Auburn Police Officers Association

Thank you to the Placer County District Attorney's Office for doing their part in making the citizens, especially children, of Placer County safe when poor laws and decisions are made.

𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙩 𝘼𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘 𝙥𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙙 𝘼𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣 𝙁𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣

ROSEVILLE, Calif. — The Placer County District Attorney’s Office has filed charges against David Allen Funston, age 64, for violating Penal Code section 288(a), lewd and lascivious acts upon a child. A no-bail warrant was issued, and the defendant is now in custody in the Placer County jail.

The charges stem from the sexual assault of a young child in Roseville in 1996. At the time of the original investigation and prosecution, the defendant was convicted in Sacramento County and sentenced to three life terms in prison for his crimes. In the interest of justice, and because these life sentences ensured the defendant would be removed from society, the Placer County District Attorney’s Office did not pursue a separate prosecution at that time.

However, due to recent developments under California’s elder parole program, the defendant has been released from CDCR, effectively overturning the permanence of the prior life sentences. As the interests of justice have changed with recent legislation and parole board decisions, our community safety is no longer assured. The Placer County District Attorney’s Office has refiled the 1996 charges within the statute of limitations to hold the defendant accountable for the crimes he committed in Placer County.

“To be clear, this individual was previously sentenced to multiple life terms for extremely heinous crimes,” said Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire. “However, subsequent changes in state law and recent parole board failures have altered the practical effect of those life sentences for the victims and communities at large. When changes in the law put our communities at risk, it is our duty to re-evaluate those cases and act accordingly. David Allen Funston committed very real crimes against a Placer County child, and the statute of limitations allows us to hold him accountable for those crimes.”

The defendant is scheduled to be arraigned early next week in the Placer County Superior Court.

The Placer County District Attorney’s Office remains committed to protecting children, enforcing the law, and pursuing accountability to the greatest extent the law allows.

APOA Update to the Community: Standing Together in Challenging Times

As many know, the City of Auburn has had significant budgetary issues. In response to a projected $1.1 million deficit for the fiscal year 2024-2025, the City Council took steps to reduce labor costs, initially including the potential for layoffs of city workers. The City initially projected the layoff of three police officers, a difficult decision given the importance of maintaining public safety in our community. However, due to officers learning of potential layoffs, Officer Johnson, Officer Schnetz, and Officer Hatcher left for other agencies. The need for the City of Auburn to lay off officers was eliminated because of attrition. While this has alleviated some staffing concerns, the City continues to face financial constraints, and in light of these challenges, the decision to cancel the scheduled 6% salary increase for the APOA (Auburn Police Officers Association) members to help address the budget deficit. Recently, the City Manager provided an update that offers a more positive outlook. After two years of significant deficits and a structural budget issue, the City is now projected to have an approximately $450,000 surplus by the end of the fiscal year. The City has met its goal of cutting 10% (or $1.15 million) of personnel costs earlier than expected, through attrition, and without any layoffs.

However, despite the surplus, APOA (Auburn Police Officers Association) members continue to face challenges. The police department is scheduled to lose at least one additional officer to another agency at the end of this month. These separations are primarily driven by the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the City’s financial situation, the inability to fulfill the contractional 6% pay raise, and the more competitive wages offered by other agencies.

The ongoing attrition of officers and the department's recruitment and retention challenges could impact the level of service we can provide to the community. Despite these challenges, the APOA(Auburn Police Officers Association) members are committed to working closely with the City to find solutions that will increase wages for our current officers and ensure the best level of service possible.

A Call to the Community:
The APOA(Auburn Police Officers Association) asks for your understanding if you experience delays in response times due to decreased staffing. Our officers and staff are working diligently to maintain public safety, but the reality of fewer personnel may impact our ability to respond as quickly as we would like. The APOA is grateful for your continued support and patience during these times of transition.

𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄 - 𝐒𝐕𝐏 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆

Today, the hearing for William Stephenson scheduled for Sept. 1 at 8:30 a.m. was MOVED to Department 31 in Roseville. If you have not already done so, please register for our case portal for any updates moving forward at placer.ca.gov/SVP

Placer County Sheriff's Office
City of Roseville, California Police Department
Rocklin Police Department
Lincoln Police Department
Auburn Police Department (CA)

Please come out and support!

Due to the spicy weather, we are taking a break from Coffee with a Cop. Instead, we will be participating in Slurpees with Cops; hosted by none other than Officer Bandilla and POP Officer Johnson.

See you there!

SAVE THE DATE: August 1st NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

The APOA is back from our hiatus of officers who might not have been too tech savvy. If you like our social media team from the Auburn Police Department (CA) page; we are your people!

We are deeply saddened from the news recieved by a neighboring agency.

Sacramento County Deputies were in a pursuit of a parolee which ended when the parolee crashed the vehicle. After commands were given and ignored by the suspect, deputies released the K9 which was shot and mortally wounded by the parolee. Deputies then exchanged gunfire with the parolee fatally disabling him. Two deputies were struck in the exchange of gun fire and one deputy succumbed to his injuries.

Our prayers are with the family of the fallen deputy and K9, the wounded deputy, the Sacramento Sheriff's Office and the wounded Sac County Deputy who was shot during an unrelated incident on 1/15/21.