INSIDE the Lakeland Police Department

Great American Teach In at Padgett Elementary

One of the many school programs in which we like to participate is the annual "Great American Teach In". Our members enjoy visiting local elementary schools in the greater Lakeland area and discussing a wide range of topics with the students.

Sometimes we talk about careers in law enforcement... sometimes we discuss citizenship... and sometimes we just talk about whatever the students want to ask us.

Pictured below are photos of Assistant Chief Charles Thompson as he visited Padgett Elementary School and spent time with the classes of Ms. Winkles and Ms. Ashmore. Our thanks to the school's principal - Ms. Tanya Matthews - for inviting us to come visit the students.

 

If you are interested in having an LPD member visit your school next year, give us a call so we can schedule an appearance. We will be happy to come visit your classroom.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Weekly Crime Map for November 5 - 11, 2007

Here is the weekly crime map of significant events for the period of Crime Map - 11/05 to 11/11.
Our thanks to Chuck at LakelandLocal.com for producing the map.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Happy 30th Birthday to Lighthouse Ministries

We would like to take a moment and send birthday greetings to Lighthouse Ministries who are celebrating their 30th year of service to the Lakeland community. Lighthouse held a party at their complex today to celebrate this milestone. A luncheon, tours, and comments from community leaders were the highlight of the event. State Representative Dennis Ross delivered the keynote speech.

The U.S. Post Office unveiled a special Lighthouse stamp and dedicated an authorized Lighthouse stamp cancellation in conjunction with the celebration.

Lighthouse provides services to homeless individuals through a pathway to success by focusing on Spiritual Growth, Community, Industry, and Education. Their successful integration of people back into mainstream society is both admirable and appreciated.

Our congratulations to Lighthouse Ministries for 30 years of success - Happy Birthday! Thank you for the services you provide which makes Lakeland the community it is today.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Annual Great American Smokeout

Today is the 31st annual Great American Smokeout, an initiative by the American Cancer Society that encourages Americans to quit smoking due to the known health risks of tobacco usage. I thought this might be a good time to explain our policy at Lakeland PD to refrain from hiring new employees who have used tobacco products within the past year.

At LPD, new employees must sign a tobacco affidavit attesting to the fact they have not used any tobacco product during the 12 month period prior to being hired. That's right - any tobacco product. No smoking, no chewing, no dip. Anyone found to have filed a false affidavit is subject not to being hired and being charged with perjury.

And so now you must be thinking - why would we have such a policy? Glad you asked!

Our goal in refusing to hire anyone who has used any type of tobacco product in the prior 12 months is to reduce medical expenses for illnesses associated with tobacco use, to reduce the amount of sick leave taken by employees who use tobacco, and to improve worker productivity. The policy applies to all new employees, not just police officers.

The affidavit is for any tobacco use prior to employment, so anyone hired could conceivably start to use tobacco products the day they begin with us. We find that not to be the case - hiring people who have not used tobacco in the previous 12 months generally gives us an employee who will not start using tobacco.

The policy does not apply to current employees who are permitted to use tobacco products. That is why you may still see our members smoking from time to time, though our policy is to refrain from smoking in public. We do offer incentives to quit smoking - nonsmokers pay lower medical insurance premiums and we offer a wide range of wellness programs.

Does the policy work? We think so, but it's still early and we are in the process of collecting data. Such a policy obviously affects our applicant pool for new hires, but our experience in the couple of years we've been using this policy shows no significant impact on our ability to hire qualified applicants for any of our vacancies.

Not everyone agrees with our policy - and it may not work for every police department - but for us, it seems like the right thing to do. We're glad to do our part to encourage employees to quit using harmful tobacco products.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Weekly Crime Report Nov 5 thru Nov 11, 2007

Download tac_rpt_for_nov_5_thru_nov_11.pdf

Lakeland Citizens Police Academy Holds 2007 Graduation

After 14 weeks of presentations covering every aspect of police operations, 44 community members became distinguished graduates of the 2007 Lakeland Citizens Police Academy during ceremonies held Wednesday evening at the police station.

The 2007 Lakeland Citizens Police Academy Graduating Class

Chief of Police Roger Boatner presented certificates of completion to the graduates and thanked them for their commitment to complete the academy. He encouraged them to remain partners of the police department and find ways to help prevent crime in the community. All of the graduates are now eligible to become members of the Lakeland Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association.

We heard quite a few comments from the graduates last night as they told us "I never knew all the police do for us every day" or "the presenters were so upbeat and excited about describing their jobs to us." Graduates now have a better understanding about the complexities of policing.

We thank all of the class members who took time from their busy lives to attend the academy every Wednesday evening from 6:30 to 9:30 since mid-August and a special Saturday session at the LPD shooting range a few weeks ago. Your dedication and willingness to participate in this program are both admirable and appreciated.

Special thanks to the CPA Alumni Association for hosting the fellowship dinner that followed the graduation ceremony. Alumni members volunteer around the police department in a variety of ways which helps us provide service to the community.

The next Citizens Academy will start in August 2008. Class announcements and registration forms will be posted early next year.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Final Results from 2007 SWAT Round-Up

From our SWAT officers who participated in the 2007 Round-Up comes word of the final standings from last week's competition. Lakeland PD's Blue team took third place in the final competitive event on the Friday - the Obstacle Course - and finished 14th overall. The LPD Red team finished 31st overall, out of a total of 67 teams. Final results have not yet been posed on the SRI web site as of this morning.

Congratulations to the Orange County (FL) Sheriff's Office "Stripes" team that won the overall top team title.

Whether we win, lose, or draw, the competitive spirit and dogged determination of our SWAT officers to succeed is worth special recognition. These officers train hard throughout the year to remain in top physical condition and are constantly prepared to respond to the most dangerous of tactical situations. Their ability to bring overwhelming force to a situation and then peacefully resolve the confrontation, to include our Hostage Negotiation Team, is something in which all of Lakeland should take pride.

Our thanks to the SWAT officers for representing Lakeland again this year.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Saluting Our Veterans

We pause on this Veterans Day to salute our many veterans whose service to our country must never be forgotten or taken for granted. We thank you for your service.

At Lakeland PD, many of our members - both civilian and sworn - have come from the ranks of all the military branches before joining LPD, and several continue to serve today in the Reserves or Guard.

We are particularly watchful over those who are in harms way today, serving overseas to defend our freedoms. One LPD member is on active duty with his Army unit in Iraq while another has just returned to the States after completing his tour of duty outside of Baghdad.

Our thoughts and prayers to all of our veterans - whenever and wherever you served our nation - thank you.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Day 3 Update From SWAT Round-UP

We have some news to report from the 2007 SWAT Round-Up after three days of competition. Though overall scores and standings are not published, we can report on our teams' performance in the individual competitions held so far.

The LPD Blue Team did very well yesterday in the Tower Scramble, placing third in this event and the Red Team was 25th out of 67 teams. Complete scores for all the teams can be found at the SWAT Round-Up home page.

The Tower Scramble event involves the entire team climbing a tower, rappelling to ground, snipers firing from the tower, and tactical officers racing for handgun firing at numerous targets. Photos below are from the Blue Team's performance. The competition runs through Friday.

 

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Weekly Crime Report Oct 29 thru Nov 4, 2007

You can access the weekly report of crime data with the following link.

Download Weekly TAC Crime Report for_October_29_thru_November_4, 2007.