Monday, February 19, 2007

SAN JOSE POLICE OFFICER (RETIRED) RUSS JONES REMEMBERS

I HAVE RECEIVED SO MANY E-MAILS FROM “LA NOSTRA COSTA” READERS SAYING THAT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I WRITE ABOUT IN THE BOOK, HAVE TRIGGERED MEMORIES ABOUT EVENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THEIR OWN LIVES. RUSS JONES, A FORMER SAN JOSE POLICE OFFICER, DOES AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB IN WRITING ABOUT SOME OF HIS RECOLLECTIONS. HE ALSO GIVES AN INTERESTING “LOOK SEE” INTO THE PAST WORLD OF THE SAN JOSE POLICE AND ALSO VIET NAM.




Cpt. Comelli,

Thanks for writing the book, which I found via the Farsider ( LNC: The Farsider is the SJPD Benevolent Association Weekly Publication, Bill Mattos, Editor.) I was with SJPD from 1970 - 1980.

So many memories were stirred. I was raised on a prune orchard in Los Gatos. We were really out in the country back then. Trips to Santa Cruz were frequent for my family. All the different beaches were so distinct and separate back then. Twin Lakes, Sea Cliff, Del Mar, Capitola. The Cement Boat, which you could walk all the way out to the end on. What a long trip it was on the old Santa Cruz highway. Do you remember the stop, somewhere near Scotts Valley, where they sold all you can drink apple cider? for a dime?

Your stories of the Old Carrettone reminded me of how, after getting our drivers licenses, the game in Los Gatos was to race the clock over the new highway to Santa Cruz. We could do it in under 20 minutes. Gaylord and Bart were seriously injured when they flipped Gaylords Austin Healey in a particulary windy portion just north of Summit Road. Jay was killed racing the road, but on a rather straight area in the Scotts Valley area.

And your experience stirring up the wasp/hornets nest. It reminded me of a similar story. In picking prunes, you use a long pole with a hook on it to grab the upper limbs of the tree in order to shake off the ripe prunes so they can be picked off the ground. On one occasion we stirred up a nest and the sky was dark with swarming bees. We were all stung, and hugged the ground for an eternity till they settled back to the nest. As a helicopter pilot in Viet Nam, I would again hug the ground when, after being shot down, bullets swarmed criss cross above me from both sides as my rescuers approached and held off the NVA.

While taking Admin of Justice classes, both before and after Viet Nam, I would ride once a week or so with SJPD. Usually I rode with Mike Destro, but several times with others, including a couple of times with Richard Huerta. Later, while on the PD, I was good friends with Gordon Silva and we did a lot together off duty. We stayed in touch after I left the PD, and just by chance, I was in town to speak at a Rotary club the day he died. Many things about that day have bothered me ever since, probably because I still don't know all the details. (LNC: Both Officer Huerta and Officer Silva were killed in the line of duty.)

I never worked for you while on the PD so you probably do not remember me. Out of the 10 years on the force, 6 were in Narcotics. 3 with the narcotics unit and 3 with the DEA task force. In hindsight, way too many years in such a unit, and it probably led to my leaving SJPD early. I did have many cases that made the headlines that you might remember. In mid 70's, San Jose was experiencing a sudden increase in certain violent crimes, and in patterns different and new. I discovered and exposed that the Nuestra Familia, a previously unknown prison gang, had headquartered in San Jose. In a matter of weeks I had arrested so many that they practically took over the County Jail. The resultant chaos among the Nuestra Familia led to several of my informants being murdered, along with many others who were just suspected of being informants. I got a lot of press on that case, it went on for years. I guess Prison and street gangs are just a normal part of society now days.

My expertise was working the motorcycle gangs. In the late 70's, after hanging out with and riding (as a hanger on) with the Hells Angels for years, I put together a RICO case that netted 22 Hells Angels. That case went on so long for some of those guys that, after I left the PD and was working narcotics intelligence down in Central America, I would be called back to San Francisco to testify in Fed Court.

Remember Marty the Marijuana Mouse? Made Newsweek magazine and was joked about on TV by Johnny Carson? I was the one who discovered and caught the little rascal (with some help from Anton Erickson). He was eating the MJ evidence so I set a trap. For weeks he avoided capture in a trap I set with cheese, peanut butter, meat, etc. Finally Anton suggested I use MJ, since that was what he was eating from the evidence locker. It worked.

I was always stirring the pot, sometimes a little more infamously. Remember the "I'm one of the Ten" tee- shirts depicting a rotten apple wearing a police hat? That also made the newspaper. I came up with that shortly after Chief McNamara made his remark about the PD having a few bad apples. I made $345 in one day with those tee-shirts, my first venture into capitalism and marketing.

Well I've gone on long enough. Like I said, you stirred up lots of memories. I always make the coast, Carmel, Monterrey, Santa Cruz, for a day or two when visiting Calif. A couple of weeks ago we met Rodger Cripe and his wife for a couple of days in that area.

In closing, in my travels, literally all over the world working narcotics intelligence, I found no one knows what brussel sprouts are. I love them. My wife had never heard of them, let alone eaten them, until she met me. When I can find them in the store here, ( the Hill Country in Texas ), I fix them for company and more often than not, they don't know what they are. Amazing. Not quite the same for prunes, although no one really knows they are just a dried type of plum. Most people think they are only for medicinal purposes for us old folk.

While reading the book,I often thought that it would have been fun to have had scattered throughout, or at the end, some of the family recipes for Brussel Sprouts. I have one recipe that uses mandarin oranges with the sprouts. I'll have to dig it out and fix some now.

Thanks again for the book,

Robert "Russ" Jones
SJPD 1970-1980
#383 then #1502


LNC: Thanks Russ for all those memories. Next time you are in the area, please contact me. Maybe we could exchange recipes for “Brussel Sprouts ala mandarin. Ivn0

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here are my Brussels Sprouts recipes....
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#1. Boil and set aside a pound of Sprouts. Saute a quarter cup of Pine Nuts in olive oil, over medium heat, for about 2 minutes. Then add 2 minced garlic cloves and saute another minute. Quarter and then stir in the Sprouts and cover well with the Pine Nuts and Garlic, for about 2 minutes.
Salt and Pepper to taste.

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#2. Boil a pound of Brussels Sprouts, quarter, and set aside.

Saute one chopped Red Onion in olive oil until translucent. Add one half cup of chopped Julienned Ham for another 2 minutes or so. Then add one small can of drained Mandarin Oranges, a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinager, and the Brussels Sprouts. Briefly heat and stir in well, add salt and pepper to taste.

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#3. In a large sauce pan, place a pound of Brussels Spouts in one half cup of Chicken Stock . Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until sprouts are almost tender. Stir in one cup of Seedless Green Grapes, 2 tablespoons of Butter, about one third cup of White Wine, and a dash or two of Tabasco. Cook for another 5 minutes. Lift out the Sprouts and Grapes with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl. Raise the heat and reduce the liquid to the consistancy of a light sauce. Return the Sprouts and Grapes to the sauce and just re-heat through, Serve hot.

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Enjoy, and let me know...

Russ Jones

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the sprout recipes. I'll have to try those.

I frequently fix sprouts very simply as my mom used to do. That is, saute them in butter until lightly browned.

I once met a young lady I knew from church at a market. She noted the sprouts in my basket. She said, "You're buying Brussels Sprouts? On purpose?" !! Oregon locals don't know good things when they see them.

regards, Gino from Santa Cruz

Anonymous said...

I recently talked(over the phone) with Reno Cantarutti. Reno happened to mention that he enjoyed Russ's article very much. He expressed an opinion that Russ certainly had an amazing career. Russ's insigts into the'murky' world of the police certainly educated him (not a law enforcement member) to the real hazords of the profession. Thanks Russ for you article. ivno