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About this blog: I am a native of Alameda County, grew up in Pleasanton and currently live in the house I grew up in that is more than 100 years old. I spent 39 years in the daily newspaper business and wrote a column for more than 25 years in add...  (More)

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New District Attorney launches second probe into officer-involved shootings

Uploaded: Feb 7, 2023
Sadly, it’s not surprising to read that the newly seated Alameda County District Attorney formally re-opened investigations into eight police-involved deaths.
One is targeted at two Pleasanton officers who were cleared by former DA Nancy O’Malley in December after a 10-month investigation. Pamela Price’s announcement said the newly created Public Accountability Unit would handle the cases.
Her statement is cause for significant concern.
"We have seen many thoughts and prayers being bandied about the police murder of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee. The people of Tennessee want accountability -- and so do the people of Alameda County. I promised accountability. This unit and its work are the start of the reckoning Alameda County has asked for holding people accountable for their misconduct."
The implication in her statement is that O’Malley and police departments may not been holding them accountable previously. For the officers involved, it must feel like double jeopardy after getting cleared and then another investigation starts.
The Pleasanton officers union president said they were confident that the shooting of a knife-wielding man by officers Brian Jewell and Mario Guillermo would again be found necessary.
Stay tuned, but what’s clear is there’s a different agenda in the DA’s office.
Here are the final two Tri-Valley Ventures spotlighted companies from last week’s gathering.
Apton Biosystems, based in Pleasanton, manufactures huge machines that are designed to combine artificial intelligence, with extraordinary optics and engineering and physics to evaluate DNA and proteins at the molecular level. CEO Jack Hanna said they’ve built six generations of machines and accumulated vast amounts of data with these machines that are designed to help researchers evaluate the entire body. Please forgive me for lack of details—it flew over my head---you can check the website, but it’s a life science/technology company operating in similar space to 10X Genomics and Unchained Labs by building diagnostic machines.
The fourth spotlighted firm, Rezolve.ai, is developing a solution that could make millions of workers happy. The goal is to automate the first level help desk call—new password, locked out of system, new employee onboarding, etc. CEO Saurabh Kumar estimated that employees make about 1 billion calls monthly and each call costs about $20 to resolve by sending an email or making a phone call plus the time lag. Their automated solution is working for companies—their run rate crossed $2 million this year and they expect to double this year. What’s interesting is they’ve done this by referral without a sales and marketing effort.
Service Now, which has a major facility in Dublin, does that on an out-source basis and has about $5 billion annual revenue, so there’s plenty of room for Rezolve to grow by taking care of the first layer of support.
Democracy.
What is it worth to you?

Comments

Posted by laurenwaters, a resident of Rosepointe,
on Feb 7, 2023 at 11:09 pm

laurenwaters is a registered user.

Thank you for giving such useful information that is often difficult to come by. Good job. Excellent article and your website are quite user-friendly. Your website and essay are fantastic.


Posted by Bob Britton , a resident of another community,
on Feb 8, 2023 at 9:38 am

Bob Britton is a registered user.

Double jeopardy is a legal protection against being prosecuted twice for the same crime after being found innocent the first time. These officers were not prosecuted, thus your analogy is disingenuous. Our District Attorney was clear during her campaign that she would re-examine police shootings. Largely on the basis of that pledge she was elected to do just that. I have watched the video of this shooting and it appears to show an officer dodging the thrown knife. If that is correct, I can understand the officers' anger, but that would mean they shot an unarmed man, clearly an unjustified shooting. A decision has not been made to indict yet and even if indictments are brought a guilty verdict would require proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Taking a second look by a new D.A, who unlike her predecessor has refused political contributions from police unions is reasonable. She has not opined on the officers' guilt or innocence. She is simply keeping a campaign promise to those who elected her.


Posted by Malcolm Hex, a resident of San Ramon,
on Feb 8, 2023 at 10:07 am

Malcolm Hex is a registered user.

Good in formation indeed. I want to make sure I get this right.

So, newly elected District Attorney Pamela Price isn't satisfied with former District Attorney Nancy O'Malley's investigations of police officers cleared of wrongdoing. And as a result, Price has created this Open Accountability Unit, which will re-investigate those very same police officers O'Malley cleared.

Every single one of those police officers should file a civil suit against Price and Alameda County. This is nothing but payback on Price's part. I guess she feels that the attorneys in her office aren't qualified to investigate closed cases, so she invents this bogus Open Accountability Unit.

This is very dangerous territory here folks. Price is creating what basically amounts to a tribunal- a second court of justice. You're right Tim, this is double jeopardy.

the German legal system before, during, and after Hitler's rule during the Third Reich showed how fragile the safeguards of a civilized society can be when the legal system cannot, or does not, resist rampant misrule. Price ain't Hitler, but she's going down the same path.

When democracy is subverted it is the institutional reliability of the judicial system that is dismantled first.


Posted by Long Time Pleasanton Resident, a resident of Mohr Park,
on Feb 8, 2023 at 11:20 am

Long Time Pleasanton Resident is a registered user.

California has gone to the deep end. It is a sad state of affairs. Never ending investigations. I guess this is the reason we have good employment #'s. Enough is enough. Persecuting our police officers after they were cleared of any wrong doing is just plain wrong. Can we have a recall?


Posted by Teresa Jackson, a resident of another community,
on Feb 8, 2023 at 1:46 pm

Teresa Jackson is a registered user.

The two officers were not cleared by a court of law. The former DA simply conducted an investigation and decided not to pursue the matter.

The new DA is holding them accountable for their past actions and pursuing the matter further.

@Malcom Hex...Hitler's 'police force' effectively ensured that he remained in power...big difference.


Posted by Malcolm Hex, a resident of San Ramon,
on Feb 8, 2023 at 6:52 pm

Malcolm Hex is a registered user.

@ Teresa

Your DA is implementing a two-tiered system of justice. Instead of Price doing her job, she wants to create this stupid Public Accountability Unit to do her work for her. She's got an agenda.

And by the way, the Nazis took control of and subsequently transformed the police forces of the Weimar Republic into instruments of state repression and, eventually, of genocide. They did so by Nazifying policing. The new government removed anti-Nazi police leaders, reorganized Germany's police forces, and reoriented police culture towards Nazism.

Price has an axe to grind with law enforcement. She wants to mold police to her liking, just like the Nazis did.




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