INSIDE the Lakeland Police Department

Weekly Crime Stats for September 17 - September 23, 2007

Click the link below to view our weekly crime statistics

Download weekly_crime_report_september_17_september_23_2007.pdf

-Faye Tarpley, Office of the Chief of Police

Update on Operation Beanie Baby

We previously posted about Operation Beanie Baby in which residents from Sandpiper collected beanie babies for shipment to our troops in Iraq. The toys are then given by the soldiers to children in that country as a gesture of goodwill. We now have an update from LPD Officer J. Ring showing how the babies are given away by the troops. The following is from an unclassified e-mail from Officer Ring earlier this week.

Soldiers from the Fort Benning based 86th Military Police Detachment (CID), Baghdad, Iraq, delivered several boxes of beanie babies, toys, and personal hygiene products to Iraqi local nationals during a free medical health clinic hosted by the 492nd Civil Affairs Battalion. The boxes were donated by residents of the Sandpiper Resident's Association. I wish the residents could have seen the faces of the children light up when I brought the boxes in.

Pictured from left to right: SA Freeman, SA Stokes, SA Winston,
SA Kneece and SA Ring

More than 40 people from the village and surrounding area came to the free clinic seeking help for different types of injuries and illnesses. There were two Iraqi doctors and a U.S. Army doctor on hand to assist with providing the free medical and dental treatment to the Iraqis. Injuries ranged from complaints of tooth aches to small children born with severe genetic defects.

Several clinics like this are held by the U.S. Armed Forces and Iraqi government all throughout the year at several different locations. The donations by residents of the Sandpiper community will continue to make an impact long after I return home.

Please let the residents know their hard work and efforts are paying off in big dividends. Their goodwill gesture today may very well save a life tomorrow.

   

- J. Ring, Special Agent, USACIDC

Lakeland Resident Suggests Retiring Police Department and Contracting with Sheriff

When we first started the blog, I was asked if this endeavor was going to be just a public relations stunt or would we really be open to topics that might be controversial. I assured the person we were an open and transparent agency, and would not shy away from controversy. This thought sets the stage for this morning's posting.

In a recent Letter to the Editor at The Ledger, Allen Davis suggests Lakeland could increase efficiencies and ultimately save money by retiring the Lakeland Police Department and contracting with the Sheriff's Office for law enforcement services. It's an interesting topic in this era of property tax reform and certainly one we do not favor. However, that does not diminish the relevance of the idea. We believe such discussion actually reinforces the importance of the police being responsive to the community and highlights the diverse array of timely services we provide the community. That's just how we see it.

Here's the entire letter in case you missed it.

Re: "Sheriff, Police Discuss Options" [Sept. 13, front page], how timely that The Ledger should publish this article. What Bartow is discussing, Lakeland should be discussing. Yes, it is possibly time for the city of Lakeland to turn over all law-enforcement responsibility to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

The latest budget that I could find on the Internet for the city of Lakeland was the 2004 budget. It reported that the Lakeland Police Department cost the taxpayers nearly $25 million. Allowing for inflation, I can see that the 2008 budget may allocate as much as $30 million to run the Lakeland Police Department. I am guessing that the population of Lakeland is now about 95,000, which would mean the Lakeland Police Department costs each citizen (man, woman and child), not each household, about $316 per year. Polk City, Eagle Lake and Frostproof have already made the move of eliminating their municipal police forces and turning over law enforcement to the Polk County sheriff. According to figures published in The Ledger, Frostproof taxpayers are saving 37 percent by making this move.

Sheriff Judd and his staff already know Lakeland very well. Currently, as I drive around within the Lakeland city limits, I see as many law-enforcement vehicles belonging to the Polk County sheriff as I see law-enforcement vehicles belonging to the Lakeland Police Department. Sheriff Judd, in terms of area coverage, is halfway there already. What about jobs for our Lakeland police officers, you may ask? In the takeovers of Polk City, Eagle Lake and Frostproof, I believe that Sheriff Judd has been able to employ everyone who was interested with the Sheriff's Office. The article points out a glaring error that the Bartow city commissioners are making, however. They are, according to The Ledger, going to allow the police officials to have a huge say in the matter of having Sheriff Judd take over. The proper approach is to model after corporate America, which would choose higher efficiencies and cost savings every time.

ALLAN DAVIS
Lakeland

As always, we are open to your comments and look forward to hearing from you.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lakeland Police Issue Warning to Residents About Car Burglaries in South Region

We noted last Friday in our weekly crime map post that an increase in vehicle burglaries was occurring in the south region. That trend continued through the weekend and now stands at 27 vehicle burglaries. The vast majority of vehicles were left unlocked in driveways or parked along streets. Miscellaneous items were taken by the culprits.

Here is a pin map showing the locations of these offenses.

The Lakeland Police Department is increasing patrols in these areas and conducting neighborhood canvasses to see if anyone might have observed something suspicious but did not report it at the time thinking it was probably nothing important.

We also need the public's help with these cases. While the majority of the crimes are occurring during the late night to early morning hours, please call the police department if you see anything suspicious in your neighborhood. Our main telephone number is 834-6900 or Dial 9-1-1 if you witness a burglary occurring.

And once again, we want to remind you to lock your vehicle every time you leave it, particularly over night, and remove or hide valuables from plain sight.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lakeland Neighborhood Assoc Coalition Hosts Leadership Training

One of the strategic goals for the City of Lakeland is to create an informed and engaged citizenry. To help accomplish that goal, the Lakeland Neighborhood Association Coalition (NAC) hosted a leadership development class for their members this past Saturday at the Lakeland Police station. NAC is an independent coalition of neighborhood associations throughout Lakeland who work to improve the quality of life within their respective areas as well as work together to improve conditions throughout the community.

Saturday's day-long class focused on team building and the concept of crime prevention through environmental design.

The Florida Regional Community Policing Institute (RCPI) at St. Petersburg College supplied the instructors and classroom materials. The RCPI is a federally funded program with the U. S. Department of Justice COPS Office to provide free or low-cost community policing training to law enforcement personnel, community members, and other government leaders.

Sgt. Dan Bates from St. Petersburg PD (retired) and Lt. Kyle Cockream from Hillsborough County SO (pictured to right) were the RCPI instructors for this training.

The lessons learned from this training, as well as another class in planning that NAC hosted a week ago, helps our neighborhood leaders become empowered to move their neighborhoods forward. The training also teaches leaders how to work collaboratively with the police and other government agencies to solve local problems.

NAC representatives come from neighborhoods all over the city. They are a strong and vibrant group dedicated to improving the quality of life in our community. Contact me if you are interested in learning more about NAC or if your neighborhood would like to join the organization. I will be happy to put you in touch with NAC. My e-mail is bill.lepere@lakelandgov.net.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Follow Up Report on LHS Seatbelt Initiative

From our Traffic Unit comes word following Friday's seatbelt enforcement initiative at Lakeland High School. You may recall we previously posted advance notice that we would be at the school Friday morning to enforce the seatbelt laws. Our goal was to remind the students to wear their seatbelts when driving or riding in a car. This is part of our ongoing Click It or Ticket campaign.

Sgt. Tony Lewis tells me the numbers were down in comparison to previous initiatives, which he credits to the advance warnings and notices given before Friday. Despite our educational reminders during morning announcements, some students were still caught not wearing their seatbelts, and they received citations for the violations. Here are the enforcement totals:

• 16 - seatbelt violations
• 6 - other traffic violations
• 1 - drug arrest

In addition to our reminders, some local media were on hand Friday morning to publicize the initiative and get the word out to other students in the Bay area. Thanks to our media partners.

No date has been set for a repeat of this enforcement effort, but we will be back again to remind our students that wearing seatbelts is the law and can save lives.

In the mean time, buckle up Lakeland!

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Weekly Crime Map for September 10 - 16, 2007

Here is the weekly crime map of significant events for the period of Crime Map - 09/10 to 09/16.
Our thanks to Chuck at LakelandLocal.com for producing the map.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Weekly Statistics for September 10 - September 16, 2007

Click the below link to view our weekly crime statistics

Download weekly_crime_report_september_10_september_16_2007.pdf

Have a happy and safe weekend!

-Faye Tarpley, Office of the Chief of Police

Kenneth C. Thompson Institute of Public Safety at PCC Attains Accredited Status

Congratulations to the staff at the Kenneth C. Thompson Institute of Public Safety at Polk Community College (PCC) for attaining accredited status from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). You can read more here at The Ledger.

The Institute is the first police academy in Florida and the first community college training academy in the nation to achieve this recognition. PCSO Captain Craig Smith is the Director of the Institute.

We are proud to be partners with PCC, Polk County SO, and Winter Haven PD in this joint venture. Job well done!

-Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lakeland Police Receive "Best Practices Award" from HUD

The Lakeland Police Department received a 1st Place "HUD Best Practices Award" from the Tampa Field Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today for our collaborative partnership with the Lakeland Housing Authority (LHA). Mr. Herb Hernandez, Executive Director of LHA, nominated our agency for the award.

LPD assigns one police officer to work directly with the Housing Authority and their Investigations Section to assist with tenant disputes, criminal investigations, fraud investigations, and other supportive assistance to the Authority. Officer Marcus Baker has been assigned to LHA since 2003 and is a well-known face at the various LHA properties in Lakeland. His "get tough when necessary" approach to neighborhood problems is balanced with a desire to go the extra mile when tenants need assistance.

Mr. Hernandez noted in his nomination letter:

"Officer Baker is indeed a true example of what a police officer should be and represents the Lakeland Police Department above all expectations...due to Officer Baker's pro-active approach in regards to tenant screening and the enforcement of laws...the calls for police service at our complexes have been drastically reduced, and criminal activity has almost ceased."

We appreciate those kind words from Mr. Hernandez. It must be stressed, however, that any success at improving the quality of life within these public housing complexes must be shared with the progressive management demonstrated by the staff at LHA. Management is more than willing to work together with our department to address and correct problems. It is through a strong desire to succeed as a team that we are able to provide a safe and enjoyable environment within these neighborhoods. We simply cannot achieve this goal alone.

Congratulations again to Officer Baker, and our thanks to Mr. Hernandez and the entire staff at the Lakeland Housing Authority for nominating us for this award.

Lt. Giddens congratulating Officer Baker on the award.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere