Santa Cruz Police Welcomes Students and Reminds Residents of Back-To-School Safety

As parents and students get ready to return to school this week, the Santa Cruz Police Department extends a friendly reminder to drivers to follow safety precautions on the roadways. Classes start this Wednesday, August 22nd. Expect hundreds of the City of Santa Cruz youth to be traveling on foot, on bicycles, and in vehicles in the coming weeks.

During this week and next, Santa Cruz police officers are strategically positioned around the City in school zones, to remind residents of the lower speed limits, and to heighten awareness of children on sidewalks.

“We will be visible to remind parents, motorists and everyone in our community that your children’s safety is a priority for us. We will have officers present in the school zones during the morning and afternoon traffic patterns. Our goal is to remind drivers to slow down when children are present and to remember road safety rules,” said Santa Cruz Police Chief Andy Mills.

Chief Mills and officers will be out at our local elementary schools greeting children, and their families as they arrive on the first day. “We want to welcome and celebrate all kids to kick off the new school year. There will be plenty of smiles, high-fives, and words of encouragement as students arrive on campus. Our department values the opportunity engage in positive interactions with our younger citizens," said Chief Mills.

Follow these safety tips to be mindful as the start of the new school year always means more traffic and congestion on city streets.

Before classes start, parents should review the drop-off procedures for their child’s school and be aware of the school’s designated bus and loading/unloading areas. According to the National Safe Routes to School program, more children are hit by cars near schools than any other location.

• No Texting/Talking and Driving! It is never a good idea, and always illegal to use a handheld electronic device while driving

• Plan and Be Patient! Plan to leave earlier than usual to accommodate the extra traffic and be patient with other parents and new drivers.

• Slow Down! School zones speed limits drop to 25 miles per hour

• No Double Parking! This blocks visibility for children and vehicles

• Drop Off/Pick Up on the Same Side of the Street as the School! Don't load or unload children across the street from the school

• Carpool! It reduces the number of vehicles at the school

• Stop for School Buses! It is against the law to pass a school bus when the lights are on

• Yield to Pedestrians! Always stop for children or adults crossing the street and for school patrol officers or crossing guards holding a stop sign 

Join SCPD In Welcoming Santa Cruz Police Chief Andrew Mills

Today, Chief Andrew Mills begins his new post at the Santa Cruz Police Department. Chief Mills’ official swearing-in ceremony will take place at City Hall Courtyard on August 7, 2017, at 4:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony to meet Chief Mills.

Andrew Mills recently served as the Chief of Police for the City of Eureka, California. Eureka, a city of about 30,000 residents, situated in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Eureka is surrounded by jolly gigantic redwood trees, a mesmerizing ocean and some of the best outdoor adventures in California. It is also home to urban problems in a rural community. While in Eureka Chief Mills helped the department become community centric, regain respect as a police agency, and yet compassionately confront some of the societies the most difficult problems, including homelessness. He also serves on as a representative for the California Chiefs of Police Association.

Formerly Andy was a San Diego Police captain assigned to Eastern and Western Divisions. Each of the commands served populations of about 150,000 residents and 200 employees. Before that, he served as the commanding officer of Criminal Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, two tours in the Gang Unit where he implemented Intelligence Led Policing, created an in house intelligence collection system and served on a statewide executive committee for gangs. Recently Mills helped create and implement the Major City Chief’s Criminal Intelligence Enterprise, adopted by the Major City Chiefs from the largest cities in the nation.

Mills was the 2000 recipient of the Police Executive Research Forum’s Gary P. Hayes Award for his contributions to improving the quality of police service nationally. Andy managed one patrol team that won the Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing and three others that were Goldstein finalists. His work in the field is documented in several publications produced by PERF and the COPS Office. Mills has published articles on the National Criminal Intelligence Enterprise (NCIE), police leadership, problem-solving and police ethics in Problem Solving Quarterly, Law Enforcement News and several National Institute of Justice publications. He has lectured at conferences and has provided training to scores of police agencies, including agencies in Washington, D.C., Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Bogota, Mexicali, Rio de Janeiro and Wellington NZ.

Swearing-In Ceremony for Santa Cruz Police Chief Andrew Mills

City Manager Martin Bernal will be hosting a swearing in ceremony for the newly selected Chief of the Santa Cruz Police Department, Andrew Mills. The ceremony is scheduled to take place Monday, August 7th at 4:00 p.m. at the City Hall Courtyard. Following the oath of office, Chief Mills will comment on his new position as head of the Santa Cruz Police Department.

WHO: Mayor Cynthia Chase, City Manager Martin Bernal, and Chief Andrew Mills
WHAT: Swearing in Ceremony for Police Chief Andrew Mills
WHERE: City Hall Courtyard 809 Center Street, Santa Cruz
WHEN: Monday, August 7th, 2017 4:00 p.m.