INSIDE the Lakeland Police Department

Follow Up to our Pill Drop-Off Initiative

It is difficult to quantify a "successful pill drop-off", but we are pleased to let everyone know the following from our recent initiative to collect unwanted prescription medications this past weekend.

Detectives report a total of 199 pounds of unwanted pills collected on Saturday. This quantity compares to 80 pounds collected during the previous pill drop-off.

Is 199 pounds good? That is hard to say, but we think it is great! What we can say for sure is there are 199 pounds less of wanted prescription medications (remember these are controlled substances) just sitting around in medicine cabinets waiting to be taken by mistake (accidental overdoses by adults or children) or ingested by our youth in an effort to get high.

And now what happens to these pills? We make arrangements to incinerate them rather than grind them into a powder and throw them away where they can leach into our water system.

We appreciate everyone's interest in this program and your efforts to bring the pills to the police station. Together we can take small steps to make our community safer.

- 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 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

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 Police Are Now On Twitter

After conducting a bit of research and discovering a few other police departments around the country are beginning to use Twitter, I decided we would take the leap and join. You can find us on Twitter under our account name LakelandPD.

Be patient as we look for creative ways to use this form of communication technology to keep the public informed of events, emergencies, and general news around the Lakeland Police Department.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Community Policing on the Internet: Checking in at Hampton Hills in Lakeland

Communication is a critical component of community policing. Sharing information is essential to help residents stay informed about crime in their area, educate them on what they can do to stay safe, and empower neighborhoods to become organized so they can help reduce the opportunity for crime to fester in their community.

The most common techniques that neighborhoods used to communicate was through phone trees or newsletters. Others now have intricate e-mail systems to keep residents in touch with current events. Today I was introduced to what the Hampton Hills neighborhood is doing to use technology to achieve this goal - a neighborhood web site and blog!

This is not the first neighborhood web site in Lakeland. You can visit the Lake Morton Neighborhood Association on the web, too. If there are others out there in Lakeland, please let me know about your web sites as well.

Kudos to Hampton Hills for this achievement. I cannot think of a better to way to harness the power of the Internet and facilitate timely communication with residents.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Just How Bad is Crime Today?

It seems we get a daily barrage of media stories that report crime in our community, state, and nation. Read enough print articles or web postings or hear on TV enough of these reports and one can quickly get a sense of crime being everywhere. People can begin to fear leaving their homes at that point.

So how bad is crime then?

According to data from our 2007 UCR report, just under 1 in 100 people were the victim of a violent crime last year, and many of those were the result of lifestyle choices. What do I mean by that? People who become the victim of a violent crime while buying or selling drugs, or who get into bar fights, etc. count as UCR crime victims, but their victimization is directly linked to choices they make and the lifestyle they live. In other words, these are not random acts of violence.

The same report shows just under 6 in 100 people were the victim of property crimes in 2007. These crimes include burglaries, thefts, and auto thefts. The data only tells part of the story. More than half of our vehicle burglaries, for instance, are to unlocked vehicles with valuables left in plain sight. Our rate of property crime would decrease if people would simply take a moment to secure their property.

So how bad is crime then?

I guess it depends on how you look at the numbers and the stories behind the crime reports. Innocent people become random victims, which is not a good thing. Not so innocent people become victims, which is still not a good thing, but is preventable.

We try to work throughout the community to ensure no one becomes a victim of a crime. Please help us along the way by doing all you can to prevent you or your family from becoming a crime stat - prevention and common sense go a long way to keeping us safe.

- 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

"Brother Can You Spare Me a Dime" - Policing Panhandlers in Lakeland

A recent Letter to the Editor in The Ledger addressed a problem with panhandlers on East Memorial Boulevard. Such nuisances create a lower quality of life in our community, for who wants to be accosted by these individuals when we are taking our families out for dinner.

I experienced this problem first hand myself while dining downtown several months ago. An individual who obviously just arrived in town via the most recent freight train or bus approached my wife and I looking for a handout. I promptly and assertively told him to leave us alone as such activity was not permitted in town. He then turned to another table just a few feet away where a repeat performance of his plea for assistance produced a $20 bill from the diner's wallet.

Asking for assistance is not a crime, but aggressive panhandling is a violation of a City Ordinance. We do respond to calls for service of this nature along East Memorial Boulevard when merchants request our assistance. We rely on getting calls from the public when panhandlers become aggressive or when merchants want an individual removed from their property. Our limited resources simply do not permit us to maintain a heavy presence in the area in hopes of preventing such incidents.

So how can we prevent future acts of aggressive panhandling? Let's start by understanding human nature. Panhandlers go where they know they can get a quick buck or two. It is a bit like hunting or fishing - you go where you have the greatest chance of succeeding. What is needed is for people to realize that your "gracious" act of giving money to someone who is panhandling is actually perpetuating the problem rather than making things better.

Stop giving money and the panhandlers move on.

The other aspect of this problem is linked to something we have blogged about repeatedly - how we deal with the homeless problem in Lakeland.

Many of the panhandlers on Memorial Boulevard are looking for places to sleep, food from restaurant dumpsters, and opportunities to beg for money. Our community simply does not have enough social services providers to meet the needs of the many homeless individuals who travel to Lakeland because we are known across the country for being so generous to anyone coming into town looking for a handout.

Problems such as homelessness and aggressive panhandling expose the deep social ills that we routinely expect to be solved with a quick call to the police. We will not arrest our way out of this problem - we need to continue as a community to find ways to deal with homelessness and the related problems of aggressive panhandling.

Something to think about the next time you see someone giving money to a panhandler...

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lock It or Lose It

WTVT Fox 13 News did a feature story Tuesday evening on Lakeland's "Lock It or Lose It" campaign this holiday season. This link will take to you their website where you can see the printed story and link to the video.

We continue to encourage everyone to lock their cars while shopping, hide valuable left inside the car to keep they out of sight, and park in well lit areas. A few simple crime prevention acts can keep your holiday season from being ruined this year.

Remember... Lock It or Lose It!

- Asst Chief Bill LePere