Public Safety
Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Public Safety
Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Public Safety
Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Public Safety
View MorePalo Alto Flock data shared nationwide without city's permission
A KQED investigation reveals that law enforcement agencies from all 50 states and federal bodies searched Palo Alto's Flock Safety license plate data for 18 months without the city's knowledge, violating California law. The City Council will define the scope of an independent audit at its Aug. 24 meeting.
Public Safety
View MorePalo Alto tells pet owners to prep seven-day kits
Palo Alto published pet emergency preparedness guidance on Aug. 18, urging residents to build seven-day supply kits and practice evacuations with their animals ahead of fall fire season.
Public Safety
View MoreMan dies in solo crash on Palo Alto's Oregon Expressway
A man in his fifties was killed late Sunday, Aug. 16, when his sedan struck the walls of the Alma Street underpass on Oregon Expressway; the Palo Alto Police Department's STAR team is investigating and the cause remains unknown.
Public Safety
View MorePalo Alto's quiet zone push delayed at every crossing
Palo Alto's effort to silence Caltrain horn blasts has hit obstacles at all four of its at-grade crossings, with the most advanced project at Palo Alto Avenue delayed by a LiDAR safety finding and the other three lacking firm activation dates.
Public Safety
View MoreTimber Fire triggers third air alert for Palo Alto
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued an advisory through Wednesday evening as smoke from the Timber Fire in Monterey County drifts into Palo Alto; the fire has burned nearly 3,000 acres and is only 5% contained.
Public Safety
View MoreFive retail theft cases reported at Stanford Shopping Center
The PAPD's Aug. 5 report log documents five organized retail theft or shoplifting cases at Stanford Shopping Center in three days with no arrests, continuing a pattern at the address since mid-May, while a separate weapon arrest at nearby El Camino Park adds to the corridor's public safety activity.
Public Safety
View MoreBay Area air quality advisory extended through Friday as wildfire smoke lingers
The Bay Area Air District extended its wildfire smoke advisory through Friday, Aug. 7, as unpredictable ground-level smoke from Oregon and Washington fires continues to affect Palo Alto; the city's five library branches remain available as clean-air shelters.
Public Safety
View MorePAPD's largest summer report log includes domestic violence arrest, California Avenue property cluster
Palo Alto police published the summer's largest report log on Aug. 3–4, documenting more than 40 cases including a domestic violence arrest on Sheridan Avenue, burglaries, a vehicle theft and an unexplained cluster of found-property reports at California Avenue.
Public Safety
View MoreWildfire smoke triggers air quality advisory for Palo Alto
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued an advisory for Tuesday and Wednesday as wildfire smoke from Pacific Northwest fires drifts into the region, with Palo Alto's five library branches available as filtered-air refuges.
Public Safety
View MoreStanford drops Flock cameras as Palo Alto weighs its own audit
Stanford University has terminated its Flock Safety contract and switched to a Genetec Cloudrunner license plate camera system that stores data in the cloud for less than an hour before transferring it to a university-controlled server, a move that contrasts with Palo Alto's ongoing debate over its own Flock cameras.
Public Safety
View MoreSpare the Air advisory lifted as Mines Fire hits 80% containment
The Bay Area Air District lifted its Spare the Air advisory on Saturday, Aug. 1, after the Mines Fire in eastern Santa Clara County reached 80% containment and favorable winds cleared smoke from the region.
Public Safety
View MorePalo Alto activates libraries as cooling centers under heat advisory
The City of Palo Alto activated all five public library branches as cooling centers Monday under a National Weather Service Heat Advisory forecasting 95-degree temperatures, with heat expected to persist through Saturday.
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