Sheriff Creates Plan To Alleviate Jail Overcrowding
The sheriff’s department says that it’s crucial that something should be done about the overcrowding of Nueces County Jail.
Currently, there are 1,020 beds in the facility and there are 997 inmates being housed there at this time, which means there are only 23 beds available for incoming inmates. The situation could put the sheriff’s department in a bind if there’s a large raid or drug bust. Currently, the sheriff’s department is proposing a plan to reduce the overcrowding by 10 percent.
It might cost taxpayers more money, but the sheriff’s office says they’re already doing things now to help keep the population down.
“The judges are placing people in the alternative incarceration program, which is inclusive to community service,” Capt. Stan Repka with the sheriff’s department said.
So, instead of placing offenders in jail, some judges are placing them in alternative programs which require them to do some form of community service. The county is also transferring inmates to Texas prisons early.
“We’ve done a courtesy drop-off, so to speak, where instead of waiting for those agencies to come pick them up, we just when we need to make a run to pick someone up. We just do a courtesy drop-off,” said Repka.
They’ve already transported eight inmates in the past 10 days.The sheriff’s office is proposing options, such as placing low-risk inmates on house arrest and giving them GPS monitors. The monitors can restrict the inmates to their home and workplace based on GPS tracking.
Another idea is to convert areas in the Mckenzie Annex into rooms by adding beds; that would house an additional 96 inmates. That plan would reduce the jail population by 10 percent. All the sheriff’s office needs now is approval from the commissioners court to put this plan into action.
Online Reporter: Rashi Vats
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Rookie officers look toward day they’ll be called back to TPD
All 21 Tulsa police officers who were laid off Tuesday knew what was coming when they were summoned to police headquarters.
But even after they were laid off from the jobs that they love, the officers still pledged their dedication to the department and expressed hope that funds will be available soon to hire them back.
“I am not going to be put off by this. I am going to take it professionally,” said Adam Yerton, who graduated from the police academy in December. “I am going to wait to come back, because this is what I want to do.
“If I wanted money, I had other options. But I don’t want money. I was raised that public service is one of the most fulfilling things you can do with your life.”
Yerton is a third generation Tulsa police officer. His great uncle was killed in the line of duty on Christmas Day in 1959.
“We all knew what to expect,” Darin Ehrenrich said about the meeting at headquarters Tuesday afternoon. “I guess we are all just waiting for the good news about when we do get to come back.”
Ehrenrich, who also graduated from the academy in December, said his desire to be an officer is strong and that he has known he wanted to be a police officer since he was 5 years old.
“This is all I ever wanted to do,” he said.
Many other officers and family members were at the Police Department’s CompStat Center to support the laid-off officers. Ehrenrich said the support was “overwhelming, something that you can’t even put into words.”
Police Chief Ron Palmer said the department hopes to retain 18 of the officers through the federal stimulus grant that originally was intended to hire new officers. Mayor Kathy Taylor said she hopes to retain the other officers by negotiating cost savings with the police union.
“We did everything we could collectively and individually at the executive level to avoid touching sworn personnel, and we just could not get there with the money that needed to be generated,” Palmer said.
The officers were notified during the meeting that it would be seven days before they were terminated from the city’s payroll.
On Tuesday morning, department heads made contingency plans to deal with the vacant shifts created by the layoffs. Many of the rookie officers had been assigned to the same shifts and division.
“It almost wiped out a whole squad of third-watch officers at Gilcrease (Division)” Palmer said.
They are also dealing with the logistics of reassigning officers from the Helicopter Unit, which was grounded, and the Mounted Patrol, which will be dissolved.
“We never shut down any of those units (before). We don’t know how to do that exactly,” Palmer said. “All that is new to us. This whole day is new to us. There is a lot of anger. There is a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear of the unknown of what will happen in the future.”
But more changes are still to come, and more restructuring will be coordinated in the future, Palmer said.
There are strong rumors that as many as 30 to 35 officers will retire before June to get the most out of their retirement benefits. Department heads also have to take normal attrition into account, and the upcoming March academy class was cancelled.
“Our core service is in the field,” Palmer said, “so the restructuring issue comes later on when the attrition starts to hit us harder in the field and we just can’t make it up from the uniforms that are already out there.”
Projected savings from Police Department cuts
$760,000: Reduce the work force by 21 sworn officer positions. 18 of these positions could potentially be hired back under the COPS grant.
$460,000: Cancel the academy scheduled to start in March.
$195,223: Ground both police helicopter units. The helicopters will be maintained for future use. Helicopter Unit personnel will be redeployed to other areas.
$51,218: Eliminate the Mounted Patrol Unit. The horses will be sold at auction, and sworn personnel will be redeployed. One civilian position will be eliminated.
$32,321: Eliminate the civilian Volunteers in Police Services coordinator position.
$166,000: Defer the hiring of two civilian positions in the forensics lab until further notice.
$11,000: Cancel certain cell phone and pager services. 169 pagers and 10 cell phones will be eliminated.
$115,000: Defer replacements of body armor. The Department is ahead of schedule in replacing vests, so future replacements can be deferred without risking safety to officers.
$15,000: Eliminate the Crime Commission grant.
$210,000: Further operational changes, including implementing a bureau-wide staffing level for Uniform Operations.
By Nicole Marshall
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Police plan for armed officers on motorbikes is scrapped in dramatic U-turn
Sir Paul Stephenson, who was unaware armed officers were joining regular patrols, said the move would be a significant change in policing style Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223500/Police-plan-armed-officers-motorbikes-scrapped-dramatic-U-turn.html#ixzz0VGNeOCUj
Plans for routine armed police street patrols have been scrapped by Britain’s top police officer.
Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson made the announcement just days after officers from Scotland Yard’s specialist CO19 firearms unit revealed they had joined neighbourhood officers on the beat in London.
Sir Paul and his deputy Tim Godwin were not informed about the move and members of watchdog the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) were also unaware it was taking place.
The MPA is due to discuss the plans tomorrow and is expected to criticise them. Chairman, Mayor of London Boris Johnson, was also not consulted about the move.
The plans would have seen police marksman on motorbikes and on foot carrying Heckler & Koch MP5 single-fire carbine guns and Glock semi-automatic pistols and joining other officers on regular patrols in three crime hotspots in Brixton, Haringey and Tottenham.
They would have carried out ‘weapon sweeps’ on the capital’s most dangerous streets and housing estates to prevent shootings, stabbings and gang-related crime.
British police officers are routinely unarmed, with officers only carrying weapons in public in special circumstances.
Sir Paul said: ‘This tactic was put together by officers for the best of reasons, to support and protect the local community and local unarmed officers.
‘However, I believe that unfortunately there has been a failure to appreciate that this could look like a significant change of policing style.
‘The way in which we have communicated this has led to the mistaken impression that we have created regular armed uniform foot patrols.
‘That is not the case and it is not going to happen. I am very proud of the unarmed civilian service tradition of the Metropolitan Police Service and am determined to uphold it.’
Armed patrols have been sent to estates, including Tottenham’s Broadwater Farm, on eight occasions since June on ‘intelligence-led’ operations.
In the last year, gun crime in the capital has soared by 17 per cent, with 1,736 incidents reported between April and September. That marks an increase of 252 on the same period last year.
Police are also dealing with a dramatic rise in ‘respect shootings’ as young criminals increasingly use guns to settle petty rows over perceived slights to their reputation.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223500/Police-plan-armed-officers-motorbikes-scrapped-dramatic-U-turn.html#ixzz0VGNYP7Sk
Oakland: SWAT Team Wins Big Award Seven Months After Tragedy
The Oakland Police Department’s SWAT team has won a prestigious competition, seven months after two team members, as well as two other officers, were shot and killed in confrontation with a wanted parolee.
“We’re very happy after what we all went through earlier this year,” Oakland police spokesman Jeff Thomason said Tuesday, referring to the March 21 incident in which the four officers were killed.
Alameda County Sheriff Gregory Ahern announced Monday night that the Oakland Police Department is the 2009 winner of the Urban Shield SWAT competition, which was held over the weekend and drew 27 tactical teams from all over the world, including Boston and France.
Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. J.D. Nelson said the announcement was met with a standing ovation by more than 1,500 people who attended the awards ceremony at the U.S.S. Hornet in Alameda.
He said the crowd chanted “OPD” as a show of support for the Oakland Police Department.
Nelson said the tactical teams were judged on 25 tactical situations at locations throughout the Bay Area over the course of 48 hours in what many consider to be the toughest tactical training exercise in the country.
In a statement, Ahern, whose department hosted the competition and also competed in it, said of the Oakland police tactical team, “It was obvious by the way they competed they were on a mission to win this for their fallen brothers. Everyone in the crowd was very proud and emotional at their well-deserved victory.”
Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts said he’s “very proud” of the tactical team and “this is truly a great accomplishment despite facing much adversity this year.”
The members of Oakland’s winning team are Sgts. Pat Gonzales and Roland Holmgren and Officers Frank Uu, Chris Saunders, Casey Johnson, Anwawn Jones, Shane Tarum and Marty Ziebarth.
According to Oakland police, in the March 21 incident parolee Lovelle Mixon shot and killed Sgt. Mark Dunakin and Officer John Hege when they made a traffic stop on him at 74th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard.
Police said Mixon then fled to his sister’s apartment about a block away at 2755 74th Ave. and killed Sgts. Ervin Romans and Daniel Sakai when they and other members of the SWAT team entered the apartment.
One bullet grazed Gonzales’s protective helmet and a second bullet entered and exited his shoulder. He was treated and released after the incident.
Mixon was eventually shot and killed by other officers.
Oakland’s SWAT team was temporarily removed from action after the incident because Romans and Sakai were unit leaders and new leaders had to be trained.
The Alameda County Sheriff’s detail handled Oakland’s SWAT calls for more than two months, but Oakland’s SWAT team went back into operation in late May.
Thomason said Sakai’s widow, Jennifer Sakai, and Gonzales accepted the award on behalf of Oakland’s SWAT team.
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Police K9 Okayed in Kronenwetter
Kronenwetter village board members have agreed to find $1,000 to pay for a new police canine.
The board voted 5-2 Monday to move forward with getting a dog in place as early as January. It accepted $19,000 in grants from two state agencies that will pay for the costs of outfitting a squad car for the dog and training an officer as the dog’s handler.
“It is a small cost toward doing something positive and good,” Dan Lesniak said in voting for the dog.
“The only reason I’m voting against it is because I want to see our time and effort spent more directly with children,” said board president Judi Akey.
The dog will help police catch drug suspects and track missing people.
Police officials have said the dog is necessary given the I-39 corridor that carries marijuana, cocaine, crystal meth and other drugs through the village.
The canine will cost about $1,500 a year in food, veterinary care and liability insurance. A local veterinarian will care for the dog for free as long as the village pays for the dog’s vaccinations.
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Walker County Sheriff’s Office Offers Halloween Safety Tips
In addition to monitoring your child’s candy consumption on Halloween night, be sure to know which houses are safe to approach for trick-or-treating. Citizens like to think that every home is like their own, unfortunately that is not reality.
In Walker County, there are approximately 110 registered sex offenders, and Halloween provides a perfect opportunity for one of them to become acquainted with you and or your children.
“We do the best we can in making sure sex offenders live where they tell us, so it is crucial that our citizens visit our website www.walkerso.com, to see who and where an offender might be living within their neighborhood,” said Sheriff Steve Wilson.
Sheriff Wilson said, “The mapping and address feature found on the website pinpoints exactly where an offender lives, therefore, educating citizens on which houses to avoid while trick-or-treating.”
Perhaps the most beneficial aspect of the address monitoring feature is that once your important addresses and e-mail address have been registered the system will automatically alert you via e-mail when an offender moves within 0.25-2 mile radius of the registered address.
“If you aren’t planning on trick-or-treating in your neighborhood but will be in a family or friends neighborhood, register their address beforehand so you know which houses to avoid. You can register any and all of the addresses where your children spend a lot of time, for example friends, grandparents, or babysitters addresses” said Sheriff Wilson.
The alerts are in real-time and sent out via e-mail as soon as a new offender has registered with the Walker County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Wilson said, “The benefit of registering for this confidential e-mail alert service allows us to monitor your important addresses for you, thereby keeping you up to date of newly registered offenders and making it unnecessary for you to have to check your important addresses daily or even weekly.”
The website for the Walker County Sheriff’s Office is www.walkerso.com. Citizens should click on the link “locate registered sex offenders” and follow the instructions to check their neighborhood and sign up to receive e-mail alerts.
Sheriff Wilson encourages everyone to have a fun and safe Halloween. “Knowledge is power and knowing where the registered sex offenders reside in your area can help you make the best choices for safe and enjoyable Halloween activities.”
For further information, please call the Walker County Sheriff’s Office at 706 638-1909, ext. 240, or mason.brewer@walkerso.com (Sgt. K. Mason Brewer).
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Lady Lake police officer, K-9 partner win championship in national trials
Tarek’s bright-hazel eyes track Officer Lazaro Cabrera for the slightest hand signal or voice command that is spoken in Flemish.
A key aspect of training the 5-year-old German shepherd is to always pay attention to his handler, Cabrera, who is also his law-enforcement partner. Tarek was born and raised in Europe and became a part of Cabrera’s family when he was 2 years old. The 65-pound K-9 was named when Cabrera got him; Tarek means “morning star.”
Cabrera has been a Lady Lake police officer for almost four years, and Tarek is his second K-9 partner.
“He’s an energetic partner with a tremendous will to please,” Cabrera said. “He has so many great characteristics you look for; he’s a social dog and has extraordinary drive.”
The pair’s working relationship showcased its success when Cabrera and Tarek brought home the national championship for the second year in a row from The United States Police Canine Association’s national trials that were held this month in West Des Moines, Iowa.
The K-9 team earned 690.83 points out of 700, which is a record-breaking high score. Tarek competed against about 100 other dogs. Tarek and Cabrera competed in obedience, agility, criminal apprehension and suspect search.
“When I came into the Lady Lake program, most of my colleagues did not have much confidence in the K-9 program; and now not only did I make it a famous K-9 program, but it’s known at a national level,” Cabrera said. “That achievement is not only because of dedication and hard work, but the overwhelming support from the chief and lieutenants.”
After work, Tarek goes home with Cabrera to relax. Tarek is like any other dog at home: He sleeps, eats and plays. Sometimes, both officer and canine can be found at home on the couch watching television. Tarek is a member of the Cabrera family; in fact, Cabrera describes Tarek as his child. But even off duty the K-9 team practices and trains for day-to-day police work and for competitions.
The wins provide the department with exposure of its strong K-9 team. Other law enforcement agencies are taking note of the Lady Lake Police Department’s accomplishments, Chief Ed Nathanson said.
Tarek is an extremely intelligent dog. He is a working dog, and his main job is to track suspects of crimes, Nathanson said. The K-9 team is very successful at this, he said. The K-9 team also makes its presence known in the community through demonstrations and presentations at schools.
“Laz’s heart and soul is in this program, this is what motivates him,” Nathanson said. “Laz might be a soft-spoken man, but he is a passionate law enforcement canine handler. I am proud and honored to say he’s a member of our agency, and we look forward to partnership with him for years to come.”
Lady Lake Town Commissioner Ruth Kussard said she is impressed with the K-9 team’s achievements. Lady Lake should feel proud to have such an award-winning K-9 team because it gives the community nationwide exposure, she said.
Kussard said she always looks forward to hearing about the department’s achievements because she knows its employees are dedicated workers who deserve the recognition.
Lady Lake’s K-9 team is used for several law enforcement needs such as traffic stops and searches. For example, officers request the K-9 team at a traffic stop if a search is to be performed, Cabrera said. If Tarek finds something, he is trained to immediately sit right next to the narcotics or other contraband.
The United States Police Canine Association’s regional finals will be held in Lady Lake March 15-19, which means the area’s best K-9 teams will be competing here, Cabrera said.
The revenue generated from the competition will help enhance the department’s one-acre training facility, Nathanson said. Some of the equipment is wood, and the money would help purchase aluminum equipment.
The police department encourages residents to make donations or offer volunteer time, Cabrera said. People interested in helping the department host the competition should call 751-1560.
“The public needs to be educated on how hard it is to accomplish winning first place at nationals two years in a row,” Cabrera said. “Some people think it’s just normal or just what happens, but it’s not. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to win the award.”
By Katie Backman
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Crime fighting dogs — and their handlers — to have their day
The 19th annual Las Vegas Police K-9 Trials were held last weekend weekend, with 36 police dog-officer teams from across the United States and one from Mexico competing. Metro Officer Mike Horn, president of the nonprofit group behind the event, joined the force in 1980 and the K-9 unit six years later. He is the department’s senior K-9 trainer and handles Bocho and Lovie, both German shepherds.
Officer Mike Horn, shown with Bocho, is Metro’s senior trainer. He says K-9 officers adopt their dogs when they’re too old to work — “no one ever gives up their partner.”
What are some of the dogs’ job requirements?
The work can be rigorous. They have to jump in and out of vehicles, run up and down stairs and search cars, houses and apartments. We put them through a battery of tests to see if they’re a good match for the tasks we’re going to need them to do.
How expensive is it?
Most of our dogs come from Europe, and can cost $7,500 to $10,000. We do all our training in-house, and currently have about 40 dogs in the K-9 unit assigned to patrol, narcotics and explosives detection.
What happens when a dog is no longer able to work?
The handlers adopt them for a small fee — no one ever gives up their partner. That’s one of the reasons we created Friends for Las Vegas Police K-9s almost 20 years ago, to help raise money for the retired dogs. Most of them are at a point in life when the vet bills start piling up and the expenses become the officers’ responsibility. The proceeds from our fundraisers help. We’ve also gotten tremendous support from Siegfried & Roy.
Have you had any particularly memorable “gets?”
My German shepherd patrol dog Eich found a burglary suspect in a warehouse. The guy tried to grab Eich’s collar and got bit. A while later we respond to a break-in at a pizza shop. Eich has to jump over stacked cases of soda to get to where there’s someone hiding. He’s biting through the cans to get to him, spraying soda everywhere. And it’s the same guy — two weeks after he got out of prison for the first burglary. I say to him, “Dude, have you not learned?” The guy tells me, “That dog is so good — it’s the second time he’s found me.”
How would you describe the bond between officers and their K-9 partners?
We spend more time with the dogs than we do with any human being. They are with us 24-7, on the job and at home. But they are not pets. When your truck starts up they are right there, ready to go to work.
What do you hope the public takes away from this weekend’s event?
This is an opportunity for our dogs to demonstrate what they do for the community. Usually nobody sees it but the bad guys.
By EMILY RICHMOND
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Guns beat Hoses in charity cops vs. firefighters flag football game
Shasta County’s cops beat its firefighters Saturday in a 32-13 win in the second-ever Guns ‘n’ Hoses flag football game at Big League Dreams.
Saturday was the second time the Hoses fell to the Guns, thanks largely to two key interceptions by the Guns defense and three touchdown receptions by Jeremy Kenyon, the game’s top scorer from the Shasta County Probation Department.
Though the whole point of the charity football game was to raise money for the Shasta Women’s Refuge, the competition between the two teams was very real, though good-natured.
“Ahhhh, I was hungry,” bellowed Josh Rodine, a husky Shasta County sheriff’s service officer, as he was marching off the field after being swapped out of the game in the first half.
The Guns sideline chuckled, but that intensity served the Guns well. After all, the officers’ 18 players were outnumbered by the firefighters’ 22-person squad.
“We’re taking this a little bit more seriously this year,” said Redding Fire Department spokesman Jeff Granberry when asked about the number of red shirts on the sideline.
Redding Police Chief Peter Hansen, who, like Granberry, watched the game from the sidelines, joked before kickoff that the cops were going to have to make some 911 fire calls to even the players out.
Such good-natured high-jinks spread to the players.
During the pre-game meeting at mid-field, a red-shirted Hose grinned and made the classic two-fingered “I’ve got my eyes on you” gesture to a rival Gun.
The cop grinned back.
As those two goofed off, Shasta County sheriff’s correctional officer Larry Tanner flipped a ball behind his back on the sly, hitting Hose Josh Peard of the Shasta County Fire Department, causing Peard to look around. Tanner’s grin gave him away, and he put a friendly arm around Peard’s shoulder.
But the mood during the game wasn’t always so jovial, but most of the teams’ ire was geared toward the referees.
“Come on ref!” shouted one cop from the sideline after a referee called a play in favor of the Hoses in the third quarter. “Why don’t you put a Hoses jersey on!”
When a firefighter in the fourth quarter all but tackled a cop (a big no-no in flag football) much to-do was made by the Hoses that the call was bunk.
“Hey, come on, he was just going for the ball,” one Hose yelled.
The fans ate it up.
“I love them all,” said Pat Nelsen, 64, of Anderson. “They’re all just darlings.”
Both teams may have wanted the bragging rights, but the real winner today was the Women’s Refuge, Granberry said.
“Ultimately as much rivalry there is there’s camaraderie too,” he said before the game. “As much grief as we flick each other’s way, it’s really just an honor to be here today.”
He paused.
“It’ll be more of an honor when we win,” he said, grinning.
Well, for Granberry, there’s always next year.
By Ryan Sabalow
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Charity hockey event to benefit fallen Tampa policeman
In remembrance of a fellow man of service, a charity inline hockey event will be hosted on Nov. 14 and 15 at New Port Richey’s Sportszone 2.
The tournament is in honor of Cpl. Mike Roberts, a Tampa Police Department officer who was shot and killed in the line of duty on Wednesday, Aug. 9, while investigating a suspicious person.
Roberts, 38, was an 11-year veteran of the force and left behind a wife and 3-year-old son. All proceeds generated by the inline hockey event will go to the Roberts’ family.
Ken Petrillo, a former Pasco sheriff’s deputy now with the Tampa Police Department, is part of the organizing team working to honor his fallen comrade. In addition to working together on duty, Petrillo said Roberts was known by many other officers as the goalie on the Police Department’s hockey team.
Holding a tournament to honor his service would be fitting, Petrillo said.
In late August, the Tampa Bay Lightning also held a charity scrimmage against the Tampa Police team that benefited the Cpl. Mike Roberts Memorial Fund. The game was part of the NHL club’s annual Fan Fest event.
“Mike was the kind of cop that every one of us wanted to be,” Petrillo said. “He was able to balance his personal and family life with the job and he was successful at it all.”
As for the November tournament, play will be broken into three divisions – Law Enforcement/Firefighters, 16 and older competitive and 16 and older recreational.
Registration fees are $300 per team and at least six to eight players are recommended per team, Petrillo said. Signups are tentatively to be capped off by Nov. 1.
Individuals who would like to play but do not have a team are encouraged to call Sportzone 2 at 727-845-7808 to request a place on a squad.
Teams are going to be traveling to New Port Richey for the event from all over the state, Petrillo said. Fort Lauderdale and Collier, Sarasota and Manatee counties will all be represented, among others. He said the initial goal was to round up about 30 teams and spots are still available.
For more information on how to register or to donate money to Cpl. Roberts’ family, contact Ken Petrillo at 727-808-8453 or Rob Gallahan at Sportszone 2 at 727-845-7808.
Sportszone 2 is in the International Granite and Stone Arena, 7716 Rutilio Court, New Port Richey. It is a 21,000-square-foot, air-conditioned indoor sports arena.
By Eric Horchy
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