Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 31, 2010

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com

5

Public Safety

Mountain Views News Saturday, July 31, 2010

Sierra Madre Police Blotter

Monrovia Police Blotter

During the week of Sunday, July 18th, to Saturday July 24th, the Sierra Madre Police 
Department responded to approximately 332 calls for service.

Monday, July 19th:

6:25 AM – Commercial Burglary, Vandalism, Cruelty to Animals, Sierra Madre Middle 
School, 160 North Canon Ave. Suspects smashed a window, then gained entry to the 
classroom. The suspects vandalized the room, causing extensive damage. The suspects also 
killed fish in a tank. The loss included a small rocket, and a telescope, which was recovered. 
The investigating officers followed leads and identified and arrested five suspects, all minors. 
Four of the minors are Sierra Madre residents; one is from Altadena. The crime occurred 
between 2:30 pm, Friday, 7/16/2010 and 6:05 am, Saturday 7/19/2010. The teacher estimated 
his loss was at $280.00. No estimated loss from the school was available.

6:50 PM – Auto Burglary, 31 West Sierra Madre Blvd. Unknown suspect(s) smashed the 
driver’s door window and stole a purse from the floorboard. The crime occurred Monday, 
7/19/2010 between 6:30 pm and 6:45 pm. The loss included cash, a driver’s license, personal 
checks, and a charge card. The total loss was estimated at $1,050.00.

During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 621 service events, resulting in 123 
investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:

Driving Under the Influence / Suspect Arrested

On July 16, at 4:35 a.m., an officer observed a vehicle traveling over the speed limit on Foothill. He 
stopped the vehicle on Canyon and determined the driver was under the influence. A small amount 
of marijuana was discovered in the vehicle. The driver was arrested and taken into custody.

Suspicious Subjects / Out-of-State Warrant - Suspect Arrested

On July 16 at 4:37 a.m., a police agent noticed two subjects riding bicycles in the 100 block of North 
Canyon in the early hours. The subjects were stopped and determined to be on parole. One of the 
subjects had an out-of-state warrant and was arrested. The second subject was interviewed and 
released.

Vandalism - Suspect Arrested

On July 16 at 5:30 a.m., police received a call reporting three male juveniles in the 1600 block of 
South Mayflower smashing mailboxes. Officers responded and determined six mailboxes had been 
vandalized. The officers conducted an area check for the suspects, but were unable to locate the 
juveniles. Investigation continuing.

Petty Theft / Gang Injunction Service - Suspect Arrested

On July 16 at 7:36 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 300 block of West Huntington regarding 
a shoplifting suspect who fled in a vehicle west on Huntington. Officers observed the vehicle and 
stopped the driver. The reporting party positively identified the suspect. Further investigation 
revealed the suspect is a gang member and needed service per the Gang Injunction. The suspect was 
served at the police station after being arrested.

Grand Theft Auto

On July 18 at 11:19 a.m., an officer went to a residence in the 500 block of West Duarte Road regarding 
a stolen vehicle. The victim stated the vehicle was stolen sometime in the morning. It is a blue, 1987 
Honda Accord. Investigation continuing.

Death Report

On July 18 at 12:04 p.m., officers responded to a residence in the 200 block of South Mayflower on 
the report of a death. A 58-year-old male subject, who had been released from prison a week prior, 
was staying in a motor home at his family's residence until he could find a place to live. He was found 
deceased in the motor home by family members. It appears to be of natural causes. 

Vandalism

On July 18 at 4:02 p.m., an officer went to Sherman and East Los Angeles regarding a report of four 
adult male subjects in a tan Cherokee with license plate number 3TLZ619 tagging in the area. A 
passenger, an adult male subject wearing a blue t-shirt and tan shorts, was the tagger. The vehicle 
was gone when officers arrived. An area search was conducted, but the subjects were not located. The 
tagging is gang related. Investigation continuing.

Vehicle Burglary

On July 19 at 6:57 a.m., an officer went to a hotel in the 900 block of West Huntington regarding the 
report of a vehicle burglary. A guest's vehicle had been broken into and a GPS, briefcase, and keys to 
an RV were taken from the vehicle. Investigation continuing.

Vandalism

On July 19 at 7:50 a.m., an officer was heading eastbound on Central from California and saw gang 
graffiti on a retainer wall on the south side of the street. The writing was spray painted in large letters 
over approximately 85 feet. Investigation continuing.

Residential Burglary

On July 19 at 9:22 a.m., an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 900 block of Valley View, which 
is being renovated. The contractor arrived and noted the front door knob was smashed and pulled 
away from the door. He entered the residence and realized some of his tools were missing. 

Investigation continuing.

Grand Theft Auto

On July 19 at 11:19 a.m., an officer went to a business in the 1800 block of South Peck regarding a 
stolen vehicle. The stolen vehicle is a 1993, navy blue Saturn. The crime appears to have been captured 
on surveillance video. It shows a male subject about 30 years old, approximately six feet tall, stocky 
build, wearing a light colored baseball hat and dark shorts. A possible vehicle seen is a 1998 Dodge 
Van with tinted windows. Investigation continuing.

Grand Theft

On July 20 at 6:48 a.m., an officer went to a residence in the 800 block of West Duarte Road regarding 
a grand theft. When he arrived, the victim reported someone had keyed his truck on both doors and 
stolen pool cleaning equipment and supplies from his truck. The truck was parked in its assigned 
space in an open carport. Investigation continuing.

Arcadia Police Blotter

For the period of Sunday, July 18, through Saturday, July 24, the Police Department responded to 978 
calls for service of which 128 required formal investigations. The following is a summary report of the 
major incidents handled by the Department during this period.

Sunday, July 18:

1. Shortly after 11:30 p.m., units responded to the 400 block of California in reference to a suicidal 
subject. Officers determined that the 51-year-old male Caucasian was a danger to himself and was 
transported to a hospital for a 72-hour evaluation.

2. Between 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., a residential burglary occurred in the 00 block of East 
Floral. A neighbor saw a damaged open door to the house and notified police. Unknown suspect(s) 
had apparently kicked open the door and stole a television set, a replica sword, a hunting knife, and 
miscellaneous jewelry.

Monday, July 19:

3. Units responded to the County Park swimming pool around 11:22 a.m. regarding a hazardous 
materials exposure incident. The malfunction of a filtration system led to the discharge of a large 
amount of chlorine into the pool during a swim lesson. Thirty-two victims were evacuated and 17 were 
transported to nearby hospitals for treatment.

4. A 49-year-old male Caucasian was arrested from Burlington Coat Factory around 7:19 p.m. for 
attempting to use a credit card that was not in his name, and he had personal identifying information 
belonging to the credit cardholder. The arrestee also provided officers with a false name and had a 
$50,000 outstanding misdemeanor warrant.

Tuesday, July 20:

5. Between 12:30 p.m. on July 19 and 11:30 a.m. on July 20, a residential burglary occurred in the 
400 block of West Palm. While the house was tented for fumigation, unknown suspect(s) entered the 
home through a rear window and stole unknown property.

6. A residential burglary was reported in the 300 block of Fairview. An elderly resident was 
approached around 2:00 p.m. by a male suspect claiming to be from the Department of Water and 
Power. The suspect, wearing a Water and Power identification tag, advised that there was an accident 
at a construction site and needed to check and see if the water at the location was contaminated. While 
the victim was distracted by the suspect, another suspect entered the home and removed a large amount 
of jewelry.

Wednesday, July 21:

7. A robbery occurred in the 100 block of Huntington around 2:30 a.m. Two male African-
American suspects, in their 20’s, displayed a knife at the victim. Fearing for his safety, the victim tossed 
his wallet at the suspects and they fled the scene on foot.

8. Shortly after 2:30 a.m., units responded to the racetrack regarding a battery investigation. 
During an altercation, a 55-year-old male Caucasian choked and punched his girlfriend. The suspect 
was arrested for inflicting corporal injury to cohabitant.

Thursday, July 22:

9. Around 2:20 a.m., officers followed a reckless driver to a 7-Eleven located at 1003 South 
Baldwin. An intoxicated 35-year-old male Asian driver was arrested for DUI.

10. Loss prevention personnel from JC Penney advised that they had detained a woman for 
theft around 2:20 p.m. The suspect removed sensor tags in a fitting room and then concealed the 
merchandise in shopping bags. Additional stolen property from Macy’s and Claire’s were also 
recovered. A private person’s arrest was made, and a 27-year-old Hispanic was taken into custody for 
commercial burglary.

Friday, July 23:

11. An auto burglary occurred at 24-Hour Fitness, 125 North First, between 1:15 p.m. and 2:27 
p.m. Unknown suspect(s) smashed a car window and stole a $450 GPS unit.

12. Between 4:30 p.m. and 10:12 p.m., a 1991 gold Honda Accord was stolen from the Westfield 
Mall parking lot.

Saturday, July 24:

13. Units responded to the 400 block of West Duarte around 12:47 a.m. to investigate a solo 
traffic collision. An intoxicated 17-year-old male Asian driver collided into a parked car and suffered 
minor injuries. He was transported to a hospital for treatment.

14. Shortly before 10:00 p.m., officers were dispatched to Nordstrom in reference to a woman 
detained for theft. Investigation revealed that the suspect stole a necklace and a belt and left them inside 
her 2010 Mercedes. She then re-entered Nordstrom and stole a bathing suit. A private person’s arrest 
was made, and the 35-year-old Asian was taken into custody for commercial burglary. The stolen items 
were recovered from her car.


THE WORLD AROUND US


New Signaling Concept Could Refocus Search For 

Intelligent Extraterrestial Life

 For 50 years, humans have scanned the skies with radio 
telescopes for distant electronic signals indicating the 
existence of intelligent alien life. The search—centered at the 
SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif.—has tapped into our 
collective fascination with the concept that we may not be 
alone in the universe. 

 But the effort has so far proved fruitless, and the scientific 
community driving the SETI project has begun questioning 
its methodology, which entails listening to specific nearby 
stars for unusual blips or bleeps. Is there a better approach?

 UC Irvine astrophysicist Gregory Benford and his twin, 
James—a fellow physicist specializing in high-powered 
microwave technology—believe there is, and their ideas are 
garnering attention.

 In two studies appearing in the June issue of the journal 
Astrobiology, the Benford brothers, along with James’s son 
Dominic, a NASA scientist, examine the perspective of a 
civilization sending signals into space or, as Gregory Benford 
puts it, “the point of view of the guys paying the bill.”

 “Our grandfather used to say, ‘Talk is cheap, but whiskey 
costs money,’” the physics professor says. “Whatever the 
life form, evolution selects for economy of resources. 
Broadcasting is expensive, and transmitting signals across 
light-years would require considerable resources.” 

 Assuming that an alien civilization would strive to 
optimize costs, limit waste and make its signaling technology 
more efficient, the Benfords propose that these signals would 
probably not be continuously blasted out in all directions but 
rather pulsed, narrowly directed, and broadband in the 1-to-
10-gigahertz range.

 “This approach is more like Twitter and less like War 
and Peace,” says James Benford, founder and president of 
Microwave Sciences Inc. in Lafayette, Calif.

 Their concept of short, targeted blips—dubbed “Benford 
beacons” by the science press—has gotten extensive coverage 
in such publications as Astronomy Now. Well-known 
cosmologist Paul Davies, in his 2010 book The Eerie Silence: 
Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence, supports the 
theory.

 This means that SETI—which currently 
focuses its receivers on narrow-band 
input—may be looking for the wrong kind 
of signals. The Benfords and a growing 
number of scientists involved in the hunt 
for extraterrestrial life advocate adjusting 
SETI receivers to look for directed, 
broadband beacon “blasts.”

 But where to look? The Benfords’ frugal-
alien model points to the center of our own 
galaxy, the Milky Way, where 90 percent of 
its stars are clustered.

 “The stars there are a billion years older 
than our sun, which suggests a greater 
possibility of contact with an advanced 
civilization than does pointing SETI 
receivers outward to the newer and less 
crowded edge of our galaxy,” Gregory 
Benford says.

 “Will searching for distant messages 
work?” he adds. “Is there intelligent life out 
there? The SETI effort is worth continuing, 
but our common-sense beacons approach 
seems more likely to answer those 
questions.”

 In addition to pursuing a career 
as a physicist, Gregory Benford has 
distinguished himself as a science fiction 
author. He has written more than 20 
books, and his novel Timescape won him 
the prestigious Nebula Award.

Youtube video of James Benford discussing 
Benford Beacons at SETI Institute:

 http://www.youtube.com/setiinstitute#p/
u/7B4FE6C62DCB34E1/7/te2lGSZOhT8

You can contact Bob Eklund at: b.eklund@
MtnViewsNews.com.


Steve Zylius / University Communications

Astrophysicist Gregory Benford — standing before the UCI Observatory — 
believes an alien civilization would transmit “cost-optimized” signals rather than 
the kind sought for decades by the SETI Institute.

WRITING SERVICES

 

 Could you use help in preparing written communications for your business? I 
have extensive experience in writing and editing business documents including 
brochures, proposals, newsletters, resumes, customer success stories, press releases, 
and articles for newspapers and magazines. 

 Current work includes writing the column, “Looking Up with Bob Eklund,” in 
Mountain Views News, and writing newsletters for the Mount Wilson Observatory. 
I recently published a book, First Star I See Tonight: an Exploration of Wonder, and 
am finishing a second book, Winds Aloft. 

For writing samples and resume, see my web site: www.bobeklund.com. 

Bob Eklund beklund@sprynet.com (310) 216-5947