Volume 94, Issue 1
iel Belis
Calnon
Top Gun
New police chief brings 28 years of
experience and ideas for revamping
focus of the student cadet program
Exactly, two years and nine
long months of nothing but con¬
troversy surrounding the selection
of a new PCC director of college
safety services, Peter Michael,
PCC’s newest police chief, spent
his first day on the job, July 3, just
getting acquainted with the
school.
Michael becomes the first full¬
time chief since the retirement of
Philip Mullendore who held the
position for more then 20 years.
Since Mullendore’s retirement, the
college has conducted two nation¬
wide searches for a chief.
Until recently, PCC police Lt.
Brad Young stood in as acting
police chief doing both jobs.
Young said he was relieved now
that his work load has been cut in
half, adding that he looked for¬
ward to working with Michael
after they both quickly realized
they had a lot in common.
“We get along great; we both
have about the same number of
years in law enforcement and went
through a lot of the same training,
so I think this will work out.”
Michael, a 28 year veteran offi¬
cer with the Glendale Police
Department, left that department
with a rank of lieutenant. As part
of his duties in Glendale, Michael
was in charge of the youth servic¬
es bureau that policed area
schools. He also helped fire and
police personnel develop tactical
responses in the event of terrorist
threats.
“I know there was a report done
by the last interim chief, Michael
said. “It’s one of the first things I
plan to look at, and see what it
says needs to be done.”
Michael said one of his goals as
chief is to revamp the cadet pro¬
gram making it more of a training
Jesus Cfomez
/
courier
Michael wants a stronger Police community that involves students and
local residents.
ground for people looking to go
into a wide range of law enforce¬
ment fields from federal agents to
district attorney and everything in
between.
“This will be a program that
will add classroom time as well as
practical applications,” Michael
said. “We’re hoping this program
will lead to a more formal career
path.”
Both Young and Michael
believe the primary ways to keep
the school safe are through com¬
munity policing.
Michael took this one step fur¬
ther saying that he thought the
cadet program should become a
safety program that included
working much more closely with
the community as part of the pro¬
gram.
“Everybody has to be on board
with this one,” Michael said.
According to Michael, one of
his primary goals was to market
the campus police a little better.
He said one of the ways to do this
was to make themselves more
open and visible. He proposed the
idea of “coffee with a cop.”
“I’m thinking this up as I go,
but the idea would be to sit out
somewhere in the quad once a
week and answer questions people
have,” Michael said. “We want to
open ourselves up so the students
will feel free and comfortable with
us and we can address any con¬
cerns they have.”
Inside
Page 7
Junior California
Figure & Body¬
building
Championship
@
PCC I
Dean Lee
News Editor
Coach Iverson
Calls it Quits
Softball head coach
steps down after 27
years of coaching
consistently winning
teams
Martin Dorado
Sports Editor
In the last 27 years, the PCC softball team has had only one head coach,
but after finishing up this season short of her expectations head coach Sandi
Iverson chose to retire. However, Iverson will continue her duties as a phys¬
ical education teacher until June 2007 to help her assistant coaches this off¬
season as well helping them learn the tasks of being a head coach. After win¬
ning the second most games in a season in school history at 31, Iverson
thought it was time to walk away from the game.
More on Page 7
Health Fees Rise for
Students on Waivers
AB 982, a bill backed by the Governor that
passed earlier this year with the AS support, is
forcing students on financial aid to pay an extra
$10 to support the health center
Nathan Solis
Ellipsis Editor
Recipients of the Board of Gover¬
nors fee waiver will start having to
pay $ 1 1 in the fall semester as
opposed to the $1 they have been
paying. The change is to accommo¬
date the under-funded health center
on campus and to recoup loses in
funding that was unevenly distrib¬
uted among 109 other community
colleges. Over 3,000 students quali¬
fied for the fee waiver in the spring
semester at PCC. Bill AP 982 was
proposed to Sacramento congress
on February 18, 2005. In it outlined
the health fee increase across Cali¬
fornia.
AP 982 was introduced in 2005,
due to community colleges’ health
centers’ across California losing
More on Page 6
New Report Findings On
Campus Newspaper Thefts
Dean Lee
News Editor
Police Lt. Brad Young released the
first official investigation report, dated
June, 7 surrounding 5,000 copies of
the Courier newspaper that went
missing last semester, yesterday.
Although, the report does mention
two MEChA students by name and
concludes that they both violated the
Code of Conduct at PCC by destroy¬
ing district property, students at the
Courier are all still wondering why
the report took so long?
“I’d be kind of mad at that,” Young
said. “What you have here is the
problem that the school is both the
Victim and the bad guy.”
Young went on to say that the
school would have to agree to bring
charges against itself, which he later
said they were not going to do.
Half of the 5,000 copies were
returned, ripped and worthless, the
next day by four MEChA members,
Courier photographer, Daniel Lottes
said.
According to police, a note left by
MEChA members, claiming respon¬
sibility, was later cross-examined by
police with the handwriting analysis.
The comparison matched that of stu¬
dent, Rebecca Contreras. Police later
said that was sufficient evidence and
concluded that she was involved.
Police also concluded that, Patrick
Benjamin, may have been involved in
the thefts after Lottes made a positive
ID of him and later +questioned by
detectives. Both Club members
denied any involvement.
“It’s a big mess,” Young said. “First
you have to mirandize them, and
once you try and do that, they all just
invoke their fifth amendment right,
and that’s that.”
Young said that the advisors were a
little different, in that they waive
Miranda rights as school employees
but were all refusing to cooperate
with the investigation so they had
nothing.
Dr. Lisa Sugimoto, dean of student
and learning services is also investi¬
gating the case but has not comment¬
ed on whether the school is going to
take disciplinary action against either,
Benjamin or Contreras.
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