Police steamed after small fire sets off sprinklers at headquarters

It wasn’t the heat, it was the humidity that got to members of the Richmond Police Department when a small fire broke out in the department headquarters Sunday morning. The fire-activated sprinkler systems extinguished the flames, but the sprinklers caused water damage severe enough to force the temporary relocation of 30 detectives and supervisors. Smoke damage…

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Police investigating marijuana find at Richmond officer’s home

Just before Thanksgiving last year, a UPS Store employee turned over a box containing about 5 lbs. of marijuana to Richmond police officer Joe Avila. But the marijuana he carried from the shop that afternoon was never booked into evidence at the precinct. According to a search warrant issued by the Contra Costa Superior Court in September, the drugs didn’t make it to the Richmond Police Department’s property vault, but ended up at Avila’s home in Oakley, 44 miles away.

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See Ruger bite, Richmond’s canine cops in action

Ronin pounced first, snapping his powerful canine jaws into Officer Mike Brown. Ruger came next, leaping into Brown, knocking the man down with a single strike. The crowd of mostly parents and children was riveted. Brown, a Richmond police officer, was okay, thanks to his training and protective suit. The fierce demonstration came thanks to…

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