Laguna Hills Watch Dog Special Edition

Interview with Laguna Hills Police Chief, Captain Doan, who is leaving this month
Review of the Emergency Preparedness Academy that Chief Doan brought to our City.
Heads Up for City Council Meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 - Items of Possible Interest for Laguna Hills Citizen

We will soon be saying goodbye to our Laguna Hills Chief of Police, Captain Steve Doan, who has been with us for almost 8 years, because his recent promotion to Captain requires that he move up to a Division Commander level. For all our citizens who have come to know him personally, for all who appreciate the difficult job he has done keeping our City safe with fewer deputies now than when he started and for those who have completed the Emergency Preparedness Academy he brought to our City we say thank you!  Although we are happy for him we will miss him very much.

We recently sat down with Chief Doan to learn more about his job and his history with our City. Before becoming the Chief of Police for Laguna Hills Captain Doan progressed through the ranks of Sergeant and Lieutenant in South OC serving as a Deputy Investigator in the South Operations Division. In answer to our questions, Chief Doan, explained some basics in the organization of the Sheriff's Dept. A Captain is a Division Commander who oversees a "Division" consisting of a group of Cities. Each City is referred to as a "Bureau." A Lieutenant oversees each of the 12 Orange County Cities/Bureaus contracted for police services with the Orange County Sheriff's Dept. A Sergeant oversees a "Detail" examples of which may be one of the shifts in a 24 hour schedule or a Narcotic's Detail. etc.

We learned that Captain Doan will be assigned to the North Operations Division now to oversee all the cities in No. OC that contract with the County Sheriff's Dept., all the unincorporated areas in the North, the Emergency Communications Division that takes our 911 calls, the Reserves - a group of 400 volunteers, and the Security Bureau that provides protection at County Buildings. He will be leaving on January 13, 2012 and although his new assignment sounds tremendously daunting, he was excited about this new opportunity.

Some interesting background on Captain Steve Doan is that he was born at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach. He graduated from the University of Colorado with degrees in Architecture and Business and then returned to this area. With that background, you might be asking yourself, how did he become a Sheriff''s Deputy? We have his Dad to thank for that. Steve told us the story of his Dad who was a dentist who was talked into that occupation by his father. His Dad admitted to never being happy as a dentist and advised his son to find something to do that he would look forward to doing every day of his life. Steve took that advice, and went to Golden West College, where he took some Administration of Justice classes. He then applied to the Sheriff's Dept., where he has been for 27 years, and told us he has never regretted his choice. His wife was also an Orange County Deputy Sheriff.

As a Deputy Investigator in Special Operations and Intelligence Chief Doan coordinated with other units to protect dignitaries such as Presidents, Senators and Mayors and monitored events for problems with domestic terrorism, local anarchists involved in creating chaos, threat assessments, and murder for hire cases. He noted that the Chief of Police positions for the 12 OC cities are coveted positions and a number of Lieutenants are interested in the position in Laguna Hills that he is leaving. The City Manager will be interviewing applicants for the new Laguna Hills Chief of Police as will the Captain of the South OC Sheriff's Division.

Chief Doan told us he will miss Laguna Hills.  He said he felt he had a good fit with the officers who worked for him and with the City Department Heads. He said he especially enjoyed the personal contact with citizens and being out and about developing relationships in community. He mentioned that the City Manager has been a great boss with no micro-managing of his department as long as he stayed within his budget. Regarding his duties as Police Chief he noted that, because of the lean government policy in Laguna Hills, the Police Chief here is also in charge of emergency services. He said he gained experience in streamlining here and welcomed the Student Resources Officer (SRO) position with the City Schools in 2008. The SRO serves the high school and the 3 elementary schools as well as at the skateboard park and around town as needed. The SRO also assists as a classroom resource for instruction on law related education, with violence diffusion, with safety programs, with alcohol, drug and crime prevention, and serves as a counseling resource for students, teachers, and parents. Chief Doan acknowledged that Laguna Hills was the last City in the area to appoint an SRO but added that LHHS is half the size of other high schools in the area.

Regarding his highest priorities for Laguna Hills, Chief Doan cited Traffic Safety, Response Times and Quality of Life Issues. He noted that when he switched his department from patrol cars to motorcycles for traffic patrol, there was a 20% overall reduction in traffic collisions. He explained that patrol cars were too large for traffic patrol and could be hazards at intersections.  He added that he monitors activity daily and stations motorcycle patrols at the most problematic intersections because it does no good to be writing tickets in one part of the City when the majority of accidents are occurring at another part. He added that there have been no homicides in Laguna Hills since he started here in February of 2004.

Chief Doan and Casey Lambert-Few, the 1st Laguna Hills Crime Prevention Specialist in Laguna Hills, brought the Emergency Preparedness Academy (EPA) to Laguna Hills. He explained that the EPA was derived from the County's CERT (Citizen Emergency Response Team) developed by Scott Brown, Battalion Chief at the OC Fire Authority. CERT trainees receive essentially the same training but at graduation they receive a hard hat and are expected to be first responders in times of emergency. It takes additional staff to manage a CERT program so he and Casey developed the Emergency Preparedness Academy as a better fit for Laguna Hills. Chief Doan's pride in the EPA is obvious as he talks about it and we share his enthusiasm for this program. Please see below for a brief review of the Laguna Hills Emergency Preparedness Academy that we along with about 38 other Laguna Hills Citizens just completed.

Despite all his responsibilities our Chief Doan always has a calm, friendly, easy going manner that we will miss. We found him to be a straight up guy that we could trust. We wish him the very best in his next assignment and always good health and safety.

THE LAGUNA HILLS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ACADEMY

About 40 people attended the Fall 2011 Laguna Hills Emergency Preparedness Academy. It was a free 8 week course, for 3 hours every Thursday Night at the Laguna Hills Community Center. The Citizens’ Emergency Preparedness Academy is a joint venture between the Orange County Fire Authority and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The program was adopted by the City in 2008 and, to date, about 150 Laguna Hills residents and business owners have graduated from this program. The Fall 2011 program was very well coordinated and managed by Brittney Oldham, the Laguna Hills Crime Prevention Specialist. 

You may be thinking this is a lot of time spent so is it really worth it?

Do you know what an AED is and how to use it in an emergency? Do you know how CPR protocol has changed and has your old CPR Certificate expired? Do you know First Aid and what you are and are not allowed to do, under the law? Do you know there is a Terrorism Intelligence Center in Orange County and how it functions to protect us? If there is a wide spread disaster do you know the minimum amount of time you need to be prepared to function on your own without any help? When calling 911 do you know if it's better to use a land line or a cell phone and why? Do you know what water around your home is safe to drink, when properly treated, and what isn't? Do you know what you need in a Disaster Kit for your home, car and pets? Did you know that in a disaster evacuation you are encouraged to take your pets with you? Do you know the newest information about where to place yourself inside and outside of a building in an earthquake? Do you know how to assist a trauma victim? Do you know where the nearest fire hydrant is to your home and how many houses are between your house and the nearest corner/intersection. Do you know what not to do with victims of auto accidents unless there is no other choice? Do you know how to Triage victims of a disaster?

The answers to these and many other questions are just a part of the essential information you will learn in this program. It may sound overwhelming but don't be intimidated, you will pass everything. The information is tailored for non-rescue professionals and the very patient instructors will coach you through.

Those who attended received information packed presentations and very useful goodie bags from:

The Orange County Fire Authority on Fire Safety and Light Search and Rescue,

The Orange County Sheriff's Dept. on an Overviews of Police Services in Laguna Hills, the County Terrorism Unit and 911 Dispatch Procedures
The Red Cross on Earthquake/Disaster Preparedness
The El Toro Water District on Water Safety Procedures
Southern California Edison on Electrical Safety in a Disaster
The Orange County Animal Shelter on Disaster Prep for your Pets
The Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) on Assisting Trauma Victims
Doctor's Ambulance gave us CPR and AED Training with a 2 year Certification, and First Aid with an additional 2 year Certification.

The Final Event for Graduation was a stunningly realistic MOCK DISASTER DRILL at the Orange County Fire Authority Training Center in Irvine. There were several disaster scenarios set in actual buildings and vehicles staged to be in a variety of conditions ranging from relatively safe to too unsafe to enter. There were volunteers in elaborate make up who very convincingly mimicked a wide range of injuries and stayed in character acting their parts. The entire process was an adrenalin rush happening for each EPA graduate as each of them tried to maintain calm, hang on to their common sense, remember what they had learned and practice their new skills. Unless you are an experienced rescue professional you will make mistakes, but you will learn from professionals who are guiding you and feel a significant surge of success for being brave and concerned enough to complete this program. You will also leave with new confidence in knowing that you now have skills to care for yourself and others, as needed, in the event of a disaster.

As a bonus to all of this we also received a delicious free meal at every meeting, so for 8 weeks, there was no cooking dinner on Thursdays!

Here is what some of the citizens who attended the Fall 2011 Laguna Hills Emergency Preparedness Academy had to say about it:

I have recently completed the Community Emergency Preparedness Academy (CEPA) sponsored by the City of Laguna Hills and coordinated and administrated by the Orange County Sheriff's Department - Laguna Hills Police Services. I believe this academy provided invaluable information to deal with the potential for disasters which could strike this community. I would encourage all citizens to avail themselves of this important community asset. Byron Stiegemeyer

Attending this Academy was an eye opener for me. I learned that preparing for an emergency was more than casually storing extra food,water,flashlights, and knowing how to turn the gas off in the house. Experts in every field taught us how to respond in the event of a crises or natural disaster through lectures, videos and hands on experience. We became certified in both CPR and First Aid. I am now confident that I can responsibly help my family and my community. Karen Blume

City of Laguna Hills Community Emergency Preparedness Academy (CEPA) was extremely rewarding to me. I have been a 1^st Responder at my work for the last 9 years with some extensive training but never received as much information as I did from this Academy. This will not only be useful to me, if needed in an emergency within the City of Laguna Hills, but very useful at my work. I plan to include some of the ideas/practices I learned from the academy in my work emergency plan and conduct a mock emergency drill like we did on the last night of training. Thank you, City of Laguna Hills and especially Captain Steve Doan and Brittney. Mike Bland

I really enjoyed the course - the information was relevant and I learned a lot about how, who and what works especially with Edison and El Toro Water district. The Orange County Fire Authority and the Sherrif Service are doing an excellent job in our community - please accept our gratitude for your service. I also want to thank Brittney for a job well done by organizing the Academy. All the presenters were great. The Red Cross presentation and training was outstanding. I loved the hands on training we received from the OC Fire Authority on Light Search and Rescue as well as the "mock disaster" with our graduation. Thank you to all for an excellent course!! Anita Beukman

Excellent Community Resource. Mary Park

Really enjoyed it and it bolsters our Nellie Gail Emergency Preparedness Committee's strength. John Park


Heads Up for City Council Meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 - Items of Possible Interest for Laguna Hills Citizens

Planning Agency Public Hearing - A request by AT and T to add 2 new microwave dish antennas to an existing facility located at the Northeast Corner of Nellie Gail Rd and Gallup Circle. This monopole currently has 12 panel antennas, 2 Microwave antennas and other related equipment. The site contains 3 water tanks for the Moulton Niguel Water District. The height of the antenna will be increased from 53 feet to 57.5 feet. City Staff recommends approval

City Council Public Hearings - Community Development Block Grant Application - The annual Block Grant Application to the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Community Development Black Grant (CDBG) program administered through the County for renovation of housing in the Via Lomas Area. 

Annual Block Grant Application for funds for Public Facilities and Improvements for the Florence Sylvester Senior Center. The City began applying for these block grants in the 2009-2010 fiscal year after a public outcry from senior citizens. The City says it has obtained $164,628 to date to address repairs adn maintenance issues for the Florence Sylvester Senior Center. This year the funds are for expansion of a newly-installed solar paned system and a retractable room divider. Their is no fiscal impact to the City other than staff time for completing the application.

Matters Presented by City Council Members and Mayor - From Council Member Kogerman -  Item # 8.1.1 - Revision of the City's Public Official's Compensation Report posted on the City web site.

Recommendation that staff return to the City Council with a revised Public Officials Compensation Report for council approval as soon as any potential changes currently under consideration affecting management contracts are completed and that this revision exclude some extraneous portions of the Public Official's Compensation Report, such as biographies, duties, and discussions of city organization, from the body of the report and provide these via links for those who want to learn more. Kogerman requested that the AT-A-GLANCE-TABLES be the primary content provided for each official by category - City Council Members and City Management Employees. -  
The 2011 Orange County Grand Jury Report gave the City of Laguna Hills the following grades for their current reporting - "C" for Content, "D" for Clarity and "B" for accessibility. The City's response to the Grand Jury was that their reporting "provides Appropriate disclosure".