January 18, 2006

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Palo Alto Online

Editorial: A senseless loss of a caring officer

Officer May was known not just as a dedicated officer but as one who took a personal interest in young people, making visits to schools. He was the investigating officer last year of the theft of money raised by Costano Elementary School students for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Scores of young students lined the motorcade route along University Avenue, quietly and respectfully waving at the several thousand officers from throughout California and several other states as they drove past in patrol cars and on motorcycles en route to May's funeral in San Jose.

"We love you, Officer May," one hand-lettered sign read.

This tragic death adds to the concern about a growing number of shootings and killings last year -- but we should also note that the suspected killer was apprehended through the fast response of a number of police agencies in the area, who cordoned off the area. The Weekly for years has called for increased cooperation among police agencies -- which finally seems to be happening under the East Palo Alto's new chief, Ron Davis, who joined the department last June.

We heartily support the approach that Davis and San Mateo County Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson and others are taking, in which they link increased enforcement with stronger programs in education, job training, conflict resolution and recreation as alternatives to young persons being attracted to gangs. Gibson in late 2004 created an "East Palo Alto Crime Reduction Task Force" of police, school officials, ministers, nonprofit organizations, the county sheriff's department and parole and probation departments to coordinate a broad-based effort to make the community safer.

Davis also has taken direct action in several key areas, starting with reorganizing the police patrols into community sectors so officers get to know individuals and the community better.

He is increasing supervision of those on probation or parole and compliance checks on registered sex offenders, and has built active connections with neighboring police agencies. He obtained help from the state Department of Justice to conduct a three-year analysis of violent crime, and in the longer term is working to implement a broad crime-reduction program that enlists active help from citizens, local churches and organizations.

This, at last, seems to be the right approach to the recent-years' growth in criminal activities in the area.

Editorial: Welcome back to Gunn robotics team

It's great news that Gunn High School's robotics team is back in business after a year off -- but the lessons learned should be engraved in stone.

The result deprived dozens of robotics team members of a year's fun and valuable educational experience, cost the school and school district many hours of staff time dealing with the issue, and left the Gunn robotics program in a shambles and without a faculty adviser -- a role being assumed by Principal Noreen Likens this year.

A second lesson is that dedicated students can do much for themselves -- the resurrection of the team is entirely student-led. The value of the robotics program is that it engages students in a panorama of challenges -- from raising funds to overcoming problems in math, engineering, team-management and organization, and, of course, how to get along with others under the pressures of deadlines and competition.

We wish the reborn team well in its efforts this year, and commend the student leadership that brought it back.

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