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Council to review police innovations at first meeting of 2015
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The Turlock Police Department was recognized by the National Association of Town Watch Award Winners for its National Night Out event in August, earning a second place ranking in California and 20th in the nation. - photo by Journal file photo

After a slew of serious accidents in Turlock in recent months, the Chief of Police will address the public and the Turlock City Council on Tuesday on steps being taken to counteract the tragic incidents.
"It will include education, enforcement and grant information," said Chief Robert Jackson.
The first Turlock City Council meeting of 2015 will also "ring" in a report by Captain Steve Williams on a new police department mobile phone application for the community to use which will allow the public to access contact information, make reports and more.
"There are apps for everything now and now the community can connect with the police department," said Jackson.
Initially the application is being developed for iPhones and will include Android devices in the future. No official date is set for the launch yet, but it will be available in upcoming weeks.
The Turlock Police Department was recognized by the National Association of Town Watch Award Winners for its National Night Out event in August, earning a second place ranking in California and 20th in the nation. Turlock was competing in the National Association Town Watch category against other cities with populations between 50,000 to 99,000. Crime Prevention Officer Michelle Backeroff will present on the department's accomplishment as well as a list of other efforts the police are making to prevent crime in the community, including efforts geared towards Spanish speaking residents.
Other items on the agenda include:
• A staff report by Director of Municipal Services Mike Cooke on how the city handled the December storms that brought more than 2.8 inches of rain in a 12 hour period during the week of Dec. 12. The storm caused storm basins to reach capacity and the Turlock Irrigation District granted the city permission to drain the Donnelly Lake and Dianne Pond basins into their Lateral 4 canal at Canal Drive to make room for an additional storm that hit the following week.
• The Turlock City Council will consider repealing the city's Zoning Ordinance in its entirety, meaning permitting requirements for uses, development standards and permitting processes in all zoning districts will be affected.
• With the passage of the Criminal Justice Realignment Act of 2011 there has been an increased need to share data amongst counties, local law enforcement and public safety agencies in order to identify offenders and access profiles. On Tuesday, the council will decide if it will authorize the City of Turlock to execute an agreement with the California Department of Justice for Smart Justice, a program that consolidates information from numerous sources into one program and makes it accessible to law enforcement officials.
The Turlock City Council meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Yosemite Room at City Hall, 156 S. Broadway.