INSIDE the Lakeland Police Department

Weekly Crime Stats

Download tac_rpt_feb_18_thru_feb_24.pdf

Weekly Crime Map for Feb 17 to Feb 23

Here is the weekly crime map of significant events for the period of Crime Map - 02/17 to 02/23.

- Sergeant Terri Smith

Observations from the City Commission's Retreat

I had the opportunity to observe the two-day strategic planning retreat of the Lakeland City Commission and see first hand their discussions regarding critical issues that face our community. Some of the topics did not have a direct impact on the police department, but there were several issues which will effect our budget and operations in the next fiscal year.

Budget Shortfall

The impact of property tax reform under Amendment 1 and less-than-projected revenues from sales tax and communications taxes are expected to create a $4 million deficit in the General Fund in FY09. That has a direct bearing on our budget as public safety (police and fire) make up just over half of the entire $94 million General Fund. If you do the math quickly, that may become as much as a $1 to $1.5 million reduction to the police budget. We already made what we deemed to be significant budget reductions with the initial round of property tax reform, so this makes a looming second round of cuts all that less appealing.

Homeless Population

The City Commission engaged in some much needed serious dialogue about the problems facing our entire community when it comes to how we deal with the homeless. Chief Boatner participated in a panel discussion on a variety of quality of life issues, but homelessness was one of the primary concerns being addressed. The Chief gave a broad overview of the social problems related to the homeless.

The issue comes down to what our community wants to adopt as a public policy regarding how we treat the homeless -- with the critical point here being the importance to distinguish between our local residents who find themselves without a home versus the transients who come to Lakeland from all over the country to seek a free handout. The need to assist those who, due to unfortunate circumstances, find themselves on the streets is often times ignored because our compassionate assistance is being diverted to those who choose to be homeless but nonetheless scam the system for handouts. The overflow of transients (not our local homeless) affects the entire community when providers cannot meet the demand for services.

We need a community-wide discussion with all stakeholders to determine just how much assistance we will give the transients from all around the county who flock to town because the word on the streets is "Lakeland is the place to be." Let us attempt to focus our resources to assist our local homeless population and leave the other cities in Florida and the remaining 49 states to take care of their own homeless. There is only so much we can do.

Quality of Life

Lakeland enjoys a unique quality of life that encompasses a feel of a small town community within a large area with a growing popultion. We want to retain that small town quality of life.

Reported crime, fear of crime, traffic safety, and safe public spaces are priorities to our residents. While it rests with the police department to take the lead in respect to these problems, there are simply not enough police officers to go around and do it all. The community then becomes a critical partner in addressing the conditions which give rise to crime and help practice traffic safety on our roadways. Our challenge is to engage the community and share this responsibility -- something we like to call community policing.

Efficiency in Police Operations

It became painfully clear the probability of obtaining additional police officer positions was small entering the retreat and got a whole lot smaller once the fiscal forecast was given by Finance Director Greg Finch. This creates the need for every city department to ensure it is operating at maximum efficiency.

The Lakeland Police Department takes great pride in comparing our operations to national standards in an attempt to ensure we get the most from our resources. Benchmarking, reviewing management audits, and carefully watching our performance measures are things we are already doing to address efficiency concerns. The retreat made it painfully obvious that we will be called upon to do even more in this arena.

We look forward to these challenges and, as always, are open to your comments and concerns as well.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

 

Weekly Crime Stats

Download tac_rpt_feb_11_feb_17.pdf

Weekly Crime Map for Feb 11 - Feb 17

Here is the weekly crime map of significant events for the period of Crime Map – 02/11 to 02/17.

- Sergeant Terri Smith

50th Annual Kiwanis Pancake Festival is Saturday - Stop by the Lakeland Police Display There

The 50th annual Kiwanis Pancake Festival is this Saturday, February 16th from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM at Tigertown. You can view a map of Tigertown here. This yearly community event is a fundraiser by the Kiwanis to raise funds for financial support of the many projects promoted by the various Kiwanis groups in Lakeland. Tickets are available from local Kiwanians or at the door on Saturday.

At while you are there, be sure to stop by the Crime Prevention Expo hosted by the Lakeland Police Department. Our display will feature the many crime prevention programs we offer as well as booths from some of our partner groups. Weather permitting, the helicopter will be on display along with some of our SWAT tactical gear. McGruff the Crime Dog has been known to stop by for pancakes from time to time as well.

We hope to see you on Saturday!

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Weekly Crime Stats

Download tac_rpt_feb_4_thru_feb_10.pdf

Weekly Crime Map for Feb 4 - Feb 10

Here is the weekly crime map of significant events for the period of Crime Map - 02/04 to 02/10.

- Sergeant Terri Smith

February 2008 Employee Service Awards

Two LPD employees recently achieved career milestones and deserve some recognition for their service and tenure. Those employees receiving awards for their longevity with the City of Lakeland include:

20 Years of Service

• Officer Brad Grice - is a detective with the Criminal Investigations Section where he handles violent crimes. Brad is our primary investigator reviewing old homicide cases and works to clear these "cold cases" by re-interviewing witnesses or arranging for physical evidence to be processed with new technology. He was featured recently in the news following arrests in a 20 year old homicide case.
• Sergeant Gary Gross - is a supervisor with the Crimes Against Children Unit. This group investigates cases in which children have been abused or neglected, as well as missing persons. He is involved in the regional Child Abduction Response Team, and has responded to assist with several high profile abduction cases in the past few years.

We appreciate the long-term commitment to our community and department that is displayed everyday by these members. Thank you for your ongoing service to our community.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

The Value of Eyewitnesses

Successful crime fighting involves more than the police - it also must incorporate the community who is willing to get involved. Such an incident occurred over the weekend that is worth mentioning.

A witness observed a subject breaking into the Looking Good store at 702 E Memorial Blvd just a little before midnight on Friday night. The witness called the police to report the in-progress crime. We had officers in the area on patrol, so we were on scene in moments.

From that point the officers watched the suspect, Darrell Jones DOB 01/28/1980, exit the store carrying stolen clothing. We made the arrest for burglary, grand theft, and other charges following a taser deployment after the subject tried to flee. This is usually the end of the story, but it should not be in this case. Something else is worth mentioning right now.

We rely heavily on the public getting involved and calling us when they see a crime occurring. Our ability to make an arrest is much greater when we can arrive on scene while the suspect is still there. That happens when eyewitnesses refuse to look the other way, and instead decide to get involved.

We appreciate the support and involvement of our community members - thank you.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere