INSIDE the Lakeland Police Department

Presidents' Roundtable Honors LPD Officers of the Year

Two Lakeland Police officers were honored today during the 41st annual Presidents' Roundtable Public Safety Awards banquet.

Officer Jason Leggett was named Officer of the Year for his efforts to locate a homicide victim. Leggett received information from out of state that a suspect had made comments about killing a man in Lakeland. Based on the very limited information known at the time, Officer Leggett utilized a variety of investigative research methods to locate where the victim was found deceased. His initial efforts led to the subsequent arrest of the suspect.

Detective James O'Neill is our Detective of the Year and was awarded Honorable Mention for his investigative efforts into a reported fraud case that ultimately led to the seizure of additional drugs and money. Det. O'Neill is well known for the thoroughness of his fraud investigations. He relentlessly follows all leads and often creates more work for himself because one case generally leads to another and to another and so on.

 

We congratulate both Officer Leggett and Detective O'Neill for receiving their awards today and for their dedicated service to the community.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

LPD Snipers Top Team in the State

When critical events occur that require activating our SWAT Team, an essential element of that entire operation is the deployment of snipers around the target location. Snipers provide cover and protection for entry teams and other personnel involved in tactical operations within the inner perimeter. They also afford us the opportunity to neutralize a threat, such as a hostage taker or a barricaded subject shooting at officers.

Our SWAT Commanders rely on our sniper team knowing these officers can make a precision shot from a long distance should they be called upon to do so. We consider our snipers to be among the best around - and that was proven during the Florida SWAT Association's annual sniper competition last week.

Two of our snipers participating in the competition, Sgt. Chad Mumbauer and Det. Bob Bernhardt, placed first in the team event and easily separated themselves from the rest of the pack. The competition included six different tactical events, and our team took first place in three of the six separate challenges and second in two more.

The sniper's role is to wait, sometimes for hours on end in the worst possible environmental conditions, providing protection to those exposed to danger. The job is stressful, requires a great deal of patience and restraint, and demands the highest degree of professionalism. We are so proud of our snipers and congratulate these two for their outstanding performance in the heat of competition.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lakeland Police Swear-in Three New Officers

Three new members joined the Lakeland Police Department as police officers last week after taking an oath of office and receiving their police shields. Officers Tyler Anderson, Mike Glass, and Dagon Leach completed the preliminary orientation program on Friday and entered the Field Training program this weekend. They will be in Field Training until November to learn the many skills and duties we expect from our officers.

We welcome each of them to the Department and wish them well in their career at LPD!

From left to right: Officer Dagon Leach, Officer Mike Glass, Officer Tyler Anderson.

For the moment, we are at full strength of police officers (absent the 10 positions we lost earlier in the year due to budget cuts).

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lakeland Police Forensic Artist Featured on Channel 13

We previously highlighted the exceptional forensic artist work of one of our Public Safety Aides, Ms. Darlene Melius. Her artistic talents are simply phenomenal.

And just yesterday, Channel 13 - WTVT, featured some work PSA Melius is preparing to complete on a human skull found in Tampa Bay in hopes of providing investigators with a drawing of what the victim looked like.

We cannot say enough good things about the work PSA Melius offers to our community and now to the greater Tampa Bay area. Thanks Darlene for a job well done.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Det. Mingus Retires from LPD

Det. Eddie Mingus recently retired from the Lakeland Police Department after 18 years of service to the community. Co-workers, family, and friends gathered for ceremonies to say good bye and wish him well in his future endeavors.

   

When given an opportunity to address those gathered, Det. Mingus introduced himself as the honored retiree saying everyone there must have heard free cake was being handed out in the Community Room rather than be there to wish him well. That is the kind of humor he brought to the job everyday he was here.

You may recognize him as one of our "calendar models" for a recent project on behalf of Bloodnet. Det. Mingus was a faithful donor of life through our many blood drives at LPD.

Despite the free cake, we do want to wish Det. Mingus well. Thank you sir for your many years of service as a patrol officer, detective, and member of our Hostage Negotiations Team.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lakeland Police Swear-In Four New Officers

Four new officers were sworn-in as members of the Lakeland Police Department during ceremonies this past Thursday. Officers Mike Arbogast, Talya Frazier, Jason Leggett, and Scott Weaver took their oath of office and received their shields from Chief Boatner.

These four new officers have just completed a four-week orientation program and begin their 14-week field training program this weekend. We wish them the best in their careers at Lakeland PD and welcome them to our department.

From left to right: Officer Scott Weaver, Officer Jason Leggett,
Officer Talya Frazier, and Officer Mike Arbogast.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lakeland Police Promote Dr. Greg Robinson to Supervisor of Crime Prevention Unit

Dr. Greg Robinson, a Lakeland Police Department Crime Prevention Practitioner for over 10 years, was recently promoted to Supervisor of the Community Services Unit. This position was previously held by a Police Sergeant, but it was converted to a civilian supervisor as part of our redeployment strategy to move sworn personnel from administrative positions and put them in the field.

Dr. Robinson earned his Doctorate at United Bible College and Seminary in Theology and Christian Education. He has earned many awards and decorations during his military service, service to the religious community, and here at LPD. His most recent recognition was Civilian Member of the Year for the Police Department in 2007.

Greg was born and raised in Lakeland. After graduating from Lakeland Senior High School he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served 13 years and achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant functioning in many capacities. Some of his duties were: Cannoneer, Fire Direction Officer, Gun Chief, Pershing Missile Chief, Drill Instructor and an Advanced Weapons Instructor. During his tenure he completed two tours in Europe for a total of 6 years.

Greg started with the Lakeland Police Department in December of 1995 serving in the Community Services Section. He has graduated numerous courses and training sessions such as the FBI Citizen Academy, Credit Card Fraud Course, Time Management Training, Child Safety Technician, City University courses, Crime Prevention through Environmental Design, Florida, Work Place Violence Instructor and a Victim Service Practitioner. Greg is certified as a Florida Crime Prevention Practitioner.

We congratulate him on this promotion and look forward to his continued service to the Lakeland community.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lakeland City Commission Recognizes Presidents Roundtable Award Winners

The Lakeland City Commission took time from their meeting yesterday morning to recognize Lakeland Police Officers and Lakeland Firefighters who received awards from the recent Presidents Roundtable function.

Officer Michael Cardin and Sergeant Chad Mumbauer were applauded for their heroic efforts last year. You may recall that Officer Cardin, our Officer of the Year, was nominated for his prompt efforts to climb into an overturned and burning car at a crash scene to rescue a passenger who was entrapped inside the vehicle. Sergeant Mumbauer was recognized for assisting a woman who was choking to death at a softball game. He was off-duty at the time and was able to clear the woman's airway and saved her life.

Below, Sergeant Mumbauer receives congratulations from City Manager Doug Thomas and Police Chief Roger Boatner.

Lakeland Firefighter Bill Mulvaney was also recognized for his efforts to enter a burning mobile home and rescue a victim who was trapped inside. Though flames were spreading and endangering him, Firefighter Mulvaney was able to remove the burned victim from the residence. He is pictured below receiving congratulations from Fire Chief Mike Mohler and City Manager Doug Thomas.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

Lakeland Police Claim Another Victory at Corporate Cup Run

The Lakeland Police Department repeated as champions at this year's Corporate Cup 5K Run this past Saturday by winning first place in the 151 - 400 Employee Division.

Team members from left to right include: Officer Clint Harris, Sgt. Ron Bowling, Jr., Captain Tom Day,
Lt. Larry Giddens, and Mr. Charley Dormer. Missing from the photo is Lt. Steve Walker.

Lt. Giddens was the fastest with a time of 20:25. Captain Day finished next with an impressive time of 21:44. (Not bad for a 53 year old.) Other finishing times included Sgt. Bowling at 22:00, Mr. Dormer at 22:16, and Officer Harris at 22:24.

Our runners embody the standard of physical fitness that is important to safely do the job of a police officer. Officers who remain in top physical condition are not only better able to remain mentally alert and capable of controlling resisting subjects, but they are able to deal with the stress of the job (which can be even more dangerous than the streets).

Congratulations to our runners as repeating champs at the Corporate Cup 5K Run.

- Asst Chief Bill LePere

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