To Connect and Serve

Yreka Police Chief Brian Bowles’ job includes many responsibilities that keep him stuck in the office most of the day: paperwork, phone calls, meetings and planning for an upcoming move to replace the historic-but-cramped Yreka police station. But don’t think that the chief isn’t keeping a close watch on Yreka.

“As you move up the ranks in a small police department, you actually do less on-the-ground police work,” Bowles says. “I have to know more about computers, technology and business than I ever anticipated in my early days as an L.A. County deputy.”

When police aren’t able to have eyes on the ground, one solution is deploying a set of mobile surveillance camera stations on power poles in trouble areas. The department can install them anywhere in town in 15 minutes and then record video 24 hours a day–live-streaming the footage back to the station where police can remotely turn and zoom the cameras.

“We had a guy recently who was repeatedly breaking into the bathroom at the Miner Street Plaza,” Bowles said. “We hooked up the camera and caught him in the act, then put a call out in the newspaper with a picture. We caught the guy right away. This saves the City staff a big hassle and a lot of money from fixing the bathroom all the time. But for more serious crime, these cameras could save lives.”

The Cascade Consortium

A new technology on the horizon for Yreka PD is the Cascade Combined Agencies of Siskiyou County Automated Data Exchange Consortium–a beta test consortium of eight police agencies in Siskiyou County, including Yreka PD, the Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Probation Department. These agencies will soon share data in real-time.

“Right now, each city operates like its own kingdom,” Bowles says. “The public often assumes that all police department data is shared across jurisdictions, but it’s not. We’re working to change that. With the Cascade Consortium, if a red Corvette is suspected in a crime in Mount Shasta, and then gets pulled over for a traffic violation in Yreka, we’ll be able to see the trail of breadcrumbs and connect the dots to bring the right suspect to justice. That’s technology at work.”

Powered by Cal-Ore

When requests for background checks go out or emails from other jurisdictions come in, they run on Cal-Ore fiber internet lines.

“It’s always up and running,” says Bowles. “I’ve been impressed with Cal-Ore the whole time.”

During the kickoff meeting for Yreka’s future police station, Cal-Ore professionals participated to help ensure the new building construction would maximize the security of the fiber internet lines.

“I was impressed with all the Cal-Ore employees and their forward thinking,” says the Chief. “They were completely ‘on the ball’ during the construction meeting.”

Cal-Ore is proud to help the Yreka PD stay connected, whether it’s stemming minor disturbances or anticipating major threats. Through technology and connectivity, the department is laying groundwork to serve the Yreka community well into the future.