department

Due to the chance of inclement weather on Thursday, May 17, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department Annual Awards Ceremony held in honor of Peace Officer Memorial Week has been moved to the City Council Chambers located at 1901 Airport Road.

The event starts at 4:00 p.m. and will include awards, the retirement of K9 Tara, and the swearing in ceremony of recently selected Sergeant, Jeffrey Roberson.

The 10-year-old Tara's handler is Sergeant Jason Cheney.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 22-year-old South Lake Tahoe man is alive today thanks to efforts of rescuers who were on the beach of Tahoe Beach Retreat on Thursday, May 10, when he went underwater after being on a kayak.

At 2:46 p.m., a call was made to 911 about a drowning man in the lake. When the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department arrived three minutes later, two off-duty firemen were on the scene already, along with the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

El Dorado County has filed a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors for creating the opioid epidemic in El Dorado County, joining a consortium of 30 California counties to do so. The County has retained the national law firm of Baron & Budd and a joint venture of law firms to represent its interests, seeking an abatement remedy in addition to legal damages for taxpayer money spent providing social resources in response to the crisis.

UPDATE 5/10/18 10:30 a.m.: State Route 88 remains closed near Woodfords Thursday morning as crews work to remove the demolished tanker truck involved in Wednesday's fatal crash.

Gregory Brown, 46, of Oakland, California has been identified as the driver, whose body was found at the scene nine hours after the crash.

Emergency personnel responded to the 10:05 a.m. call on May 9, 2018 on State Route 88 near the Caltrans maintenance yard west of Woodfords and the SR-89 junction. Upon arrival they found an overturned tanker and detached cab off the roadway.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On behalf of Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH), I would like to thank our community for its support during the third winter season of the South Lake Tahoe Warm Room project. Our organization received donations from over 150 different individuals and businesses and benefited from 64 volunteers who provided over 675 volunteer hours in the Warm Room.

The students at South Tahoe High School (STHS) hosted their first Mental Health Faire on campus for both students and staff during school on Monday, May 7.

A new club on campus started by the El Dorado County chapter of The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) organized the event, bringing the community and school together to help reduce the stigma of mental illness. Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) in the U.S. experiences a severe mental disorder at some point during their life.

In conjunction with Memorial Day, and the National Peace Officer’s Memorial Week, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department will hold its annual award ceremony on Thursday, May 17, at 4:00 p.m. in front of the station on Johnson Boulevard. The public and city family is invited to attend.

The employee’s and volunteers receiving recognition at this year’s award ceremony are as follows:

Officer Cory Wilson – Bravery
Officer Joseph Acker – Bravery
Officer Chris Webber – Bravery
Officer Anton Kushlan – Bravery
Officer Timothy Peterson – Bravery
Detective Justin Brock – Bravery

The first national call to prayer came in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation. Since then, a call to prayer has continued from President Lincoln’s proclamation of a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer” in 1863 to an annual national day of prayer signed by a joint resolution by Congress in 1952 that was signed by President Truman.

Now, the National Day of Prayer is held on the first Thursday in May.

The Tahoe-Douglas Rotary Club held their annual Community Heroes Awards luncheon at the MontBleu Resort on Friday, April 27. In the past the club has honored firefighters, law enforcement and dispatch employees. This year, the awards went to local teachers from five schools: Whittell High School, South Tahoe High School, South Tahoe Middle School, Bijou Community School, Sierra House Elementary and Zephyr Cove Elementary.

Whittell High School: The winner is Susan Van Doren who has taught Engligh and Computer Science. She has taught for 20 years.

Nationally recognized human trafficking consultant John Vanek will return to South Lake Tahoe for a May 18, 2018 presentation as a guest of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department and Live Violence Free.

Vanek, an author and retired lieutenant of the San Jose Police Human Trafficking Task Force, will speak on that date at Sierra Community Church at 6:00 p.m. Vanek is a leadership, collaboration, and anti-human trafficking consultant and speaker working with law enforcement agencies, non-governmental and community-based organizations, academic institutions and private sector companies.

The Lake Tahoe Humane Society and SPCA organization has elected a new board of directors and all members of the previous board will stepping down.

Michael Dalton will be the new president and is joined by VP of Governance and Compliance Sandra DeLeon, VP of Operations Chantale Hansen, Mariel Berei, secretary and Elizabeth Naylor, treasurer.

Lorna Lefler, Sue Pritchett, and Kim Stephenson, the board who tried to hold things together after the firing of their former executive director, will be stepping down effective immediately.

Single lane closures on State Route 28 will resume on Monday, April 30 as the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) starts the third year of their shared use path and water quality project with traffic safety improvements near Sand Harbor.

The Tahoe Fund has expanded its Advisory Council to include the Forest Supervisor of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Jeff Marsolais, and the Executive Director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Joanne Marchetta. Marsolais and Marchetta add federal and regional agency representation to the council that already includes Patrick Wright, Executive Director of the California Tahoe Conservancy and Jim Lawrence, Deputy Director of Nevada’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Prothman Executive Recruitment has been hired by the City of South Lake Tahoe to conduct searches for the next city attorney and city manager, but the process to find an interim city manager will be conducted in house, for now.

During Tuesday's City Council meeting, Brad Robbins of Prothman Executive Recruitment was the only representative of the three companies who submitted proposals to show up.

Since 2010, Bread & Broth has been funding our Monday Meals through the Adopt-A-Day of Nourishment program. The Monday Meal served every week at St. Theresa Grace Hall provides a hot, tasty and nutritious dinner to any individual who comes through their doors.

In the South Lake Tahoe public safety communication system installed in 1965, there are three major problems:

1) There are three systems working totally separately: the police, fire and public works departments;

2) Trees have grown since the system was installed 53 years ago, now blocking signals through the town;

3) Having functioning radio frequencies near water is challenging.

This has been National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, so what better time to sit down with the women who answer 911 calls in South Lake Tahoe who are the first step in protecting homes, property and people and the unsung heroes of the community.

With an average of 300 to 400 calls going into dispatch each month, staff has to be ready to handle an emergency at every moment through their shift, which in South Lake Tahoe is normally 10 hours long, though they can be up to 12 hours.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There is another chance to become part of the South Tahoe Action Team (STAT), a team that provides valuable assistance to the community during a disaster.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) is now accepting applications for the next four-week long STAT Class starting April 18, and continuing on April 25, May 2 and May 16. The Wednesday classes run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and participants must be able to commit to all four classes.

Over the years I was employed by the City of South Lake Tahoe, I had the privilege to work with many fine City employees, far too many to mention in one letter. I found that most employees cared a lot about their community and wanted to be given the chance to do the best job possible for all residents of South Lake Tahoe. They take their public employment seriously, and they just need the support and help from management and elected City officials. They are committed to the public service.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Explorers cam home from the Central Valley Law Enforcement Explorer Competition with 15 trophies, including the top award, 1st place overall, out-preforming the Hanford Police Department who have been the long standing first place holders.

There were 19 events at the competition which was held in Tulare, California April 6-7, 2018. The Douglas County team was up against 12 posts from the Central Valley area.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - The following is a recap of activity the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to 955 calls for the 35 days between February 14 - March 20, 2018.

Calls Resulting in Arrests/Citations:

2/14 - 17 calls
Warrant in the 1000 block of Johnson

2/15 - 30 calls
Traffic Collision with Injury at Tahoe Keys Blvd and Venice Dr

2/16 - 23 calls
Drunk in Public in the 4100 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Drunk in Public in the 3800 block of Pioneer Trail

2/17 - 34 calls

South Lake Tahoe and Douglas County will be joining thousands of communities across the United States when they participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration “National Drug Take Back" on Saturday, April 28.

In the 18 years that Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care have been caring for bear cubs, 96 have passed through their doors. Most of those 96 have wintered at the facility on Cherry Hills Circle, and today, Layton, left his temporary home in South Lake Tahoe and went back Laytonville, Calif., the area he was found in.

Late in the evening on June 23, 2017, Layton arrived at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care after being found alone, full of mites, foxtails, ticks and underweight. He weighed in at 15 pounds and was about four or five months old.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The cause of death of the Sacramento resident whose body was found in the Upper Truckee River in South Lake Tahoe on April 9, 2017 has been as accidental drowning by the El Dorado County Coroner.

Pamela Suswinsky, 62, was in town with her ex-husband and friend, Henry Suwinsky, and they were staying at the Motel 6 on Lake Tahoe Blvd. Henry said they came to town because she wanted her dog, Wilson, a 150-plus pound Newfoundland to experience snow for the first time.