Concerned About Drones
To Camas Frank – Editor, SLO City News :
I continue to enjoy reading Camas Frank’s City and related articles. Thank you for covering local news info.
I realize there are lots of big issues. I wanted to pass along a subject of interest (to me!!) that hasn’t been covered much — the use of drones for good/or criminal intent.
I personally have mixed feelings. I don’t believe there has been local public discussion of their use. Newspapers have printed photos taken by drones, but no comments on the practice.
I attended a Residents for Quality Neighborhoods (RQN) meeting July 20, where Police Chief Deanna Cantrell mentioned that SLOPD is looking into the use of drones to augment police services. According to her, these drones can be outfitted with heat signature tracking and other devices that can be helpful in crime control.
I’ve seen enough bodies damaged by violence. I support catching the “bad guys.” There are nonetheless issues of privacy that haven’t been addressed to convince me of their unlimited use by law enforcement. My understanding is that the subject is in the discussion phase.
Federal and State guidelines come into play, yet they are always behind the technology and reality. Four years ago a drone flew over an Atascadero parade, which was a real strange experience.
Last year a couple of guys were flying a drone at Morro Rock, near past nests of the peregrine falcons. I’ve heard stories of drones being used to scope out houses prior to SLO burglaries and neighborhood harassment in rural Atascadero. When I spoke with State Parks regarding the drone at Morro Rock, they were clear it wasn’t allowed.
I may be the only one concerned. I’ll leave that up to you.
Debbie Farwell, SLO
Ballet Troupe Needs A Lift
Dear Editor:
We are passionate about ballet. We pour our hearts and souls into every class, every piece on stage, every performance, every step. We invest ourselves in what we do with teaching and in performance. We work tirelessly toward the goals for our dancers, our school.
We are creating something rare: true training, real technique. We are continuing the tradition of classical ballet. We want our students to study and understand, not merely to follow or copy.
We are the best at teaching and performing classical ballet in our area. We are the only dance school and performing company dedicated solely to continuing the traditions of classical ballet in San Luis Obispo.
What we have produced in our Black Box Theatre for the past two years and at the Spanos Theatre and Harman Hall since 2006, has been of professional quality in all aspects — dance, performance, sets, costumes, lighting.
We have collaborated with many organizations to bring our talents to the stage. Our Youth Outreach performances have sold out.
But it could all disappear in September. We are facing a rent increase of 52% starting mid-September for a new lease (2-year minimum term). We need to raise $40,000 by Sept. 1 to continue. We need help.
Together, we can build a “Gold Circle” of support for classical ballet. Your tax-deductible donation of any amount will help us continue our ballet school and performing company.
Plus, your donations will be matched, dollar-for-dollar by a generous BT-SLO donor!
We believe so strongly in what we do and that it has great value. We cannot let the best disappear. Please visit our donation website at: www.bt-slo.org/#!gold-circle/wqe38 and help keep classical ballet alive.
Sincerely,
Theresa Slobodnik, artistic director, and Blair London, director of Ballet Theater of SLO
‘National Night Out’ Builds Community-Police Relations
By Senator Bill Monning
Since its founding in 1984, the National Night Out Campaign has successfully brought together community members and public safety officials at neighborhood events throughout the country with the goal of making neighborhoods safer and building community cohesiveness.
On Tuesday, Aug. 2 more than 38 million Americans were slated to participate in neighborhood gatherings in over 16,000 cities across the country.
National Night Out began as a grass roots approach to fighting crime. Neighbors came together in a show of force and unity at locally-planned and volunteer-led events that included potlucks, barbecues, and civic engagement events hosted by community organizations and law enforcement agencies to provide a venue for community dialogue and education.
Building safer communities starts with fostering strong relationships with our neighbors.
In an era of digital-dependence and busy lifestyles, many neighborhoods have lost the sense of community and partnership that is essential to foster safe communities.
Engaging neighbors in regular communication and working together with local law enforcement has proven to be one of the most effective ways for a neighborhood to deter criminal activity.
Participation in National Night Out can also provide community members the opportunity to build relationships with law enforcement officials, and learn about what programs and resources are available to help make their neighborhoods safer.
Building these police-community partnerships is essential to achieve effective community-based policing, which is a communication driven approach that focuses on preventive crime fighting and relationship building instead of traditional reactive and enforcement-driven policing.
At a time when the public discourse about police tactics and the proper role of law enforcement in our communities is at an all-time high, the National Night Out events are an excellent opportunity to have direct and frank communication with the law enforcement agencies in your neighborhood.
Building relationships at the local level with law enforcement can be an effective tool to bridge divides within a community.
I encourage everyone to take part in National Night Out celebrations on August 2nd and use this opportunity to get to know your neighbors, civic groups, and public safety officials. To find out more information about the events in your neighborhood and how you can get involved, visit the National Night Out’s website at: httpss://natw.org.
State Sen. Bill Monning (D-Santa Cruz) represents the 17th California Senate District including SLO County.
