Stories by Chuck Westerheide

A group communications officer with the County of San Diego Communications Office. Contact
Public Safety
County Administration Building from across the bay with boats in foreground

Applicants Needed for Alternatives to Incarceration Advisory Group

Feb. 25, 2022 | 9:09 AM

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Community input is needed on the County’s Alternatives to Incarceration project. The County has launched a year-long study to improve the justice system, working with an independent contractor, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). SANDAG is taking applications for an Advisory Group to provide community and stakeholder input.

Public Safety
Guns with barrel locks

Safe Gun Storage Ordinance Takes Effect February 25

Feb. 11, 2022 | 11:57 AM

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The County of San Diego ordinance requiring that all guns be safely stored takes effect Feb. 25, 2022. It requires all guns in homes or structures near a home to either be secured with a trigger lock or be locked away in a container. The only exception is if the firearm is within the immediate control of an authorized person.

Public Safety
As for reducing traffic deaths, there has not been a unified response from authorities. Arizona, Arkansas and Georgia enacted legislation to crack down on street racing. Texas passed a law against “reckless driving exhibition,” or performing stunts and spinning for a crowd of spectators. But other states have loosened their driving laws. In Virginia, drivers can now go up to 85 mph — rather than 80 mph — before being charged with reckless driving. Motorists in Maine convicted of criminal negligence that results in a driving-related death now have their licenses suspended for one year instead of three. And nationwide, more than two dozen traffic safety bills proposed in 2020 and 2021 fell flat. The deaths continue. :: Victor Peterzen was riding the bicycle he had just received for his 10th birthday when he was hit and killed by a Jeep in Houston. Monique Muñoz, 32, died when her car was nearly split in half by another vehicle when its teenage driver barreled through a Los Angeles intersection at more than 100 mph. Diana Granobles, 31, was driving to JFK airport in New York to pick up her husband when a drunk driver crashed into her car, killing her and their 10-year-old daughter, Isabella.

Online Shopping Safety

Dec. 16, 2021 | 11:19 AM

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Here are some tips from fraud investigators with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and San Diego County Sheriff’s Department to keep your money safe.