Video Exclusive
WHAT’S INSIDE: NEWS 2
Police raid prostitution ring OPINION 4
Taxi app causes legal trouble FEATURES 6
Local artist pursues music career Daily Titan News Brief - Get up-to-date coverage on top campus news stories.
Vo l u m e 9 2 , I s s u e 4 9
T H U R S D AY, D E C E M B E R 6 , 2 0 1 2
Tech protects cops and public RAYMOND MENDOZA & PETER PHAM Daily Titan
Bruises sustained after a violent encounter with the law often heal long before either party is due in court, but like physical scars, the intention to tell the truth before a judge may also fade over time. Because of the confrontational nature of law enforcement, police departments around the world often require officers to record their encounters with the public using audio and video devices. The instruments, which can be installed on police cruisers or worn as part of the officer’s uniform, are meant to provide concrete evidence in court cases where either party’s testimony is in dispute. University Police Capt. John Brockie said he believes the audio recording devices, which campus police are re-
quired to wear, help with the overall process of criminal investigations and day-to-day work for a police officer at Cal State Fullerton. Brockie noted that the “accuracy and its additional evidence” are the most important aspects of digital recordings because they help create an accurate picture of police interactions with citizens or suspected criminals. “We book the audio recordings into evidence,” said Brockie. “When we interview someone in the station in our interview room, we have video and audio.” Brockie also mentioned that he believes digital audio recording devices are going to be part of standard police equipment for neighboring cities and counties. “In Orange County and different countries there’s an expectation when you’re interviewing someone in a custodial setting that it at least audio recorded. Out in the field there is not that expectation yet, but I see it coming,” Brockie said. SEE RECORDING, 3
dailytitan.com
ROBERT HUSKEY / Daily Titan
Think before adopting
A recently picked up dog, a terrier mix, sits inside its kennel in Orange Tuesday waiting to be adopted into a new family.
thought before buying a pet for the holiAuthorities discourage ‘impulse buying’ when it comes to adopting days. “The reason is, the holidays are not alpets during the holiday season BEVI EDLUND Daily Titan
WILLIAM CAMARGO / Daily Titan
Capt. John Brockie holds a new police dashboard camera.
Pet experts say there are many things to consider before making a purchase or adoption during the holiday season. K.C. Theisen, director of pet care at the Humane Society of the United States, said people often “impulse buy” when it comes to pets. People get very much wrapped up in the excitement and the impulse moment, she said. Theisen recommended giving serious
ways the best time for your recipient to bring a new animal home,” said Theisen. “You have to remember that you’re giving this person a lifetime responsibility, and to suddenly surprise them with it may not be in the best interest of the gift recipient or of the pet involved.” Due to some chaotic households around the holidays, she recommends getting a gift certificate to a local pet shelter or putting a stuffed pet dog or cat under the tree with a collar, tag and leash. She said this lets “the kids know: ‘hey, we’re going to go get a new pet. But we’re going to wait until this crazy
CAMPUS | Profile
SUE LAGARDE Daily Titan
Every year in the United States, there are many families who are separated because a family member is deported. Deportation can be a result of a variety of instances, from committing terrorist crimes to being convicted of certain crimes. Carlos Zelaya was 8 years old when his father was deported to Mexico. His father’s deportation was a result of a drug and alcohol addiction and domestic violence. “Until the age of eight my grandma raised me, my dad was in the picture but he was an alcoholic and a drug dealer,” said Zelaya. “From what I remember my mom telling me, he broke her jaw, broke her arm and he would hurt me, my brothers and sisters.” Beginning from age 8 until about 15, Zelaya never lived in one place for more than two years. He lived in various places along the West Coast, including Fullerton, Anaheim, Oregon and Washington. There are many experiences that help define Zelaya as an individual today, he said, but a crucial moment that resonates occurred when he was 15 years old. “I was unjustly thrown into a rehabilitation center, despite never having touched drugs,” Zelaya said. “My parents sent me there for two years because
my stepfather and I had a troublesome relationship.” During that time, Zelaya’s stepfather was training to become a California Highway Patrol Officer, and often used his training to physically harm Zelaya. “When I rebelled against the degrading and humiliating treatment and sought help from my mother, she sided with him. She took the abuse further by trying to make me obedient through unnecessary medication which I refused to take,” he said. Zelaya ran away from home and filed domestic violence charges against his parents. He said authorities did not believe him and as a result his stepfather sent him to a rehabilitation center in Mexico. After two years of being incarcerated in a place that according to Zelaya was ran by drug dealers, he escaped. “I hid for three months in Mexico; working and saving money to fund my return to California,” Zelaya said. Eventually, Zelaya reached his grandmother’s house in Fullerton. Once back in the United States, he was unable to find an attorney for a person in his situation, so Zelaya represented himself in court. “It took three months for the courts to vindicate me, thereby emancipating me from my mother,” Zelaya said. After getting a full-time job at a shoe store, Zelaya wanted to get his life together and refused to be held back. He tried enrolling at a local high school but was denied due to a shortage in credits.
CONTACT US AT DTNEWSDESK@GMAIL.COM
part of the year is finished.’” The number of adoptions have classically spiked around the holiday season, said Ryan Drabek, director of OC Animal Care in Orange. “Our staff is good about inquiring with folks when they come in to adopt, (such as) trying to find out their living situation, trying to find out if they’ve owned pets before and their experience,” said Drabek. “If they come in trying to adopt a certain breed and it doesn’t seem like a good fit, obviously we’ll try to discourage that. We can’t discriminate, but we can certainly discourage certain adoptions,” he said. SEE PETS, 3
CAMPUS | Speech
Despite trials, Titan carries on Carlos Zelaya overcomes domestic violence and homelessness to succeed
Women’s basketball travels to Gonzaga
PETS: ADOPTING OR SHOPPING
STATE | Police
Digital recordings provide valuable court evidence of police confrontations
SPORTS 8
Ambassador from Israel to visit campus NICHOLAS RUIZ Daily Titan
Zelaya’s time at Fullerton College wasn’t always positive. He often had to sleep in his car or on friends’ couches, since he did not have a home. Zelaya spent two years at a transitional housing program called Lake View Aisle during his time at Fullerton College. “For about two years I was living in a transitional housing program for former foster youth. That program gave me stable housing. Somewhere where I could keep my things and not worry about them being stolen. Where I could sleep at night and not worry about having a roof over my head and having blankets to keep me warm,” he said.
Israeli ambassador and head of Israel’s brand management team Ido Aharoni will be visiting Cal State Fullerton to relay successful Israeli business strategies to students and the community Thursday in the Titan Student Union. The event will be hosted by the Hillel Organization (HO), a group for undergraduate and graduate Jewish students. The group was founded by Eric Don, 21, a business administration major, who is also a member of Phi Beta Lambda, the Business Honors Society and a recurring writer for the University Honors newsletter. Don said the philanthropic and social organization welcomes people of all religions to join in its events. The ambassador’s visit will provide a rare look at the connection between politics and business through the lens of an experienced and global diplomat. “He will be speaking mainly about advances in areas of renewable energy, medicine, tech and agriculture among other and what Israel is doing with those innovations to help make the world a better place,” said Don. Aharoni usually lives in New York but is visiting select universities on the west coast, including CSUF. Don said he is excited to have the ambassador on campus, citing the teachers and staff that have asked him about this occasion.
SEE ABUSE, 5
SEE DIPLOMAT, 2
SUE LAGARDE / Daily Titan
Zeyala, in his third year at Cal State Fullerton, is studying psychology and is project director for Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
“I persisted and found ACCESS, a community day school, which allowed me to continue my education at an accelerated rate. I took advantage of every resource available in achieving a diploma,” Zelaya said. After two years with ACCESS, where he gained four years’ worth of credits, Zelaya graduated with a 3.5 GPA and was the keynote speaker at his graduation. Zelaya went on to enroll at Fullerton College after graduation. “Enrolling at Fullerton College was the next step towards the right path. The atmosphere, the constant progress, and the ability to look at a problem through various viewpoints, and come up with a plan of action astounded me,” he said.