1995_10 Insight October 1995

              OCTOBER 4,1995
INSIGHT
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
VOL. 27, NO. 4
K-9 cops help take a bite out of crime
•#• A federal grant allows
the Police Department to
purchase nine more dogs
by Michael Yparrea
StaffWriler
Fresno police officers responded to an
apartment complex recently where a felony
suspcel was on the run. He was spotted
emerging from the complex's washroom as
thc officers approached.
"Get down on the ground." one of the officers yelled. "Get down and put your hands
out where I can see them."
The nervous suspcel began io get skittish
and*f*"3nccd around for a means of escape.
"I said get down on the ground or I'll release Ihe dog," the officer said over the raucous barking of Raki, his K-9 companion.
Thc suspcel made a break.
Raki's excitement grew and his barking
became urgent and intense as he waited for
the command from his handler to "bite and
hold."
The was just about to clear a fence when
the dog was released, and within seconds,
hc had a hold on the fleeing subject just below thc groin area.
Like a prey flailing around helpless in thc
tight grip of thc canine's mouth, thc suspect
became frantic and began lo punch Ihe K-9
in the face and muzzle until the dog released
its grip.
Thc suspect was able lo proceed a couple
more steps before Raki look him down again,
holding him until officers were able to arrest
thc man.
Raki is part of Ihe K-9 Unit of the Fresno
Police Department which doubled in size
following graduation ceremonies for nine
new police dogs and their handlers earlier
this year.
Police Chief Ed Winchester said thai thc
K-9 Unit has been expanded into a 15-mem-
bcr leam since March 24.
The Units and their handlers hit Ihe streets
a few days later, promising lo multiply police power against crime.
"The daily presence of police K-9s in patrol reduces the potential for assaults against
officers,.and lessens Ihe likelihood that officers will use lethal forms of force in apprehending violent criminals," said Lt. Greg
Gamer, K-9 Unit commander.
Until May 1993. Ihc department intermittently used dogs from lhe Fresno County
Sheriff's Department until they acquired
eight canines of their own.
Now, thanks to a federal grant, lhe department has been able lo purchase nine new
dogs and train them for police work bringing ihe total number of K-9's to 15.
According lo Winchester, the expansion of
Photo courtesy Freeno Police Department
One of Fresno's 15 K-9s undergoes extensive training before he patrols city
streets. K-9s work all shifts in all parts of Fresno, 24 hours per day.
thc K-9 Unit is consistent wilh lhe growth of
thc department, and the need for a K-9 presence on all shifts in all parts of the city, "to
ensure a 24 hour a day hvailability, on a 7day
a week basis."
Twelve of thc 15 canines will be on patrol
work consisting of building and area searches.
The other three will be a part of thc Violent
Crime Suppression Group and SWAT team.
Ron Holts, a public information officer at
the Fresno Police Department, said the creation
of thc police K-9 Unit was a recommendation
of the "Little Hoover Commission."
The original K-9 Unit consisted of a coordinator, eight handlers (specially trained police
officers) and their trained K-9s. and was first
assigned patrol on May IO. 1993.
"The K-9s are multi-trained to accomplish a
number of tasks, including locating and apprehending criminal suspects who have fled from
officers and might be contained in a building or have hidden themselves out of doors
in an effort to escape the law.' "Garner said
Thc dogs used are usqally Belgium or
Dutch Malenwaldes or German Shepherds
hrcd m Huropc.
Ranging in price from SI.(XX) to S5.5(X),
Garner said the dogs purchased for the department are between one and one and a
half-years-old and averageS5.(XX) per dog.
Known for iheir strength, courage, good
temper and intelligence. Garner saici these
types of dogs are also chosen because of
their resilience, trainabilily and adaptability.
"These dogs are very exceptional for this
type of work." Garner said. "They can climb
ladders, sprint up to 40 |mph |, sniff out narcotics and take down a 270 pound man."
While the unit institutes a "find and bark"
order, a "bite and hold" command is issued
when a suspect is aggressive and uncooperative with police.
"A 'bile and bold' command does not
mean that the K-9 is going to go oul and rip
a suspect to shreds." Holts said. "Basically
Ihe dog holds onto the suspect with its
mouth until officers can place the indiv idual
under arrest. If they continue to resist and
move aboul. yeah, the guy is probably going to get a couple nicks."
'It all has to do wilh lhe training." Garner
said. "These dogs are trained so lhat the suspect can be detained and lhat police brutality involving these dogs is minimal If not
nil."
Garner said the expansion of the unit will
be a great advantage to thc department in
capturing criminals.
"We have already been able to locate and
arrest criminals we never would have had
it noi been for these dogs." Garner said.
According to Garner, the canines are able
to find these suspects by smelling "fear."
"When an individual is scared, as most
arc when they are being pursued by the
police, they let off an adrenaline scent which
lhe K-9s can detect," he said. "They have
Ihc most incredible sense of smell."'
Thc K-9s are doing as dangerous a job as
police officers w ith no aid of a gun. bulletproof vest or any other protection. Holts
said he is only familiar with one fatality of
a local canine while in the line of duty. That
was in Kings Couniy with no on-duty
fatalitis of Fresno K-9s.
"We have had discussions of gelling the
vests for thc dogs." Holts said. "The fact is
they cannot wear them all the time and if a
situation occurs, by the lime the vest is put
on, lhc action has already happened."
Garner said the Fresno K-9 Unit has only
had two fatalities since its deployment. One
was hii by a car after it got out of its pen.
The other died from a genetic defect.
Parking
ruse cheats
disabled
♦ Able-bodied use
disabled stickers to get
prime parking spots
by Cathy Brians
StaffWriler
The discovery thai able-bodied students were using phony disabled parking stickers to get close-to-class parking slots has led to the introduction of
a new system for issuing disabled stickers.
Campus police were alerted to the
scam after complaints by disabled students who witnessed other students
"handing-off" the blue stickers to arriving friends These sudents then
parked in restricted parking zones, according to Dorothy Tucci-Newion. a
human resource administrative assistant.
The phony permits were nothing
more ihan a blue slicker available at
Campus police apparently mistook
the stickers for legitimate permits. No
tickets were issued, although a S235
fine will be levied for the illegal use of
disabled spaces.
The university sets aside 190 close-
to-campus spaces for the disabled out
of thc approximately 6.800 parking
places at Fresno State.
it didn'l make much sense lo put
ihem out in Parking Lol Q." said Rick
Finden. administrator of parking.
Finden said the University
Chancellor's Office mandated lhe overhaul of the Fresno Stale disabled parking facilities lasi summer when the
campus failed to meet lhc university's
restricted parking guidelines.
Thc new permit is available from Disabled Sludents Services and Human
Resources. Thc temporarily disabled
will need confirmation of iheir disability from a phy sician or other health specialist to receive the permit.
"If someone hobbles in with a cast
on their leg. we will issue the temporary permit without a doctor's note,"
said Tucci-Newton.
The official Slate of California disabled parking symbol can be used in
all Fresno State designated spaces
without obtaining additional approval.
New Fresno State "sunburst" logo unveiled amid cost debate
4- New logo is one of
three officially used by
the school
by Jerry Lowe
StaffWriler
Thc university's new trademark
logo of the rising sun is raising controversy and, some say, raising
costs.
The new logo features "Fresno
Stale" in capital letters and has a
half-sun graphic over thc "F" in
"Fresno." Its official colors are red,
blue and gray.
Critics of the logo point out lhat
the official name of the university
is "California State University,
Fresno," not "Fresno State" and lhat
printing the logo in three colors is
loo expensive.
Peter Smits, vice president for
University Advancement, said the
new logo will bring a graphic unity
to the university.
"The sun is the one thing thai really defines this valley," Smits said.
"Wc hope lhat over time, even
without the text, you'll be able to
look at the sun and say, 'that's the
Fresno Slate logo,'" Smits said.
Robert Merrill, chairman of the
Geology Department, was one of
the faculty members on the
president's committee lo examine
the name of the university.
"Thc unanimity on that committee was to retain 'California Stale
University, Fresno.'" Merrill said,
"and I certainly congratulate Smits
for coming up with the deviously
clever rcteniion of the 'Fresno
State' name. It was his voice to Ihc
commiltcc that we should retain
that as a nickname."
Smits said the logo reflects thc
recommendation of thc committee
on which both he and Merrill
served.
Smits points oul that the logo is
only one of three graphic representations for thc university.
The university seal symbolizes the
official name, the new sunburst
logo symbolizes the nickname and
the bulldog logo symbolizes athletics, Smits said.
"It's a very common practice
among universities to have three."
Smits said. "Wc did our homework
on this."
Merrill also takes exception to
printing thc logo in three colors,
noting lhat a two-color version has
not yet been adopted. Hc said that
funds to cover lhc extra priming
costs will have to be\jWerted from
elsewhere.
"The bottom line is when you divert funds like that, thc money
doesn't come down to the classroom," Merrill said.
Smits said the decision to prim
the logo in three colors and the seal
in four colors was made "because
it's gorgeous." He points out that
the printing is not thc expensive
"process color" used to print full-
color photographs.
The university seal formerly appeared on university letterheads in
only one color: blue.
Smits said lhat the bulk of printing will make the additional cost of
using Ihe seal in four colors negligible. "We use 600,000 sheets of
stationery a year."
John Zelezny, a Mass Communications and Journalism professor,
also served on the president's name
recommendation committee. Hc
said the nickname "Fresno State"
makes sense. "It's easier to use and
it's shorter."
Zelezny said that thc university
will always be known as "Fresno
Stale" to some people.
"T+ic Sottom line," Zelezny said,
"is that Ihe president made an excellent compromise decision regarding the use of the name."
Zelezny said that many universities choose to use a nickname, and
Recently applied, the new red, blue and gray "sunburst" logo adorns the marching band's van.
gave Penn Slate as an example.
"Penn State might be belter known
nationally at this point, but if you
open up USA Today, on thc sports
pages it will say "Fresno Stale' "
"And in Ihe new logo." Zelezny
said, "just in case there is any confusion, we have thc official, long,
drawn-out name in there as well."
But Merrill points out that "Fresno
State" leads the logo in big. bold letters, and that "California State University. Fresno" is down underneath
in small letters.
Priscilla Helling, a graphic artist
for the Academic Innovation Center, (formerly Instructional Media
Services) is helping to develop a
new style manual lo govern the use
of the new logo.
Helling said lhat future versions
of the logo may not include the official name on the bottom at all. She
said that updated versions may be
more specific to different departments around campus.
:     See LOGO, page 6
Rush Limbaugh
and empty
solutions ^
Page 2,
Bulldogs go
from riches to
ragS    Page 4