Members of the Greek Orthodox Church Folk Dance and Choral Festival (FDF) will kick off their 41st annual festival by packaging 41,000 meals to combat childhood hunger.

The event will be held on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

Volunteers ranging from seven years of age to adult will work with the Feeding Children Everywhere hunger project, a nonprofit to help package food for those in need.

“The packaging is very competitive,” said Director of Development and Communications Kristen Bruskas, with the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco. “It is very fast paced, with motivating music. About 100 to 150 volunteers will get their gloves, hair nets and hats on to fill and weigh the packages as fast as possible within 90 minutes.”

The hunger project is open to anyone who wants to volunteer, said Bruskas, but primarily for members of the Greek Orthodox Church and those attending the festival later in the week. Volunteers can sign up online.

The food, mostly grains and nonperishables, are provided by Feed Children Everywhere to be packaged and distributed locally and internationally.

“It gives people a sense of the bigger picture,” said Bruskas. “Something bigger than individuals. That’s something we do as a church is reach out to people. We’re going to this convention and before even getting to the main events we’re going to reach out and help others first.”

As many as 1,000 to 3,000 people are expected to be in attendance for the festival, which will feature traditional Greek folk dance competitions from Feb. 17-19, Bruskas said.

It is the largest gathering of Greek Orthodox youth in the U.S., according to the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco. Around 67 parishes from all over the Western U.S. will be in attendance.

The festival is geared to promote Greek heritage and culture through dance, art and music, and is open to the public.

A one-day pass is $25 and a three-day pass is $70, according to the FDF website.

The hunger project will take place in the parking structure of the Town and Country Resort, while the festival will be held within the hotel’s convention center, located at 500 Hotel Circle North.

It was a troubling conflict for Kenneth Malbrough.

"I am a firm believer in our police department and I believe law enforcement is necessary for our community and I want it in my community,” Malbrough said.

Malbrough is a former City of San Diego employee serving with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department for 31 years. While with the department, he spent a good deal of his career on the streets of San Diego interacting with police officers at fire, disaster and rescue scenes.

But, as he told NBC 7 Investigates, he feels the San Diego Police Department, fell down on the job when it came to an important element in their effort to be connected to the communities the agency serves.

Malbrough lives and volunteers in his neighborhood of O’Farrell. The neighborhood was chosen along with the neighborhoods of Encanto, Skyline and Paradise Hills, as locations for a new SDPD acoustic surveillance technology called ShotSpotter. The technology pinpoints the locations of shots fired or explosions and alerts police within 45 seconds.

According to Malbrough, he learned of the plans to activate the system seven weeks before it was installed and only learned of these installation plans after receiving an environmental review notice, required by law, which was sent to residents in his neighborhood. The document contained little information about ShotSpotter.

Searching emails and other documents obtained through the California Public Records Act (CPRA), NBC 7 Investigates has tried for months to determine exactly when the decision was made to buy the the new technology. Repeated requests for specific details on when the purchase was made, resulted in responses from the SDPD that lacked any specifics.

To learn more about the CPRA click here. 

As an active community member, Malbrough said he wondered why he didn't know about the installation of the system before it was a done deal.

One of his main questions: "it (ShotSpotter) appears to collect a lot of data, which got me thinking, what do they do with the data?"

He said he wondered if the information generated by the data might affect his home's value, he also said he was concerned it might increase his insurance rates.

NBC 7 Investigates came across Malbrough's inquires to police when reviewing the documents obtained through the CPRA. His request generated a fact sheet about the system from the company that sells ShotSpotter.

After reading about how the system worked, Malbrough said, "most community members would have said, ‘you know what, this is not a bad idea,’ I just have a few questions I want some assurances.”

A representative with the SDPD responded to his inquiry and told him the data collected would be kept only for investigations, it would not be sold to others, including insurance companies. Malbrough said he appreciated the response to his inquiry but the way the SDPD communicated with community bothers him. It “bothers me a lot," he said.

Emails obtained through the CPRA, show early on, SDPD's may have been concerned about revealing the location of the ShotSpotter sensors.

According to an email from the SDPD’s Sergio Zamora, "The city engineer put a stop to the installation because they wanted ShotSpotter to open an SDGE account before moving forward. As you know if ShotSpotter were to open an account with SDGE it would reveal the sensor locations."

Malbrough, who sits on a several city and community boards, some of which are attended by police officers, said it seemed odd to him that there was never mention of the ShotSpotter program.

"Why was it so secretive?” he said. “Why didn't you want to have these discussions? Why not garner support from the community on this?”

Click here to read Malbrough’s concerns. 

San Diego City Councilman, David Alvarez expressed similar concerns. He told NBC 7 Investigates, “we (City Council) did not have to authorize the expenditure of the purchase of the program, so, we actually don’t know anything officially. It’s all from what we’ve been able to gather from news organizations like yours.”

In an email to NBC 7 Investigates, the SDPD Lt. Scott Wahl said, "...We are excited about this new technology and we are hopeful it will help us keep our community safe. We have been open regarding the implementation of this system. Prior to it being installed, we met with City Council, various community leaders and clergy, as well as other law enforcement agencies to get their feedback on how this system works. In addition we submitted the required public record notices including an Environmental Impact Report that allows for public review and comment.”

In 2015, in its assessment of the SDPD, the Police Executive Research Forum's warned, "the department had been disconnected from the neighborhoods it served." The group recommended the agency step-up its communication efforts within communities.

Following the report, in June 2016, SDPD Chief of Police Shelley Zimmerman assured a city council committee her agency had implemented changes as suggested, improving community outreach by adding nine special community relations officers and attending 1,100 community events per quarter.

Click here to read more about the improvements. 

NBC 7 Investigates reached out to Councilwoman Myrtle Cole, who represents the area the equipment was installed. When asked if her office was made aware of the program and what effort was done to inform citizens about the new technology coming into the neighborhoods, Cole’s Chief of Staff Jimmie Slack said the police did tell the office about the program, though he didn't provide a specific date for when this occurred.

As to informing the public he said, "It is my understanding that the Police Chief and some of her officers spoke to various community members, community leaders, and community advisory board members about ShotSpotter."

According to Slack, Cole's office depended on the police to do the outreach, they didn’t do any from their office.

Click here to see the full response from Cole’s office. 

“At the end of the day, public knowledge of this system (ShotSpotter) acts as a deterrent to those who might think of firing a gun in one of our neighborhoods,” Wahl said. “It doesn't make any sense for us to keep this technology a secret.”

“I think what our duty now is going forward is to make sure there is transparency and these expenditures have actually led to something tangible and positive for the community,” Alvarez said.

A crackdown across the U.S. on illegal immigration has sparked mixed reactions from the local community.

More than 600 people were arrested across the nation, as U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has targeted scores of undocumented immigrants. President Donald Trump has called last week's ICE operations a 'crackdown.'

However, the newly appointed Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said these type of operations have been going on for years and are routine.

Although it's not yet clear if ICE will implement a strong crackdown in San Diego County, it's already having an impact on locals. The possibility of increased deportations raises strong opinions.

"I don't think it's right at all, and I wish that families would be able to stay together, but there isn't really much we can do about it," Martiza Vasquez, a San Diego resident, told NBC 7.

Another resident, who supports ICE's immigration enforcement, held a very different view.

“People are here illegally, and if they are committing a crime, then they have every right to deport them,” Linda Moore said.

During last week's raids, 680 people were arrested in operations that took place in five major cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Antonio, Atlanta and New York. Most of those arrested had a criminal record, according to Security Secretary Kelly.

Under President Obama's administration there were more than 200,000 removals of undocumented immigrants in 2016, according to ICE's webpage. In those cases, 58 percent of those deported had criminal records.

An 80-year old man was taken to the hospital with serious injuries after a hit-and-run Monday night in National City.

The incident occurred at 6:57 p.m. on the 2200 block of 4th Avenue, according to the National City Police Department.

Police said the man had been crossing the street at 4th and V avenues in front of his home when a dark colored sedan hit him. The driver of the car did not stop.

The victim is not expected to survive.

"He was thrown into a parked vehicle about roughly 20 feet," National City Police Sgt. Dennis Leach said. "It would be tough for a 20-year-old to survive that kind of crash, let alone an 80-year-old."

At this time, the driver of the vehicle is unknown.

No other information was available.

More than a dozen puppies rescued from an East Los Angeles junkyard weeks ago will be up for adoption this Valentine's week in San Diego. 

The litters of puppies, bred wild, were salvages two weeks ago in a junkyard 70 miles east of Los Angeles, at the edge of the Mojave Desert. 

Four to five litters of mixed puppies - ranging from four to six weeks old - were left to fend for themselves, unaltered and with no vaccinations, nourishment or medical care. 

An independent rescue group entered the junkyard and convinced the owner to let them bring the 19 puppies to Helen Woodward Animal Center. 

After medical and foster care, the nicknamed Sweetheart Puppies will be available for adoption this Valentine's week. 

“These puppies really fit their names,” said Helen Woodward Animal Center Inventory Manager LaBeth Thompson in a statement. “They are so loving and want nothing more than to snuggle and find a cozy lap. It’s incredible because they really knew no human kindness until they came here but now they’re ready to accept all the love and happiness any person is willing to give.”

If you are interested in adopting one of the Sweetheart Puppies, contact the Adoptions Department at by calling 858-756-4117 ext. 1, visiting this link, or stopping by the center at 6461 El Apajo Road in Rancho Santa Fe.

The minimum wage increase in the City of San Diego will impact the membership rates at the local YMCA, a spokesperson confirmed with NBC 7 on Monday.

San Diego's minimum wage went up to $11.50 per hour in January, which is lower than the state's minimum wage. 

Now, the YMCA, one of the largest employers in San Diego County said it has to raise membership rates by a couple of dollars to pay its employees the new wage.

But Courtney Pendleton, YMCA spokesperson said the change does not impact other costs.

"The benefit to being a member is you get a discount on different programs, whether it be youth programs or maybe gymnastics classes," Pendleton said. "All of those are extra within the YMCA. Those prices remain the same.”

Fees will be increased at different times at YMCA locations across the county. The amount of fee hike depends on what type of membership you have.

The YMCA employees approximately 5,000 people in the county. 

The emergency at the Lake Oroville dam has put a renewed spotlight on infrastructure in San Diego. 

Tuesday, the County of San Diego is putting an item before its board which would seek an additional $30 million annually to maintain roads. Additionally, on Monday, California Gov. Jerry Brown called for more infrastructure analysis and more funding for infrastructure.

A Country representative told NBC 7 it needs an additional $50 million dollars to make improvements.

In San Diego County alone, $69.2 million has been identified for maintenance in the next five years.

These are projects like the Woodside Avenue Flood Control Project in Lakeside. It started in the Spring of 2015 and replaced 2400 feet of undersized storm drain pipes. 

The project came with a $15 million price tag. Just around the corner is a street that floods constantly: Lemon Crest Drive. 

The water usually comes straight down a small creek between two homes.

It moves so quickly, one neighbor said he has seen kids come down here on inner-tubes.

For people on this street, it’s not so much fun. Many have sand bag walls to protect their property.

For commuters, it is not much better. Traffic backs up and commuters run the risk of stalling out in the high water.

The County said it would take $8 million dollars to fix this street and that construction is likely years from completion due to funding.

It was a troubling conflict for Kenneth Malbrough.

"I am a firm believer in our police department and I believe law enforcement is necessary for our community and I want it in my community,” Malbrough said.

Malbrough is a former City of San Diego employee serving with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department for 31 years. While with the department, he spent a good deal of his career on the streets of San Diego interacting with police officers at fire, disaster and rescue scenes.

But, as he told NBC 7 Investigates, he feels the San Diego Police Department, fell down on the job when it came to an important element in their effort to be connected to the communities the agency serves.

Malbrough lives and volunteers in his neighborhood of O’Farrell. The neighborhood was chosen along with the neighborhoods of Encanto, Skyline and Paradise Hills, as locations for a new SDPD acoustic surveillance technology called ShotSpotter. The technology pinpoints the locations of shots fired or explosions and alerts police within 45 seconds.

According to Malbrough, he learned of the plans to activate the system seven weeks before it was installed and only learned of these installation plans after receiving an environmental review notice, required by law, which was sent to residents in his neighborhood. The document contained little information about ShotSpotter.

Searching emails and other documents obtained through the California Public Records Act (CPRA), NBC 7 Investigates has tried for months to determine exactly when the decision was made to buy the the new technology. Repeated requests for specific details on when the purchase was made, resulted in responses from the SDPD that lacked any specifics.

To learn more about the CPRA click here. 

As an active community member, Malbrough said he wondered why he didn't know about the installation of the system before it was a done deal.

One of his main questions: "It (ShotSpotter) appears to collect a lot of data, which got me thinking, what do they do with the data?"

He said he wondered if the information generated by the data might affect his home's value, he also said he was concerned it might increase his insurance rates.

NBC 7 Investigates came across Malbrough's inquires to police when reviewing the documents obtained through the CPRA. His request generated a fact sheet about the system from the company that sells ShotSpotter.

After reading about how the system worked, Malbrough said, "most community members would have said, ‘you know what, this is not a bad idea,’ I just have a few questions I want some assurances.”

A representative with the SDPD responded to his inquiry and told him the data collected would be kept only for investigations, it would not be sold to others, including insurance companies. Malbrough said he appreciated the response to his inquiry but the way the SDPD communicated with community bothers him. It “bothers me a lot," he said.

Emails obtained through the CPRA, show early on, SDPD's may have been concerned about revealing the location of the ShotSpotter sensors.

According to an email from the SDPD’s Sergio Zamora, "The city engineer put a stop to the installation because they wanted ShotSpotter to open an SDGE account before moving forward. As you know if ShotSpotter were to open an account with SDGE it would reveal the sensor locations."

Malbrough, who sits on a several city and community boards, some of which are attended by police officers, said it seemed odd to him that there was never mention of the ShotSpotter program.

"Why was it so secretive?” he said. “Why didn't you want to have these discussions? Why not garner support from the community on this?”

Click here to read Malbrough’s concerns. 

San Diego City Councilman, David Alvarez expressed similar concerns. He told NBC 7 Investigates, “we (City Council) did not have to authorize the expenditure of the purchase of the program, so, we actually don’t know anything officially. It’s all from what we’ve been able to gather from news organizations like yours.”

In an email to NBC 7 Investigates, the SDPD Lt. Scott Wahl said, "...We are excited about this new technology and we are hopeful it will help us keep our community safe. We have been open regarding the implementation of this system. Prior to it being installed, we met with City Council, various community leaders and clergy, as well as other law enforcement agencies to get their feedback on how this system works. In addition we submitted the required public record notices including an Environmental Impact Report that allows for public review and comment.”

In 2015, in its assessment of the SDPD, the Police Executive Research Forum's warned, "the department had been disconnected from the neighborhoods it served." The group recommended the agency step-up its communication efforts within communities.

Following the report, in June 2016, SDPD Chief of Police Shelley Zimmerman assured a city council committee her agency had implemented changes as suggested, improving community outreach by adding nine special community relations officers and attending 1,100 community events per quarter.

Click here to read more about the improvements. 

NBC 7 Investigates reached out to Councilwoman Myrtle Cole, who represents the area the equipment was installed. When asked if her office was made aware of the program and what effort was done to inform citizens about the new technology coming into the neighborhoods, Cole’s Chief of Staff Jimmie Slack said the police did tell the office about the program, though he didn't provide a specific date for when this occurred.

As to informing the public he said, "It is my understanding that the Police Chief and some of her officers spoke to various community members, community leaders, and community advisory board members about ShotSpotter."

According to Slack, Cole's office depended on the police to do the outreach, they didn’t do any from their office.

Click here to see the full response from Cole’s office. 

“At the end of the day, public knowledge of this system (ShotSpotter) acts as a deterrent to those who might think of firing a gun in one of our neighborhoods,” Wahl said. “It doesn't make any sense for us to keep this technology a secret.”

“I think what our duty now is going forward is to make sure there is transparency and these expenditures have actually led to something tangible and positive for the community,” Alvarez said.

A death of a teenager a 20-year old cold case, originally ruled as an accident was recently changed to a homicide, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office.

On March 26, 1997, 16-year old Curtis Williamson got in an altercation with a group of people and ran into the water in Mission Bay to get away from them, according to San Diego Police.

His family said the teenager feared for his life and tried to hold on to a buoy, but it wasn't enough. His body was found in the water the next day.

"It's very tragic. I mean, you have to think 20 years, so you're missing Christmas, weddings, family events," said his cousin, Detoisha Williamson.

Williamson's death was ruled an accident, but his mother was not satisfied. She fought for two decades to have it overturned and an investigation into who may be to blame for his death.

On Feb. 1, 2017, the ME's office, along with San Diego Police looked at the case again dtermined the case to be a homicide.

"We haven't forgotten. We just want justice for our family," Detoisha said.

Williamson's mother has started an online petition in an effort to get laws changed to help parents receive humane treatment, justice and closure when their child’s death is being investigated.

Anyone with information on the identity or location of the suspect is asked to call the Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in this case. 

The young woman killed when a small plane carrying her and two other people crashed in a remote area of the Cleveland National Forest has been identified.

Three people people were on board when the small aircraft plunged into mountainous terrain. 

Shaira Noor, 20, was fatally injured when the plane crashed into the remote area northeast of the Ramona airport.

Noor's body was recovered from the crash site at about 10:30 a.m, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO).

A 28-year-old man and a 25-year-old man survived the crash with minor injuries. They were taken to the Palomar Hospital.

NAME's body was recovered form the scene by helicopter and taken by the Medical Examiner for further examination, according to the SDSO.

A Sheriff's Department helicopter (ASTREA) was able to locate the crash site, which was inaccessible to vehicles, according to the SDSO.

ASTREA helped the Medical Examiner to access the crash site, investigating and recovering the victim. 

A large crane helicopter will lift the crashed plane from its location, according to the SDSO.

The group was flying from the American Aviation Academy out of Gillespie Field, Cal Fire said. It was an instructor-student flight.

Chocolates, candies, balloons and flowers are a must-have for many on Feb. 14.

But now, it turns out where you celebrate Valentine's Day with your special someone may also be on that list.

Luckily, for San Diegans, it looks like you won't have to go too far.

San Diego was ranked the ninth best city in the United States to celebrate Valentine's Day by WalletHub. 

America's Finest City also took home the number three slot for the best weather.

Topping the list as the number one best city to celebrate Valentine's Day was San Francisco.

Michael Flynn was among the harshest critics of Hillary Clinton's private email server during the presidential campaign. So it is hardly surprising that the former Democratic contender exacted a smidgen of wry revenge Tuesday after Flynn resigned as President Donald Trump's national security adviser, NBC News reported.

In his resignation letter, Flynn said the "fast pace of events" meant he provided "incomplete information" to Vice President Mike Pence and others about phone calls last year in which he discussed American sanctions with Russia's ambassador in Washington.

Flynn wasn't the only critic of Clinton. His son, Michael G. Flynn, circulated another fake-news story tying the Clinton campaign to the so-called Pizzagate conspiracy theory, alleging in December that she had used the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in Washington, D.C. to run a child sex-trafficking operation.

Clinton referenced all this in a wry message early Tuesday, in which she retweeted a joke by Philippe Reines, who worked for Clinton in both the Senate and State Department. Reines' tweet referenced the two Flynns and their "pizza obsession," and included a link to the Dominos job application.

Target has recalled 1,300 threshold patio benches due to a fall hazard, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Target initiated the recall after receiving six reports of the patio benches collapsing while in use, resulting in one report of a knee injury.

This recall involves Threshold Aluminum Top/Steel X Base patio benches that were sold individually — for about $150 — and as part of a six-piece dining set — for about $1,000. The benches were sold in Target stores and on their website from January 2016 through July 2016.

Consumers should stop using the recalled benches and return them to any Target store for a full refund.

For more information, call Target at 800-440-0680 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., visit target.com or go to Target’s Facebook page.

Online: Target Recalls Patio Benches Due to Fall Hazard

A sinkhole has developed near an elementary school in Sabre Springs.

The damage was spotted in a creek bed below the parking lot of Creekside Elementary on Springhurst Drive, south of Poway Road.

A 72-inch drainage pipe sprung a leak, causing the sinkhole.

The parking lot was not damaged but has been closed to vehicles as a precaution.

Engineers with the City of San Diego will be out Tuesday to evaluate the damage and any potential threat to nearby roads and buildings.

The school schedule will not be affected.

No other information was available.

Check back for updates on this breaking news.

It was a troubling conflict for Kenneth Malbrough.

"I am a firm believer in our police department and I believe law enforcement is necessary for our community and I want it in my community,” Malbrough said.

Malbrough is a former City of San Diego employee serving with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department for 31 years. While with the department, he spent a good deal of his career on the streets of San Diego interacting with police officers at fire, disaster and rescue scenes.

But, as he told NBC 7 Investigates, he feels the San Diego Police Department, fell down on the job when it came to an important element in their effort to be connected to the communities the agency serves.

Malbrough lives and volunteers in his neighborhood of O’Farrell. The neighborhood was chosen along with the neighborhoods of Encanto, Skyline and Paradise Hills, as locations for a new SDPD acoustic surveillance technology called ShotSpotter. The technology pinpoints the locations of shots fired or explosions and alerts police within 45 seconds.

According to Malbrough, he learned of the plans to activate the system seven weeks before it was installed and only learned of these installation plans after receiving an environmental review notice, required by law, which was sent to residents in his neighborhood. The document contained little information about ShotSpotter.

Searching emails and other documents obtained through the California Public Records Act (CPRA), NBC 7 Investigates has tried for months to determine exactly when the decision was made to buy the the new technology. Repeated requests for specific details on when the purchase was made, resulted in responses from the SDPD that lacked any specifics.

To learn more about the CPRA click here. 

As an active community member, Malbrough said he wondered why he didn't know about the installation of the system before it was a done deal.

One of his main questions: "It (ShotSpotter) appears to collect a lot of data, which got me thinking, what do they do with the data?"

He said he wondered if the information generated by the data might affect his home's value, he also said he was concerned it might increase his insurance rates.

NBC 7 Investigates came across Malbrough's inquires to police when reviewing the documents obtained through the CPRA. His request generated a fact sheet about the system from the company that sells ShotSpotter.

After reading about how the system worked, Malbrough said, "most community members would have said, ‘you know what, this is not a bad idea,’ I just have a few questions I want some assurances.”

A representative with the SDPD responded to his inquiry and told him the data collected would be kept only for investigations, it would not be sold to others, including insurance companies. Malbrough said he appreciated the response to his inquiry but the way the SDPD communicated with community bothers him. It “bothers me a lot," he said.

Emails obtained through the CPRA, show early on, SDPD's may have been concerned about revealing the location of the ShotSpotter sensors.

According to an email from the SDPD’s Sergio Zamora, "The city engineer put a stop to the installation because they wanted ShotSpotter to open an SDGE account before moving forward. As you know if ShotSpotter were to open an account with SDGE it would reveal the sensor locations."

Malbrough, who sits on a several city and community boards, some of which are attended by police officers, said it seemed odd to him that there was never mention of the ShotSpotter program.

"Why was it so secretive?” he said. “Why didn't you want to have these discussions? Why not garner support from the community on this?”

Click here to read Malbrough’s concerns. 

San Diego City Councilman, David Alvarez expressed similar concerns. He told NBC 7 Investigates, “we (City Council) did not have to authorize the expenditure of the purchase of the program, so, we actually don’t know anything officially. It’s all from what we’ve been able to gather from news organizations like yours.”

In an email to NBC 7 Investigates, the SDPD Lt. Scott Wahl said, "...We are excited about this new technology and we are hopeful it will help us keep our community safe. We have been open regarding the implementation of this system. Prior to it being installed, we met with City Council, various community leaders and clergy, as well as other law enforcement agencies to get their feedback on how this system works. In addition we submitted the required public record notices including an Environmental Impact Report that allows for public review and comment.”

In 2015, in its assessment of the SDPD, the Police Executive Research Forum's warned, "the department had been disconnected from the neighborhoods it served." The group recommended the agency step-up its communication efforts within communities.

Following the report, in June 2016, SDPD Chief of Police Shelley Zimmerman assured a city council committee her agency had implemented changes as suggested, improving community outreach by adding nine special community relations officers and attending 1,100 community events per quarter.

Click here to read more about the improvements. 

NBC 7 Investigates reached out to Councilwoman Myrtle Cole, who represents the area the equipment was installed. When asked if her office was made aware of the program and what effort was done to inform citizens about the new technology coming into the neighborhoods, Cole’s Chief of Staff Jimmie Slack said the police did tell the office about the program, though he didn't provide a specific date for when this occurred.

As to informing the public he said, "It is my understanding that the Police Chief and some of her officers spoke to various community members, community leaders, and community advisory board members about ShotSpotter."

According to Slack, Cole's office depended on the police to do the outreach, they didn’t do any from their office.

Click here to see the full response from Cole’s office. 

“At the end of the day, public knowledge of this system (ShotSpotter) acts as a deterrent to those who might think of firing a gun in one of our neighborhoods,” Wahl said. “It doesn't make any sense for us to keep this technology a secret.”

“I think what our duty now is going forward is to make sure there is transparency and these expenditures have actually led to something tangible and positive for the community,” Alvarez said.

Right Rev. James Mathes announced his intention to resign as the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego on Monday.

After 12 years as bishop, Rev. Mathes plans to transition to associate dean of Virginia Theological Seminary in approximately four months, according to the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.

As a former teacher, his career change is “a natural fit,” the church said.

Mathes was consecrated as bishop of the Diocese of San Diego in 2005, during a time of division within the church regarding women’s and LGBT rights.

Since then, he created a diocesan school for ministry, an outreach center for San Diego’s needy, and started a development fund for the clergy, according to the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.

“Certainly there were times when were divided, as was the whole church, on issues such as human sexuality,” said Rev. Canon Allisyn Thomas, canon to the ordinary in The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego in a statement to the Church. “But through it all he continually reminded us to seek the will of God in all things. As a result we are in a much stronger place."

When Mathes leaves his position, the Church standing committee, made up of eight leaders from the diocese, will oversee his job while searching for a new bishop.

The process of finding a new one could take up to two years, according to the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.

The upscale $120 million Pendry San Diego hotel has officially opened in downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, after more than two years of construction at 550 J St.

At a Feb. 9 opening ceremony attended by local civic and business leaders, developer Robert Green of Encinitas said the property’s debut followed more than five years of planning, financing and design work. The location formerly housed a parking lot between Fifth and Sixth avenues.

Green developed the 317-room property with Alan Fuerstman, founder and CEO of the luxury-focused Montage Hotels & Resorts of Laguna Beach; and son Michael Fuerstman, co-founder of Montage’s new Pendry Hotels brand. The San Diego hotel is the first location of the boutique-style Pendry, to be followed next month by an opening in Baltimore.

Officials said each Pendry will have design and service elements unique to the history and culture of its surroundings. Pendry San Diego has six on-site restaurants and bars, including the upscale Lionfish seafood restaurant and Nason’s Beer Hall, a German-style pub and bar named for Nason & Co. Farmer’s Market, a grocer that occupied the site for much of the 1900s.

The San Diego hotel also features local artwork and historic photos, and there is a rooftop pool deck and outdoor meeting space with views of the surrounding downtown. The property has approximately 35,000 square feet of meeting and function space, including an 8,400-square-foot grand ballroom.

The new hotel employs approximately 400, with operations led by General Manager Michael O’Donohue, who previously served as general manager at W San Diego.

Lovebirds, this one’s for you: the county of San Diego is offering walk-in services on Tuesday – Valentine’s Day – for couples looking to tie the knot.

The county of San Diego will issue marriage licenses and conduct wedding ceremonies at Waterfront Park in downtown San Diego – no appointment necessary. Couples can also renew their vows.

The County Administration Center, located at 1600 Pacific Highway, will be the only county office offering walk-in wedding services on the holiday. Walk-ins can visit Suite 273 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; those with appointments for marriage licenses and ceremonies will be seen from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

These days in San Diego County, a marriage license costs $70 while a wedding ceremony performed by county staffers costs an additional $88. But, what some couples may find priceless, is the special Feb. 14 date, which may make it easy to remember that anniversary year after year.

At other county offices – San Marcos, El Cajon and Chula Vista – appointments are required for Valentine’s Day marriage services. If available, those appointment can be made by calling (619) 237-0502.

Police officers surrounded a neighborhood in Pacific Beach Tuesday morning following a report of a disturbance allegedly involving a man who was possibly armed. 

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) received a report around 7:50 a.m. of a man, possibly armed with a gun, allegedly holding someone against their will at a home in the 3900 block of Sequoia Street.

As of 8:30 a.m., officers were trying to make contact with the man. Several SDPD vehicles surrounded the home where the man was believed to be holed up. Police asked drivers and residents to avoid the area.

Officers attempted to speak with the person who reported the incident but ultimately, police were not able to verify her report. Officers deemed the situation to be unsubstantiated and left the neighborhood at around 9:35 a.m.

No one was hurt and no crime was commited, police said. No other information was available.

President Donald Trump appointed retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg as acting national security adviser after Michael Flynn's resignation.

Kellogg, 72, is one of several potential picks for the permanent post, based on what senior administration officials told NBC News.

Kellogg, a decorated Army veteran, was a top policy adviser for Trump during his campaign and among the original contenders before Flynn secured the job, according to NBC News.

Other possible picks: Former CIA Director David Petraeus, retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward and former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.

Petraeus, 64, is a retired four-star general and was once America's top official in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He had to step down as CIA director after it became known in 2012 that he shared classified information with a biographer who was also his mistress.

Harward, a former Navy SEAL, is the front-runner for the job, three senior officials told NBC News. Harward spent almost 40 years in the Navy and was on President George W. Bush's National Security Council with experience in several Middle Eastern countries as well as Somalia and Bosnia.