Thursday, April 22, 2010

Highlighted Activity - Week of April 15 - April 21, 2010

Strange week afoot...home and auto stuff down considerably which is good news, but don't drop your guard. Keep things locked and stuff you want to keep not visible in the car.
With the number of new folks on the street make sure they are aware of Neighborhood Watch as well as this blog for what's going on in town. With so many new folks should we plan on a Neighborhood Watch Meeting and have the MPD Liason visit? Chime in the comments if you want a meeting.



During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 504 service events, resulting in 122 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:
Involuntary Manslaughter - Suspect Arrested April 15 at 4:17 p.m., officers were dispatched to a location in the 1300 block of South Alta Vista regarding two subjects fighting. Officers arrived on scene and found an unconscious victim. The suspect had fled the area. Witnesses reported that the suspect and victim had argued earlier in the day. The suspect went to the victim's residence and told him to come downstairs. They argued and eventually the victim walked downstairs, where he met the suspect. The suspect punched the victim in the face. The victim fell to the ground and lost consciousness. The victim was treated at the scene and then transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The suspect voluntarily turned himself in at the Monrovia Police Department, was arrested and taken to the Los Angeles County Jail. The suspect later posted bail and was released pending court proceedings. The District Attorney's Office filed involuntary manslaughter charges.

Burglary / False Impersonation - Suspect Arrested April 16 at 4:11 p.m., loss prevention at a business in the 500 block of West Huntington recognized a female subject with a distinct tattoo they had observed stealing items during a prior visit to the store. She came back to the store and attempted to return the items using another person's identification. They allowed her to complete the transaction and followed her in the store. She took three items into a dressing room and came out with two items. She then exited the store with the merchandise concealed in her purse. She was stopped by loss prevention outside the store. She did not have adequate means to pay for the items. She was arrested and taken into custody.

Assault April 16 at 4:49 p.m., a fight occurred between a father and his daughter's boyfriend. The boyfriend and daughter have a child together. The boyfriend was there to visit the child and words were exchanged, and then several punches were exchanged. Both subjects desired prosecution, but refused to make a citizen's arrest on scene. A verified complaint will be completed by the officer.

Grand Theft Auto Recovered April 18 at 8:28 a.m., an officer responded to the carport area of a residence in the 800 block of West Duarte Road regarding a stolen vehicle report. The victim told the officer his 1991 Honda Civic was taken from the carport during the night. A couple of subjects approached the victim a few days prior to the theft and wanted to buy the rims and tires off the car, which the victim declined to sell. At 11:27 a.m., Arcadia Police Department located the vehicle on blocks in the 700 block of Encino Place. The vehicle was processed for evidence and the investigation is continuing.

Critical Missing Child Returned April 18 at 1:01 p.m., police responded to the report of a missing 7 year old child from a residence in the 100 block of North Garfield. The father was inside the house with another child when he realized his daughter was missing. He hadn't seen her for approximately ten minutes when he called the police department. The mother of the child was also gone and had turned off her cell phone. Other relatives said the child was possibly with the mother shopping, but this could not be confirmed. Officers responded to local stores the mother frequents and searched parking lots for her vehicle. The mother's credit card company was called, but no charges had been made. While officers were still at the residence, the mother eventually arrived home with the missing child.

Domestic Violence April 18 at 1:45 p.m., a victim of domestic violence walked into the police lobby to report she had been battered by her boyfriend, who is a known gang member. Both victim and suspect were visiting a grandmother at a residence in the 200 block of North Ivy when they started arguing. During the argument, the suspect slapped the female across the face and hit her in the chest, causing an injury. Officers went to the location to arrest the suspect, but he had left the location. Both victim and suspect reside in the city of Arcadia. Arcadia police went to their residence looking for the suspect, but he was not located. A wanted person computer entry was made for the arrest of the suspect.

Sexual Battery Investigation April 18 at 5:51 p.m., a female subject came to the police lobby and reported she had been sexually battered and beaten up by a known friend. Officers interviewed the victim. The alleged suspect came to the police station voluntarily to be interviewed. Two witnesses were interviewed that discredited the victim's allegations. This case will be forwarded to the Detective Bureau for further investigation.

Driving Under the Influence / Possession of a Controlled Substance April 18 at 8:37 p.m., a detective was heading south on Mayflower when he saw a vehicle traveling north, toward him, in the southbound lanes of travel. The vehicle swerved around his patrol unit and turned east on Lime. The detective made a u-turn and followed the vehicle. The driver was traveling at a high rate of speed without stopping for stop signs, but eventually stopped due to traffic. The detective conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. The driver was determined to be driving under the influence. A search of the driver revealed a baggie of methamphetamine and several pills of ecstasy. The driver was arrested and the vehicle was towed.

Commercial Burglaries April 18 at 11:29 p.m., officers responded to a business in the 300 block of West Huntington on a burglary alarm. Upon arrival, officers discovered the front door locks had been removed with some type of tool. After further investigation, officers found the locks on the business next door had also been removed. The Foothill Air Support Team helicopter responded and checked the roof for suspects. The locations were cleared by the officers and they found the cash registers had been taken. Investigation continuing.

Assault with a Deadly Weapon - One Suspect Arrested April 19 at 6:50 p.m., three male subjects got in an argument with three other male subjects, and during the argument, one of the subjects pulled a knife from his waistband. The three subjects with the knife chased the other three subjects west on Olive from Monterey. Three male juveniles were walking by the intersection of Monterey and Olive while the confrontation was occurring. The three juveniles also ran when they saw the subject pull out the knife. The three juveniles feared for their lives. Police arrived and were able to detain the suspect who had the knife. One of the juveniles positively identified the subject as the one who pulled the knife. The subject was arrested and taken into custody. There were no injuries involved with this incident.

Vehicle Burglary April 20 at 7:38 a.m., an officer went to the 1000 block of Maurice Street regarding a vehicle burglary. When he arrived, the victim reported that someone had broken into two of their vehicles. Investigation continuing.

Grand Theft Auto April 20 at 8:11 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 500 block of East Maple regarding a stolen vehicle. When he arrived, the reporting party told him his father had parked his vehicle last night, leaving a window down about two inches. He went out this morning and it was gone. The father later found the vehicle about 50 yards down the street. It appears the suspects could not start the vehicle. They attempted to take the stereo, but only succeeded in destroying it. Investigation continuing.

Vehicle Burglaries / Attempt Grand Theft Auto April 21 at 7:29 a.m., an officer was dispatched to a business in the 1800 block of South Myrtle regarding a vehicle burglary. On his arrival, the reporting party told him two of the company's trucks had been broken into and tools had been stolen. While the officer was taking the report, an employee from the business next door approached and reported that two of their trucks had also been broken into and equipment stolen. There were no signs of forced entry, but one of the vehicles at the second location had indications that the suspects tried to steal it. Investigation continuing.

Mental Evaluation April 21 at 8:16 a.m., an officer responded to a pay phone in the 400 block of West Foothill regarding a subject reporting he was suicidal. The officer contacted the subject and learned the subject had attempted suicide before. He determined the subject was a danger to himself. The subject was taken to a hospital and held for a 72-hour mental evaluation.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Highlighted Activity - Week of April 8 - April 14, 2010

During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 556 service events, resulting in 122 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:

Robbery On April 8 at 5:34 p.m., a male subject entered a gas station in the 700 block of East Huntington. He then entered the cashier area and ordered the clerk to open the register. The suspect had his hands in the pockets of his windbreaker. The clerk opened the cash register and the suspect reached in and took the money. The suspect then ordered the clerk to open a second register, but the clerk told him he could not open it. The suspect then ordered the clerk to get on the ground and asked him where the cigarettes are kept. The clerk told him they were locked in a storage room. The suspect left walking west towards Shamrock. Investigation continuing.

Mental Evaluation On April 9 at 7:20 a.m., officers responded to the 700 block of East Foothill regarding a family disturbance. A 16 year old female was refusing to go with the rest of her family to visit a grandparent. The subject grabbed a straight razor, locked herself in the bathroom and threatened to commit suicide. Officers arrived and kept the girl from using the razor on herself. The minor was taken to a hospital and was held for a 72 hour mental evaluation.

Grand Theft Auto April 9 at 6:20 p.m., police received a call from an alert resident who reported seeing two suspicious subjects leaving a vehicle in the area and walking away. The citizen provided a license plate, a description of the suspects, the direction they were heading and hung up the phone. A computer check on the vehicle indicated it was reported stolen out of Cypress. Officers conducted an area check and located the suspects. The victim of the stolen vehicle only knew the first names of the suspects. He had met them a few days prior and they took his vehicle while he was asleep. The suspects were arrested and the investigation is continuing.

Driving Under the Influence April 9 at 8:30 p.m., a driver was heading northbound on Mayflower and collided into the back of another vehicle that was turning into a parking lot. Officers arrived and determined the driver was driving while under the influence. He was arrested.

Driving Under the Influence April 10 at 2:02 a.m., an officer was driving south on Myrtle when he noticed a vehicle in front of him was swerving in the lane. The driver suddenly veered toward the right and struck the curb, causing the front tire to pop. The driver continued south and struck the curb again, causing the rear tire to pop. The officer stopped the driver and determined the driver was under the influence and he was arrested.

Driving Under the Influence April 10 at 2:06 a.m., an officer was traveling north on Primrose and observed a vehicle in front of him swerve into the southbound lane. The officer stopped the driver and during the investigation, determined the driver was under the influence. The driver was arrested.

Petty Theft with Priors April 10 at 1:20 p.m., police responded to a business in the 500 block of West Huntington. A male subject was observed stealing merchandise. He was confronted by loss prevention officers and he ran. They followed him and attempted to detain him. He started to struggle with the loss prevention officers, but immediately stopped and surrendered upon hearing police sirens. The suspect was found to have a prior felony theft conviction with time served, as well as a long list of narcotics offenses. The subject was booked for felony petty theft with priors.

Burglary April 10 at 3:32 p.m., two transient, twin brothers who frequent a church in the 700 block of South Shamrock were observed in the rooms adjoining the sanctuary. The priest confronted one of them and told him he had to go outside. The church organist discovered her wallet missing from her purse. They confronted the transients about the wallet and they ran. One of the transients turned back and attempted to give the stolen wallet back, less the cash. He was arrested and the wallet and cash were recovered. He was booked for burglary. The other brother was not located, however, his possible whereabouts are known. The investigation is ongoing.

Domestic Violence April 10 at 3:04 p.m., officers responded to a hotel in the 900 block of South Fifth after an anonymous caller reported that her friend had been beaten by her boyfriend. Officers responded and contacted both subjects at a room in the hotel and determined a battery resulting in injury had occurred. The boyfriend was arrested and booked for domestic violence.

Grand Theft Auto April 12 at 8:25 a.m., an officer went to a residence in the 1000 block of Royal Oaks regarding a stolen vehicle report. The victim parked and secured her vehicle at 3:00 p.m. the night before in her assigned stall. She returned to it in the morning at 8:00 a.m. and the vehicle was gone. Her vehicle is a 1993 Saturn. No broken glass was found on the ground where the vehicle was parked. Investigation continuing.

Grand Theft / Embezzlement April 13 at 11:46 a.m., an officer responded to a business in the 600 block of West Huntington regarding a female employee in custody for grand theft. An employee had been taking money from a cashier drawer, using old sales receipts to cover for the missing money she had taken. Then she would throw away the return transaction. Store surveillance shows the employee making the transactions when no customers were at the cashier. She was arrested and taken into custody.

Burglary April 13 at 4:38 p.m. an officer went to a business in the 500 block of East Huntington regarding a male suspect in custody for shoplifting. The officer determined the suspect, a transient with no money, went into the store to steal. He selected a shirt and pair of pants from the racks and went into a fitting room. He put on the new pants under his own pants and walked out of the fitting room. He exited the store and was detained. He was arrested and booked for burglary.

Vehicle Burglary April 14 at 9:06 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 1600 block of South Mayflower regarding a vehicle burglary. On arrival, the victim told him she parked her vehicle on the street at about 4:30 a.m. She left her purse in the front passenger seat, locked the vehicle, and went to church. She returned shortly after 5:30 a.m. and found the front passenger door window smashed and her purse missing. Investigation continuing.

Grand Theft / Forgery April 14 at 1:42 p.m., an officer responded to a hotel in the 900 block of West Huntington on the report of a grand theft. He arrived and was told a television was stolen from a room. The room was checked into yesterday by a male subject who provided his driver's license and a fraudulent credit card. Investigation continuing.

Vehicle Burglary April 14 at 2:01 a.m., an officer went to the 800 block of West Walnut regarding a vehicle burglary. The victim reported that someone broke into his vehicle and stole his GPS unit. The vehicle was parked in its assigned space. Investigation continuing.

Gang Injunction Arrests On April 14 at approximately 8:30 p.m., Monrovia Police Department's Special Enforcement Team officers were on patrol and saw four male subjects leaving a gas station located in the 700 block of East Huntington. The subjects left on bicycles and were stopped for being in violation of numerous vehicle code violations. Two of the subjects had previously been served with the gang injunction and were arrested for violating the court order. The other two subjects were cited for vehicle code violations.

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Stop Graffiti Bounty Program
One of the methods the Monrovia Police Department is using to combat graffiti in the community of Monrovia is the Stop Graffiti Bounty Program. If a citizen reports an incident of graffiti in the City of Monrovia that leads to the arrest of the suspect, the citizen will receive a $100 bill. Help keep Monrovia looking great!


Friday, April 9, 2010

Highlighted Activity - Week of April 1-7 2010


Highlighted Activity - Week of April 1, - April 7, 2010
During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 518 service events, resulting in 124 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:

Mental Evaluation
April 2, at 5:13 p.m., an officer responded to a call of a male subject walking completely naked in the alley of the 400 Block of West Walnut. Officers arrived and detained him. His clothes were nearby and were recovered prior to being transported to the hospital. He is a known subject with a history of mental health problems.

Medical Assist On April 3, at 8:24 a.m., an officer responded to the area regarding a male yelling for help from the wash in the area of Royal Oaks and Mountain. Officers found the male in the wash near city yards. The subject told officers he fell into the wash near Londgen in Irwindale. He sustained an injury to his head from the fall and had abrasions on both knees and his feet. The subject claimed he was in the wash for approximately 12-15 hours trying to get out and yelling for help but nobody could hear him. He was transported to the hospital for treatment and later released.

Stalking, Brandishing a Firearm and Possession of Controlled Substance On April 3, at 6:15 p.m., The Special Enforcement Team was working a stalking case involving a Du Roc gang-member who was involved in a brandishing a firearm several weeks ago and was now stalking the victim. When they arrived at the scene the suspect had fled. Patrol officers saw the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. A field show up was conducted and the victim identified the suspect. Special Enforcement Team searched of the suspect's hotel room. The firearm was not located, but rock cocaine was recovered. The suspect was arrested and booked. The investigation is continuing.

Vehicle Burglary On April 5, at 6:06 p.m., an officer responded to a residence in the 800 Block of West Olive regarding a vehicle burglary. The victim told him he parked his vehicle in front of his residence at 11:30 p.m. When he returned to his vehicle the following morning he discovered both the front and rear side passenger windows were smashed. He reported three bags were taken containing personal property. Investigation continuing.

Grand Theft Auto On April 5, at 6:20 a.m., an officer responded to a residence in the 100 Block of East Cypress regarding a stolen vehicle. The victim was reporting his 1994 maroon Honda Accord taken sometime that morning after 1:15 a.m. Investigation continuing.

Vehicle Burglary On April 5, at 7:06 a.m. an officer responded to a residence in the 200 Block of May regarding a vehicle burglary. A window was smashed. Investigation continuing.

Vehicle Burglaries On April 5, at 8:31 a.m., an officer responded to a residence in the 100 Block of North Myrtle regarding a vehicle burglary. The victim reported he had parked and secured his vehicle. He returned to his vehicle the next morning and found the window smashed. While the officer was taking this report he was contacted by another tenant in the complex who also had his vehicle broken into. Investigation continuing.

­Mental Evaluation On April 5, at 7:34 p.m., an officer went to a residence in the 100 Block of North May to assist a family with a "Keep the Peace" call regarding custody of a teenage child. An officer interviewed the teenager and was able to determine the teen had made several attempts to commit suicide. The officer took the child to the hospital for a mental evaluation hold.

Assault with Deadly Weapon / Robbery On April 6, at 6:01 p.m., officers went to the area of Fifth and Duarte regarding a shooting. A couple was walking their small dog when a white vehicle drove near them and stopped. The suspect from the vehicle attempted to steal the small dog from them. As the couple fought off the dog thieves, a neighbor tried to help them retain control of the dog. The suspects were over powered and they went back to the car and fled. The suspect fired a single shot at the group and struck the neighbor in the leg. With aggressive investigation by the patrol officers, a possible vehicle was identified. The vehicle matched the description of a carjacking suspect vehicle in El Monte. The El Monte Police Department found the vehicle later that evening and arrested 5 suspects. Investigation continuing.

Burglary On April 7, at 3:24 p.m., an officer went to a business in the 100 Block of West Foothill regarding a male subject in custody for shoplifting. Apparently, the subject went into the store pushing a stroller along with his ten year old son. He admitted to going in to buy two packs of diapers; however, he kept telling the ten year old son to grab different items for him from other aisles. These were grocery items they did not have at home and needed. These items were placed inside an empty bag on the stroller and concealed. The subject was arrested and charged with burglary.

Vehicle Theft On April 7, at 4:29 p.m., an officer went to a business parking lot in the 500 Block of South Mountain regarding a vehicle theft. The victim told him he went to work out at the gym and had parked and secured his vehicle in the parking lot. He was inside the gym between 2:30 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. When he came out to his car, it was gone. The victim believes his car keys were stolen from his gym bag. Investigation continuing.

Grand Theft On April 7, at 4:36 p.m., an officer went to a business in the 300 Block of South Myrtle regarding a theft. The victim told him that a couple had been in the store earlier in the day. When they left, they told the victim that they would return later. She stated the couple was looking at jewelry in a display case. She heard a noise coming from their direction and asked if they needed the display case open. The male suspect told her they did not need the case open, and that he had just bumped his head on the case. A short time later, the couple left north on Myrtle toward Palm. Approximately ten minutes later, the victim discovered jewelry had been taken from the display case. There is no surveillance in the store. Investigation continuing.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Highlighted Activity 3-25 to 3/31/10


During the last seven day period, the Police Department handled 520 service events, resulting in 124 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:

Sex Offense - Suspect Arrested March 25 at 3:50 a.m., a 17 year old female victim came to the police station with a parent and reported she had a consensual, sexual relationship with a 39 year old male subject who shares their home. Officers went to the home where they reside and spoke to the suspect. He was arrested. The investigation is continuing.

Brandishing a Firearm - Suspect Arrested March 25 at 5:47 p.m., police responded to a disturbance between two neighbors. During the incident, one neighbor displayed a handgun in a threatening manner. The victims signed a Citizens Arrest and the suspect was arrested. A shotgun and a handgun were seized as evidence after a consensual search form was signed by the suspect.

Driving Under the Influence - Suspect Arrested March 26 at 11:54 a.m., Pasadena Police Department was notified of a possible drunk driver leaving a location in Pasadena. The Pasadena helicopter was able to observe the vehicle and followed it into Monrovia. They requested assistance and directed Monrovia officers to the vehicle, which had parked at a residence in the area of Duarte and Magnolia. The helicopter observer was able to clearly see the suspect and identify the driver to the Monrovia officer. A photo line-up will be conducted with the original reporting party for further identification. The officer determined through investigation that the suspect had been driving under the influence and he was arrested.

Grand Theft - Suspect Arrested March 26 at 12:00 p.m., a male subject was observed throwing merchandise over the back fence of a business in the 1600 block of South Mountain. Employees confronted the suspect and he ran, leaving the merchandise on the ground. An officer arrived and discovered the suspect had left his car keys in the shopping basket. The officer was able to locate the car, and shortly after, employees of the business notified the officer that a person matching the suspect's description was walking back toward the area. The officer apprehended the suspect without further incident.

Irwindale Pursuit / Traffic Collision in Monrovia March 28 at 1:11 a.m., Irwindale Police Department went in pursuit of a motorcycle in their city. The suspect was trailed by the Foothill Air Support helicopter into Arcadia and back through Monrovia on Duarte Road. No Monrovia police units were involved in the pursuit. The suspect ended up eastbound on Royal Oaks, where he tried to either turn or stop and lost control striking a curb. The suspect then fled on foot and was apprehended a short distance later with the assistance of a Monrovia officer who was handling a call in the area. He responded upon hearing the suspect was on foot. The suspect was wanted for an outstanding no-bail warrant for grand theft auto and the motorcycle he was on had been reported stolen. A Monrovia officer took the non-injury traffic collision report.

Vehicle Burglary March 29 at 10:41 a.m., an officer went to a business parking lot in the 200 block of East Huntington regarding a vehicle burglary. On his arrival, the victim reported she parked and secured her vehicle at 7:30 a.m. in the parking lot. She returned to the vehicle at about 10:00 a.m. and found the front passenger window shattered. The loss was a gym bag from the passenger-side floorboard. Investigation continuing.

Vehicle Burglary March 30 at 8:13 a.m., an officer went to a residence in the 100 block of West Cherry regarding the report of a vehicle burglary. He arrived and the victim reported that he parked his truck on the street and secured it at 11:45 p.m. He returned to his truck the next morning and saw the front passenger window smashed. He checked the interior of the truck and found his cell phone missing from the center console. Investigation continuing.

Warrant Arrest - Suspect Arrested March 30 at 8:16 a.m., Monrovia detectives went to a residence in the city of Arcadia and arrested a female suspect they had been investigating for fraud. Detectives obtained a warrant for the female and she was arrested at her home without incident.

Residential Burglary March 30 at 9:45 a.m., an officer went to a residence in the 700 block of South Mayflower regarding a burglary. The victim reported that he had left the location for approximately 45 minutes, and upon his return, he found a number of screens removed from the windows. He entered the house and found some jewelry and an iPod had been taken from a bedroom. The suspect had gained entry through a bathroom window. Investigation continuing.

Grand Theft Auto Recovery March 30 at 11:37 a.m., an officer responded to Alta Vista, south of Huntington, where a motor home was reported to be blocking a driveway. When he arrived, he ran the license plate and VIN number and found the motor home had been reported stolen to the Lakewood Sheriff's Office. The motor home was unoccupied and there were no witnesses as to the driver. The motor home was recovered and the owner notified.

Vandalism March 30 at 7:54 p.m., an officer was patrolling the area of Bonita and Los Robles when he saw a male juvenile acting suspiciously and contacted him. The juvenile was in possession of a can of spray paint and had fresh paint on his hands. Further investigation revealed the 13 year old suspect had just tagged several walls in the area. He was arrested without incident. The suspect was found to be on probation for vandalism.

Under the Influence March 31 at 10:48 a.m., officers were dispatched to the high school regarding a medical assist. A 15 year old, female student was found stumbling on campus by school security and taken to the nurse's office. The student admitted to drinking a four ounce bottle of Robitussen to get high. She was cited at the school for being under the influence and was taken to a hospital for further evaluation. A blood sample was obtained at the hospital with her father's permission.

Attempted Residential Burglary March 31 at 9:15 p.m., a woman was inside her residence in the 800 block of West Walnut. Someone knocked on her door, but she did not answer it. She heard a bedroom window open, and went to investigate. She found the window open, but did not call police until almost four hours later. Officers responded and found evidence indicating a suspect had in fact opened the window. A neighbor/witness was located who saw the suspect acting suspicious in the area, but also failed to call police. Investigation continuing.

­­­­­__________________________________________________________________________________________________Talk to Your Children About Marijuana

Casual attitudes about marijuana and its usage may be playing a role in the increased use of marijuana by high school students. The California Healthy Kids Survey is conducted every two years and is administered to all public school students in the state. The most recent offering of the study indicates that 25% of ninth grade students and 35% of eleventh grade students in Los Angeles County have used marijuana.

It is difficult to say why marijuana use among high school students continues to be high, especially when their survey results indicated that marijuana is perceived to be harmful by an overwhelming high number of the eleventh grade student population. It may be because of the ease in which marijuana can be obtained.

Certainly, a key piece to the puzzle must be the casual way in which adults in general have treated the issue of marijuana use. Adults need to be informed and present relevant information to our children to help them make the right choices. Levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC (the dangerous mind altering chemical in marijuana) can be as much as five times higher in today's marijuana than the level of marijuana that was available when some adults may have experimented with it in the 1980's, and it has been clinically proven to be addictive.

The fact that marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States is no news to law enforcement. Each and every day, police officers come in contact with individuals whose lives are significantly and negatively impacted by marijuana use. Whether it is family violence in the home or someone injured by a person driving under the influence, users of marijuana are significantly represented in calls for police service.

The problems with marijuana use are many and varied. Here is a quick run down on some other facts about marijuana use that you might like to share with your children:
§ Health studies confirm that marijuana impairs the development of the teenage brain.
§ Over 80% of youth being treated for substance abuse are addicted to marijuana.
§ Marijuana robs you of memory, motivation, and concentration.
§ Short term effects of marijuana use include memory loss, distorted perception, trouble with thinking and problem solving, and anxiety.
§ Children with an average grade of D or below were more than 4 times as likely to have used marijuana in the past year as children who reported an average grade of an A.
§ A single marijuana cigarette is composed of more than 400 different chemicals and all of them toxic. On combustion these multiply into 2,000 different chemicals.
§ Children who smoke marijuana are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than those who do not use marijuana.
§ Currently, 62% of teens in drug treatment are dependent on marijuana.
§ Marijuana is different from alcohol, heroin or other drugs because it is fat-soluble. This causes it to be absorbed into the brain and other fatty organs of the body where it is stored for months in both the chronic and so-called recreational user, resulting in the person becoming stupefied. While in the body, the toxins are attacking every cell, system, and organ present, with the brain sustaining the most damage, as it is one-third fat.
§ Research indicates marijuana use is associated with an increase risk of mental health problems such as depression, suicidal tendencies, and schizophrenia.
§ The Yale School of Medicine (2007) says long-term exposure to marijuana smoking is linked to the same health problems as tobacco smoke, such as, increased respiratory symptoms.
§ The chemicals in marijuana adversely affect the central nervous system, cardiovascular, respiratory, and immune systems and have been linked to the alteration of DNA.

The bottom line is that your children are impacted by the actions that you model for them each day. They will listen to you! Talk to them early and often about drug use, and particularly marijuana use. The good you will do for them will impact their future and yours.
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Stop Graffiti Bounty Program
One of the methods the Monrovia Police Department is using to combat graffiti in the community of Monrovia is the Stop Graffiti Bounty Program. If a citizen reports an incident of graffiti in the City of Monrovia that leads to the arrest of the suspect, the citizen will receive a $100 bill. Help keep Monrovia looking great!