Briefing Room	Community Support Division	Newsletter Gateway	News Clips
E-Mail the Editor

With the recent nationally publicized child abductions throughout the United States, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department is taking preventative action by providing a free safety education program for parents and children regarding abductions. Escape School is an hour-long presentation that teaches participants to trust their instincts, how to differentiate between “good” and “bad” strangers, what to do if confronted with an abductor (e.g. run, scream, disable car), and how to get people involved in their rescue. The program consists of video and role-playing exercises with the instructor, children and parents. Bob Stuber, a former California police officer, created Escape School. Dignity Memorial Funeral Providers provides this free class to the public. The class will be held Thursday, February 27, 2003, at City Hall’s Commission Chambers, 100 North Andrews Avenue, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Please call (954) 828-6429 for more information and to register.

PERSONNEL

During the month of December Component I and III Officers participated in Operation Grinch, which is an action plan conducted annually during the holiday shopping season. The operation is designed to increase police presence at the four major shopping areas in the City. In addition to component officers, CSD’s Police Service Aides, Citizens on Patrol members, and Parking Enforcement Officers were assigned to this operation.

Everyone assigned patrolled the targeted areas either in vehicles, on bicycles, or on foot. While patrolling, everyone looked for suspicious activity. Written notices in the form of “Beat Watches” and Crime Prevention Pamphlets were used to educate shoppers by making them aware of their vulnerability. The notices were placed on vehicles that were found unsecured.

As a result of Operation Grinch, no vehicle burglaries or part one crimes were reported in the targeted areas during the operation times.

The four areas targeted were:

1. Galleria Mall. A total of 370 Beat Watches/Crime Prevention Pamphlets were distributed and 277 vehicles were found unsecured.
2. Coral Ridge Mall. A total of 263 Beat Watches/Crime Prevention Pamphlets were distributed and 197 vehicles were found unsecured.
3. Southland Shopping Center. A total of 237 Beat Watches/Crime Prevention Pamphlets were distributed and 178 vehicles were found unsecured.
4. Southport Shopping Center. A total of 203 Beat Watches/Crime Prevention Pamphlets were distributed and 152 vehicles were found unsecured.

Component I Officers and PSA Todaro participated in the Riverfront’s Kids Day on Sunday, December 15th. They provided safety information for children and their parents in the form of coloring books and information pamphlets covering topics on stranger safety, gun safety, water safety, and bicycle safety. In addition, each parent received a Child Identification Kit. The event was well attended and was a success.

PERSONNEL

Sergeant Harvey Jacques 828-6412 South Middle River Officer Brian Kaplan 828-6404 Sailboat Bend Officer Jamie Costas 828-6405 Dorsey Riverbend Officer Rosalind Wilson 828-6405 Durrs Vacant 828-6409 PSA Pati Dube 828-6402 Crime Prevention Detective Nate Jackson 828-6422

On December 5th, Crime Prevention Detective Nate Jackson and Burglary Detective Chris Herbert conducted a Home Security Workshop at Lauderdale Manor’s homeowners’ meeting. The workshop was a response to the increase of residential burglaries in the Lauderdale Manor’s area during the months of October and November. Prior to the workshop, 50 burglary victims in the Lauderdale Manor’s area were notified of the workshop. There was a good turnout, as residents were made aware of the safety procedures that can be utilized to secure their homes. An analysis of the December statistics showed that there was a decrease in residential burglaries in the Lauderdale Manors area. Hopefully, the information provided to its residents contributed to the reduction.

PERSONNEL

Sergeant Mike DiMaggio 828-6430 Patrol Officers Shady Banks River Oaks Edgewood Officer Wayne Swenson 828-6407 Sunset Civic Melrose Manors Officer Darren Ogden 828-6403 Riverside Park Croissant Park Officer Darren Ogden 828-6409 Riverland Poinciana Park Officer Sal Vasi 828-6409   PSA Laura Todaro 828-6402   Narcotics K-9 Officer Jon Appel Narcotics K-9 "Iris" 828-6415 Officer Paul Ostrikis Narcotics K-9 "Kelly" 828-6415     Alarm Specialist Evelyn Moran 828-5476

Component Three worked with Component One this month. See Component One news.

PERSONNEL

Sergeant Anthony Williams 828-6420 Sunrise Middle Officer Robert Bolden 828-6408 Officer Art Jones 828-6408 Dillard High Officer Jeff Alexander 797-4800 Fort Lauderdale High Officer Charles Livingston 765-6921 Stranahan High Officer Dennis Nelson 765-6893 JAM Project Officer Pete Balcunas 847-3434 D.A.R.E. Officer Mary Gillis 828-6408 D.A.R.E. Officer Clay Barrett 828-6408 D.A.R.E. Officer Duval Madrigal 828-6408 D.A.R.E. Officer Rick Temple 828-6408 D.A.R.E. Officer Ivory Nelson 828-6408 Truancy Unit Officer Bill Jacobsen 828-6400 New River Middle Officer Mike Tucker 828-6408

Officer Clay Barrett hosted Westwood Heights Elementary’s D.A.R.E. Graduation on December 20, 2002. The guest speaker for this event was Sergeant Gregory Salters, who received many compliments from the students, parents, and school officials attending the event.

Officer Barrett recently participated in a community panel that selected North Fork Elementary’s new principal. The panel consisted of community leaders and school board executives. They interviewed 15 applicants and Robert Babay was appointed to the position. Officer Barrett will host North Fork’s DARE Graduation on Friday, January 31, 2003, at 8:45 a.m. North Fork is located at 101 Northwest 15th Avenue. If you need any additional information regarding this event please contact Officer Barrett at (954) 828-6408.

Officer Duval Madrigal has completed his DARE classes at Bayview Elementary, Bennett Elementary, and Floranada Elementary. The first Graduation will take place on:

Friday January 31, 2003 at
Bayview Elementary School
1175 Middle River Drive at 8:15 a.m.

Eighty-One (81) 5th Grade students completed the DARE Program at Bayview and they are looking forward to being recognized as Drug Free individuals.

Youth from all over are collecting Fort Lauderdale Police Trading Cards. Officer Duval Madrigal's goals for this program have exceeded his expectations. According to Officer Duval, many students are initiating contact with police officers. So far, 30 bicycles have been given away.

The program was initiated with 13 School Resource Officers and two Public Safety Aides. It was recently expanded with 10 uniformed patrol officers. If a kid collects any of the 12 Fort Lauderdale Police Trading Cards they will receive a free bicycle.

D.A.R.E. Officer Mary Gillis’ Elementary Schools had their Fall D.A.R.E. Graduations in December 2002. The fifth grade students at the following elementary schools celebrated their D.A.R.E. Graduations on the following listed dates.

• Thurgood Marshall--- December 10, 2002
• Lauderdale Manors---December 12, 2002
• Sunland Park-----------December 18,2002

The students were inspired by guest speakers Sergeant Reginald Gillis and Sergeant Anthony Williams of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, and James F. Griffin, a Behavior Specialist, employed by the Broward County School Board.

The graduates of the program now understand the importance of being drug and violence free, and can appreciate the hard work they put into the program. This was evident in their facial expressions and comments.

Special thanks to all of the parents, school officials, and City employees that attended these events.

If you want a code inspector to investigate an illegal dumping site or a bulk trash violation, please call Community Inspections at 828-5207. To address trash on City property, or to find out what your bulk trash pick up days are, you can call the City of Fort Lauderdale Public Services Department at 828-8000. Please help us to keep Fort Lauderdale clean!

To report a problem area in your neighborhood, send the following info to the Community Support Division. Remember, be specific with the information that you provide so that we may take the appropriate actions. Send info to: Community Support Division, 533 NE 13th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304. Or e-mail us with the following information:

Address:
Business Name(& Type):
Problem Observed:
Date:

PSAs Bryant and Blackmon are assisting Code Enforcement in their efforts to reduce the number of derelict vehicle violations throughout the City. These are quality-of-life issues which devalue the neighborhood as well as present safety hazards.

To report graffiti, contact the graffiti hotline at 828-6402. Or, click here to send an e-mail to PSA Teresa Bryant.

Bicycles can be registered at the following locations:

Community Support Division Center 533 NE 13th Street Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Snyder Park 2800 S.W. 8th Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 Wednesday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. By appointment only! Please call first 954-828-4585

Contact PSA Bryant if you would like to schedule bicycle registrations during a community event.

Call 463-BIKE for more information.

Demonstration Center
Project Director Alesia Russell (954) 828-6433
Training Coordinator Rosa Vazquez (954) 828-6428
Volunteer Coordinator (954) 828-6432	Records Clerk Treciann Collman (954) 828-6431

The Community Support Center offers various events such as workshops, training classes and community forums. The Center is also available to the community as a meeting place. Some of the courses that are offered to civilians and law enforcement personnel are outlined below.

Community Calendar

License Plate Theft Prevention Program, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., while supplies last, at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s Community Support Division, 533 N.E. 13th Street. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department is distributing, free of charge, special screws that are created to prevent the theft of license plates. The screws are affixed with a regular screwdriver, but can only be removed with a special tool held by the Police Department. For more information please call (954)-828-6400.

Landlord/Tenant Training, Wednesdays, February 19, and March 19, 2003, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., at the Community Support Division’s Training Room, 533 N.E. 13th Street. Topics include keeping illegal activity out of your property, screening rental applicants, the Federal Fair Housing Act, Section 8 Housing, and more. Certificates of attendance will be issued upon completion of the course. The workshop is open to all interested. Captain Paul Kiley and Sergeant Greg Kridos will be presenting the classes. For more information and registration please call (954) 828-6428.

19th Community Police Academy, Wednesdays, February 19, 2003 – May 21, 2003, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. This 14-week program is offered to residents of the City of Fort Lauderdale, civic and government organizations members. The academy is designed to foster active partnership with the community. Topics to be addressed include Community Policing, Officer Selection/Recruiting, Drug Enforcement, Special Investigations, Range/Firearms, Detention Tour, Communications, and more. In addition to the scheduled classes, an eight-hour “ride along” with Patrol Officers will be made available to the attendees. For more information and for applications please call (954) 828-6428. You may also download an application from the Fort Lauderdale Police website at: http://www.ci.ftlaud.fl.us/police/cpa.html.

***ALL WORKSHOPS ARE FREE OF CHARGE***

Briefing Room