily hide when Law Enforcement is called, and the response time is immediate.

The California citizens and legislature who passed the s*x offender laws expect both the executive and judicial branches of government to protect them from Sexual Violent Predators. The constitutional rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness of those in the Borrego Springs area will be severely infringed upon if the predator is allowed to live in this rural community.

For that reason, I call on you to make the right decision, as you did when you denied his placement in Mount Helix in 2021 and DENY the placement of SVP Badger in Borrego Springs.

Sincerely,
John C Hemmerling
John Hemmerling,
Colonel USMCR (ret)
Chief Criminal Prosecutor (ret)
San Diego CA

Hemmerling’s career spans 28 years of dedicated service to the City of San Diego as an attorney and an SDPD beat cop. He also served 30 years in the Marines, both active duty and reserve, retiring as a Colonel. For the past six years, retired Chief Criminal Prosecutor Hemmerling headed the Criminal and Community Justice Divisions in the San Diego City Attorney’s Office, where he led 75 lawyers and 125 support staff, and prosecuted more than 18,000 misdemeanor criminal cases a year. He also served as the top legal advisor to two former San Diego Police Chiefs, including Shelley Zimmerman who has endorsed him.

Hemmerling’s endorsements include Mayors Bill Wells (El Cajon), John Minto (Santee), and Richard Bailey (Coronado); former-San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer; retired-San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman; San Diego Councilmember Chris Cate; La Mesa Councilmember Bill Baber; the San Diego Deputy City Attorneys Association; San Diego Asian Americans for Equality; and the Republican Parties of California and San Diego County.

For more info, go to https://www.johnhemmerlingforsheriff.com/

05/30/2022

The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce is proud to endorse John Hemmerling for San Diego County Sheriff!
The San Diego Regional East County Chamber of Commerce is the respected voice of and advocate for improving business opportunities, public policy and business relationships throughout San Diego County. The Chamber service areas include all of San Diego Regional East County and also serves as the Community Chamber for El Cajon, Lemon Grove, Rancho San Diego, and Jamul.

05/28/2022

This weekend we pause to honor and remember the brave Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense our country. As a grateful nation, the best way we can honor their memory is to cherish the freedoms and liberties that they fought to preserve. Semper Fidelis. - John Hemmerling, Colonel, USMCR-Ret. 🇺🇸

05/23/2022

San Diego Union Tribune Opinion: John Hemmerling has the right credentials, perspective, temperament and approach to be a change agent in a beleaguered agency that badly needs it. We believe he is the clear, strong choice to be sheriff.

The Sheriff's Department needs a change agent with a clear vision on how to reduce jail deaths. Hemmerling's experience in overseeing detention centers is invaluable.

07/25/2021

If you are in the El Cajon area this afternoon ( Prescott Promenade Park and El Cajon City Park)

There are two scheduled rallies this afternoon, please be aware of possible increase of vehicle and foot traffic. Please plan ahead, projected time of start of rally 2:00 PM

06/25/2021

PSA:
Possible Increased traffic in the area of West Hills Park (Mast Blvd and West Hills Blvd) later this afternoon around 4PM due to a possible gathering at the park.

05/25/2021

Fentanyl is invading our neighborhoods and it's a killer. Please join us Thursday at 6:30pm for a free webinar where we will discuss how fentanyl is appearing in the community, how to recognize a fentanyl overdose and the importance of Narcan in preventing overdose deaths.
Register for this free webinar at https://tinyurl.com/rrjhubnw

Santee LOVES and the Santee Kiwanis are proud to host an informative webinar given by David Shorey of the Institute for Public Strategies.