Oakland Police set up red-light camera - news from Jean Quan

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Oakland Councilmember Jean Quan has an email newsletter with some interesting information. Take this item with the headline "Community Policing and Other City News". The Councilmember reports that the Oakland Police have set up a red light camera at High and Foothill (paragraphs broken by me):

Red-light Camera Now In Place at High and Foothill: In an effort to reduce red-light related accidents, OPD announced it installed a Red Light Camera Enforcement System (RLCES) at High St. and Foothill Bl.

The system will capture red-light violations and warning notices will be mailed to violators for 30 days. After the 30 day warning period, starting September 29, 2009, citations will be issued for red light violations.

The four intersections in the City now being monitored by the automated red-light camera system will be marked by an advisory street sign, notifying approaching traffic the intersection is being monitored. Eventually, 20 intersection approaches throughout the city will be monitored by automated red-light cameras.

That's "community policing?" It reads more like Big Brother writing you a ticket from on high...street.

Maryland's "46 Defense" versus "Utah" Offense for Cal

Yesterday I wrote that Cal has not seen tapes of Maryland's new defense as the Terps have a new defensive coordinator Don Brown. Maryland players expressed joy that Cal would be surprised by their new look system. It was also reported that Cal's looking at last year's Maryland tapes, for some reason.

But as it turns out, the new look is an old look: the Buddy Ryan 46 Defense.

According to this Washington Post article, Brown is bringing a version of the "46" - named for Chicago Bears Safety Doug Plank, who was a key rover in the Ryan defense - to Maryland.

Don Brown's defense, called "The Bear" reminds me of the kind of system Artie Gigantino brought to Cal when he was defensive coordinator under Keith Gilbertson at Cal: the linemen positioned opposite the tight end or the side with the most receivers, and both outside linebackers on the strongside of the offense.

Artie called his defense the "Split" 43. The Bear's the same thing, except that I'm concerned he calls it "The Bear" because it could mean he's trying to develop an approach that he thinks will stop the Golden Bears.

Makes sense.

But regardless of the name, the idea is to blitz, early and on every down. The concept is to overload the offensive line on the side with the fewest blockers. There's one problem: the Utah spread system is perhaps the best way to attack the defense and its elements of that offense Cal will use on Saturday.

Why?

Because Cal has first year offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig who came over from Utah. So while Cal doens't have tapes of Maryland's new defense, Maryland lacks video of Cal's new offense. I write "new" because my educated guess is that Ludwig has added formations and route combinations from the Utah spread, particularly the Shallow Cross pattern, which is a short crossing pattern calling for a receiver to start downfield two yards, then turn and run across the ball to the other side of the formation about seven yards downfield.

Cal has a pass pattern like that, but ran much deeper downfield, thus it's not a true Shallow Cross pattern. In the Cal offense of last year, the tight ends ran the short crossing patterns. Moreover, it's not something Cal ran as a steady diet in its offense last year. What's exciting is Cal has the speed receivers to make the Shallow Cross pattern work for big gains.

Because its a fast developing pattern, its the perfect counter to the middle linebacker blitz I expect to see from Maryland.

Urban Mayer created the concepts

Former Utah coach and now Floria Coach Urban Meyer developed the spread system of passing. This document below has an excellent presentation of Meyer's system that Cal's Ludwig learned and is bringing to Berkeley.

Urban Meyer Spread Offense Description

This game is going to be fun to watch.

Oakland DUI checkpoint? How about a shuttle program?

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I just read there's going to be an Oakland DUI (driving under the influence) checkpoint tonight at "an undisclosed location in Oakland".

Great. But why? Everyone knows there are only a few areas where cool and safe (can one be cool and not safe?) bars and restaurants are in Oakland:

1) Downtown at Broadway and Grand where its "First Friday" Art Murmur night.
2) Downtown along Telegraph from 16th to 20th Street.
3) Grand Avenue and Lakeshore Avenue where Lake Park serves as the connecting street
4) North Oakland along College Avenue
5) Piedmont Avenue from Monte Vista to 51st and Pleasant Valley.

First, it's not good to drink and drive, but this quasi-militaristic, secret agent style approach is really too much with this "undisclosed location" stuff. I'd prefer the Oakland Police think creatively and actually provide alternatives to driving on Friday nights.

The OPD could spearhead this much needed idea: a temporary shuttle service that goes around Lake Merritt with four stops, connecting the Grand Avenue area with the Oakland Boathouse and Downtown Oakland and the BART Stations.

Then they could use the same PR advisory system to tell people about the shuttle and use new media with videos to show Oaklanders how much fun it would be to ride the system.

The OPD could use some of the grant money - from the "California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration" - to fund this as a way to help people get around without their cars. I want OPD to start thinking out of the box and be a better friend to the community, as it has been in the past.

There's no reason the OPD can't be a friend to Oaklanders instead of Oakland's version of the U.S. Army. This shuttle service is a great start in the right direction. But until then stay out of the car if your going to drink, or remember this rule: one hour of rest after each pint of beer and a good meal. So, after three beers, don't get behind the wheel for three hours after the beers and have a nice dinner and water with the beers.

Three beers is too much yeast for me. Just saying.

Frankly, given how terrible the cab service is here in Oakland - and still a monopoly controlled by one family and gone unchecked by the City of Oakland - I'd either walk around the Lake to the Lake Chalet or just take BART to San Francisco as it runs all night during the Bay Bridge closure period and the cabbies over there are real pros.

I understand the OPD is under an "ticket performance standard" which places pressure on an officer to write tickets, but that's the problem right there. It causes a way of behaving that's at odds with the idea of community service. That's really got to change.