Rialto Police make Two DUI Arrests at Checkpoint. By Canan Tasci, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Nov. 23, 2013.

Rialto police make two DUI arrests at checkpoint

By Canan Tasci, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Posted: 11/23/13, 9:17 PM PST |

RIALTO >> Two DUI arrests were made Friday night during a checkpoint, police said Saturday.
The Rialto Police Department Traffic Unit conducted a DUI/driver’s license checkpoint at 1243 S. Riverside Ave, screening northbound traffic north of San Bernardino Avenue.
Of the 990 vehicles that entered the checkpoint, 830 persons were screened further for possibly driving under the influence or being unlicensed, according to a Rialto Police Department news release.
Two DUI arrests were made and two others were arrested on warrants, police said.
Funding for this and other checkpoints is provided to the Rialto Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Reach the author at Canan.Tasci@inlandnewspapers.com or follow Canan on Twitter: @ChinoValleyNow.

Rialto car shooting death probe underway

Saturday, November 09, 2013

A man in a car, seen crashed into a fence in the 1000 block of North Willow Avenue in Rialto, was shot and killed on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013. (KABC Photo)

  

RIALTO, Calif. (KABC) -- An investigation is underway after a man was shot and killed while driving a car in a Rialto neighborhood.

According to Rialto police, the shooting occurred shortly after 5 p.m. Friday in the 200 block of West Jackson Street.
Investigators say the driver was shot multiple times, and then his car crashed into a fence outside a home in the 1000 block of North Willow Avenue.
Police found the driver slumped behind the wheel of the car. He was rushed to the hospital but died from his wounds.
The victim was later identified as Richard Santoscoy, said to be in his mid-40s.
Shortly before 5 a.m. Saturday, police arrested a suspect in the case. Investigators say the suspect and victim knew each other, and the shooting was not gang related.
The suspect, identified as Ingram Hoadena, was arrested at a relative's apartment in Rialto.

(Copyright ©2013 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

Rialto Officals Test Emergancy Communications for 'The Big One' by: Melissa Pinion-Whitt The Sun..

Rialto officials test emergency communication for ‘The Big One’

Rialto police Lt. Bill Wilson, acting as operations center liaison for the Rialto Police Department, marks an emergency location on a map during an earthquake drill Thursday in Rialto. (By Melissa Pinion-Whitt) 

By Melissa Pinion-Whitt, The Sun

POSTED: 11/07/13, 3:44 PM PST |

Chino Valley Independent Fire District Capt. Tom Lemoine updates an emergency incident sheet during an earthquake drill in Rialto on Thursday. (By Melissa Pinion-Whitt) 

RIALTO >> Buildings and bridges collapsed, a train derailed and hazardous chemicals spilled in the wake of a 7.5-magnitude earthquake.

None of these things actually happened.

But about 50 employees from Rialto and other cities in Rialto’s Emergency Operations Center acted as if they did.

It was part of the city’s California Specialized Training Institute workshop, which began earlier this week and culminated Thursday in a realistic communications drill.

“If we have any deficiencies in the city, this gives us the opportunity to address those before a real incident happens,” said Rialto firefighter/paramedic Matt Payne.

San Luisa Del Mar, a fictitious city of 100,000 people, was the focus of the training.

“Rialto will be significantly better prepared, and not necessarily because they worked for San Luisa, but because they worked together,” said Joe Costello, instructor and coordinator for the institute.

The drill didn’t include people posing as dead or wounded victims. And it didn’t have paramedics rushing them off to hospitals.

Instead, it focused on communication among local, county and state emergency officials.

Workers from various city departments relayed disaster information as it was reported, then organized and prioritized how to respond to incidents. It’s a system involving phone banks, city mapping and charting incidents. “I think it kind of helps organize the chaos,” said Chino Valley Independent Fire District Capt. Tom Lemoine.

The drill even involved West Covina police spokesman Rudy Lopez, playing the role of a television news reporter.

“It’s interesting because I’m able to use my personal encounters with the media to act out this role,” he said.

The drill was funded through a $24,000 federal Emergency Management Performance Grant, said Rialto fire Battalion Chief Frank Bekker.

San Bernardino County regularly distributes such funds to cities for use in training, hiring employees and purchasing equipment.

Rialto Fire Chief Mat Fratus said by the time “The Big One” hits the Inland Empire, Rialto will have key players identified and assigned to particular tasks for when the emergency operation center is opened for real.

“We’ll have people put together to take care of the citizens of Rialto,” Fratus said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa Pinion-Whitt covers breaking news and public safety for The Sun. Reach the author atMelissa.Pinion-Whitt@inlandnewspapers.com or follow Melissa on Twitter: @IEcrime.

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Fort Worth Police Leading the Charge Locally in Usage of Body Camera's by Monika Diaz WFAA.com/News

Fort Worth police leading the charge locally in usage of body cameras

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by MONIKA DIAZ

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Posted on October 24, 2013 at 10:46 PM

Updated today at 9:23 AM

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FORT WORTH -- It's the future of policing; a tiny camera attached to an officer's collar or sunglasses, designed to record every move not captured on patrol dash-cam video.

In Rialto, California, body cameras are mandatory for 70 officers. According to the department, complaints against officers have dropped 80 percent. Use of force went down 67 percent.  The numbers are from a study conducted at the department when the cameras were first introduced.in February 2012.

In North Texas, law enforcement agencies are also deploying these high-tech cameras.

The Fort Worth Police Department leads the effort. It recently got a new shipment of body cameras -- 195 of them. 113 are already on the street, in use, recording encounters and confrontations between officers and citizens.

The voluntary program was launched last year. The video from the cameras is downloaded into a server. It cannot be edited or manipulated.

“This makes it so much easier to understand exactly from the officer's point of view, maybe a justification, a quick decision, or something that can't be explained in a police report or an interview, [that] when you see it on film, it can change your perspective of what was really going on at that date, at that time,” said Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead.

The Fort Worth Police Officer's Association (FWPOA) supports the body cams, because it believes it will help officers.

“It is a way for us to, one, record events when they happen, and also, a lot of times we have allegations made against us, and they are not always true,” said FWPOA President Stephen Hall.

But for Hall, the cameras also raise questions.

“I'm surprised we don't have a well-defined policy,” Hall said. “There is some policy, but there is not a well-defined policy on how the videos will be used, utilized, and reviewed.”

Without it, Hall believes officers will begin to distrust the technology.

"Then they become suspicious and become more reluctant to use it or rely on it,” he said.

Chief Halstead told News 8 a new version of the body cameras policy is on the way.

“I want that draft finalized by the end of the year,” he said.

He also mentioned that officers’ concerns are being addressed.

“Some of those concerns are what has to be taped and what should be taped, and my position is, the easier the policy is to understand, the more it will be adopted by our employees,” Halstead said. “No one is just going in and kind of like having a free reign of 'Let's see what officer Jones is doing tonight.' We don't do that and we will not allow that.”

Halstead wants the policy to be clear to his officers and the public. Citizens will be on camera, too. He plans to take the policy to community forums and organizations.

“I'm going to review it with a community advisory board that works closely with the chief's office and the police department,” he said.

Additional training for the officers is also part of the plan.

“You have to give them training on how to police on film, 'cause it's different,” Halstead said.

The chief also expects other revisions in the future as the technology changes, including the possibility of random audits.

“Are they being turned on during traffic stops?” he said. "Are they being turned on during critical interviews during the officer's shift? Those kind of audits."

For the chief, the goal is to build best practices that will increase professionalism. The body cameras can be effective in building trust and much more.

“This is going to change our profession,” he said. “But for the better.”

E-mail mdiaz@wfaa.com

When Should Cops Be Required to Wear Cameras? By Mike Riggs Oct. 15, 3013.. Atlantic Cities

When Should Cops Be Required to Wear Cameras?

• MIKE RIGGS
• OCT 15, 2013
• 7 COMMENTS

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A study conducted last year by the Rialto Police Department in Rialto, California, found that police officers who wear on-body cameras during their shifts are far less likely to use unnecessary force during stops. This, in turn, can also lead to officers having fewer complaints filed against them. It's fair to say that the use of unnecessary force not only frays the relationship between cops and communities, but also costs cities millions in lawsuits. Requiring police officers to wear cameras would seem like a no-brainer.

Unless, of course, you're a cop. In which case, maybe you don't want to be under constant surveillance. Maybe you'd like to talk department politics without creating a permanent record of that conversation for your boss. Or you're worried that the footage, even if it shows nothing illegal, could still be used against you down the line. You also might object to cameras if you're on the other side of one, and don't want police creating a record of everything in your home whenever they respond to a call.

The privacy concerns on both sides are complicated enough that the American Civil Liberties Union—which ardently supports police accountability measures—recently released recommendations for wearable police cameras to "ensure they protect the public without becoming yet another system for routine surveillance of the public." Here's what the ACLU recommends, issue by issue. 

Which cops should wear cameras? 

The ACLU recommends that cameras "be limited to uniformed officers and marked vehicles, so people know what to expect," but that "an exception should be made for SWAT raids and similar planned uses of force when they involve non-uniformed officers."

Should officers have to tell people that they're recording them? 

"Officers should be required, wherever practicable, to notify people that they are being recorded (similar to existing law for dashcams in some states such as Washington)," the ACLU says. "One possibility departments might consider is for officers to wear an easily visible pin or sticker saying 'lapel camera in operation' or words to that effect."

Can the cameras be used inside people's homes? 

Not all house calls are emergencies, so the ACLU recommends that police announce the use of cameras during non-emergency visits, and that during such visits, residents be allowed to request the camera be turned off. Both the announcement and the resident's request should be recorded. "Cameras should never be turned off in SWAT raids and similar police actions." 

How long should police departments retain camera data?

The ACLU recommends (with some caveats) that "[r]etention periods be measured in weeks not years, and video should be deleted after that period unless a recording has been flagged." Police departments should post their retentions policies online, so that people who have been recorded have a clear sense of the time window during which they can file a complaint. 

"Flagged data" would include footage of any incident "involving a use of force; that leads to detention or arrest; or where either a formal or informal complaint has been registered." This data should be kept for a much longer period, such as three years. 

Who should be able to "flag" an incident, insuring that it is retained long enough for investigation?

The ACLU recommends that any recording subject be able to flag a recording, as well as police departments themselves and third parties (such as watchdogs and journalists) "if they have some basis to believe police misconduct has occurred or have reasonable suspicion that the video contains evidence of a crime."

Should police be able to use camera footage in criminal investigations?

This area is obviously contentious, and the ACLU's recommendation is somewhat murky. The groups says that "use of recordings should be allowed only in internal and external investigations of misconduct, and where the police have reasonable suspicion that a recording contains evidence of a crime. Otherwise, there is no reason that stored footage should even be reviewed by a human being before its retention period ends and it is permanently deleted." 

Who should have the power to delete data? 

For starters, not the person wearing the camera. The ACLU recommends that "back-end systems to manage video data must be configured to retain the data, delete it after the retention period expires, prevent deletion by individual officers, and provide an unimpeachable audit trail to protect chain of custody, just as with any evidence."

Who should have access to recordings?

As with the ability to "flag" data, people have been recorded by the police should be able to acquire the footage in which they're featured. "People recorded by cop cams should have access to, and the right to make copies of, those recordings, for however long the government maintains copies of them," the ACLU says. "That should also apply to disclosure to a third party if the subject consents, or to criminal defense lawyers seeking relevant evidence." 

The group is far more reluctant to extend open records access to footage. "We don't want crime victims to be afraid to call for help because of fears that video of their officer interactions will become public or reach the wrong party." To that end, the ACLU recommends that in most cases, unredacted data be released to the public only with the subjects' permission. "If recordings are redacted, they should be discloseable."

In some cases, releasing an unredacted video without the subjects' permission—for instance, a video that shows excessive force—might be necessary. "In such cases the need for oversight outweighs the privacy interests at stake."

Top image: An on-body camera worn by a member of the Oakland Police Department. AP. 

Keywords: Privacy, ACLU, Policing, Technology, Criminal Justice

Mike Riggs is a staff writer at The Atlantic Cities. All posts »

Rialto, Ca.'s Police are first in nation to begin wearing mini camera while on duty.. The Daily Cougar.. By Katie Wian. (University of Houston)

Rialto, Calif.’s police are first in nation to begin wearing mini camera while on duty

4

The Rialto, Calif. Police Department has been testing the merits of its force of 70 officers donning small cameras while on duty.

According to police chief Tony Farrar the results are “truly amazing.”

These officers are the first in the country to complete a detailed pilot program, and as of Sept. 1, all of the department’s uniformed officers will be wearing them.

Rialto has seen an 88 percent drop in complaints against officers and a 60 percent decrease in use of force. These amazing numbers speak for themselves.

At more than 5,400 officers, outfitting Houston’s police department would be no small feat. At around $900 each, these gadgets are no minor expense. Perhaps this is a small price to pay when compared to the ease with which disputes between officers and citizens could be resolved. In fact, one Rialto officer has already beaten a false charge of police brutality thanks to his device.

The other hurdle to overcome would be the potential officer resistance to being constantly monitored. The measure would no doubt create extra work for them. One Rialto officer had this to say about the mutual benefit that comes with the cameras: “When you put a camera on a police officer or anyone, the natural human reaction is that you behave a little more professional. You follow the rules a little more.”

“On the other side, if a citizen knows the officer has a camera, that person acts and behaves a little bit more professional, too.”

That is to say, the nerve-wracking aspect of being watched by one’s superiors, though daunting, includes the convenient trade-off of well-behaved suspects.

With camera phones in the hands of every man, woman and child, it’s unlikely police will be escaping scrutiny anytime soon, regardless. When Rialto officers balked at the new system, Farrar reminded them of this and asked, “so instead of relying on somebody else’s partial picture of what occurred, why not have your own?”

If an officer is doing their job correctly, there should be no need to fear this innovative safety measure. The cameras create an equal footing for officer and citizen. This technology has the ability to eradicate “he-said, she-said” situations where there is a 50 percent chance of the wrong party facing punishment.
This would be a worthwhile investment for any police department that deals frequently with combative citizens, and there is certainly no shortage of those in Houston.
Opinion columnist Katie Wian is an English junior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com
Tags: Cameras, law enforcement, Rialto Police Department

Suspected Rialto lunch money embezzler, Judith Oakes, allegedly writes confession.. The Sun By Beau Yarbrough & Joe Nelson

Suspected Rialto lunch money embezzler, Judith Oakes, allegedly writes confession

Oakes 

By Beau Yarbrough, The Sun

and Joe Nelson, San Bernardino Sun

POSTED: 10/07/13, 8:02 PM PDT | UPDATED: 12 HRS AGO

Oakes 

Rialto >> Rialto police handed their case against a former Rialto Unified accountant accused of embezzling up to $3.1 million in lunch money to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office Monday. Among the evidence: a letter, purportedly written by Judith Oakes herself, confessing to the crime.

A copy of the letter, dated Aug. 14, was obtained by this newspaper.

“Last week, as you know by now, I committed a crime and was arrested,” the letter reads in part. “I not only hurt myself, but my family, the district, my friends and the school district employees who know me. There were no other school district employees involved in this crime and my confession to the police was honest and heartfelt.”

Oakes could not be reached for comment for this story. Rialto police said they are investigating the letter and its origins and are also attempting to confirm it was authored by Oakes.

Oakes, 49, was an accountant for the district’s Nutritional Services Department. She was arrested Aug. 7 after twice being caught on camera putting money into her bra, according to a Rialto Police Department search warrant. At the time of her arrest, she had a large quantity of cash on her person and more was found at her San Bernardino home later. She resigned from the district the next day.

The letter-writer claims that Superintendent Harold Cebrun was unconnected to the crime:

“I feel so bad knowing that the papers are using the crime that I committed to damage his reputation. But all of you must stop blaming Dr. Cebrun, let him continue to do his job, work with him, and I will have to face the consequences of my own actions.”

The envelope the letter was sent in reads “to the Board of Education to be read in closed session on 8/14/13,” but the letter did not surface until after Rialto Unified board President Joe Ayala offered a public defense of Cebrun after a closed-session meeting last week:

Cebrun is “an honorable man who has not been convicted of any crime,” Ayala said, reading from a prepared statement on Wednesday. If Cebrun has done anything wrong, “it’s because he fell into a web, (one) that many of us men fall into.”

Cebrun, through his lawyer, strongly denied any romantic relationship between himself and Oakes on Friday:

“Dr. Cebrun was friends with Ms. Oakes, but the friendship is being exaggerated by the RUSD board of education and the press. Dr. Cebrun was not involved in an intimate, romantic relationship with Ms. Oakes,” Rancho Cucamonga-based attorney Willie W. Williams wrote in a letter on behalf of Cebrun.

Oakes allegedly gave the letter to neighbor Mike Ricker, who works as the warehouse supervisor for Rialto Unified.

“Judy did give me a letter in an envelope, a sealed envelope to give to (Deputy Superintendent) Wallace on the 14th,” Ricker said Friday. “I don’t know what the letter said. She just asked me to deliver it to him.”

And that’s just what happened, according to Wallace.

“I never opened it up. It was a sealed envelope,” Wallace said Friday.

Wallace, who along with Cebrun was placed on administrative leave in September, put the letter in an in-box in the superintendent’s office “back in August,” he said.

He and the superintendent weren’t present in the Aug. 14 closed session meeting, Wallace said.

“That was the board meeting that became a big mess,” Wallace said. “I never knew if that letter was utilized or not utilized. We were not there.”

According to Ayala, it wasn’t: “No, no,” he said Friday, saying he hadn’t heard of the letter before then. “I’m definitely not aware of that.”

Rialto police Capt. Randy DeAnda declined to say whether Oakes had confessed to police when she was arrested in August.

“Obviously, I can’t comment on anything involving whether Judith Oakes confessed or cooperated with the investigation,” he said.

Williams said Monday that he and Cebrun had seen the so-called Oakes confession letter and that the handwriting appeared to be Oakes’.

“(Cebrun) firmly believes it is her handwriting,” Williams said.

Williams denied his client had anything to do with the letter.

“He had nothing to do with Ms. Oakes writing the letter, directly or indirectly, and just recently became aware of it,” Williams said.

The timing has, however, raised eyebrows with Rialto police.

“It was kind of coincidental that letter came in when other people were getting that letter from Cebrun,” DeAnda said. “If it was a letter authored by her, we want to make sure it’s authentic and not something that’s been contrived.”

The letter is something the District Attorney’s Office may want to take a look at, he said.

The letter’s author expresses contrition on behalf of Oakes:

“Don’t blame others for what I have done as I am extremely sorry for my actions against the district,” the letter allegedly written by Oakes concludes. “I hope that this letter will help you and Dr. Cebrun to come together and give this district and community the leadership it deserves.

“Please forgive me and pray for me as I too will be praying for you.”

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Beau Yarbrough covers education for The Sun and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Reach the author atBeau.Yarbrough@inlandnewspapers.com or follow Beau on Twitter: @inlandEd.

• Full bio and more articles by Beau Yarbrough

Joe Nelson covers San Bernardino County for The Sun, Daily Bulletin and Redlands Daily Facts. Reach the author at Joe.Nelson@inlandnewspapers.com or follow Joe on Twitter: @sbcountynow.

• Full bio and more articles by Joe Nelson

Rialto accused lunch money embezzler charged.. Oct. 8, 2013 The Sun, By Beau Yarbrough.

Rialto accused lunch money embezzler charged

By Beau Yarbrough, The Sun

POSTED: 10/08/13, 4:17 PM PDT | UPDATED: 3 HRS AGO

Judy Oakes, 48, of San Bernardino was arrested at Rialto Unified´s nutrition services offices at 151 S. Cactus Ave., in August, and booked into West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion of burglary, embezzlement and grand theft. (Courtesy photo for The Sun) 

Judith oakes timeline

Aug. 7, 2013: Rialto Unified Nutritional Services accountant Judith Oakes arrested by Rialto Police, charged with grand theft, embezzlement and burglary.

Aug. 8, 2013: Oakes freed on bail, resigns from Rialto Unified, where she’s worked since 1997. It’s her 49th birthday.

Aug. 14, 2013: Rialto Unified Superintendent Harold Cebrun denies any wrongdoing at a contentious school board meeting.

Sept. 11, 2013: Cebrun and deputy superintendent James Wallace placed on administrative leave.

Sept. 25, 2013: A private investigator tells Rialto Unified school board that Oakes may have embezzled $3.1 million over 14 years.

Oct. 2, 2013: School board president Joe Ayala defends Cebrun after a board meeting, saying Cebrun “fell into a web, (one) that many of us men fall into.”

Oct. 4, 2013: Cebrun, through his lawyer, denies any romantic relationship with Oakes.

Oct. 4, 2013: Police and this newspaper obtain a letter supposedly written by Oakes to the school board. The letter declares that she’s guilty of the crime and that she acted alone — and that Cebrun had nothing to do with her crime.

Oct. 4, 2013: Rialto Police announce that Cebrun is not a suspect in any crime involving Oakes at this time.

Oct. 8, 2013: Oakes is charged with eight counts of embezzlement by a public or private officer and eight counts of a public officer crime. If convicted of all charges, she faces up to 11 years in state prison.

RIALTO >> A former Rialto Unified accountant has been charged with the suspected embezzling of $1.8 million in funds from the district over the past eight years.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office filed felony charges against Judith Oakes, 49, late Tuesday afternoon. Oakes is charged with eight counts of embezzlement by a public or private officer and eight counts of a public officer crime. If convicted of all charges, she faces up to 11 years in state prison. She will be arraigned in Fontana Superior Court on Thursday, according to district attorney’s spokesman Christopher Lee.

Oakes was arrested Aug. 7 after twice being caught on camera putting money into her bra, according to a Rialto Police Department search warrant. At the time of her Aug. 7 arrest, she had two packets of $2,000 in $20 bills on her person, and more was found at her San Bernardino home later. She resigned from the district the next day.

Oakes could not be reached for comment on the charges. At her San Bernardino home Tuesday afternoon, a man who said he was her son declined to comment on the case.

“It’s unfortunate when people make poor choices,” school board president Joe Ayala said Tuesday afternoon. “I feel bad for her family and all those who were hurt by her actions.”

The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s investigation is one of at least five: The San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools and California Department of Education are both conducting investigations into Oakes’ alleged crimes. The Rialto Unified school board also hired a private investigation firm, Rancho Cucamonga-based Stewart Investigations Services, to do an independent audit of the Nutrition Services department. The Rialto Police Department turned their case over to the District Attorney’s Office on Monday.

On Sept. 25, investigator Jeff Stewart told the board that Oakes may have embezzled $1.8 million over the last eight years and more than $3.1 million over 14 years. Oakes is only charged with embezzling $1.8 million, because the statute of limitations had run out on the other funds.

If true, that works out to Oakes stealing an average of $221,438 a year — or $4,258 a week — almost triple her $77,086 annual salary at Rialto Unified.

According to Stewart, there were 913 cash deposits with discrepancies over a period of 1,277 school days. The most common discrepancy between the bank deposit slips and actual cash deposits was $2,000, which occurred 540 times.

Oakes is the widow of former San Bernardino City Unified School District elementary school principal Jack Oakes. She owns two homes in San Bernardino, a variety of personal recreational vehicles and the couple regularly vacationed in Glamis, in Imperial County.

The Nutrition Services department has an annual budget of $16 million. Oakes had worked for the district since 1997.

Rialto Unified has begun the process of updating its accounting and security procedures, according to the district.

District Superintendent Harold Cebrun and Deputy Superintendent James Wallace were placed on leave Sept. 11, and the school board reaffirmed their decision to do so by a 4-1 vote on Oct. 2. (Cebrun has been out on bereavement leave since Aug. 21.)

According to Cebrun, the board made the decision to head off any accusations that the investigation could be tainted. District gossip has long linked Cebrun and Oakes romantically.

A letter, allegedly authored by Oakes, surfaced Friday, confessing to the crime and clearing Cebrun and other district officials of any involvement.

Associate Superintendent of Business Services Mohammad Z. Islam has been appointed acting superintendent for the district.

Staff writers Michel Nolan and Joe Nelson contributed to this report.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beau Yarbrough covers education for The Sun and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Reach the author atBeau.Yarbrough@inlandnewspapers.com or follow Beau on Twitter: @inlandEd.

• Full bio and more articles by Beau Yarbrough

RIVERSIDE: 'Breaking Bad' has Inland Empire Beginnings.. by John Asbury, Press Enterprise Reporter. Sept. 27, 2013

RIVERSIDE: ‘Breaking Bad’ has Inland beginnings

SEPTEMBER 27, 2013 BY JOHN ASBURY

Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston star in “Breaking Bad.” (AMC)

It could be a whole different story if Walter White and Jessie Pinkman were cooking meth in Mead Valley instead of Albuquerque.

That was the plan by creator Vince Gilligan when he dreamed up the iconic program now drawing to a close Sunday.

Of course, the Inland Empire was notorious for its drug activity in the 1990s, earning its claim as the “meth capital” of the world early on.

Gilligan said in multiple interviews that his plan was for Walter White’s meth business to be based around Riverside, according to Slant magazine.

“When I originally conceived of Breaking Bad, I intended to set it in Riverside, California,” Gilligan said. “And of course southern California is not too far from the Mexican border either, but when I originally conceived of the show I wasn’t thinking as much in terms of the Mexican drug cartel component. I was thinking more in terms of a homegrown meth business that Walter White was going to establish.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration has worked closely with the creators of Breaking Bad to provide factual consultation for the show, according to DEA spokeswoman Sarah Pullen.

“The DEA provided general location information as to where meth labs had been seized so that the writers/producers etc. could get a better idea as to what these locations looked like,” Pullen said. “At that time, labs were prevalent throughout the Inland Empire.”

Though during the past decade, most meth labs in the Inland region have dissipated and moved out of the area in favor of other sites, such as Mexico.

The vision for Riverside came down to such minute details as the sky and landscape Riverside could provide. In the end, it came down to a tax credit that made it cheaper for “Breaking Bad” to film in Albuquerque, according to Vulture.com

“Gilligan’s pilot script was informed by a friend working in drug enforcement out of the Inland Empire, so Walter White was originally intended to run riot around Riverside County. After Sony suggested relocating the setting to Albuquerque for tax purposes, it only took a glimpse at the skies over New Mexico to win Gilligan over. “California skies are usually blank, blue skies or a marine layer comes in and it’s gray,” he said, “but Albuquerque has these cumulus clouds that give you a scope of the distance out there. It’s amazing. And it felt like virgin territory for cinematography.”

So next time you see Walter White burying his barrels of money in the desert or cooking in his motorhome, just think, what might have been outside Riverside or Hemet.

FILED UNDER: CRIME BLOTTER, MOVIES & TV

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