INSIDE the Lakeland Police Department

Public's Help Requested in Locating Bank Robbery Suspect

Detectives with the Lakeland Police Department need the public's help in locating a subject wanted for yesterday's bank robbery of the Citrus and Chemical Bank, 4420 Hwy 98 North in Lakeland. The subject, Slade Garrett Eriksson, W/M, 03/02/1964, currently has a felony warrant for his arrest in connection with yesterday robbery.

Anyone with information on Ericksson's location is asked to call Lakeland PD at 863-834-6900 or Det. Nicole Cain at 863-834-8955.

Eriksson is considered armed and dangerous - caution should be used when he is contacted.

Download detailed_information_on_citrus_and_chemical_bank.pdf 

Saluting our Volunteers

Lakeland PD recently presented a Crime Prevention Expo in partnership with the Lakeland-area Kiwanis groups as part of their annual Pancake Festival at Tigertown. We had numerous booths set up outside the hangar where visitors could get crime prevention information, learn more about our juvenile prevention programs, and speak with officers about our SWAT team and helicopter. We appreciate the opportunity to join forces with the Kiwanis club and help educate the public about the importance of preventing crime.

We also appreciate the many volunteers from our Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, the Neighborhood Association Coalition, and the Community Emergency Response Team for their participation. Offering presentations such as the Crime Prevention Expo requires a lot of manpower and would not be possible without the tremendous support offered by our community volunteers.

At last count, the CPAAA volunteers donated over 120 volunteer hours to help with the Expo. We are very grateful for this assistance and want to take a moment to say thank you for continued support. Many of the community programs we offer would not occur if were not for our volunteers - you make it happen for us!

In the spirit of community policing, an informed and engaged citizenry is vitally important to our successful efforts to prevent crime. Our sincere thanks for all that you do for us in these regards.

If your group is interested in a crime prevention program at your next meeting, contact our Community Services Unit at 834-6912.

                            

         

Thanks to Retiring Sgt. Randy Jones

Lakeland PD bids farewell to Sgt. Randy Jones today as he retires from our department after 20 years of service. Randy started out as a rookie officer in Uniform Patrol Division two decades ago before being promoted to Sergeant because of his ability to lead officers. He served many years as a supervisor in our Traffic Unit where he worked diligently to keep our roadways safe. During that time, he saw more than his share of carnage on our roadways and the impact careless or impaired driving has on our community.

No one really ever leaves the LPD family and we look forward to his return at our various social events, including our annual Retirees Luncheon in May. In closing, we say to Sgt. Jones "may your retirement years be as good to you as your years of service were to us."

Red Light Photo Enforcement - Your Opinion

The Lakeland Police Department gave a workshop presentation to the City Commission at their agenda study session last Friday.  The primary issue being addressed was an overview of how red light photo enforcement systems work. A red light photo enforcement system uses still and video cameras to record drivers running red lights at an intersection.  The vehicle's registered owner then recieves a municipal fine in the mail rather than a traffic citation and points on a drivers license.

A legal question remains as to whether a municipality, such as Lakeland, can lawfully create an ordinance and subsequently fine a vehicle's owner via a photo enforcement system.  The law is not specific in this matter, but the statutes seem to suggest that such a process is not permitted.  A couple of Attorney General's Opinions reinforce this view.  The Florida Legislature has not been willing to approve any such legislation in recent years.

At their most recent meeting, the City Commission passed a resolution urging the Florida Legislature to change statutes that permit the issuance of citations and fines from red light photo systems.  In doing so the Commission joined a growing list of Florida cities seeking to change the law.  We appreciate the Commissioners' support, and now want to ask what you think.

Should Florida permit the use of red light photo enforcement systems to improve our efficiency in traffic enforcement efforts?

Bill LePere, Assistant Chief of Police

LPD Annual Employee Awards Ceremony

The greatest strength of any police organization is found in the employees who consistently provide quality service to the community.  Lakeland PD paused last week for our annual awards ceremony to recognize several exemplary employees who went above and beyond the call of duty during the past year.  Over 20 employees recieved awards for their exemplary service.

WTVT Fox 13's Polk County reporter, Ken Suarez, was the keynote speaker who talked about heroes being everyday people who rise to the occasion when called into action.  He praised the LPD members recieving awards at the ceremony who did just that when the situation they faced demanded the very best we could provide.

The following annual awards were presented by Chief of Police Roger Boatner:

Civilian Employee of the Year - Mr. Keith Bennett, Fleet and Facilities Manager.  Mr. Bennett has been with LPD for just over a year, but in that brief time he has tackled several major improvement projects around the station and worked diligently with the City's Fleet Management division to keep our vehicles in peak condition.

Detective of the Year - Detective Richard Rose, Crimes Against Children.  Det. Rose was recognized for the complex investigation he handled last year into reported allegations of child abuse that grew into a case of Munchausen by Proxy Snydrome.  MPS is a condition in which a parent subjects a child to unnecessary medical examinations or procedures by fabricating symptoms to garner sympathetic attention.

Officer of the Year - Officer Dale Deas, Neighborhood Liaison Officer, Officer Deas discovered a traffic crash in which a vehicle was overturned and the driver entrapped in the car.  Disregarding his own personal safety, Deas climbed into the vehicle, calmed the driver and then released her from the seatbelt that held her in place.  Officer Deas was able to safely remove the driver from the vehicle without further injury.

Medal of Valor - Sgt. Jeff Birdwell, Supervisor with the General Crimes Unit and K-9 Officer Jose Bosque.  Both officers responded with others to a report that two Polk County deputies had been shot last year.  Sgt. Birdwell and K-9 Officer Bosque took a perimeter position near some residences where they encountered the suspect who began firing at the officers and striking Bosque's vehicle.  Sgt. Birdwell returned fire and is credited with driving the suspect back into a wooded area.  In doing so, he saved the lives of residents who had not yet been evacuated from the area from a dangerous, armed criminal fleeing from law enforcement who shot and killed one deputy and wounded another.

Lifesaving Award - Officer Chris Skinner, Uniform Patrol Division.  Officer Skinner responded to a report of a small child who had drowned in a home.  Skinner began CPR and assisted firefighters as lifesaving efforts continued on the scene - actions which ultimately restored a faint pulse in the child.

We are extremely proud of the heroic actions of each of these award winners.  Please join us in congratulating them for their service to Lakeland.

Lakeland PAL Unveils New Bus

One of the reasons Lakeland is such a great city is due to the tremendous support provided by local organizations to meet various community needs.  As a result of that support, our Lakeland Police Athletic League was able unveil their new bus yesterday at ceremonies held at Simpson Park, Special guests included Mr. L. B. Scott, State of Florida Executive Director of PAL, and Mr. Lerric Boyd, State of Florida PAL President.

The Lakeland PAL Program serves nearly 1,000 youth in various sports programs, such as football, baseball, and cheerleading, mentoring, after-school tutoring, and computer training programs.  The program is staffed by two police officers, over 100 volunteers, and an executive director.

The program was in desperate need of reliable transportation to get children from various schools to the after-school tutoring and computer programs at Simpson Park.  That need was filled due to the generous support of many local organizations including, Lakeland Citizens Police Academy Alumini Association, North American Communities Foundation, Inc., Clara Warsaw Fund Advisory Council, Community Emergency Response Team, HSBC, Team Hammer Screen Printing, Superior Screen Printing, Publix Supermarket Charities, Ms. Barbara Hart, Neighborhood Association Coalition, Belks of Lakeland and Phantom Graphics.  Additional financial supporters include the City of Lakeland and the Police Department.

The bus seats 28 passengers, which now provides the much needed transportation to get children to and from the various PAL activities in Lakeland and around the state. It is wrapped with colorful graphics that depict Lakeland PAL members participating in a wide range of program activities.  A 12-passenger van is also on order and should arrive for service in the next couple of months.

Our sincere thanks to the many organizations and individuals who contributed to fill this critical need. 

                                                                     

                                               

Students Awarded for Doing the Right Thing

It is a pleasure to take time from our hectic schedules to recognize students who, in the face of adversity or great challenge, rise above peer pressure and do the right thing when it would be much easier not to do so.  And so, it was once again time to celebrate and reward eight of our local students who demonstrated character and ethics by doing the right thing.

The Lakeland Police Department's "Do The Right Thing" (DTRT) awards program recognizes and rewards students who demonstrate a willingness to help others or refuse to go along with the wishes of the wrong crowd when doing so is the easier path to take.  Eight students recieved awards yesterday as part of our quarterly DTRT ceremonies.

Students Nick Burger, Travis Capper, and Adam Edwards were the grand prize winners yesterday.  The trio discovered a man and his dog yelling for help from the bottom of a deep shaft.  The students summoned rescue units and stayed with the man to ensure he remained calm.  With evening temperatures dropping, the man faced a frigid night in the hole had these young men not discovered him and notified rescuers.

Other local students recognized for their exemplary behavior include Tyrese Bell, Jonathan Lafon, Dexter Myles, D-Tay Shaw, and Ansley Warner.  This group of students were nominated for finding money, wallets, and purses on school grounds and turning them in to school staff or school resource officers instead of just keeping the money themselves.  Another student was recognized for being a peacekeeper in his classroom and seeking to resolve disagreements between fellow classmates by talking rather than fighting.

Congratulations to all of our award nominees - you are all winners in our eyes.

Anyone can nominate a deserving student for a Do The Right Thing award.  You may obtain a copy of the nomination form here.          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Passing of an LPD Family Member

The Lakeland Police Department lost a family member last week when Retired Lieutenant Gerald Barlow passed away on February 8, 2007, after a lengthy battle with cancer.  Lt. Barlow served the citizens of Lakeland with honor and distinction for over 25 years, retiring as a Lieutenant in 1990.  Funeral services with police honors were held for him yesterday with members of the LPD Honor Guard participating in the event.

Affectionally referred to around the police station as "GB", Lt. Barlow was well known for his ability to lead criminal investigations and his unique skill at interviewing victims, witnessess, and suspects.

We, as members of the Lakeland Police Department, consider ourselves to be a family, and together we mourn with Lt. Barlow's immediate family, including his two daughters.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

In closing, job well done Lt. Barlow.  So long until we meet again...

Bill LePere
Assistant Chief of Police

One Week and Growing Daily

Our new blog - InsideLakelandPD.org - is officially one week old today. Last week was spent learning about the technology used to publish a blog and modifying layout features to give a pleasing appearance to our readers. We know we have a long way to go in mastering the inside tips and techniques of blogging, and we look forward to your comments about what you want to learn more about behind the scenes at Lakeland PD.

At this point we would like to give a word of thanks to WTVT - Fox 13 and our Polk County reporter, Ken Suarez for their feature story last Friday on our new blog Billy Townsend over at TBO.com mentioned us in his online blog for Polk County.  And most recently, Barry Friedman,referred to us on Saturday as at least the second local institution to use blogs as a way to get information out to the public and solicit feedback from our citizenry.  Thanks to everyone for mentioning us and welcoming us to the world of blogs.

This will be a fairly active week at Lakeland PD as we host the quarterly "Do The Right Thing" awards for local students on Wednesday, unveil a new bus for Lakeland PAL Thursday morning, and hold our annual awards ceremony for our members Thursday evening. We will be sure to keep you posted here with what is going on behind the scenes, and as always, we welcome your comments or questions.

Bill LePere

Assistant Chief of Police

The Lakeland Police Host FLETC First Responder Training Program

In the month of February 2007, the Lakeland Police Department hosted the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center's First Responder Training Program at the Department's main station Community Room.

The First Responder Training Program is a three-day program designed to address the first response of law enforcement personnel to major incidents.  The incident responses covered within this program ranged from criminal acts to natural disasters, with highlighted incidents such as the 9/11 attack upon the Pentagon.

This program utilized lessons learned from previous major incidents that have occured nationally.  The after-action reports from many of these incidents identified specific areas of need and concern for law enforcement agencies.

The First Responder Training Program provided guidelines and resources that can be considered for future responses by law enforcement personnel to major incidents.  Part of the training course allows participants to engage in table top exercises to develop and improve their responses to critical incidents and utilize the principals of the Incident Command System (ICS) in their responses.