Cal Fire News Editorial: Staging on the reservation - politics?

Editorial: This situation seems to be more about the Sheriff losing a lucrative contract worth millions of dollars than the cover story of Fire fighter safety?
Using fire department resources this way when minutes count will most likely cause lost lives in the future !

Should the local Grand Jury being looking into this situation which reeks of outright prejudice and possibly qualifies as extortion, with the Sheriff asking his Cal Fire counter-part to cooperate and or misrepresenting the safety risk and possibly even lying to Cal Fire?....

And Should'nt the Fed's be helping out with policing cost's?
And Should'nt the Casino be helping out with policing cost's?
And Should'nt the BIA be doing the policing?

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Chase incidents run counter to declining crime on Soboba Reservation

While there may have been a recent surge in violent incidents, the rate of reported crime on the Soboba Indian Reservation has generally dropped over the past two years, according to figures compiled by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

The spike in recent crimes, including a chase that ended up with deputies being fired upon, prompted CalFire to change policy and require its firefighters to wait for a sheriff's escort before responding to emergency calls on the reservation east of San Jacinto.

But a review of reported crime in 2006 and 2007 shows that calls for service dropped to 255 from 312 overall. In the same years, overall assaults also dropped to six from eight. Burglaries declined to eight in 2007 from 13 the previous year, while theft-related incidents dipped to 26 from 28. Drug-related calls dropped to 21 in 2007 from 36 in 2006.

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Paul Alvarez / The Press-Enterprise

Henry Garcia, left, and Willie Salvador work on the foundation of a new guard shack on the Soboba Indian Reservation on Tuesday. Tribal officials are taking steps that they hope will improve security on the reservation, including the guard shack on Soboba Road that will limit access to the reservation.

There were increases in two categories, misdemeanor batteries, which rose to 15 in 2007 from eight the previous year, and robberies, which increased to three from two.

The reduction in crime has taken place since the 500-member tribe canceled its contract for law-enforcement services with the Sheriff's Department. The agency in 2005 signed a five-year contract with the tribe for a deputy to patrol the reservation exclusively, but tribal officials abruptly canceled the $400,000 annual agreement in August 2006, saying the tribe was not getting its money's worth.

Rose Salgado, a member of the tribal council and part of a longtime influential family, said she was surprised about the reduction in crime, given what was being said about the recent incidents.

"That is a good thing," Salgado said of the drop in crime. "I believe the recent incidents were very isolated and not reflective of what is happening."

Officials from CalFire said the policy change was prompted, in part, by a recommendation from the Sheriff's Department, which provides law-enforcement services for the reservation. The reservation is patrolled as part of the larger unincorporated area covered by the department's Valle Vista station.

The new policy does not include emergency calls from the Soboba Casino, where firefighters will proceed in as usual.

In an incident earlier this month, two deputies were fired at when a vehicle chase ended on the reservation. The unidentified driver had not yielded when a deputy tried to make a routine traffic stop on Castile Canyon Road northeast of Soboba Road, and the vehicle was pursued. Investigators have not determined why the driver did not yield.

Broken windshield glass grazed one of the deputies, but no medical attention was needed, authorities said.

The chase was similar to one in December that involved California Highway Patrol officers. In that incident, a CHP officer traded gunfire during a high-speed pursuit that started in Beaumont and ended on the reservation.

Lt. Kevin Vest, who serves as police chief in San Jacinto, said it is likely the recommendation to CalFire reflected the recent upswing in criminal activity, rather than any long-term analysis of crime on the reservation.

Salgado said tribal officials are worried because the policy change means response times for emergency calls, now about six minutes, likely will increase to as long as 15 minutes or longer.

There are 10 to 40 calls for service a month from the reservation, according to one CalFire estimate.

Salgado said tribal officials are talking to CalFire representatives in hopes of getting the policy reversed or modified.

It is not uncommon for firefighters to wait -- called staging -- for deputies to clear the scene of an emergency call in which the safety of responders is an issue, such as a shooting or a domestic violence call. But other medical aid calls, such as those involving a heart attack or a disoriented person, generally do not require firefighters to wait for an escort.

There was a similar policy in place over the years whenever an upswing in violence occurred on the reservation. During the 1970s, a CDF squad and fire engine were shot at as firefighters responded to a call on the reservation.

Salgado said tribal officials are taking steps they hope will improve security on the reservation, including the construction of a guard shack on Soboba Road that will limit access to the reservation. The facility, located between the casino and the tribal hall, is expected to be completed next month, Salgado said.

"We'll have better control over who enters the reservation," Salgado said. "That should be something that helps, too."

The structure is similar to one on the Morongo Reservation that limits access to the reservation near Cabazon.

Soboba tribal officials have long argued that much of the crime on the reservation is committed by outsiders who make their way onto the reservation.

While the issue of outsider crime can be debated, Vest said limiting access to the Soboba Reservation will likely help reduce crime.

Source: pe.com