HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRR20197 Schaerer - Vazquez records
Christian, Kevin
From:Steven Schaerer <schaerer1988@gmail.com>
Sent:Thursday, August
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:SLO Police Records Request Regarding Death of My Sister Dalia Vazquez in 1997:
Steve Schaerer
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
To who it may concern,
My name is Steve Schaerer. On November 30th, 1997, I was 9 years old living in Northern California with my
parents. My sister Dalia, who was 21 years old at the time, was living with her boyfriend in San Luis Obispo.
We received the worst kind of phone call imaginable that day from the SLO PD that she had been shot and had hours left
to live on life support. She would likely die before we could even make the drive down.
Dalia died that day under incredibly shady circumstances regarding the shooting itself.
As you can imagine, this is the kind of thing that destroys a family. It shattered my childhood too.
I remember being 9 and spending time at the SLO corners office, the funeral home, the SLO Police department, etc.
Ultimately, I went on to graduate from college, live and work around the world, and ended up learning to code and
landing jobs in tech.
Regardless of the income that I make, the job titles that I've received or the country I'm domiciled in...even now at 32,
Dalia's death still haunts me each and every day.
I have spent almost 10 years trying to get a copy of her police report from the SLO PD. Each and every attempt is met
with vague rejections, evolving verification criteria and ambiguous internal policies.
Understandably, at some point enough is enough. As Dalia's brother, I have a right to access the police report and to
finally read and understand what happened to her in 1997. I am her sibling. There is no ongoing investigation. The
police have verified that they have the report. I have the case number. I have offered to verify my identity and pay
whatever fees that may be applicable.
Despite all that, I am still met with odd resistance at each and every turn.
On Monday, I once again contacted the records department and spoke to the recently promoted director, Tara, who
remembers me, "I remember you and your calls over the years inquiring about this and trying to access the report."
On Monday, she stated that she would send me an email instructing me which documents are required to verify my
identity so that we could get the process moving forward to see what could be done. It's now Thursday (the records
department is closed on Friday) and I still haven't received an email or any type of instruction from her about next
steps. When I inquired about how long the process would take in terms of finalizing a decison, I was once again not
provided with a timeline.
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At this point I have made a confirmed decision to fight for access to the report. That ultimately includes leveraging any
medium possible to access this document including speaking to attorneys, private investigators, submitting a FOIA, the
media, the DAs office, the City Attorney and local politicians. If I have to fight this for the next 10 years, then I will gladly
spend the next 10 years exhausting every last resource at my disposal until justice can be served.
I am seeking your help, in assisting me with moving this process forward so I can finally put to rest something that has
plagued my life for nearly 25 years. As Dalia's brother, I believe I have a right to that information and to finally
understand what happened to my sister on her last day in this world.
Please feel free to contact me at any time via email or by phone (702) 695 8820. I currently live and work in Colorado.
Thank you for your time.
Best,
Steve Schaerer
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