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The National Fraternal Order of Police is lobbying to add police officers to other victims under the Congressional hate crimes statute. Violence against police officers that is motivated by anti-police bias should be prosecuted as a hate crime, according to Jim Pasco, the executive director of the F.O.P.“Right now, it’s a hate crime if you attack someone solely because of the color of their skin, but it ought to be a hate crime if you attack someone solely because of the color of their uniform a...

Santa Cruz police are seeking to ticket as many children as possible this summer, and luckily, the tickets are for free slurpees, not fines. Police teamed up with 7-Eleven stores for Operation Chill. Officers are hoping the summer-long program changes a patrol car's reputation to be as positive as when a kid sees an ice cream truck jingling down the street. Officers reward youngsters caught doing good things, such as helping others and wearing bike helmets, with a coupon for a small slurpee. "It...

The Santa Cruz POA sends our thoughts and prayers to the California Highway Patrol-Santa Cruz and the Enox family. Sgt. Kevin Enox died unexpectedly while off-duty yesterday. Sgt. Enox and many members of the Santa Cruz Police Department have worked very closely together over the many years. We are truly saddened to have learned of this tragic loss yesterday for his family and co-workers at the the California Highway Patrol.

SANTA CRUZ >> Evening passersby may have noticed a renewed glow around the downtown Town Clock in recent weeks, thanks to community support. The Surf City Kiwanis Club recently provided the funding and volunteer hours to have a new LED lighting system installed inside the historic clock tower at Water Street and Pacific Avenue. The 50-member nonprofit group dedicated the effort to Santa Cruz police detectives Sgt. Loran "Butch" Baker and Elizabeth Butler, who were killed in the line of dut...

A 33-year-old transient man was arrested Saturday April 19, after he tried to flee from authorities with items stolen from Safeway on Morrissey Boulevard. About 5:30 p.m., James Wentworth was inside the grocery store at 117 Morrissey Blvd. when a store security guard accused him of theft and a struggle began, according to the Santa Cruz police blog. A family of three in the store spotted the struggle. When Wentworth fled out of the store to Pacheco Avenue, the family chased him, police said. Wen...

Detective Butler was a 1996 UCSC grad, and died in the line of duty in February 2013, at 38, along with Det. Sgt. Loran "Butch" Baker. A scholarship fund has been created in memory of University of California at Santa Cruz graduate and Santa Cruz police Det. Elizabeth Butler who was killed on-duty with another officer last year, a university spokesman said. Butler graduated from UCSC's Community Studies program in 1996, and then joined the Santa Cruz Police Department. She died in the line of du...

In recognition of service and dedication to the city of Santa Cruz, the Surf City Exchange Club of Santa Cruz recognized a Santa Cruz police officer and firefighter during the Blue and Gold Ceremony on Friday at the Portuguese Hall at Harvey West Park. This year's honorees are firefighter Clayton Ogden and officer Eileen Fincutter. Fincutter, an officer since 2009, works with the Alcohol Enforcement Unit of the Santa Cruz Police Department and has earned recognition for the arrests she's made to...