Baker-Butler Memorial Day-We Will Never Forget

February 26, 2013 will be a day that we all will never forget. On this day, Sergeant Butch Baker and Detective Elizabeth Butler were tragically killed in the line-of-duty. This day was the worst day in the history of the Santa Cruz Police Department.

On February 24, 2015 the Santa Cruz City Council passed a resolution declaring February 26th as "Baker-Butler Memorial Day" in the City of Santa Cruz in perpetuity and authorizing City of Santa Cruz staff to lower flags at all City facilities to half-staff on this date each year. Mayor Don Lane asked the Council to adopt the resolution designating, in perpetuity, February 26th as "Baker-Butler Memorial Day", honoring our fallen Officers while serving the community they loved. Council acknowledged the exemplary service and the ultimate sacrifice these Officers and their families made. Council adopted the resolution with a 7-0 vote.

 

Tomorrow, Thursday February 26, 2015 marks the two-year anniversary that the Santa Cruz Police Department so tragically lost our brother and sister. We are reminded of the constant danger of our profession that we have all so proudly been sworn-in to perform. There remains a constant sense of tremendous sadness from this loss. The Santa Cruz Police Department Family continues to try and heal, and will always remember Sergeant Butch Baker and Detective Elizabeth Butler for the ultimate sacrifice they made for this community. 

We are so grateful for all the love and support shown to us by so many in the community.  Many of you have shared how much Butch and Elizabeth meant to you and how much you appreciate all the hard work by all the men and women here at SCPD.  

We miss both of them and will never forget!





The "Bubbly Bandit" is in Custody

On February 10, 2014 the Santa Cruz Police Department posted photos of the "Bubbly Bandit" stealing $600 worth of high-end champagne from Shopper's Corner.

 

The very next morning we received a tip identifying the "Bubbly Bandit" as Laurie Soderman.

On February 16, 2014 Mrs. Soderman turned herself in at the Santa Cruz Police Department. She was booked into the County Jail for misdemeanor theft and a probation violation. She has an extensive history for theft and is currently on felony probation for prior theft convictions. 

Two Santa Cruz Police Officers Commended For Their Work

On February 10, 2015 both Officer Sean Terry and Officer Matthew Mulvihill received awards presented by Chief Kevin Vogel at the City Council Meeting. Both Officers received awards recognizing their efforts in the recovery of stolen vehicles within the City of Santa Cruz. Officer Terry received the White 10851 Award and Officer Mulvihill received the Master 10851 Award. 10851 is the vehicle code section for stolen vehicle.

The 10851 Award is a state award given in cooperation with AAA and the California Highway Patrol. The Award recognizes superior efforts in the recovery of stolen vehicles.

Officer Terry received the White 10851 Award for recovering 12 stolen vehicles and making 4 arrests within a 12-month period. These recoveries resulted in $58,700 worth of stolen vehicles. This is Officer Terry's first 10851 Award.

Officer Mulvihill received the Master 10851 Award for recovering 111 stolen vehicles since 2011. Officer Mulvihill received the White 10851 Award in 2011, 2 in 2012, 2013, and 2014. The 111 stolen vehicle recoveries totaled over $500,000 worth of stolen vehicles. Officer Mulvihill was one of 3 Officers in the entire Coastal Division to receive this award. The Coastal Division runs from Ventura County up to Santa Cruz County. The last time an Officer from the Santa Cruz Police Department received this award was over 20 years ago.

Both of these awards are tremendous accomplishments by both Officer Terry and Officer Mulvihill. Please join the Santa Cruz Police Department Family in congratulating both of these fine Officers!!

Name that "Bubbly Bandit"

On January 19, 2015 at approximately 5:30 p.m. this individual forgot to pay for some high-end champagne from Shopper's Corner. She made off with 6 bottles of champagne worth $600 total. It's hard to tell on these photos, but she concealed all 6 bottles in her jacket.

After walking out of the store, she drove off in an older model green Ford Explorer.

These are great photos, and somebody has to know who she is. We would appreciate any help from the community on solving this "Bubbly Bandit".

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Santa Cruz Police Department Investigations Unit (831) 420-5820.  Anonymous tips can also be sent to the police department through our Tip Line (831) 420-5995, or click here to go to our Website.  Tipsters can also submit an anonymous tip via our smartphone app or from an SMS text.  Visit our Website for instructions.

Stay Connected with Important Public Safety Information

The Santa Cruz Police Department uses the Code Red Emergency Notification system through the Santa Cruz Regional 911 dispatch center to notify community members of an active emergency situation.

With the growing trend of households giving up their traditional landline phones and going completely cellular, we have found some people are being left out of the information loop during these emergency situations. 

To help ensure you are not left out, the Santa Cruz Police Department encourages community members to register their cell phones with the Code Red Emergency Notification system and associate their cell phone numbers with their residence or business.

 

On the home page, all you have to do is click on “Register your Cellular or VOIP Phone for Code Red Emergency Notifications”. That link will take you to a page where you list your name, address (residential or business) and phone number. It’s that simple! To quickly and easily register simply click here.

The Code Red Emergency Notification system also provides a mobile app that can be downloaded onto your cell phone through the Apple Store or the Google Play. The app provides a location-based multimedia alert system. You will be required to activate your GPS services so the system can send you alerts based on your location. Subscribers within the location of an alert issued by a public safety organization using the Code Red Emergency Notification system will receive alerts through this application.

Simply click here to begin the process to download the mobile app either for an iphone or Android. Once you are on the home page, you click on “Code Red” and that will take you to this page below. You can watch a video that talks about how the system works and can begin the downloading process by clicking “Code Red Mobile Alert app”. This will present the option of going to the Apple Store or Google Play.  

 

The Santa Cruz Police Department and the Santa Cruz Regional 911 dispatch center strives to keep community members informed with up-to-date public safety information and strongly suggests the community to stay connected with valuable information. By going to either one of these websites above, you can be connected either at home, work, or on the road. You can also receive alerts through the Code Red Emergency Notification System while in another jurisdiction that uses this same system.