San Diego city workers sealed off the entrances to several underground tunnels and caves Thursday morning along Sunset Cliffs in Ocean Beach.

“I think it goes completely under this parking lot” said Jose DeSantiago of La Mesa, who explored the tunnels before they were closed.

“You kind of go into this really crowded cramped hole. There are rocks surrounding you,” DeSantiago described. “It’s really hard to get into it at first. But after the first five feet, it kind of tunnels out and it just gets bigger and bigger and wider and wider until eventually you can stand”.

Jose’s curiosity is exactly what the city is up against as they try to keep the tunnels off limits because of safety concerns.

Ocean Beach locals say teens and young adults are the main people who enter the caves.

“It’s just a well-known fact that young kids who are underage will go down here and drink. Their parents might not know they’re down there. What if somebody falls? Gets hurt?” said Donna Napolitan, a 35-year resident of Ocean Beach.

The tunnel sealed off by San Diego’s Park and Recreation department Thursday isn’t the only one in the area.

“I’ve heard an urban legend about there being one that was used during prohibition where boats would pull up and unload and carry the alcohol in underneath one of the homes upon the cliffs” Napolitan said.

A woman who answered the door of the home referenced by Napolitan said there is a sealed off entrance in her basement which she believes once led to the tunnels.

While some people consider the underground pathways a “hidden gem” worth exploring, the city says they are too dangerous to be left open and accessible.

As federal officials grapple with a crisis-level influx of Central Americans who are showing up at U.S. borders, NBC 7 Investigates found at least three immigrant families released to a Santee shelter kept in deplorable conditions.

A resident led us through the shelter on Prospect Avenue, navigating our news crew through piles of bedding visibly covered in flies, fleas and maggots. At least eight, bedraggled children scurried into an already-crowded back bedroom upon our arrival.

NBC 7 Investigates found 16 infants, children and adults living in a three-bedroom, 2,100-square foot home with no water or food.

“It’s just appalling. They had a bed bug infestation here. They had locks on the refrigerators and the cabinets. There were 42 people living in this house,” said a woman who identified herself as Vanessa Christian. She displayed pictures from her phone of the locks on the refrigerator and cabinets.

Inside the “House of Hope,” there’s very little of it.
Children can’t remember the last time they went to school. They take spit baths in the back yard where they pour bottled water over each other’s heads to ease itching. That’s when they can afford bottled water.

Using the restroom involves holding down the toilet handle while pouring costly bottled water down it to flush. A barefoot baby toddles dangerously close to a discarded needle on the floor.

Barrett said he closed down the shelter for undocumented immigrants, homeless and disabled people at the beginning of July when he received code compliance notices from the City of Santee.

“The people who are currently at the Santee house are choosing to stay there, under those conditions that they’re in,” Barrett said. “And there’s nothing I can do about that.”

The residents who remained in the home said they refused to relocate to another of Barrett’s shelters because they didn’t feel they were being treated fairly. They said Barrett collects their welfare benefits, which leaves them financially bound to him. Barrett said he does sometimes collect resident’s social security benefits from a designated payee in order to provide them shelter and food, but he does not currently collect anything from those still living in the “House of Hope."

Barrett says care at the sober living home began to deteriorate when some started drinking and using drugs again.

“The household was just a place to help people get off the streets and get a better way of life,” Barrett said. “And you can’t help everybody. I’ve been doing this about nine years and you get in a situation where you have people who want to come and live and don’t want to be responsible.”

Barrett said until recently the home was clean, orderly with plenty of food and room. According to Barrett, only 25 people lived in the house at one time. He said he began relocating responsible people from the “House of Hope” to other shelters he runs throughout the county in early July, when the City of Santee called to inspect the house.

But, when he got a call from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he decided he could take one more family from Guatemala into his care at the Santee shelter.

“They call me all the time when they can’t place somebody. They call me because they know I’ll take them,” Barrett said.

An ICE spokeswoman said her records indicate three immigrant families have been taken to the Santee shelter. Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for the federal agency, stressed that families are not “placed” with Barrett but rather “referred.” The process, she said, is they are released by ICE and then referred to Barrett. Sometimes ICE agents drive the families to the shelter, she said.

Residents said that leads to confusion among the non-English speaking immigrants who believe they are being placed into Barrett’s custody by the federal government.

Mack said that since late July, when

NBC 7 first reported

on the shelter, the agency has not referred any more families to the “House of Hope.”

San Diego County Sheriff’s Department officials have responded to 22 incidents at the home since September 2013, when Barrett began leasing the property.

Those incidents range from assaults to burglaries to petty thefts.

NBC 7 Investigates filed a request for information under federal law for details about what other non-governmental agencies ICE has referred immigrants to, but that request has not yet been acknowledged or answered.

Mack said Immigrations and Customs Enforcement doesn’t do any background checks or site checks on the facilities.

In fact, no one does.

Shelters are overseen at a local level where regulations vary greatly from city to city, and typically amount to code enforcement violations. In the City of San Diego, for example, a person has to have a business license to sublet rooms from a leased property to multiple people; and placing more than two people to a bedroom in a shelter environment is prohibited. No such rules exist in Santee, according their Development Services Department.

A Department of Social Services spokesman said it is not uncommon for a shelter to collect and pool social security benefits in order to provide room and board for the residents. But, it is not legal for a provider to confiscate CalFresh benefits to provide food to an entire shelter, he said.

“The intent of that food is to feed a specific family, not everybody in a congregate care environment,” said Michael Weston, a spokesman for the Department of Social Services.

Barrett said he does not utilize anyone’s CalFresh benefits and only takes the taxpayer-funded benefits a person can afford on a case-by-case basis, and only to provide that person or family with shelter and food.

“You know, I’m only one person. If everybody in the City of San Diego would go out and try to extend themselves and help, you would have less problems and less issues, if they were doing what I’m doing,” Barrett said. “I’m not making no money. I spend everything that I have to help other people live and I don’t really have to do that.”

Keisha Mimms, who relocated from the Santee home to Barrett’s personal home in Chula Vista, said the Santee location was crowded and uncomfortable, but she’s grateful to the pastor for everything he’s done for her family.

“He helped me,” Mimms said. “I was fixing to go into the streets.

Jurors have ruled a former Marine in Southern California who went by the nickname “Psycho,” should get the death penalty for the execution-style murders of a fellow service member and his wife.

A Riverside County Superior Court jury deliberated for about half a day before handing down the decision Thursday against Fallbrook resident Kesaun Sykes, 27.

It was the same jury to find him guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of newlyweds Marine Sgt. Jan Pietrzak, 24, and his wife, Quiana Jenkins-Pietrzak, 26, who were found brutally killed in their home near Murrieta in October 2008.

Former Lance Cpl. Sykes was also found guilty of special circumstances of murder during the commission of a robbery, burglary and rape by an instrument.

His sentence is scheduled to be certified by a judge on Nov. 7.

Three other former Marines – Kevin Cox, Emrys John and Tyrone Miller – were convicted last June on the same counts in the Pietrzak slayings.

Juries ruled John and Miller should also be put to death and that Cox should get life in prison without the chance of parole.

Sgt. Pietrzak, a helicopter airframe mechanic at MCAS Miramar, once worked with Cox, John and Miller while they were stationed at Camp Pendleton.

Before the killings, the four convicted Marines went to the victims’ home to rob them, forcing their way inside, the DA says.

Pietrzak was later found bloodied and beaten to death inside his home, while his wife’s body was discovered naked. Investigators say she had been sexually assaulted before her murder.

Both victims were bound and shot in the head.

Jewelry, including the couple’s wedding rings, as well as Pietrzak's dress uniform were found at the suspects' homes, authorities said.

Sgt. Pietrzak, who was born in Poland and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., joined the Marines in 2003 and served in Iraq from July 2005 to February 2006. Relatives of the victims said Quiana was from San Bernardino and was a 2005 graduate of San Diego State University.

The couple met in San Diego through a mutual friend who also attended SDSU. Quiana was studying to become a doctor.

Three Japanese exchange students died and five others were injured after a teenager drove down an embankment and crashed into a power pole Thursday night in Oceanside.

Eight people, ages 18 to 22, were traveling in the five-seater Honda eastbound on SR-78 east of El Camino Real at an unknown speed when the driver veered off the road for an unknown reason just before 11 p.m., according to official reports.

He crashed into a power pole, splitting it in half. The driver of the car and two others, a male and female, were killed, while two women and three men suffered injuries ranging from moderate to major, officials said.

Four were taken to local hospitals via ground ambulance and one was flown to Palomar Hospital. CHP officials said four of the five have moderate injuries. One had serious injuries.

All of the people in the car were first-year incoming exchange students from Japan attending Palomar Community College, school officials said.

Students on campus were just beginning to learn about the crash when school officials confirmed the connection to NBC 7.

Palomar College Superintendent Robert Deegan said this is the first time the campus has suffered a tragedy involving so many students in his time at the campus.

The crash remains under investigation, and it is not known if alcohol or drugs played a factor in the incident. Officials say they also don’t know if the occupants were wearing seatbelts.

A Sig Alert was issued as San Diego Gas & Electric crews work to replace the pole. All but one lane was open.

Eight customers in the area lost power due to the crash, which SDG&E expects to restore by 8:30 a.m.

For giant panda cub Bao Bao's first birthday, the Smithsonian National Zoo is holding a traditional Chinese ceremony to predict her future. But one thing's for sure: Her future contains cake.

As Bao Bao approaches this milestone, enjoy a Smithsonian video above, with highlights from her first year.

Bao Bao is more than just the poster panda for all things cute. Her birthday represents another success in the conservation of the highly endangered giant panda species.

The World Wildlife Fund estimate there are only 1,000 giant pandas living in the wild. About 100 live in zoos around the world for the purposes of breeding and conservation.

In just one year of life, the roly-poly cub has become famous in the District for her adorable antics. She even has a few celebrity fans. You may well wonder how we quenched our thirst for cute before Bao Bao came to town.

Some of our favorite highlights include the time she slurped down a frozen fruitsicle, her first foray into the outside world and the YouTube video that started it all: Bao Bao loudly protesting her tail being measured by keepers.

Bao Bao will be sent to China when she is four years old, but there's still plenty of time to celebrate before then, and the zoo is holding a party in her honor Saturday.

At 9 a.m., the giant panda cub will be given a traditional Zhuazhou (pronounced dra-JO) ceremony, similar to the one that many Chinese children are given on their first birthdays.

During the ceremony, a little one is presented with three symbolic objects to choose from, and the baby's choice is supposed to indicate his or her future. Bao Bao will be presented with three painted symbols on posters for either her or her mother, Mei Xiang, to pick from.

The event is closed to the public but Cui Tiankai, ambassador to the People's Republic of China, will answer media questions afterward to explain the significance of the ceremony.

Members of the "Friends of the National Zoo" program can attend the ceremony and will recieve panda party hats, a free game download and a piece of birthday cake.

At 11 a.m., the celebrations open up to zoo visitors, with a special panda-keeper demonstration. Bao Bao and Mei Xiang will be treated to a frozen cake.

There will also be an extra talk held at 1:30 p.m. and guests will be served complimentary Dandan noodles, a dish from the Sichuan province where the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda in Wolong is located. Food is first-come, first-served.

The zoo are asking guests to share photos and memories of Bao Bao's birthday on social media using #BaoBaoBday.

A series of alleged sexual assaults and date rape cases believed to be linked to a college fraternity are being investigated at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), officials revealed Friday.

According to university officials, the campus police department has received several reports of sexual assaults allegedly involving the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity and its members over the past few months.

The first alleged rape was reported back on May 4 at an off-campus party hosted by the TKE. Officials said the assault may have involved date rape drugs and the assailant may have been a member of TKE.

Since that incident, CSUSM has received additional reports of alleged sex assaults involving the frat. Officials said those cases happened on or near the college campus or at off-campus residences where TKE members live.

For now, the only suspect description available from investigators is as follows: a 19-year-old man, approximately 5-foot-9 and 130 pounds with blonde or brown hair and blue eyes. Additional suspects have not yet been identified.

In addition to these sex crimes, the TKE frat has also recently been accused of pervasive hazing, witness intimidation, harassment, vandalism, illegal drug use and providing drugs and alcohol to minors, CSUSM officials said.

According to the university, TKE – also known as “The Kollege Experience” – is not a recognized student organization at CSUSM. Still, most of its members are current CSUSM students.

University officials said TKE lost its recognition as a student organization in 2005 due to underage alcohol use and “failure of the organization to maintain academic standing required of recognized fraternities and sororities.”

On the fraternity’s website, the TKE claims it holds its “members to a higher standard, based on personal worth and character, rather than wealth, rank, or honor.”

“Although no longer officially recognized by our university, we set the bar for academics and involvement, as our chapter holds one of the highest average GPA’s at Cal State,” the TKE website states. “We still believe in a ‘well-balanced diet’ which includes a healthy amount of college social interaction. Dubbed ‘The Kollege Experience’ our chapter continues to host some of the most reputable nightlife experiences San Marcos and the surrounding community has seen.”

Due to the number and severity of the reported sex assaults currently under investigation, CSUSM officials said the crimes “represent a potentially serious and continuing threat to students and others in the university community.”

The university warns students to take precautions, especially if attending TKE-related events or parties. Officials said students should protect themselves from falling prey to date rape drugs by keeping a vigilant eye on their drinks at parties and pouring their own drinks.

Any additional victims of sexual assault or witness intimidation or retaliation should report their case to the CSUSM SAFE Line at (760) 750-SAFE or call University Police at (760) 750-4567. Sexual assault victims can also seek support at CSUSM’s Student Health and Counseling Center at (760) 750-4915.

The Oceanside Police Department is helping the campus police department with the May 4 rape case. The Oceanside Police Department can be reached at (760) 435-4900 with any additional witness details on the incident. Victims can also call San Diego Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
 

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 7 San Diego

A cyclist who was critically hurt on Fiesta Island when a wrong-way driver plowed into a group of cyclists will undergo spinal surgery on Friday.

Juan Carlos Vinolo’s brother sent an email to NBC 7 with an update on his brother’s condition. Vinolo was paralyzed from the chest down after pushing another cyclist out of the path of the oncoming vehicle in the Aug. 12 collision.

Since then, he’s been in critical condition.

“He’s still in critical condition, so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers,” his brother wrote in the email.

“I don't have enough words to thank you all for the comforting words, wishes and good vibes you have had towards my brother,” he also wrote.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 7 San Diego

A San Diego father has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly pointing a gun at his two children and firing off six shots in Ramona, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department confirmed.

Brandon Quiroz, 26, is accused of opening fire at a home in the 200 block of 3rd Street just after 9 p.m. on Thursday. According to deputies, a victim reported that Quiroz had allegedly pointed a handgun at himself and his two kids and then fired six shots as they fled for cover.

Officials said evidence at the scene supported that a shooting had occurred.

After firing, Quiroz fled the home on foot. Deputies searched the surrounding area and at around 3:20 a.m., spotted the suspect walking near Pile and Pamo roads.

A deputy stopped Quiroz and arrested him. Officials said a loaded .357 revolver, ammunition and spent shell casing were found on Quiroz.

Quiroz was booked into San Diego Central Jail on charges of attempted murder and assault with a firearm. He’s scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

The shooting remains under investigation. Anyone with information should contact the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department at (858) 565-5200 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
 

California communities are finding some ingenious ways to cope with the state's severe drought, one of the worst on record.

Their ingenuity comes as the severe shortage, now in its third year, puts increasing pressure on residents to save water.

Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a drought emergency, and last month, tighter restrictions went into effect on washing cars or trucks, cleaning driveways and sidewalks or using water fountains. New swimming pools in could be next in line, as Orange County considers a plan to prevent new pools from being filled.

As the drought drags on, here are a few of the more ingenious responses.

COLOR ME GREEN

There's a way to turn lawns green without watering them. A Los Gatos-based company called Green Canary uses a green, water-based coloring to transform brown, parched lawns.

The company had been working on foreclosed homes in California’s Central Valley, keeping lawns green to make the upkeep easier and keep criminals away from the abandoned homes, said its president Shawn Sahbari.

Now, his business is expanding to include other clients, though Sahbari said the service has not taken off, even if it is in the spotlight because of the drought.

“Obviously, this is a hot topic, because of the drought and the cost of water and people trying to conserve,” Sahbari said.

The Almaden Valley Athletic Club in San Jose is among its clients, prompted by its members' concerns about conservation.

“It provides immediate water conservation,” he said. “That's immediate savings, and that's immediate transformation.”

CASH FOR GRASS

Cities and towns across California are offering cash for grass to encourage homeowners to replace their water-guzzling lawns. 

Long Beach calls its program Lawn-to-Garden and pays $3.50 for every square foot of turf removed.

“We don’t want people to just take out the lawn,” said Joyce Barkley, the city’s water conservation specialist. “We want them to replace it with a beautiful garden.”

Some possible replacements, she said: sage, blue fescue, rosemary, lilac, lavender and olive trees.

"We have big hurdles," she said. "A lot of people love their lawn so it's just a challenge."

DIRTY CAR CHALLENGE

Ventura is urging car owners to skip washing their cars for the month of August with its “Don’t Wash Your Car” challenge.

The city is asking residents to post photos of their filthy rides on the Ventura Water Facebook page.

Among the photos: a no longer quite white Honda that has not been washed in four months and an electric Fiat with “Save H2O” written in the dust on the rear window.

Last month, the three vehicles that earned the most "likes" won complete professional car details. Professional car washes use far less water than do-it-yourself washes at home, county officials note. 

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 7 San Diego

A Navy master chief petty officer has been relieved of his duties after the Navy says they’ve lost confidence that he can fulfill his role as a command master chief.

Joe Grgetich was let go Thursday by the commodore of Destroyer Squadron 1. Grgetich served as the command master chief of the USS Dewey based in San Diego.

According to his LinkedIn page, Grgetich had served as master chief for three years and five months.

Senior Chief Petty Officer Katy Willdigg, a sailor stationed aboard the ship, will take his place in the interim until a new master chief can report to the ship.

Further details on the reason for his departure were not disclosed by the Navy.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 7 San Diego

The parents of slain journalist James Foley said they had hoped to negotiate with ISIS terrorists before their son was executed and his killing broadcast in a YouTube video.

“I didn’t realize how brutal they were and I actually hoped we would engage in negotiations with them if they were willing to send us any sort of communication because we had none prior,” John Foley said on NBC’s “Today” show Friday.

The group sent John and Diane Foley an email on Aug. 12, stating that their son would be “executed.” It was the first communication the Foleys received from the captors since December 2013. On Aug. 19, ISIS posted a video claiming responsibility for Foley's beheading.

A French journalist who was released in April and shared a cell with Foley reportedly said he was singled out for abuse because he was American. Yet Foley was said to be a source of comfort and strength for other captives.

“Jim’s courage and particularly his compassion and love in that box, which they called it, was an answer to prayer,” said Diane Foley. “We had so many people praying for Jimmy. We had begged for prayer but we didn’t need to. Everyone was so good in praying and Jim’s strength and love was the answer to prayer.”

U.S. special operations units were sent into Syria this summer to rescue Foley and other hostages, but the mission was unsuccessful because the hostages were not where they were expected to be, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday.

President Barack Obama denounced Foley's execution and pledged to continue to "do what is necessary" to protect Americans and support the Iraqi forces fighting back ISIS.

The Foleys said Friday they were deeply moved that Pope Francis called them after three of his relatives were killed in a car accident in Argentina.

“Pope Francis was so dear because he is grieving himself having just lost three members of his family, his nephew critically ill, so here in the midst of his tremendous grief he took the time to call and our whole family was there,” Diane Foley said.

The parents vowed to keep their son’s legacy alive and said they are praying for the release of Steven Sotloff, another American journalist held captive by ISIS, as well as other hostages.

“We pray that they are set free and Jim will live on we are going to establish a fund in his memory so that his compassion can live on,” Diane Foley said.
 

Former San Diego police officer Christopher Hays will never admit he ever did anything wrong, according to his attorney. But on Friday, he agreed to a plea deal that will most likely keep him out of prison.

At a readiness hearing, Hays, 30, pleaded guilty to felony false imprisonment and two misdemeanor counts of assault and battery under the color of authority by a peace officer. The deal had been in the works for several months.

Still, it doesn’t mean Hays is admitting guilt.

“Mr. Hays today did not actually admit to doing anything wrong,” said his attorney, Kerry Armstrong.

“I’m not saying he’s innocent, I wasn’t there these nights he contacted these four women. I’m saying that the deal that I got him says that he’s not necessarily guilty, but he pleaded guilty because it’s in his own best interest,” Armstrong added.

Armstrong said the deal was based on legal precedent (North Carolina v. Alford) that allows a person to plead guilty “not because you did it, but because it’s in your best interest.”

Hays faces up to five years in prison, but Armstrong said a judge made it clear he will not be sending the former officer to prison.

In a quick phone conversation with NBC 7, Hays and his wife Erica said the plea was in the best interest of the family and they plan to move to Arkansas. They said they would make no further comment until after Hays’ scheduled Sept. 26 sentencing date.

“He pleaded guilty. There’s no doubt about that. He pleaded guilty. He will suffer the consequences. He will pay restitution to these women if they ask for counseling, but he’s not today, and he’s not ever going to admit that he touched them inappropriately, that he assaulted them or anything like that,” said Armstrong.

The decision to agree to a plea deal was made after the ex-officer’s preliminary hearing in April, where the attorney admitted there was a strong case made by the victims. But despite agreeing to the deal, the attorney sounded somewhat defiant, claiming two of the four victims have warrants out for their arrest.

“I felt that each woman by themselves is a weak case, but obviously all four put together was something that made me nervous as a defense attorney,“ said Armstrong.

Meanwhile, the attorney for one of the victims known as Jane Doe One said the officer’s plea is a clear admission of guilt.

“My client feels very vindicated that officer Hays admitted that the story she told was, in fact, true, that she wasn’t lying, that he did, in fact, violate each of those women,” said attorney Brian Watkins. “She also feels relieved that she can start to put this behind her.”
 

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 7 San Diego

With the killing of an unarmed, black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, putting police departments under scrutiny, an expert on racial profiling says that the race of police officers tends not to make a difference on whether they use force.

“Blue is the most powerful color in terms of determining behavior," says Phillip Atiba Goff, a co-founder of the Center of Policing Equity at the University of California, Los Angeles, and an assistant professor of social psychology at the school.

Where race matters most is in the hierarchy of the force, among the officers who are in positions to make decisions, and to the community being policed, he said. Residents want to see themselves represented in the officers who make up their department.

The violence that erupted in Ferguson after the shooting of Michael Brown by a white police officer has drawn attention to the racial make-up of police departments versus the communities they serve and ways to change the imbalance. The police force of Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis, is more than 90 percent white in a community that is 67 percent black.

Goff’s group was brought in to look at racial profiling and other issues in the St. Louis County police department in the spring — one of about 20 law enforcement agencies it has worked with. Among the others are some that have had well publicized troubles, including the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, whose deputies have twice accidentally killed innocent men in the last four months, and the Oakland Police Department, which has been under a federal court order to make reforms.

Richard Rosenfeld, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, said Ferguson did not fit the profile of a community where tensions, particularly between young black men and the police, would boil over into violence. It has pockets of economic disadvantage but also middle- and upper-income residents, and in fact has benefited from recent growth in the northern part of St. Louis County, he said.

There are "hundreds and hundreds" of communities like Ferguson across the country, Rosenfeld said.

His recommendation for those communities: get to work diversifying the police force immediately.

“That’s not a cure-all but is certainly a necessary first step to ease some of those tensions,” he said.

Growing Poverty in Suburbs

Recent economic progress aside, Ferguson’s unemployment rate rose from less than 5 percent in 2000 to more than 13 percent by 2012. Its poor population doubled, with about one in four living below the federal poverty line, according to Elizabeth Kneebone of the Brookings Institution. More poor residents now live in suburbs like Ferguson than in big cities or rural areas, a significant shift compared to 2000 when urban poor still outnumbered suburban poor, Kneebone noted in a research brief published in July.

“Suburbs often haven't developed the same infrastructure or safety net supports that cities have built up over decades for dealing with these issues,” she said. That fragmentation means many suburbs lack the staff and resources necessary to tackle the problem.

Goff's group tells police departments they have to devote resources to creating a more representative force, a step that can be difficult in a time of shrinking budgets.

"This is not something that’s going to happen overnight and it’s not something that’s just going to happen because you want it to," he said. "You’re going to have to devote money."  

Plus, he said, it is hard for police departments to attract candidates from communities with which police have had poor relations. Even after officers have been hired, retention can be difficult and burnout rates are higher.

“If you and your community feel there’s an organization that is set up to oppress you and your community, it’s very difficult for you then to decide, 'I’m going to feel good about going to work for them,'” he said.

Departments also have to consider how they are policing communities, he said. People tend to comply with the law when they see law enforcement officers behaving fairly and when they feel safe. If a community feels that it has been occupied, not policed, its resistance intensifies, he said.

A 1999 report, "Use of Force by Police," by the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics noted that the use of force appears to be unrelated to any officer's personal characteristics, such as age, gender and ethnicity. But the report cautioned that additional research was needed.

“If you’re involved in a use-of-force incident with an officer, it doesn’t make you feel any better if the person who is hitting you with a night stick is the same color as you,” Goff said.

A Problem of Trust

Victor Torres, a civil rights and criminal defense lawyer in San Diego, said he regularly gets calls from people who accuse police officers of misbehavior, from lying to physical assault.

“I think the problem is trust and when the police officers treat everyone like they’re at war with them, there’s not much trust,” said Torres, a director of the San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association. “You have to actually speak to the people when there’s not some crisis going on. You actually have to ask people questions instead of accusing them.”

To address racial profiling, San Diego's police chief is appearing in a public service announcement to ask possible victims to report problems. Torres applauded the video, but said that many people in the community believe they are discouraged from making complaints.

“It’s great that she’s making an effort but she needs to be accountable and let us know what happens to the reports,” he said.

Goff's group has worked with police departments to determine whether they are engaging in racial profiling, improve training, help commanders identify implicit bias and address issues of race and gender.

It is also creating the first national database of police behavior, including pedestrian stops, vehicle stops and use of force.

“What we’re trying to do is create a broader, big data approach so that there’s evidence-based approaches to social justice,” he said.

A motorist going too fast behind the wheel slammed into bank in Mira Mesa Friday morning and wound up getting stuck, officials said.

The accident happened around 9:15 a.m. at a U.S. Bank in the 4900 block of Mira Mesa Boulevard.

San Diego police said the driver was allegedly speeding and lost control, plowing into the bank building. Her vehicle then got wedged between the building and a tree.

Aerial video of the scene showed the driver’s front bumper snugly against the building and the back bumper up against the trunk of the tree.

One of the structure’s pillars sustained a large crack but police said damage to the building was minor.

The driver complained of pain, but her injuries are unknown. No other injuries were immediately reported.
 

A man was killed in a head-on collision along State Route 163 near State Route 52 early Friday.

Witnesses say the driver of a silver 2004 Nissan Xterra was traveling north in the southbound lanes.

A semi driver told California Highway Patrol officers he tried to avoid the SUV. The maneuver caused his truck to overturn, officials said.

The man behind the wheel of the SUV, described as 21 years old by officials, died at the scene.

The truck driver was taken to a nearby hospital. Officials did not release information on the injuries he suffered.

CHP investigators will work with the medical examiner’s office to try and determine if alcohol was a factor in the crash.

A former San Diego police officer accused of misconduct on the job – including groping and illegally detaining several women – pleaded guilty to several charges Friday.

Prosecutor Annette Irving confirmed that Christopher Hays, 30, pleaded guilty to felony false imprisonment as well as misdemeanor counts of assault and battery under the color of authority by a peace officer.

With this plea, Irving said Hays faces a maximum of five years behind bars but may wind up being sentenced to about one year. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 26.

An attorney for Hays said the guilty plea was the best deal for him. After this is all said and done, the attorney said Hays plans to move out of San Diego and back to his home state of Arkansas.

At least four women have claimed Hays inappropriately touched and groped them during pat downs while he was on duty.

Back in May, NBC 7 spoke with Hays’ wife, Erika Hays, who defended his innocence and said she would continue to stand by him.

At his preliminary hearing in April, three alleged victims identified only as Jane Doe One, Two and Three described their interactions with the officer in uniform.

Jane Doe Two said Hays allegedly gave her a pat down that included lingering over every part of her body. Jane Doe Three accused Hays of dropping his hand towards his groin and asking her to touch his body.

Hays – a four-year veteran of the San Diego Police Department – was charged with the misconduct crimes in February. Hours after his arraignment, he resigned from the department and said he was not guilty and felt betrayed by the department.

Hays’ case has put the SDPD under fire this year, further marring the department’s image.

When news broke of the alleged sexual misconduct crimes, then-Chief William Lansdowne ordered an outside audit of the police department from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Lansdowne’s successor, Chief Shelley Zimmerman, supported the audit.

“We are not going to tolerate this misconduct and betrayal of our badge and our profession,” Zimmerman said in March.

In addition to Hays, SDPD Officer Donald Moncrief was accused earlier this year of touching a woman inappropriately during an arrest in the South Bay and allegedly exposing himself to the woman.

Moncrief was never formally charged and left his job with the SDPD. In late April, he filed a claim against the city and the SDPD seeking damages for defamation, among other things.

Meanwhile, former San Diego police officer Anthony Arevalos is currently serving prison time for sexual battery and false imprisonment charges he committed while in uniform as a police officer patrolling the Gaslamp from 2009 to 2011.

In a lawsuit filed this week, an ex-employee of former mayor Bob Filner claims she was kissed, touched, put in a headlock and asked multiple times to have sex on a conference room table while working in the mayor's office.

Benelia Santos-Hunter has filed claims with the city and the state as well as with the courts over the  “pattern of severe and pervasive sexual harassment” she says she experienced while a city employee.

Filner resigned in August 2013 after multiple women accused him of unwelcome sexual advances and inappropriate behavior.

Four months later, Filner was sentenced to 90 days house arrest after entering a guilty plea to felony false imprisonment and two misdemeanor charges of battery involving victims of sexual harassment.

In February, former communications director Irene McCormick Jackson reached a $250,000 settlement with the City of San Diego in her

Now, in a new lawsuit filed August 15, a second former employee claims she was asked for kisses and sex repeatedly by the former mayor over a span of four months.

While working for the former mayor, Santos-Hunter claims she was subjected to “inappropriate sexually based comments and advances, including physical touching, confinement, hostility, outrageous demands and threats, screaming” that resulted in hospitalization.

The city’s Director of Scheduling Barbara Hensen along with former spokesperson Lena Lewis, Lee Burdick and Vince Hall are listed as witnesses to the alleged behavior.

The hugs, kisses, unwelcome compliments and physical touching allegedly began a month after she joined the staff at the mayor’s scheduling staff. The first interaction was in February 2013 with a kiss on the forehead, according to court documents.

The lawsuit lists repeated advances and claims that in March 2013, Filner asked Santos-Hunter to “go in the back and make love right now.”

In April, Santos-Hunter claims Filner asked her to travel with him to Mexico, offering to share a hotel room with her.

Then, on May 6, Santos-Hunter claims the former mayor locked her in his office kitchen. She states that the following week he placed her in a headlock in the city’s conference room.

Seven months into her employment, the plaintiff claims Filner demanded she book a China trip for him. If not, she claims, he threatened to fire her.

Santos-Hunter said she informed the city’s Assistant Chief Operating Officer Scott Chadwick. In court documents, the woman claims Chadwick told her “’It’s not illegal to be an a--hole. Is there anything else?’ or words to that effect.”

Santos-Hunter filed a claim with the City of San Diego Claim on November 15 requesting $1.5 million in damages.

Through her attorneys she filed a complaint with California Department of Fair Employment and Housing on February 6.
 

A woman was badly injured after diving onto a rock below Sunset Cliffs, San Diego Fire-Rescue officials say.

The woman in her 50s jumped off the area known as Osprey Point, near the 1100 block of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, around 3:40 p.m.

However, she miscalulated on her dive and struck a rock instead of the water, suffering major trauma, according to rescuers.

A helicopter airlifted the woman to a nearby hospital. Her condition is not known at this time.

Cliff jumping at Sunset Cliffs has become a problem for lifeguards and police, said Marine Safety Lt. Nick Lerma with the San Diego Lifeguards.

"This underscores the danger involved in jumping, particularly diving," said Lerma. "This isn't the first time."

In the last couple of months, lifeguards cited 15 people for leaping from the rocks -- 10 of those were at Osprey Point.

They've also given out hundreds of warnings and have had to rescue too many people, Lerma said.