Nielsen was promoted to captain and Amirfar to lieutenant.

Nielsen, who has worked in law enforcement since 1985; worked at the San Diego Police Department and Tracy Police Department before coming to Turlock.

Amirfar, also a long-time veteran, began his career as an officer in 1989. Amirfar first worked with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department prior to moving to the Turlock Police Department in 1990.

Both have said that they “plan to continue following the department’s strategic plan and work with the community for a safer Turlock.”

The search for a new police chief, to replace former Chief Gary Hampton is ongoing.  Hampton left the department in July to take a position with the Tracy Police Department.  Dave Young will continue to serve as the Interim Chief until a permanent hire is made.

Harrison was brought to the Santa Rita jail on Aug. 13th on a warrant for driving under the influence of alcohol. While in custody in the jails minimum security area, Harrison was found hiding behind a mattress claiming someone was trying to shoot him. Harrison had allegedly tossed his food tray and flooded his own cell.

A deputy calmed him down and Harrison was handcuffed while the jail cell was cleaned up. Allegedly, Harrison broke free and charged at the officer. That’s when the deputy used a Taser to stop him. Other deputies rushed out and came to assist. Harrison was shocked again when he charged the deputy a second time.

He was seen by the nursing staff and taken to the jail’s medical clinic for evaluation. It was there he became unresponsive. He was taken to the hospital where he later died.

The two deputies involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation.

Having a courthouse in Dublin will also make transporting prisoners from the Santa Rita jail much easier. And, talk of an underground tunnel from Santa Rita to Dublin could make the transfer of inmates virtually seamless. This should result in reduced transportation costs and increased safety.

Another plus is local residents could possibly have a better chance of completing jury duty in a courthouse much closer to their homes.

The group called ”Friends of Dublin” led by Kasie Hildenbrand and David Haubert (both members of the Dublin City Council) helped to lead the decision. 

Nearby Pleasanton offers a court facility, however it lacks a well-fortified holding cell in case of any high profile cases and limits cases that are tried there  to misdemeanors, civil, night court, small claims, etc.

The new building facility in Dublin will have 13 courtrooms that will hear cases which may range from minor traffic violations all the way to homicide cases. Further, legal offices and bail bond agencies could open once the city issues new permits.

Some may beg to differ having a large legal institution constructed so close to their home. However, in a struggling economy the new courthouse will create many more jobs, and that is lucky for any city .

Alameda County Sheriffs got a call about a carjacking that happened in Castro Valley on July 19th. A Pleasanton man had reported that while at the Hacienda Crossings shopping center in Dublin, a young man pulled a gun and carjacked the Chrysler 300. Later, the Sheriff’s came across the vehicle parked at a local church with a boy and girl seated in the vehicle. The Sheriff’s ran the VIN number and established that it was the actual vehicle that was reported stolen. The boy fit the description given by the Pleasonton man.

Needless to say, the boy is now in Juvenile Hall and the girl was released, hopefully smarter now and will not be pursuaded to a date with a 17 year old boy driving a $35,000 car.

Photocredit: © Dmitriy Eremenkov – Fotolia.com