On Friday, July 26, 2013, the Corpus Christi Police Department in conjunction with the Nueces County District Attorney’s Office and several non-profit community partners rolled out a prostitution diversion initiative called “Red Cord.”

The community partners consist of the Coastal Bend WELLNESS Foundation,  C2 Counseling,  I Am Blue Nation, Men’s and Women’s Health Clinic, Metro Ministries, the Nueces County District  Attorney’s Office, Nueces County Health Department,  the Rock City Church, and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.  These agencies will provide service which range from Advocacy, Case Reviews, Child Welfare Checks, Clothing, Counseling, Drug Treatment, Food, Sexual Health Education, Short Term Housing, and STD Screening.

The Narcotics Vice Investigations Division conducted a “Jane Sting” in the Northwest area of the City.  Once an arrest was made the arrested individual was taken to the Corpus Christi Police Department where an Assistant District Attorney reviewed the individuals criminal history to determine if they were eligible to participate in the “Red Cord” program.

If the offender was deemed eligible for the program they were offered various services by several partner agencies.  The services such as substance abuse treatment, health evaluation and treatment, mental health evaluation and treatment, job skills programs, education programs as well as temporary housing are provided by the non-profit partners at no cost to the offenders.

If the offender agreed to participate in the program, the prosecution of the prostitution charge is deferred pending successful completion of the program.  Once, the defendant successfully completes the program the prostitution charge will be dismissed.  Should the offender fail to comply with the program and not complete it successfully, they will be prosecuted on the original charge.

Defendants who did not qualify for the Red Cord program as result of their criminal history will still be offered services that will assist them in exiting their destructive life style.  Three offenders qualified for the program and agreed to participate.  Three more offenders who did not qualify for the program, but accepted services.  The offender that was charged with Promotion of Prostitution was not offered any services.

It is the belief of the Corpus Christi Police Department as well as our collaborative partners that it is extremely important that we work to assist these individuals in overcoming the numerous issues that have led them to be caught in a cycle of abuse and victimization.  It is our strong belief that provided with the appropriate treatment and support some of these individuals can overcome their destructive life style and become productive members of our society.

Narcotics/Vice Investigators conducted a prostitution “Jane Sting” in the North West area of the city. The following subjects were arrested during the operation:

Janet Ramirez (01/08/92) was charged with Prostitution
Christy Sauseda  (03/16/88) was charged with Prostitution,  Possession of a Controlled Substance
Sonia Marmolejo (12/03/80) was charged with Loitering for Prostitution
Marian Travis (12/12/67)  was charged with Prostitution
Paulett Lewis (03/07/78) was charged with  Prostitution
Jeffrey Collier (12/27/62)  was charged with Promotion of Prostitution
Michelle Saldua (09/23/73)  was charged with Prostitution

MetroComm employees with the Corpus Christi Police Department attended Homeland Security Training, July 14-19, 2013.  Supervisor Kristen Heslip, Laura Ochoa, Samantha Ramirez, and Roxana Steward received Technical Emergency Response Training for CBRNE Incidents.

This training, offered by the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), in Anniston, AL.  The CDP is operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and is the only federally chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) training facility in the nation.

The CDP develops and delivers advanced training for emergency response providers, emergency managers, and other government officials from state, local, and tribal governments.  The CDP offers more than 40 training courses focusing on  incident management, mass casualty response, and emergency response to a catastrophic natural disaster or terrorist act.  Training at the CDP campus is federally funded at no cost to state, local, and tribal emergency response professionals or their agency.

Resident training at the CDP includes healthcare and public health courses at the Noble Training Facility, the nation’s only hospital dedicated to training healthcare professionals in disaster preparedness and response.

A number of resident training courses culminate at the CDP’s Chemical, Ordnance, Biological and Radiological (COBRA) Training Facility.  The COBRA Training Facility is the nation’s only facility featuring civilian training exercises in a true toxic environment using chemical agents.  The advanced hands-on training enables responders to effectively prevent, respond to, and recover from real-world incidents involving acts of terrorism and other hazardous materials.

Responders participating in CDP training gain critical skills and confidence to respond effectively to local incidents or potential WMD events.

City of Corpus Christi Animal Care Services
Targeted Education Initiative

City of Corpus Christi, Animal Care Services is dedicated to proactive change in our community.  It is our goal to achieve a humane community status through the following outreach methods.

• Education
• Assistance
• Targeted Spay-Neuter and Vaccinations
• Enforcement
• Ordinance Changes

As part of this five-part initiative, the Corpus Christi Animal Care Services began “sweeping” Cheyenne Street this morning at 8:00am.  Animal Control Officers patrolled the neighborhood, went door-to-door and made contact with several residents in an effort to enforce city ordinances and educate the public.

Animal Control Officers captured four (4) stray dogs on Cheyenne and issued one (1) citation. Officers ensured that animals were current on vaccinations and city registration. While making contact with residents, Officers were informed of other residents and addresses that needed attention for possible ordinance violations.

Corpus Christi Animal Care Services will continue sweeps on Cheyenne Street on Tuesday 07/24/2013 starting at 8:00am.

Questions may be routed to Heather Hedrick, Program Manager at 361-826-4630.