Swat

The Newport Beach police and fire departments will host Public Safety Day, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Newport Center Fire Station and Police Headquarters, 868 Santa Barbara Drive. Live demonstrations will include a firefighter challenge, live firefighting and jaws of life demonstrations. The event also will feature appearances from the K-9 and SWAT teams and the police helicopter. Both the fire and police stations will be open for public tours during the event. There also will be displays from the Newport Beach lifeguards and other emergency responders.

Realism sets 'S.W.A.T.' apart at times Clark Johnson has directed several episodes of TV's best crime dramas, including "Law and Order," "NYPD Blue," "Homicide" and "The Wire." Clark brings the same gritty realism found in these shows to his big screen effort in "S.W.A.T.," which sets it apart from the mind numbing demolition derby at the center of most blockbuster police thrillers. The cops seem to be real people, not cartoon superheroes. We see a thoughtful presentation of the actual training that S.W.A.

A 43-year-old man who apparently shot himself in the head barricaded himself inside his Eastbluff neighborhood home for about two hours Wednesday until police were able to rush the house and get him to a local hospital. The man’s mother called police at about 3 p.m. saying her son tried to kill himself in his home on the 2400 block of Vista Hogar, but he was conscious and talking, Newport Beach Police Lt. Jim Kaminsky said. When officers arrived at the home, they confirmed that he had shot himself and had several weapons and ammunition, so they stayed back and tried to contact him from outside, Kaminsky said.

COSTA MESA — The city executive's still-developing plans to restructure the Costa Mesa Police Department will be presented to police officers Wednesday, interim Police Chief Steve Staveley said. Staveley said police staffing levels would be addressed in some form, but he could not elaborate. City Chief Executive Tom Hatch declined to comment on aspects of the proposal that have to do with police staffing levels. However, a report made by an independent firm hired by the city to study the department, Management Partners Inc., makes recommendations about "providing the same level of customer service with a reduced workforce.

A 43-year-old man who apparently shot himself in the head barricaded himself inside his Eastbluff neighborhood home for about two hours Wednesday until police were able to rush the house and get him to a local hospital. The man's mother called police at about 3 p.m. saying her son tried to kill himself in his home on the 2400 block of Vista Hogar, but he was conscious and talking, Newport Beach Police Lt. Jim Kaminsky said. When officers arrived at the home, they confirmed that he had shot himself and had several weapons and ammunition, so they stayed back and tried to contact him from outside, Kaminsky said.

Costa Mesa police arrested a Garden Grove man on probation who tried to sell an old Costa Mesa police SWAT uniform online and had weapons in his home, authorities said Wednesday. Police arrested Craig McVay, 48, in his home Tuesday afternoon after approaching him as potential buyers of the uniform, and he revealed he was also selling an old police Billy club, said Sgt. Bryan Glass. A Craigslist ad for a SWAT jumpsuit for $30 prompted several people to tell police about the sale, Glass said.

Madison Reiter poked her head out of an armored SWAT vehicle Tuesday night. It was good practice for the 10-year-old Costa Mesa girl because someday she, like her mom, hopes to be a police officer, she said. Her mother Angela Reiter is applying to be an officer with the Newport Beach Police Department. The Reiters, including Madison's sisters Chloe, 9, and Kristina, 6, were just one of many families visiting with Newport Beach police for the annual National Night Out Tuesday.

Argument over ball cap sparks bar brawl A New York Yankees cap might have incited a brawl this weekend outside the Triangle Square Yardhouse in Costa Mesa, leaving one man unconscious and another twice stabbed, police said. Alfonso Rodrigo Cedillo, 25, of Costa Mesa confronted Rafael Palma, 19, about the Yankees cap he was wearing outside the bar at 2:21 p.m. Sunday, police said. The dispute eventually led Cedillo to beat up Palma, police said. Palma pulled out a four-inch pocket knife and stabbed Cedillo during the attack, Sgt. Greg Scott said.

Deepa Bharath I'd never ever gripped a gun in my hand. Nor had I seen three different kinds of methamphetamines and five varieties of cocaine. But over the last 12 weeks, I got a glimpse into a world that I only hear and write about. Enrolling in Costa Mesa Police Department's Citizen's Academy is probably the biggest favor I have done for myself as a reporter who covers public safety and courts. The extensive course that ran 12 weeks for three hours each class covered topics including the court process, police recruitment, crime prevention, ethics and gang enforcement.

Deirdre Newman After the recent rash of Southern California kidnappings, Newport-Mesa families on Tuesday learned valuable tips to prevent abductions as they joined a nationwide effort of crime and drug prevention. The 19th annual National Night Out encouraged residents across the nation to lock their doors, turn on their outside lights and spend the evening outside with neighbors and police. In Newport Beach, the event at Mariners Park drew hundreds of residents whose top priority is keeping their children safe.

COSTA MESA — The city announced Thursday that it is formally exploring partnerships with Newport Beach and Huntington Beach to share multiple services. Costa Mesa is looking into sharing the SWAT team, emergency dispatch, animal control and other services, Costa Mesa city officials announced Thursday. Many of the ideas have been publicly discussed this year as possible options for the cash-strapped city. "The idea of sharing municipal services with our neighboring cities has been talked about for years, but with the recent fiscal challenges, it has been given added urgency," said city spokesman William Lobdell.

COSTA MESA — The city executive's still-developing plans to restructure the Costa Mesa Police Department will be presented to police officers Wednesday, interim Police Chief Steve Staveley said. Staveley said police staffing levels would be addressed in some form, but he could not elaborate. City Chief Executive Tom Hatch declined to comment on aspects of the proposal that have to do with police staffing levels. However, a report made by an independent firm hired by the city to study the department, Management Partners Inc., makes recommendations about "providing the same level of customer service with a reduced workforce.

COSTA MESA — After pleading for a timeout from the sideline with less than three minutes left in the first half, Costa Mesa High Coach Bryan Rice got it a little too late. Rice yelled toward the referees when Estancia took a two-point lead. No one heard him. The lead then grew into double digits in just 43 seconds. The whistle finally blew for Rice. The Mustangs never recovered and it cost them a share of second place in the Orange Coast League and the Battle for the Bell.

Newport Beach's SWAT team used 40 mm rubber bullets to subdue a Bellflower woman who they said refused to obey officers' commands after a short vehicle pursuit Friday night. Kelly Sheree Taylor, 48, was arrested on suspicion of evading arrest and driving under the influence of drugs by Newport Beach police after she refused to stop and drove south, police said. After police tried to stop her car in Newport Beach, she fled into Laguna Beach and eventually stopped but did not respond when officers ordered out of the car, police said.

In a fiery last hurrah, some abandoned buildings off 15th Street and Monrovia Avenue were used for SWAT team training this week. They will be demolished to make way for a new Coastline Community College campus in 2012. Some residents in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa likely heard thuds, shouts and bangs coming from the campus to-be Wednesday afternoon as Newport Beach SWAT team officers joined others from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and Tustin and Irvine police departments.

COSTA MESA — Outside of the six balls Andrew Albers swatted away, the best block Wednesday belonged to his boys’ basketball team. Costa Mesa High blocked rival Estancia from winning the Orange Coast League championship. The Mustangs ruined the Eagles’ night after pulling off a 46-43 upset and recording their first league victory. The Mustangs waited until the regular-season finale to win in league. Inside a packed gym, Albers played a huge role in sending the Eagles home dejected after failing to claim their first league crown in five seasons.

A teenager suspected by Newport Beach police of being the lone gunman that got away during a search last month near Fashion Island was killed by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, authorities confirmed. Dalton Rahman, 18, was shot by Los Angeles County Sheriffs SWAT team members when he wrested a gun away from one of them as they tried to arrest him, according to a statement released by the sheriff’s department Nov. 6. Newport Beach police said Rahman was the man who eluded capture in early October, when officers went to a parking lot near Fashion Island where three men were reported acting suspiciously.

The Newport Beach police and fire departments will host Public Safety Day, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Newport Center Fire Station and Police Headquarters, 868 Santa Barbara Drive. Live demonstrations will include a firefighter challenge, live firefighting and jaws of life demonstrations. The event also will feature appearances from the K-9 and SWAT teams and the police helicopter. Both the fire and police stations will be open for public tours during the event. There also will be displays from the Newport Beach lifeguards and other emergency responders.

Costa Mesa police arrested a Garden Grove man on probation who tried to sell an old Costa Mesa police SWAT uniform online and had weapons in his home, authorities said Wednesday. Police arrested Craig McVay, 48, in his home Tuesday afternoon after approaching him as potential buyers of the uniform, and he revealed he was also selling an old police Billy club, said Sgt. Bryan Glass. A Craigslist ad for a SWAT jumpsuit for $30 prompted several people to tell police about the sale, Glass said.

A morning raid at a biker gang’s vast compound in Riverside County produced virtually no evidence prosecutors could use, Newport Beach police said Tuesday. “This is a common problem that we in law enforcement experience,” Sgt. Evan Sailor said. “Once people know and understand enforcement officers may be looking for them and/or their property, it gives them time to remove or destroy those items.” More than 50 SWAT officers raided a Set Free Soldiers biker gang compound in Mira Loma Monday morning, a site large enough that it took officers several days to coordinate the search, Sailor said.