Florida Police Chiefs Association Update: Week Ending November 15, 2013
Nov 15, 2013
The following is an informational update on law enforcement news, events, legislative developments and meetings relating to the Florida Police Chiefs Association community for the week ending November 15, 2013.
Click on the hyperlinks in bold type to access all information.
Should you have any questions or comments, please contact Florida Police Chiefs Association lobbyists, Colodny Fass& Webb.
NEWS
Bill To Repeal Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” Law Is Defeated
After hours of passionate debate before hundreds of people, a Florida House panel Thursday rejected a bill that would have repealed the state’s 2005 “stand your ground” self-defense law.
City of Sanford bans guns for neighborhood watch volunteers
The Florida city where neighborhood watch leader George Zimmerman shot and killed unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin is changing the rules on how civilian patrols can operate to help prevent a recurrence and revive the program’s reputation.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement warned of inmates using forged documents months before escapes
In a memo distributed over the summer, officials were told a “perfect storm” was primed to hit. The memo was sent by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to the Florida Department of Corrections and prosecuting attorneys in July.
Area cellphone users are either obeying the new state law banning texting while driving or they are pretty clever about hiding their busy fingers.
Florida wants to reopen prisons to house more inmates
A year after Florida closed several prisons to save money, the state says it must reopen some of them because of projections of a growing inmate population.
Lawyer says Florida sheriff freed weapon suspect to protect his rights
A Florida sheriff accused of illegally releasing a concealed-weapon suspect from jail acted out of a constitutional duty to uphold the Second Amendment right to bear arms, the police officer’s attorney said on Tuesday at his trial.
Vacant Judgeships = Long Wait for Florida Scales of Justice
Florida justice is not swift these days, in part because of empty judicial benches in federal courtrooms in the state.
A St. Johns County deputy is suing the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and its lead agent over the death investigation of the deputy’s girlfriend, saying the defendants wrongly tried to accuse him for what the sheriff, several medical examiners and a special prosecutor ruled was a suicide.
Florida police use license plate cameras to curtail prostitution
Detailed within the Orlando Sentinel, the police department in Sanford, Florida is following the lead of Baltimore and Oakland police departments by utilizing license plate cameras to track and photograph vehicles that frequent areas of the city where prostitutes gather.
It’s called “revenge porn” and it’s legal in Florida
Annmarie Chiarini’s long-distance boyfriend was goading her to pose nude.
Police: GPS Tracking Bullets Being Tested in Iowa and Florida
Police are testing GPS tracking bullets in Iowa and Florida.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement busts counterfeit body armor ring
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement Orlando Regional Operations Center arrested three people each on one count of organized scheme to defraud and one count of counterfeiting body armor.
Umatilla taps Michigan sheriff to become police chief
A Michigan sheriff tapped to succeed longtime chief Doug Foster, with whom the city cut ties last summer, has turned down the job, City Manager Glenn Irby said today.
Gretna City Manager Antonio Jefferson has appointed Carlos De La Cruz as the new Chief of Police of the Gretna Police Department.
Five Tallahassee Police chief candidates will interview today
Citizen panel will provide input on final choice
Five police officers from across Florida will go before a 12-member citizen’s committee today to help Tallahassee City Manager Anita Favors Thompson decide who will become the next police chief.
Accreditation Team Invites Public Comments About Tallahassee Police Department
A team of assessors from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation will arrive December 5, 2013 to examine specific aspects of the Tallahassee Police Department’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services, Interim Chief of Police Tom Coe announced today.
Five finalists named in Hillsboro police chief search
The identity of the city of Hillsboro’s next police chief is coming a bit more into focus.
John Pollinger, Steve Clair and Randy Burke Among 25 Candidates for Bunnell Police Chief
The list of 25 applicants for Bunnell Police Chief is rich in familiar names, including the current interim chief, a former candidate for Flagler County sheriff, and two of the highest-ranked and longest-serving individuals fired from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office earlier this year.
Transition from Jail to Community program helps offenders stay off the streets
An innovative program in Palm Beach County has helped keep men released from county jail from being locked up again – at a significant savings to taxpayers.
Tampa police to receive training from Florida Holocaust Museum
On the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht, a night of terror, destruction and bloodshed that spurred the events of the Holocaust, the Florida Holocaust Museum announced a new partnership with the Tampa Police Department to ensure such hatred never engulfs Tampa Bay.
Body cameras shed light on worst moments faced by cops
Personal body cameras have become an increasingly popular tool for law-enforcement agencies across the country, including a handful in Central Florida.
Crime Prevention Month was a success in Miami-Dade
October was National Crime Prevention Month and once again many communities throughout the nation took part in an event called Celebrating Safe Communities.
REPORTS
Homicide Process Mapping: Best Practices for Increasing Homicide Clearance
From the International Association of Chiefs of Police–This report provides insight into “what works” in homicide investigations and identifies effective approaches and key elements of practice for managing these investigations. The resulting “process map” is offered as a guide for increasing clearances in U.S. law enforcement homicide investigations. While many factors contributed to successful homicide investigations there was one overarching factor, such as all of the agencies highlighted in this report had laid a strong foundation of trust with the community and a strong foundation of cooperation and information sharing with other law enforcement agencies. The Jacksonville, Florida Sheriff’s Office is one of the featured law enforcement agencies in this report.
From the U.S. Government Accountability Office–To assess the risks and potential effects from disruptions in the Global Positioning System (GPS) on critical infrastructure, the Department of Homeland Security published the GPS National Risk Estimate in 2012. In doing so, DHS conducted a scenario-based risk assessment for four critical infrastructure sectors using subject matter experts from inside and outside of government.
Sharing Ideas and Resources to Keep Our Nation’s Schools Safe
From the National Law Enforcement and Correctional Technology Center–This guide presents new uses for familiar, standard-bearing technologies to reduce major incidents of school violence. The guide describes the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT), the School Critical Incident Planning-Generator (SCIP-G) tool, officer training to administer aid and improve survival, and School Safety Audits. In addition, information about several new resources and mobile device apps are presented, such as: the Anne Arundel County Maryland Police Department’s Speak Out app, Tucson Arizona’s Mass Casualty Trauma Kits, and the Real Time Location Systems (RTLS). This guide also reports on unique collaborative community efforts that are succeeding in cities and rural areas alike.
From the Pretrial Justice Institute–This report presents results of pretrial practices in Colorado. Findings support judicial officers changing their practices to use more unsecured releases, to include unsecured bonds if currently permitted by law, to achieve the same public safety and court appearance rates while using fewer jail beds. These unsecured bonds could be used in conjunction with an individualized bond setting hearing. Additionally, the study found that in many cases, higher monetary amounts of secured bonds are associated with more pretrial jail bed use but not increased court appearance rates.
From the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics–This report presents 2012 estimates of rates and levels of criminal victimization in the U.S. and includes violent victimization (rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault), property victimization (burglary, motor vehicle theft, and property theft). The rate of violent victimization increased from 22.6 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in 2011 to 26.1 in 2012. Crime not reported to police and simple assault accounted for the majority of this increase. The rate of property crime increased from 138.7 per 1,000 households in 2011 to 155.8 in 2012. Violent crime rates increased slightly in 2012 for blacks but remained stable for whites and Hispanics. In 2012, residents in urban areas continued to experience the highest rate of violent crime.
From the U.S. Government Accountability Office–Several of the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service’s (FPS) guard requirements are generally comparable to those of the six selected agencies the GAO reviewed, but FPS faces challenges in some aspects of guards’ training. FPS and the six selected agencies GAO reviewed require basic, firearms, and screener (x-ray and magnetometer equipment) training for their armed guards.
From the U.S. Government Accountability Office–Since its 1994 inception, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) – known as the COPS Office – has awarded roughly $14 billion in grants to support the advancement of community policing.
From the U.S. Government Accountability Office–Foreclosure rescue schemes remain at historically high levels and have become more complex. The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Consumer Sentinel Network, an online database of consumer complaints received by FTC, law enforcement agencies, and other organizations, showed that complaints about these schemes rose from around 9,000 in 2009 to more than 18,000 each year in 2010, 2011, and 2012. In addition, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network reported steady increases over the same period in the number of Suspicious Activity Reports – reports filed by financial institutions about suspected violations of financial laws and regulations- related to these schemes. Agency officials and representatives of nonprofits told the Government Accountability Office that the schemes had become increasingly complex, creating challenges for law enforcement. For example, schemes involving attorneys, which tend to involve greater losses, had become more common in recent years following a regulation that bans upfront fees, but provides an exception for attorneys. These schemes present unique challenges because attorneys typically collect fees upfront and enforcement officials have difficulty trying to determine whether attorneys are providing legitimate services.
UPCOMING EVENTS
January 12, 2014
2014 Mid-Winter Training Conference & Exposition The Florida Police Chiefs Association’s 2014 Mid-Winter Training Conference and Exposition will be held January 12 – 14, 2014 at the Rosen Centre Hotel, 9840 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819 and you are cordially invited to attend. Please make your plans now to join us for this outstanding event! To make your reservations please contact the hotel directly at (800) 204-7234, be sure to mention you are with the Florida Police Chiefs Association to secure your special rate which includes self-parking at the hotel. Click here for driving directions.