INSIDE the Lakeland Police Department

Lakeland PD Releases October 2008 UCR Data

The October 2008 Uniform Crime Report data has been posted on our web site. These numbers are preliminary pending end of the year audits, but you can get a general sense of current crime trends in our community from this report.

Through the end of October, year to date figures for 2008 show violent crime is down 15% from the same period last year. Property crime in 2008 is down 2% from last year.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

The Season for Car Burglaries

While reviewing crime reports from the weekend, it is obvious that car burglaries are going to once again become a major problem during the holiday season. Rather than the usual case of cars getting burglarized in shopping areas, this past weekend saw a significant number of car burglaries in residential areas.

Officers made one arrest early this morning when a victim discovered his vehicle was being burglarized off Lake Hollingsworth around 4:45 AM. The suspect fled on foot, but responding officers setting up a perimeter around the area were able to locate and arrest Casey Lee Swander, W/M, DOB 02/08/1988 after the victim positively identified him as the culprit. Great job by our Charlie Squad this morning!

There were numerous other car burglaries on the south side of town over the weekend. Detectives are investigating these cases to determine if Swander committed those offenses as well.

Vehicles on the north side of town also got hit this weekend. The Lake Deeson Woods neighborhood had a total of five car burglaries between November 21 - 22. No arrests have been made yet in connection with those crimes.

We urge everyone to reduce their chance of becoming a victim of a car burglary by locking their car and removing valuables from the passenger compartment. Thieves are less likely to enter your car when there is nothing inside to steal. And of coure, call us to report any suspicious activity you observe in your neighborhood.

For a complete listing of car burglaries and pin maps showing the locations of these crimes, visit SpotCrime.com.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lakeland Citizens Police Academy Alumni Make Donation to K-9 Program

The Lakeland Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association presented a $5,000 check to Lakeland Police Department's K-9 program Thursday night as a donation toward future K-9 equipment purchases. The LCPAAA conducted a year-long fundraising effort to raise these funds to offset various training equipment needed by the K-9 Unit.

Mr. Dave Munson is shown below presenting the donation to Chief of Police Roger Boatner during the recent CPA graduation ceremony.

This is the second year in a row the LCPAAA has provided financial assistance to LPD. We are most appreciative of the organization's ongoing support. Alumni members give back to the community and LPD in a variety of ways, which helpsus in our crime prevention efforts and makes Lakeland a better community in which to live.

Thanks to all of our alumni for their efforts!

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

2008 Lakeland Citizens Police Academy Holds Graduation

The 2008 Lakeland Citizens Police Academy held graduation ceremonies Thursday evening at the police station where 44 residents were awarded certificates for their accomplishment of completing the academy.

The Citizens Police Academy is a 14-week program designed to introduce participants to the internal workings of the police department. Academy students learn about the various bureaus and components within LPD and the challenging work being performed everyday by our members. More importantly, participants get introduced to our members and understand their commitment to providing professional public safety service to the community.

One recent graduate wrote:

      "What I enjoyed the most was watching each week as different ones brought their specific jobs to life as they spoke about what they do for the Department. I could see the pride and excitement that they get from being a police officer and serving this community."

In his keynote comments during the ceremony, Chief of Police Roger Boatner thanked the participants and their families for committing the time required to complete the academy. He challenged them to take their newly gained understanding of police work and share it with their friends in the community.

The 2009 Citizens Police Academy will start in August of next year. We will post something here once the applications are available for the next session.

Congrats again to the new graduates of the 2008 Lakeland Citizens Police Academy!

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Great American Teach-In

The Lakeland Police Department is always honored to be asked to participate in various events at local schools during the annual "Great American Teach-In." This year was no different as our members went to several schools to read in classes or discuss police work.

I had the pleasure of visiting R. Bruce Wagner Elementary today and read to two classes. K-9 Officer Jose Bosque was also at Wagner with this two K-9 partners. Images of me reading in class are pretty boring, but watching a K-9 demonstration is pretty exciting stuff - and so we have some pictures from that event below!

We also had personnel visiting Padgett Elementary and Scott Lake Elementary that I know about. There are no doubt other schools I missed, so please accept my apologies if I overlooked your school. Our thanks to everyone who invited us to visit with them today.

     

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lakeland Police Ask If Criminals Need Help With Directions, Too

Admittedly I ask this tongue-in-cheek, but I pose a question - do criminals suddenly need help with directions or finding their way around town? I ask because we have seen an increase lately in Garmen GPS units being stolen during vehicle burglaries.

These handy devices are often left attached to the front windshield inside a vehicle. They create an almost irresistible invitation for crooks to break into the vehicle and remove the device. It takes a matter of seconds to complete this crime and be out of the area without ever being detected.

The police have next to no chance in preventing this crime, but you do. Securing these devices when you are away from your car will greatly increase the chances of you not becoming a victim. I realize it is often a matter of convenience - but I have to ask is it more convenient to become a crime victim, file a report with the police and your insurance company, and then go buy another device - or is it easier to just hide it in the first place?

Something to think about...

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

City of Lakeland Veteran's Day Parade and Celebration This Weekend

The Polk County Veteran's Council in conjunction with the City of Lakeland will host the annual Veteran's Day Ceremony, Parade, and Patriotic Festival this Saturday, November 8, 2008. These events are part of an ongoing effort to inform, educate, and empower the community to learn more about our local veterans and their contributions to the nation and community. 

The Memorial Ceremony will begin at 10:00 AM at the Veteran's Park located on Lake Beulah Drive on the west side of The Lakeland Center. (See map here)

The ceremony this year will focus on former POWs and Purple Heart recipients in our community.

Immediately following the ceremony, a parade will begin at The Lakeland Center and travel through downtown Lakeland where it will end at Munn Park. A Patriotic Festival will occur at Munn Park following the parade. There will be food, local Veterans organizations, drill demonstrations, activities and fun for the whole family.

All veterans, veterans organizations, families of veterans, employers of veterans, and supporters of veterans are invited to attend.

Many of our members at the Lakeland Police Department are veterans from all branches of military service, and we have many who still serve in the Guard or Reserves today. We are happy to support our veterans and thank them for their service to our country.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Neighborhood Watch Programs: Do They Work?

One of the most basic community policing programs we offer to residents is Neighborhood Watch, or in business areas the Business Watch program. These programs are based on the concept of organizing a community, be it a residential neighborhood or a business area, for the purpose of raising awareness about crime trends, crime prevention tips, and order maintenance concerns. The ultimate goal is to empower the neighborhood to become involved in improving the quality of life for their area by looking out for each other and working in a collaborative partnership with the police.

But the ultimate question here is whether Neighborhood Watch programs are effective in reducing crime. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Justice COPS Office found "Across all eligible studies combined, Neighborhood Watch was associated with a reduction in crime." You can read the entire report here.

We offer Neighborhood Watch programs because they work. Contact our Community Services Unit (863-834-6912) if you are interested in starting one in your neighborhood or learning more about Neighborhood Watch.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lakeland City Commission Gives Final Approval to Red Light Cameras

The Lakeland City Commission gave final approval today for a contract to proceed with installation of red light cameras (RLC) around the city. The installation should begin around the first of the year and proceed in various phases.

We continue to get occasional letters and e-mails from people who support the RLC concept and from those opposed to these cameras. The reasons for support or opposition remain fairly constant - folks either want to prevent crashes caused by people running red lights or they want to avoid having "big brother" watch them driving around town.

I believe it is worth repeating here - the easiest and most effective way to avoid getting a citation or infraction notice from us is to simply not run red lights. You would think this is easy for drivers to do, but we know different.

Time will tell if the cameras change driver behaviors. We think they will and look forward to working with them once they get installed.

What do you think?

- Asst Chief Bill LePere