Police: Chase Ends in Fugitive's Arrest

Paul September 8, 2011 at 01:11 am

Hey readers and Louisa, is it just me or does it seem like the government and law enforcement related stories dominate this publication? It just seems like the primary focus is who got arrested and who wants to make money turning someone else in and quite frankly, I absolutely NO interest in any of that stuff. Is it too much to ask that you put that kind of garbage in small print and save the front page news for more important news or is that too much to ask? Anyone else feel as I do or not, please feel free to comment. I am new here and it is merely an observation...but a VERY obvious one I might add.

Louisa Hufstader (Editor) September 8, 2011 at 10:45 am

Hi Paul S., welcome to Napa. Thanks for your email and comments.
We don't have a "front page" here, so our top-featured stories are always rotating. But public safety and crime reports are the most popular articles we publish, with the most readers day in and day out. That doesn't mean we make them our focus. Far from it! I think if you watch the site over time, you'll see that police and fire stories aren't featured more prominently than any others. For instance, on Wednesday I published 11 separate items and two of them were police reports. (A third was a "government story" about a community ice-skating rink.) Nonetheless, people seem to prefer the crime coverage: Here are the most-read stories on Napa Patch this week -- * Teacher Accused of Molesting Girl Changes Lawyers * Police: Three Arrested After Ruckus * Police Log: Stolen Car Recovered; Two Home Burglaries * Reward: Crime Stoppers Seeks Fugitives * PHOTOS: Small Plane Crash-Lands, Hits Car on Hwy 29 If you want to see what it looks like when I really do focus on something, check out napa.patch.com/topics/porchfest! And in regard to your email comment: Nobody pays to have editorial coverage on Napa Patch. Nobody.

Tom Ontis September 8, 2011 at 01:31 pm

I lived in Napa for he first 22 years of my life. Me thinx that Napa Patch provides a service for the 'one more eye' approach to apprehending criminal suspects. Though I have no hard numbers, seems that criminal suspects are being apprehended quicker than they have been in the past.

Paul September 8, 2011 at 01:31 pm

Thank you Louisa! I was not trying to imply that someone is "paying" for print space even though advertising is just that...I was referring to the REWARD paid by the city government for turning someone else in. That is, IMHO one of the problems with our society today and it encourages people to implicate someone that might actually be innocent. I know of MANY people that have been mistakenly arrested and detained against their own will because they were told they "look" like a suspect they are trying to find. Sometimes it causes them to lose their job, their car and even their family and when they are released and told, "gee sorry, that informant told us that you really looked like the right guy", they are never compensated for the damages caused by the negligent acts of a police officer and a person that was trying to make a few bucks. It's not good and I for one would like you NOT to print that sort of garbage. My time in this town may be short anyway, too many drunk tourists on that HWY 29. I almost got run off the road by someone yesterday around 3:30pm as they pulled out from Mondavi winery and made a left turn right in front of me! Why don't they have DUI checkpoints on that main artery? Every other car is driven by someone that's been out wine tasting it seems...

Louisa Hufstader (Editor) September 8, 2011 at 01:40 pm

Hi Paul --
As we have reported, Crime Stoppers is a private non-profit and the rewards are donated by individuals and businesses; as we have reported, city government is completely uninvolved in the program. As indicated in our reports, the fugitives are wanted for failure to appear on charges for which they've already been arrested, including DUI. Many wind up giving themselves up, as indicated by the number of warrant withdrawals we've been reporting. People are looking to Napa Patch for information about public safety and I'll continue to publish it, but you are free to click on other stories -- we have plenty.

Paul Marotta September 8, 2011 at 09:09 pm

There is something dangerous about private companies, whether for-profit or non-profit, in the "business" of law enforcement? What kind of society is it whose citizens inform on their neighbors about petty crimes in exchange for cash?

Paul September 9, 2011 at 04:53 pm

I agree with Paul. Where do you get your figures about Napa fugitives giving themselves up? A warrant withdrawal does NOT mean that they necessarily gave themselves up. Many warrants should never have been issued in the first place. If you know what the 4th amendment guarantees, it requires ALL warrants to be accompanied by "an oath or affirmation" and THIS is something that no warrant these days has attached to it. Don't believe me, just ask the Napa County court clerk how many warrants have "oaths or affirmations" in the file. NONE. I know, I have asked not just here, but Sonoma County and San Jose County. Just take one warrant and ask for that oath or affirmation as required by law and you will discover what I have, those warrants have no force of law because they violate the 4th amendment rights against unlawful search and seizure.