INSIDE the Lakeland Police Department

Weekly Crime Report

Download tac_rpt_jan_21_thru_jan_27.pdf

Dumb Criminal Stories Continued

Here's one story from our recent event reports that makes you wonder just how smart (or dumb) criminals can be. The story goes something like this...

Our victim discovers his vehicle was burglarized late one night while he was inside a restaurant along Hwy 98 North in Lakeland. Among the items taken in the burglary were an I-Pod, a digital camera, and a cell phone charger. The victim calls the police to report the crime, and the responding officer dutifully takes the report listing all of the stolen items.

Approximately 30 - 45 minutes later (call it around 2:00 AM), the police get a call from a clerk at a convenience store just a few blocks away from the burglary scene. The clerk tells police a subject is inside the store trying to sell an I-Pod. The same officer responds to the store and makes contact with the suspect when he notices the subject is in possession of (you got it), an I-Pod, a digital camera, and a cell phone charger. But the story gets more interesting...

The victim happens to be at the same convenience store to vacuum the broken glass from his vehicle and walks into the store where he notices the officer and the I-Pod. Our victim identifies the articles as those just stolen from his truck. The suspect gets arrested and tries to proclaim that he did not steal the items but rather somebody in the area just gave them to him.

Moral to the story - never try to pawn stolen items within blocks of the crime scene and within moments of the theft. Add to the lessons to be learned here - never try to pawn stolen items at a convenience store after you have been trespassed from the store in the first place!

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Weekly Crime Maps Jan 21 - Jan 27, 2008

Here is the weekly crime map of significant events for the period of Crime Map - 01/14 to 01/20.

- Sergeant Terri Smith

Weekly Crime Stats

Download tac_rpt_jan_14_thru_jan_20.pdf

Strategic Planning

Mention "strategic planning" and most folks will respond with a yawn. It's not the most glamorous or exciting thing to do. I guess for police officers it ranks a little above getting a root canal and far below being involved in a foot chase.

However, it is absolutely essential for leaders to engage in a dynamic strategic planning process to establish their organization's direction and ensure our efforts are properly aligned toward what it is we are trying to achieve.

Chief Boatner and the three Assistant Chiefs joined with the other city department heads and their assistants today for a full day of strategic planning at the new Hilton Garden Inn at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. Nearly 50 participants reviewed the importance of strategic planning and then revisited the City's plan to ensure our vision, mission, values, and goals were properly aligned to set a course for our entire organization. This was in preparation for the City Commission's retreat scheduled for next month.

We also addressed how we can best measure our performance to ensure we are achieving the right outcomes. You may ask why this is so important? Think of strategic planning and performance measurement like this...

How else can you know "the score" of your business if you do not plan for how you are going to win the game? It's a lot like playing a game of basketball without a game plan and never counting the points each team scored. How do you know if you won the game?

The same applies to our city government. How do we know if we are achieving our intended outcomes if we don't first know what it is we are trying to accomplish and then take the time to measure our results?

We look forward to reporting our results to the City Commission next month.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Preventing Identity Theft

Here are some sure signs your identify has been stolen:

1. You were buying Junior a gift on eBay and you noticed your house is listed for sale.
2. You got a call asking when you want the pool installed, buy you live in an apartment.
3. You tried to pay for groceries with a credit card and they called for SWAT.
4. Your wife/husband just served you with divorce papers, but you don't remember ever getting married.
5. You get a post card from yourself that says, "Wish you were here!"
6. You're wanted in Mexico and you've never left Lakeland.

Anyone who has ever been the victim of identity theft can relate to these situations. They can also tell you that while humor is good for the soul, there is nothing but troubles ahead for the victims of identity theft.

The National Crime Prevention Council and the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance have produced a Guide to Preventing Identity Theft that you can download here in .pdf format. We recommend everyone take an opportunity to practice the following tips to reduce your chances of becoming a victim.

• Do not put outgoing mail, especially bill payments, in personal curbside mailboxes that are unsecured. Use United States Postal Services mailboxes, preferably inside a post office.
• Protect your important personal information like driver's license or social security number. Do not give this information to anyone unless absolutely necessary.
• Shred financial records before throwing them away.
• Be alert for anyone calling you from your bank and trying to get your assistance in a bank investigation by asking for your personal information.
• Do not store your passwords or PIN numbers with your credit or debit cards. Commit passwords and PIN numbers to memory.
• Be suspicious of any e-mails from legitimate looking businesses that seek personal information. "Phishing" for information via e-mails is a rapidly growing trend in identity theft.

Contact your local law enforcement agency immediately if you think you are the victim of identity theft.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Weekly Crime Maps Jan 14 - Jan 20, 2008

Here is the weekly crime map of significant events for the period of Crime Map - 01/14 to 01/20.

- Sergeant Terri Smith

Celebrating the Dream: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

Since today was a holiday around our nation to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I felt it appropriate to pause and acknowledge the significance of this day. You may remember Dr. King as a great civil rights leader or just a Baptist minister, but we can all agree the impact of his message is still felt since his assassination in 1968. This April will mark the 40th anniversary of his death.

One of the recent movements to come from the celebration of Dr. King's birthday is the initiative to make this holiday a day of volunteerism - a day on, not a day off.

Regardless of whether you volunteered in your community today or simply paused to reflect on Dr. King's message, we trust you took some time to remember the important message he shared with the world - that civil rights must be preserved for everyone regardless of race, creed, or nationality.

The Lakeland Police Department has helped sponsor the Dr. M.L. King parade in Lakeland through financial support for the parade and the other events that occur during the week-long celebration. We are proud to be associated with this annual celebration and call upon everyone to continue our collective efforts to see Dr. King's dream come true.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Officer Patricio Guity Promoted to Sergeant

Officer Patricio "Pat" Guity was promoted to the rank of Sergeant this afternoon during ceremonies at the Lakeland Police Department. Sgt. Guity is a 15-year LPD veteran, having joined the Department in 1992.

Throughout his LPD career, Pat served in a variety of assignments, including Uniform Patrol Division, the Special Investigations Section, the Street Crimes Unit, the Repeat Offender Unit, and the Criminal Investigations Section.

Pat is known as a team player, as evidenced by his numerous Unit Citation awards. He was co-awarded Detective of the Quarter in 2004 for his outstanding and dedicated service to the community. He and his partner were responsible for cracking a major case in town that involved a state-wide burglary and theft ring where the suspects targeted model train dealers. His investigative efforts resulted in several arrests and the return of hundreds of items to their rightful owners.

Sgt. Pat Guity received his Masters degree in Business Administration from Florida Metropolitan University in 2003.

We congratulate Pat on this promotion and look forward to working with him in his new position.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Weekly Crime Maps Jan 7 - Jan 13, 2008

Here is the weekly crime map of significant events for the period of Crime Map 01/07 to 01/13.

- Sergeant Terri Smith