Sunday, November 24, 2013

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

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

Saturday, November 09, 2013

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.
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)
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.)

Thursday, November 07, 2013

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) 
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
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.