Addressing Community Concerns of ‘Lawlessness,’ Mendocino County Sheriff Deputies and CHP Officers Bring ‘Focused Patrol Presence’ to Round Valley
Recent traffic enforcement stop in Covelo. [Crop of photograph provided by a Round Valley resident]
Round Valley residents have reported a marked increase in Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office deputies and California Highway Patrol officers over the last week pulling over residents for traffic violations and infractions. MCSO Public Information Officer Captain Greg Van Patten called operations a “focused patrol presence” meant to address and mitigate community reports of ‘lawlessness’ in the area.
Round Valley Resident Alyssa Patereau said she has seen multiple Sheriff deputies and CHP officers and “it seemed like every turn they had somebody pulled over.” She decided to “stay home because it was like everywhere I went there were so many cops.”
Patereau described the extent of law enforcement’s presence in Covelo saying, “At one point last night they got somebody at the school, just up the road from the school, and at the gas station in town all at the same time.”
Another Round Valley resident told us she believes the law enforcement presence is “due to all of the complaints.”
Captain Van Patten said yesterday’s focused patrol was the second “in as many weeks.” MCSO is conducting the operations in response to community reports of what Van Patten called “lawlessness” including, “speeding, reckless driving, discharging of firearms (reported sounds), vandalism, theft, unlawful firearms, possession, drug-related situation, and acts of violence against persons.”
Captain Van Patten characterized the operations as “successful” and hoped that “there will be a long-term impact to decreasing those community problems.”
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They could stay busy for all eternity there, and it still wouldn’t have the desired effect. It’d still be the same people doing the same stuff.
My guess, based on the complaint-driven aspect of this exercise, is that “defund the police” doesn’t have a lot of traction in Round Valley.
Why would it? It seems that it shouldn’t . And if anywhere in the world needs to have just the opposite of defunding of the police, it’s likely that place is covelo California.
Sawmill, steady employment was a factor back in the dark ages. 1970s or so.
Covelo will only get worse. When the indians started letting mexicans grow in their yard that was it covelo went to shit. When the mexicans and all their meth. Get booted off indian land only then will the valley start to heal.
The valley went to shit when Spain and Mexico were in charge. Much, much worse when Europeans invaded.
Maybe when indians learn how to get a shovel and grow and not depend on govt benefits and subleasing properties to make profit it will work but u ppl like to sit in trash and use drugs and breed like rabbits to any race
Its simple. And this should go for every land ownner, in covelo. If you rent your property to people to grow weed on, so you can make easy untaxed money. Then you should be responsible for the grow, and face the music. If it h a pens a second time. Your property should have a lean placed on it.
Of course at the end of the day it’s not just one person renting to 1 Gardiner it’s one Higher ship property that is allowing 15 different cultivators on therewhich brings the crime. And I’m glad the person in the picture was pulled over because I’ve witnessed that car driving over 90 miles per hour up and down Howard Street daily
It’s impossible to catch them all first of all as soon as a cop rolls in town every one knows there here another thing is they have to have a good reason to pull you over so all the people that drive with exspird tags and no insurance just stay parked ??? so the cops can’t do anything if for one there not here all the time and if there not here people are just going to keep doing what they do dodge the cops
Start in the schools. Teaching the kids that the adults are acting a fool. Give them ample opportunities, vocational skills, so that all of the shenanigans the “adults” pull do not continue to the next generation. Get the youth interested in the natural resources in the valley,solar power installation, help build a better government, have high standards and ethics. It is possible it really can happen if we teach people to care about themselves. Then they can care for others. ♥️
Bingo there you go.
It has to start with the kids
The kommiefirnia jusrice system does almost nothing to criminals there is very little if any good job oppertuntes on the noth coast these days.
All the good jobs have been exporred to China and the few remaining jobs you can not support a family on
The kids need a future yet the elite keep everyone under control and divide people along race lines as well as dems vs republicans. While we fight each other both parties continue to screw us while paying lip sercice that they care.
It really is a opportunity!!! If we choose to focus on the youth up there shine up some life skills. Let’s have a youth Mentor group out at Yuki Trails. Help keep the kids sober before they start anything. Or a mentoring group at the Health Center some might get interested in nursing, or being a FNP,PA, PHYSICIAN.. Or mentoring at the dump. Recycling, hauling learning of toxic items. The local Tribal office s dispatch or with Tribal Police. Having a youth Sheriff’s group. Search and rescue youth crew. Keep the valley beautiful youth crew. There’s so much opportunity. Oh hell if we did this ANYWHERE. If youth can keep going forward, sober, proud, and determined
the future is pretty damn BRIGHT! ♥️
Agreed, I like your thinking.
I have always been curious about the valley, seeing signs on 101 while I was traveling from Humboldt to the bay over the last 30 years.
I was horrified by the story of the “Covelo Six” last year and read all the comments, including those made by “Mendo Historian” who pointed out that Azbill (one of the suspects) had the name of the monster who “discovered” the valley in the 1850’s. The commentator included links to the history of the valley and it was painful reading. Especially the Mendocino Trail of Tears.
So I’ve been curious about Covelo and decided to drive down there and see for myself. Plan was to travel from 101 and out to the I-5 corridor but there was too much snow. What a beautiful valley. Please know that people are rooting for you to find solutions to current troubles and im hoping your kids find opportunities and a good life in your little corner if the world.
Oh wow. Big surprise. Go to work for a tribe if you want to witness lawlessness, excuses, and bullshit.
Matthew 24:12 And because LAWLESSNESS abounds….. Just saying! Find a King James Bible and look up the book Matthew. Go to chapter 24 and you’ll find some VERY relevant info for today!
What’s up with that completely unmarked patrol car
It is not unmarked. There is CHP insignia on the door, just can’t be seen in the photo.
Many of us are so deeply grateful for the presence of the law over the past few days. You would have to live in the town to understand what a Mad Max out of control hellhole it’s become. Thanks to this operation, we’ve had a few blessedly quiet days and the first good night’s rest in literally years. On our knees with gratitude.
Heartfelt thanks to all LEO.
Is Ted Simon still there?
He is living in France. He still has his place on East Lane, but rents it out. Saw him just before the plague. Looking older but still truckin’. Forgot what his new book is about. He did a reprise of his “Travels With Jupiter” trip. When he went to the pyramids the two brothers that give tourists camel rides ran up to him and said “We were waiting for your return”.
Good to finally see law enforcement for the speeders. Is there a speed limit in town or is it the autobahn? Be careful pulling out from the post office or from howard to main, might get t-boned by a speeder going 50 or 60. Tribal police could stop the speeding but their bosses, the tribal council, just don’t care.
Round Valley Tribal police have no jurisdiction in the town of Covelo.. I believe that is MCSO.. correct me if I’m wrong.. please!! What about CHP?? Do they have jurisdiction on tribal land or only HWY 162?? Hmmm!?!!?!
Should we ask them to start working on the dam now?
Thanks to the Sheriff and CHP the roads and streets are much quieter and safer, the past few days.
The only ones upset about this are the ones driving erratic. I hope they do this All Summer Long. Even better if they stay overnight so they can catch the Tweakers going to the trailer park to buy drugs then to Henderson to be distributed, to the rez. Sad cycle too
Illegals trading drugs and money for grow locations. Then when things go sour, which generally happens when you’ve been up for 5 days and are delusional. That’s when the disagreements and gun fights happen. And that’s why there’s crime 24/7 in Covelo
The sheriff allowed this to happen for many years. It was common knowledge what was going on in Covelo yet they received zero attention from those in power. Those multi-agency busts 2-3 years ago in the back of Spy Rock and Woodman were only a few miles away from Covelo yet Covelo was completely untouched (yes- I wrote a comment at that time saying exactly wtf?!) Sheriff Tom Allman was in charge over the years that Covelo really went downhill. Sheriff Tom Allman suddenly left office while there was a shushed-up federal investigation going on into his office. What was that investigation uncovering? It’s all our tax money paying them all but I guess we don’t get to know? Well…it’s going to take years to unravel what was allowed to put down roots in Covelo. Nice to see some traffic stops but c’mon guys- that’s just the window dressing don’t congratulate yourselves too much! It will take federal intervention to push back the cartels, not Andy and Barney Fife. I’d suggest you put every single dollar of eradication funding into Covelo area for a couple years- for starters. Parcel by parcel repeatedly and multiple times per year. And…Leave the little people over there be!
This means if your brown your going to get harassed. Racial Profiling in Covelo has gone way over the top with this latest chapter of genocidal discrimination. They couldnt kill all the indians for 170 years and MCSO has been implicit since its founding in 1854. Genocide and Racism by MCSO still very much alive and well. There is an agenda and it doesn’t include mexicans and indians. If your browm watch your back. This racism and corruption is entrenched in MCSO ; Google “Mendocino War” “Mendocino Genocide” ” The Stolen Valley”
When will you people learn… there are no cartels here in covelo!! Gosh your dumb ?… have you seen them??? Did you have contact with them?? Or your just saying that because they are mexican?? Yeah exactly!!! So stfu