Green Cars and Cops

I went from a Hemi to a hybrid recently. I am now driving a Ford Fusion, essentially equipped the same way as our other unmarked police vehicles.

Since hybrids became popular, people constantly ask me about the application of these vehicles for law enforcement. I think it depends.

Manufacturers build "police package" vehicles to meet the unique demands of policing. The cars are not significantly different, but often include modifications to certain systems (electrical, cooling, braking, suspension, etc.). To date, hybrids have not been designed for police use and are vulnerable to the increased wear and tear experienced on patrol.

Although the prices have come down, hybrids are also more expensive than the police package vehicles sold to government. There are legitimate questions about whether the fuel economy equalizes the cost difference between the vehicles.

However, because there are more options available, I think hybrid vehicles might make sense for police administrators. The long-term costs are probably comparable to traditional "admin" cars and these vehicles are consistent with the City's "green" philosophy. I don't consider myself to be a champion of the environment, but there is something intrinsically more satisfying about burning and spewing less gas.

The Fusion has been a fun car to drive. The jury is still out, but I am enjoying the experiment.

The Victims

Just about twenty years ago, I was a young deputy in Gainesville, wearily driving home after a night shift when I heard the radio call about a body in an apartment. I was literally in front of the complex and responded to the scene. When we entered the apartment, we found Tracy Paules and Manuel Taboada brutally murdered, two of five victims Danny Rolling killed over a two to three day period.

My role was very limited in this case, but it changed my perspective on people. While I was more keenly aware of just how evil people can be, I also developed a different view of victims and their families.

It’s actually an easy thing to overlook or forget the victims. As cops, it’s often about getting the bad guy, particularly in the big cases. For most of us, we love the chase. The media also loves to focus on a good villain. Unfortunately, Danny Rolling garnered a great deal of attention.

Over the years, the Gainesville community has memorialized this terrible event with class. They made it about the victims. Trees were planted. Families continued to be honored. A portion of a wall along a busy road bears the victims’ names.

If you do this job long enough and well enough, the victims increasingly become the center of attention. They become your primary motivation.

The names do stick with you. Paules. Taboada. Wills. Story. Cornell. Randazzo. Oatley. Bochicchio. They leave a deep, lasting impression. They are exactly why we do what we do.

Big Drop in Crime for the First Six Months of 2010

Following a 5.7% drop in 2008 and a 4.6% dip last year, we saw a close to 20% decline in the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) Part 1 Crime in the first six months of 2010. We are pleased that the recent trend has been downward and it’s important to recognize that citizens play the primary role in keeping our crime low. The following chart offers an overview of the information we recently reported to the State.

Here are some key points from the data:

• Total violent crime is down about 28.7%. Most notably, robberies dropped by 45% and aggravated assaults went down by 18.3%


• Property crime decreased by approximately 19%. 14.4% fewer residential and business burglaries were reported. Automobile burglaries dropped by about 40%. Vehicle thefts declined by about 25.8%


• The percentage of Part 1 crimes solved jumped from 26.7% to 31.4%. Arrests climbed by 17.8%


• Approximately 94% of the reported offenses were property crimes


• 63% of the people arrested for Part 1 offenses did not live in the City of Boca Raton.

It is gratifying to see our case clearance rate and number of arrests increase over the past few years. We have filled our vacant police officers positions, successfully deployed two tactical teams and we have better developed the Strategic Investigations Unit, detectives who travel throughout South Florida to target bad guys.

We are not just trying to work harder. We are also trying to leverage technology to work smarter. We will be teaming up with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the Delray Beach Police Department and the Boynton Beach Police Department to build a DNA prescreening laboratory. This program will help us get DNA processed faster in order to increase the odds of catching the more serious offenders and making the charges stick.

Video is becoming a more valuable tool for us and we are working to add cameras to our communications network. Mobile license plate recognition cameras are already deployed in our police vehicles and in fixed locations in the City. Cameras will also be installed in our parks and buildings soon to better protect our children and other visitors to public facilities.

As the Palm Beach County Law Enforcement Exchange information sharing network has grown, we have recognized the need to develop better tools for analyzing crime in our City and beyond. We will strive to create a more unified analysis system in our region and to create “predictive tools” in order to better see crime in certain areas before it happens.

The recent crime trend is positive. Please stay informed and involved (http://www.bocapolice.com/), so we can keep the momentum heading in the right direction. Thank you.

Putting the "Serve" in "To Serve and Protect"

At about noon yesterday, Officer Andy Nguyen received a call about a man who had been riding a bus for a while and appeared a bit disoriented. The driver told Officer Nguyen that Alexandre Artman (81) had been riding the bus for the past hour and a half. Apparently, Mr. Artman boarded the bus early yesterday morning in Sunny Isles Beach and had made a couple of transfers throughout the day, which ultimately brought him to Boca Raton and Officer Nguyen.

First things first. Officer Nguyen gave him a bottle of water and had Boca Raton Fire-Rescue check him out to insure he was physically okay. Next, Officer Nguyen tried to find a relative or other caretaker for Mr. Artman. Mr. Artman's grown children live in another state. Sunny Isles Beach PD stopped by his home and we verified that he did not have anyone else in the area to assist him.

Officer Nguyen and a Sunny Isles Beach officer agreed to meet in Fort Lauderdale so that we could get Mr. Artman safely to his home. On the way, Officer Nguyen stopped and picked up a sandwich for Mr. Artman, because he had not eaten since earlier in the morning.

My parents spend part of the year outside of Florida. I certainly hope that if they were in a similar situation, they would encounter someone like Officer Andy Nguyen and the other people who helped Mr. Artman. You are not likely to see many incidents like this one in the media, but I think it's important for you to know that we take our service mission seriously. Thanks. Andy.

The Skim Scam

ATM skimming is a common form of identity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes in the US. Recent improvements in technology have made skimming easier.

Here's how it works. The thief places a prefabricated skimming device over an existing ATM. Many of these devices are so well designed that the skimming equipment looks like part of the ATM. Once you insert your card, the device stores your account information. Usually a tiny video camera or keypad (which sits over the top of the ATM's pad) records your PIN as you enter it. Using Bluetooth technology, your information is wirelessly transmitted to the suspect waiting nearby.

Thanks to great work by one of our detectives, we were able to identify, track and charge Mihai Arnautu with ripping off victims in Boca Raton. The investigation has now connected him to ATM skimming cases from Jupiter to Miami.

There are some simple steps you can take to better protect yourself against ATM skimming:

• Whenever possible, use ATMs located inside businesses.
• Pay close attention to the area surrounding the ATM. Make sure it is well-lit and open, not hidden from the road or by landscaping.
• Observe the ATM. Look at the card slot and wiggle it with your hand. If it’s loose, something is wrong.
• Look for mirrors or leaflet holders. These are areas in which criminals hide small video cameras to record your PIN.
• When punching in your PIN, always use one hand to cover the pad.
• Never use an ATM if someone is offering to help you with it.
• If you suspect a problem, call the police and notify the bank immediately.
• Check account balances and your credit score frequently.

Outsourcing

You can outsource just about anything these days. Someone or some company will clean your house, walk your dogs, do your laundry and run your errands. Many people even outsource their kids to babysitters, camps, online social networks, and sports teams.

The recent “Dinner Set” burglars demonstrated the limitations associated with being dependent on other people and other things for safety. These thieves stole more than $2 million in high-end jewelry from homes throughout South Florida. At least six of these burglaries occurred in gated communities in Boca Raton. The suspects broke into houses where alarms were not set and in some of the cases, they entered through unlocked doors.

Gates, walls, guards, alarms and surveillance technology all have great deterrent value. I highly recommend these security measures. However, you have to take affirmative steps to safeguard yourself, your family, and your belongings.

Doors should be locked and alarms should be activated. You should always be alert for people and circumstances which appear to be suspicious. Additional residential security tips are available on our website (click here). If you call 561-347-3938, we will even come to your house for a free home security survey.

Even though we live in a safe community, everyone needs to be reasonably vigilant. Don’t outsource your safety.

Citizen Support

In a previous post (Risky Business), I talked about how easy it is for critics to ignore the risks and sacrifices associated with police work. I also mentioned that I believe that support for police officers remains high in the City of Boca Raton. This significant level of citizen support was illustrated following a recent critical incident.

It is very frustrating, but the ongoing investigation will not allow me to give you the complete story, so here's a thumbnail sketch. Last week, at about 3:30 in the morning, Boca Raton Police Sgt. Shannon Wendlick was patrolling a neighborhood on the east side of the city when she encountered a suspicious vehicle. The vehicle pulled into a driveway and Sgt. Wendlick got out of her car to check it out. The driver attempted to run her down with a stolen vehicle and the front seat passenger pointed a gun at her. Sgt. Wendlick fired at the armed suspect, hitting him multiple times. The driver fled, but Sgt. Wendlick was able to take the front seat passenger and another suspect (located in the backseat) into custody. The driver fled the scene.

It turns out that these suspects equipped themselves with multiple firearms, a ski mask and 25 feet of rope so they could commit a home invasion robbery. Sgt. Wendlick took great risks to interrupt their plans and probably saved lives in the process.

It was encouraging to receive messages of support for Shannon and her colleagues from our residents. One resident wrote:

Big thanks to officer Shannon Wendlick for sensing there was something wrong with the stolen vehicle and it's inhabitants (I admire her courage and presence of mind in the midst of chaos). We are very fortunate to have such vigilant and dedicated law enforcement and certainly are grateful knowing you're out there fighting "the good fight" against criminals in the face of unspoken danger on a daily basis. Thank you for all the you do for our families and our community. Your job is a tough one and we are all lucky you get out there and do it, day after day on our behalf.

Another citizen offered the following:

We want to thank you from the bottom of hearts for the amazing job that you did to protect our families in east Boca this week. We have two young children and cannot imagine the potential outcome that could have happened had you not been there and followed-through on your observations and instincts. We also cannot imagine what might have happened had you not put your life on the line to ensure our safety. We have all heard the stories of what could have happened during a home invasion and your intuition and bravery to follow-up is truly remarkable- we are praying for you and thanking God for you and what you did for all of us that
night.

As this cases progresses, we will be able to talk more about what happened, but I wanted to give you a glimpse into why we enjoy and appreciate the support we receive in Boca Raton. Thank you.