Coroner seeks ID of John Doe found dead in the Rio Hondo Wash

1003_NWS_WDN-L-JOHNDOE2This comes from a Department of Coroner press release issued Wednesday morning:

The Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner is seeking the public’s help with the identification of an unidentified male.
On July 31, 2013 at approximately 11:00 A.M., human skeletal remains were found along the Rio Hondo Riverbed bike path near Lincoln Avenue and San Gabriel Boulevard in Montebello, CA. The remains were determined to be a White or Hispanic male with an age range between 35 and 55 years of age. He has a partial denture at the back of his lower right jaw. No wallet or other identifying papers were found with him or in the surrounding area.

There’s two sketches included with the press release. This is the one that’s most telling.

Know who it is? Call the LA County Coroner at 323-343-0714.

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Police academy misconduct alleged

Cheating. And, porn and guns and aspiring cops. That’s the atmosphere at the Rio Hondo Police Academy, according to a former employee who laid it all out for the school’s Board of Trustees in a letter that we’ve exclusively obtained. Here’s a bit of Dan Tedford’s story on the subject:

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“There are police officers on the street not properly trained with the shotgun,” Lopez wrote in the letter. “If there is an accidental discharge or one of these officers shoots someone with the shotgun, and there is a (sic) law suit, the college will be on the hook for any damages.”

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Joe Santoro out at Rio Hondo Police Academy in wake of cheating scandal

This just in. Joe Santoro is out.

Here’s the story:

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WHITTIER – Rio Hondo College officials have announced that Dean of Public Safety Joe Santoro, who was overseeing the college’s police academy when it was suspended by the state in October for a breach in testing security, has gone on personal leave and plans to retire next summer.

Santoro, the former police chief in Monrovia, has worked at Rio Hondo for more than seven years.

During his tenure at Rio Hondo, officials said the police academy received a 2008 award from the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) for training excellence and organizational achievement.

Currently, the academy remains on suspension following an incident where a police academy instructor discovered actual test questions on a cadet study guide, which college officials said they self-reported to POST.

The photo of Joe Santoro comes from the Monterey Park Police Department archives, on Flickr

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