Sex offenders gather at motel
“I was just looking at the Gilroy sex offenders on the Megan’s Law Web site and noticed that seven of the sickos have the same address (5530 Monterey Road). As it turns out, seven sex offenders all live at the National 9 motel here in Gilroy. Each one lives in a different room. I think that a note should be posted at the motel for for the safety of anyone that stays there. Especially families with children!”
Red Phone: There is no legal requirement that notes must be posted, but certainly families have the right to do what you just did, and research who is living next door. Red Phone confirmed the posting on Megan’s Law site, and while we counted five listed offenders at that address, you are right in that it is a concentration. Hopefully the more light brought to the issue, the safer our children will be. Thanks for the heads up!”
Lewis Street is dangerous
“Dear Red Phone, Lewis street is extremely dangerous! The cars fly by with no regard to children, other cars or pedestrians. Can anything be done to enforce a 25 mph speed limit?”
Red Phone: Absolutely. You can begin by informing the Gilroy Police Department that you believe there is a consistent problem with speeders in your neighborhood and would like stepped-up enforcement. The police department’s nonemergency number is 846-0350, or by visiting www.ci.gilroy.ca.us/services for a complete telephone directory of city services. Police departments can take proactive action, too, by setting up radar signs informing drivers of their speeds. Often speeding is caused by inattentiveness as much as maliciousness. You can also inquire with the city traffic engineering divsion (846-0450) about the process of posting signs such as “Drive Slowly, Children at Play.”
Schools have leeway police don’t
“Having worked in schools for many years, not all incidents need to have a police report. Schools have much more punishments for students than the juvenile justice system.
I have no idea why a police report was not filed for the thefts, (as reported in the Dec. 11 issue of the Dispatch) which it should have, but we all need to keep in mind we really have no idea what goes on when the police are called to a scene.
Who knows, maybe the school official told the police to wait for their investigation to unfold first. Maybe there was no evidence to prove a theft occurred at the time the police were called to the school. Did you know that school officials have fewer restrictions on the student’s fourth amendment rights than police officers? School officials just need reasonable suspicion not probable cause to search students. They also do not have to read a student their Miranda rights when questioning them, unlike police officers do once a person is arrested.
School officials do not need a search warrant to search a students locker, backpack, students person, vehicle’s while they are on school property. As long as they have reasonable suspicion they can do those things I have mentioned. Also, why should our police officers have to take reports, if the reports are for insurance purposes only? Do the insurance companies pay our, Gilroy, police officers salaries? I think not!
Maybe our police department can come with a self reporting system like in bigger cities? I do not know, but God bless our police department.”
Red Phone: Good Caller, thank you for the information and the suggestions. Perhaps they contain a germ of an idea.
