Almost a year later, suspect still sought 

Furthermore, security was so inadequate that on-site Hillsborough video footage of the attack was unavailable due to a lack of closed-circuit cameras — or any other recording mechanism — in the immediate vicinity of the shooting.

What’s more, the perpetrator managed to flee the scene, apparently on foot and eluded capture, despite the combined efforts of several law enforcement entities at the time.

The case remains open. A suspect has not been publicly identified. A sketch of the involved individual was released by police weeks after the attack. Fortunately, the officer who was shot did not suffer serious physical damage. There was some speculation that the officer was specifically targeted.

But the aftermath of the incident, with so much time having passed without significant progress in solving the case being announced publicly, continues to perplex as the weeks and months tick by.

The mayor of Hillsborough, Dr. Sophie Cole, offered that all investigative tools are being employed to determine a suspect and bring him to justice.

She did not respond to a question about whether more than one person was believed to be involved in the crime or whether a primary suspect is believed to be living in the United States anymore at all, which is entirely possible.

In an email, she said the village has beefed up security equipment at its small civic center. But the horse, so to speak, remains out of the barn.

A HILLSBOROUGH ADDENDUM: Violence targeting Hillsborough law enforcement personnel is rare. In fact, only one officer employed by the town’s police department has ever been killed in the line of duty. That tragedy occurred in 1959 when Officer Eugene Doran was gunned down by Alexander Robillard, 19, of San Mateo. Doran, who was checking on the registration of a car Robillard was driving, was shot six times. There was evidence of what was said to be an execution-style wound. Robillard was tracked down, arrested and later found guilty of the slaying. He received a sentence of death; he was executed in 1961. A bridge over Interstate 280 is named in Doran’s memory.    

‘HERE COMES THE CART’: Maybe the NFL should change its acronym to EMR. The injury epidemic in that professional football enterprise seems to be increasing in intensity, especially when it comes to key players. The rash of physical damage is so extensive (just ask the 49ers) it’s almost more relevant (particularly to gamblers) than the standings. That has become even more painfully obvious as the league’s playoffs proceed toward the Feb. 8 Super Bowl in Santa Clara. In any event, the most depressing four words in pay-for-play American sports have become: “Here comes the cart.”

A JAN.31 DOGGY DIP IN BRISBANE: Does your devoted canine companion enjoy the occasional swim? If so, a Doggy Dip is scheduled Jan. 31 at the Brisbane community pool on Solano Street. Small dogs can splash about between noon and 1 p.m.; large ones can paddle and frolic between 1:30-2:30 p.m. The cost is listed at $25 per animal. Lifeguards will be on duty. For more information visit the North County village’s website at www.brisbaneca.org/dogevent. Registration is required. Space is limited. Arf.

MARY’S HAPPY LAMB CHOPS: We love the name of that Asian restaurant in downtown San Mateo, the Happy Lamb Hot Pot. Which begs a revised version of the hoary poem we all learned as nippers: “Mary had a little lamb, its chops were cooked with care; and everywhere that Mary ate she liked her lamb done rare.” Please pass the mint jelly.

A DUTCH GOOSE ANNIVERSARY: Still in a local dining frame of mind, the Dutch Goose has turned 60. The beer-and-burger pub in Menlo Park opened in 1966 and has been in palette-pleasing operation ever since. Located on Alameda de las Pulgas not far from Sand Hill Road, The Goose has become a community institution over time.