Twin Rivers Police Chief Placed On Administrative Leave

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -– The head of the troubled Twin Rivers Police Department is no longer in charge -- at least for now.

Twin Rivers Police Chief Christopher Breck has been placed on paid administrative leave until further notice, according to department spokesman William Cho.

The department won't say exactly why Breck was placed on leave, citing personnel privacy requirements.

However, the Twin Rivers Police Department has been under scrutiny after the death of a man suspected of shooting one of their officers and a controversial t-shirt that was being sold to support the department.

Thursday, reaction from Del Paso Heights residents questioned by CBS13 near Twin Rivers' headquarters on Grand Avenue was mixed.

""I think that's a load of crap," Don Zimmerman said. "They have one of their officers get shot and then they take the short end of the stick?"

But Gary Conner supported the move.

"He doesn't have control of his officers," he said. "Basically, they do things to people when they're not even on school campus."

The announcement regarding Breck's leave comes after department officials said Wednesday night they will focus on patrolling schools and parks and will not pull over drivers and stop pedestrians unless they see a threat to public safety.

Two weeks ago, an angry crowd greeted Twin Rivers representatives at a community meeting about the death of 32-year-old Tyrone Smith, the suspected shooter of an officer who was captured alive but died shortly after being taken into Sacramento Police custody.

Smith allegedly shot a Twin Rivers police officer four times on Oct. 22 before sparking a manhunt lasting for hours before his capture.

Sacramento Police officials said officers did not cause Smith's death, but added the in-car camera system that may have shed clues on his fate was not working.

The officer who was wounded in the October shooting has been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

Just days after Smith's death, the department came under scrutiny again for a controversial t-shirt being sold by the Twin Rivers Police Association.

The shirt says "You Raise 'Em. We Cage 'Em" with a picture of a young child behind bars.

The shirt was created two years ago to raise money for the families of fallen officers. The association stopped selling the shirt more than a year ago after getting complaints that the shirt was inappropriate.

The department says Captain Trang To will take over for Breck during his leave. To is a 25-year veteran of law enforcement.