Congratulations to the 100th Graduating Class of the Johnson County Regional Police Academy

Last Friday evening, the commanders and I attended the graduation of the 100^th Class of the Johnson County Regional Police Academy at the Carlson Center of the Johnson County Community College (JCCC).  We had three recruits in this class. Our Honor Guard presented the Colors, while Shawnee Patrol Sergeant Ben Mendoza’s daughter Alyssa sang the National Anthem.  The Honor Guard and Alyssa represented our department very well.

In 1960s, Johnson County experienced enormous growth, and the Sheriff, along with several other Police Chiefs, decided a formal police academy curriculum was needed.  The late Johnson County Sheriff Fred Allenbrand, the former Overland Park Police Chief Myron Scafe, and the late Shawnee Police Chief Charlie Stump agreed to establish a formal academy specific to Johnson County.

In the fall of 1972, the first official regional academy was conducted on the campus of the JCCC.  The current academy facility, located on the west side of the college campus, was dedicated in October 2001. The academy’s curriculum is designed to meet and exceed the State’s requirements, as well as the unique nature of policing the Johnson County community.   

The Johnson County Regional Police Academy provides basic law enforcement training for officers from more than 30 Kansas agencies in the suburban Kansas City area. Successful completion of the 16-week academy results in certification as a Kansas Law Enforcement Officer. Recruits must be employed as a full-time law enforcement officer of an agency we serve before entering the police academy. The academy is operated in cooperation with the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, JCCC, and the Johnson County Chiefs and Sheriffs Association.

In closing, I would like to congratulate Shawnee Police Recruit Justin Cobb.  Justin was awarded the Rick Staples Marksmanship Award and the Overall Achievement Award for his outstanding performance while attending the academy.  Justin, and his Shawnee classmates, Jennifer Pennington and Josh Bayless, now start their post-academy training before entering our field training program.

Smart Policing Right Here in Shawnee

We learned a few weeks ago that we were awarded federal funds to conduct a study of our implementation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Association's Data Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS) Initiative.  The purpose of the study is to determine what effect the DDACTS initiative has had on crime and traffic safety in the City of Shawnee. This award is a great honor for Shawnee and we are now a member of a select few law enforcement agencies that are testing solutions to serious crime problems in their jurisdictions.

  

The goal of these Smart Policing initiatives is to develop evidence-based, data-driven law enforcement tactics and strategies that are effective, efficient, and economical. These proven tactics and strategies will be a great benefit to law enforcement agencies as measured by reduced crime and higher case closure rates.  This is so important in these days of budget constraints and limited staffing.

According to the Bureau of Justice Assistance, “The Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) seeks to build upon concepts of “offender-based” and “place-based” policing. Several longitudinal projects in the United States and the United Kingdom have demonstrated convincingly that a small number of offenders commit a disproportionate amount of crime. It is also well documented that crime reports and calls for service often cluster predominately at specific locations or narrow, easily-defined areas, and that the most convincing research indicates that “place-based” or “hotspot” policing reduces violent crime and neighborhood disorder. These persuasive findings suggest that effective policing requires a tightly focused, collaborative approach that is measurable; based on sound, detailed analysis; and includes policies and procedures for accountability.

The consistent use of preventive and tactical tools that are rooted in a scientific knowledge base of “what works” should be promoted and integrated into daily police work.  Inculcating evidence-based policies and procedures in everyday police operations is critically important to an agency’s ability to provide quality law enforcement services.”  

Shawnee's Citizens' Police Academy 2011

This week we re-instituted our Citizens’ Police Academy.  It has been about twelve years since we last held this academy.  Various reasons were the cause for not programing this training, but most recently it was because of budget concerns.  We have talked about resurrecting the program in the past; and after becoming Chief, my staff and I made it a priority. We are saving overtime costs by having the commanders present as much information as possible, and the hourly staff are flexing their schedules.  Our Planning and Research Manager Greg Collins and Lieutenant Doug Orbin did the lion's share of planning to make this training happen.

The Citizens’ Police Academy is an opportunity for members of our community to see and experience the role of the law enforcement officer at a deeper level.  Participants in the academy will meet and interact with officers and see how the members of the Shawnee Police Department work to maintain a safe community for all who live in, work in, or visit Shawnee.  Over eight weeks, twenty women and men participating in this year’s academy will be presented information about the history of the Shawnee Police Department, police officer ethics, patrol operations, investigative procedures, support services operations, and many more topics.  A big hit from past academies is the day they meet at a local firearms range to fire the various less-lethal and lethal weapons we use to perform our jobs.

This year’s participants include two members of the Shawnee City Council, residents of Shawnee, and individuals who work at businesses in Shawnee.  One of the participants is a daughter of a retired Shawnee police officer who said she would like to follow her father’s footsteps and become a police officer in the future.  Isn't that too cool???

Master Police Officer Michael Sedars - August 24, 1981 to September 19, 2011

Last Friday, we had a great time sending off Mike Sedars at his retirement reception.  After thirty years, Monday, September 19, 2011, will be Mike's last day as a Shawnee police officer. During his years at Shawnee PD, Mike served as a field training officer, tactical team member; and in January 2002, he became a member of the department’s newly formed Traffic Safety Unit, and that is where he served out the rest of his career.  When I came on in 1987, everyone told me to look for Mike if I had any questions about traffic crash investigations.  They said he was the department’s crash investigations expert.  Throughout the past 25 years, I have come to know why everyone looks to Mike for help.  Mike would put aside anything he was doing to explain how to perform a crash investigative task, or in most cases, he would do the work for us.  Mike is a shining example of an officer who puts others before himself.  He is one of the reasons why the Shawnee Police Department is a great law enforcement organization.

Mike - Thanks for your dedicated service to your fellow officers, the City, and  Community of Shawnee; and all the agencies around us that you have assisted throughout your honorable career.  Have fun and enjoy your well-deserved retirement.

9/11/01 - Never Forget

Who doesn’t remember what they were doing on September 11th, 2001, around eight o’clock in the morning.  I had just left home with my wife Deb to drive her to KCI where she would board a plane to Chicago to attend a conference when we first heard the news on the radio that a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers in New York City.  Minutes later came news that a second plane had stuck another World Trade Center tower, and now these actions were suspected to be acts of terrorism.  Soon the radio station reported that all airplane flights in America were grounded immediately, so we returned home and turned on the television to see the shocking video replays of the United Airlines commercial jets flying right into the sides of the North and South Twin Towers, and then as each tower collapsed to the ground.  Later it was learned that another commercial airliner had struck the Pentagon, and a fourth had crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.  Those are memories of chaos like I have ever experienced and ones I surely will never forget.

In the hours and days after the crashes, we learned of the bravery of the emergency services and security personnel, and other nameless heroes who gave their lives trying to protect and save others.  Today we remember all of those nearly 3,000 fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, and other loved ones and dear friends lost as the result of those tragic events.   

That terrible day too was the deadliest day in US law enforcement history.  Of those lost that day, and in the days and years later, 72 brave law enforcement officers unselfishly have given  their lives as the result of those attacks in the service of their community.  Like other emergency services workers and the unnamed heroes who died during and after the terrorists attacks, these 72 courageous souls ran towards the danger with their brothers and sisters when most ran away.

Today we honor all of those who performed selfless acts of heroism on that fateful day.  On every September 11th, let us remember to commemorate in our own time, in the lives of our children, and in future generations – the stories and the memories of those we lost on that day and ensure that they will never be forgotten.

This morning, Deb and I, Major Moser, Captain Hisle, Captain Tennis, and Lieutenant Brim and his wife Shelee attended services at the Cross Points Church at their invitation.  This afternoon, members of the Irish American Club of Johnson County hosted a First Responders Picnic at Fire Station 72 for the Shawnee emergency services workers and their families.  Both events were fantastic and I very much appreciate the acts of kindness by both organizations on this special day of remembrance.

Cops and Robbers

This week was a busy one in Shawnee. We have been looking for a gentleman wanted for an aggravation robbery of a liquor store a couple of weeks ago. Robbery is a crime where one individual takes something from another individual by the use of force. The crime becomes aggravated when a weapon is used. Anyway…a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper kicked this guy’s car up on Friday midday and tried to stop him as he drove west on Shawnee Mission Parkway, but he got away…briefly. The robber ditched his car and took off on foot into a heavily wooded section of western Shawnee. A large-scaled manhunt ensued and lasted for several hours through 100° heat, but it was closed down several hours later after we failed to find him. But…because of some great police work earlier in the week, sources led us to him that evening where he was taken into custody without incident. Chalk one up for the good guys.

Speaking of good guys, Johnson County law enforcement has a ton of them. Unlike several other metropolitan areas in the Country, Johnson County police officers work very well together. Officers from Lenexa, Olathe, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, KHP, and even the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force were working alongside Shawnee officers searching for this guy in the woods. This type of cooperation goes on behind the scenes every day between the uniformed officers, detectives, commanders, police chiefs and the Sheriff.

I'm Back...

Would you believe I was kidnapped and held hostage?  Would you believe my dog ate my blog notes (yep…every week for the past few months)?  I wish I had a great story on why I have not been posting these past two months, but the simple truth is it has taken a little more than I thought to settle in to my new job.  Meetings here and there, budgets to discuss and present, you know…the administrative stuff.  But things have calmed down and I can turn my attention to my blog.

I promised a look inside the Shawnee Police Department; and so I will start blogging at the end of the week to catch everyone up on what’s been going on.  This week our monthly department newsletter came out.  I wrote a bit about how historically the officers of the Shawnee Police Department have always had a zero tolerance for crime and bad actors in our community.  This type of attitude was most evident lately in a few instances of great police work by our members.  Recent examples like a road patrol officer tracking down and arresting a burglary suspect living in Shawnee; another road patrol officer obtaining a confession on a Missouri homicide case over the phone; and two road patrol officers driving to Kansas City, Kansas to arrest a domestic violence suspect who had just committed a crime against an ex-girlfriend.  These are just a few general cases of great police work that goes on in the background every day at the Shawnee Police Department.  This commitment to making of community safe makes me proud to be associated with such a great group of individuals.

Remembering Don Gamblin

Twenty years ago this past Wednesday, July 13, Shawnee Police Officer Donald Gamblin was killed by a drug impaired driver on Northbound I-435 Freeway, north of the West 51 Street Overpass.  Don was a motorcycle officer and he had a vehicle stopped on the outside lane shoulder when his motorcycle was first struck; then him, killing him instantly; and then the vehicle he had stopped, injuring all of the occupants. Don was the first, and thank God, the only Shawnee police officer killed in the line of duty.

This past Wednesday morning, members of the Shawnee Police Department, the City of Shawnee, Don's family, and others remembered Don during a ceremony at the Shawnee Protectors Monument located in front of the Shawnee Fire Safety Center.  Deputy Chief Rob Moser led the ceremony, and Mayor Jeff Meyers and Don’s widow, Ana Gamblin-Martens spoke.  The Shawnee Police Honor Guard brought the ceremony to an end with a twenty-one gun salute and the playing of Taps.

Don – We miss you and may you rest in peace always.

Celebrating National Public Safety Telecommunicators' Week

This week in the City, we are celebrating “National Public Safety Telecommunicators’ Week; April 10-16, 2011. “ Telecommunicator is the fancy word used to describe, in our case, a police department communications unit officer or dispatcher.  Shawnee Mayor Meyers issued a proclamation at last night’s City Council meeting commemorating the celebration stating, “The professional Public Safety Telecommunicators are a pivotal link between the public and the police officer who may apprehend a criminal, protect their worldly possessions, and save their lives or the life of a love one.”

Probably the best words to describe how important our communications officers are to the Nation’s emergency services were stated by Bill Carrow, president of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials – International, “This week each year is a small way all Americans can share their gratitude for the telecommunicators who are just a phone call away in times of personal or national crisis. They are the true first of the first responders.”

For more information on National Public Safety Telecommunicators’ Week, please follow this link.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/APCO/International/prweb8283783.htm

What the heck is a UASI?

Now I know why everyone looked at me like I was crazy when I would say I was going to try to blog daily.  Work and life quickly got in the way of my best intentions to produce daily content, but tonight I thought I would throw up a quick post that relates to why I have been so busy at work lately. 

The Shawnee Police Department and I have been involved in regional homeland security projects since right after the tragedy on September 11, 2001.  The Federal government provides grant funds to develop regional capabilities to protect, prevent, respond, and recover from terrorism and other hazardous incidents.  When the Federal government is involved, acronyms for agency and program titles are common place.  Here are a few examples to illustrate my point: FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), DHS (Department of Homeland Security), and because April 18 (this year's tax filing deadline) is quickly approaching, your favorite and mine...the IRS (Internal Revenue Service). 

Tonight I would like to introduce you to the acronym of a federal program I have been working on lately.  That acronym is UASI (Urban Area Security Initiative).  The Kansas City area has been involved with the UASI program since 2003.  MARC (Mid America Regional Council) administers the program for the Kansas City area.  I serve as the co-chair for the Law Enforcement Subcommittee to MARC’s Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Council.  The council and subcommittees have kept me busy the last two weeks with planning for the 2011 grant program cycle and wrapping up past funding cycles.

For more information on the Kansas City area emergency management and homeland security programs, follow this link to MARC’s Emergency Services webpage.

http://www.marc.org/emergency/rhscc.htm

ETAC

I am going to try something new today.  I am going to try to post to my blog during the daylight hours instead of the crack of dawn after my wife says, "See you later pal.  I'm going to bed."  So in the hopes of keeping my other house in order, here you go.

Today I attended an executive board meeting of a regional information sharing initiative called ETAC, for long, Emerging Threat Analysis Center.  ETAC is an on-line investigative tool in which most of the larger law enforcement agencies in the Kansas City Metro dump their records management systems information into a central depository.  This central depository of information can be accessed by field personnel, detectives, and dispatchers.  In the old days (last year), police personnel were only able to see the information contained in their own records systems.  With ETAC's roll out, police personnel can see any information listed for an individual or location from those agencies involved in the initiative.  This type of broad information sharing makes local police agencies more efficient and effective in crime fighting and terrorism prevention since criminals and terrorists do not respect the boundary lines of cities, counties, or states. 

Bailed Out By A Fellow Blogger

Last Friday night I received a nice email from Sarah Darby who said she is the news editor of the JagWire Newspaper at Mill Valley High School.  Sarah said she noticed that I had started a blog for Shawnee's web site about police happenings.  She said she writes a continual local news blog for the online version of her school's paper and she would love to interview me about my blog and position as the new cheif of police for the City.Well I had a nice conversation with Sarah on Monday, and this afternoon she emailed me the link to her post.  So instead of me posting my own story, Sarah bailed me out and I am going to direct you to her blog.  By the way...after you have read Sarah's posting, please leave her a comment.  Even though I have been at this a short time, I know every blogger looks forward to the opportunity to have a dialog with their audience, or at least the acknowledgement that someone is reading their content.  Thanks.

http://www.mvnews.org/opinion/2011/03/29/shawnee-police-chief-larry-larimore-discusses-daily-blog-and-social-media-strategy/

Master Police Officer Mike Powell - January 15, 1980 to March 21, 2011

Today, we hosted a reception for Master Police Officer Mike Powell who officially retired from the Shawnee Police Department on March 21, 2011 after thirty-one years of faithful service.  For the last twenty-six years, Mike was a police canine officer.  Mike is a highly regarded police canine and handler trainer, and held executive board officer positions on the National Police Canine Association and the Kansas Police Dog Association.  Mike and his dogs throughout the years have conducted tracks for dangerous persons and searches for drugs and weapons for just about every law enforcement agency in the Kansas City Metro area.  Mike’s retirement reception was filled with family, friends, co-workers, professional acquaintances, and well-wishers.  He will really be missed.

Now here is a little "behind the scenes" entertainment I promised in my first post.  As Chief, my job is to host these types of receptions while mostly being solemn and respectful.  The problem is in this case I worked with Mike for the past twenty-five years, so I know what kind of character he is.  By character I mean he was a lot of fun to work with.  So at his reception today I spun a little yarn about Mike.  It’s was about how dogs and their owners often look and act alike.

This incident took place back in the early 1990’s.  The time was about 11 pm so it was dark out.  Mitch Brim just got off work as the evening shift supervisor and I was working as the evening shift detective. Mitch and I were riding home together in Mitch’s truck that night because we shared rides because we both lived about an hour south of here back in those days.  We just left the QuikTrip on Nieman where Mitch purchased his “driving home snack” of a half-quart of milk and a sleeve of cookies, when I got a page from dispatch stating there had been a robbery at a sandwich shop on 75^th Street.  

I was on-call that night because I was the evening shift detective and I knew Mitch was game if it involved chasing a bad guy, so we drove to the scene to see if there was anything we could do. We arrived only a few minutes after the first responding patrol units.  The officers were going about their jobs of interviewing the victim clerk and beginning to look around the area for the suspect. 

I remember Mike showing up not to long after we did and he was doing what he does best, mostly standing around looking for trouble, when a guy matching the suspect’s description comes running out of the front door of a bar located close to the sandwich shop and started heading west across the parking lots back towards the shop.  It turns out that the officers checking behind the businesses found the back door to the bar open so they walked in and seated at the bar was a guy matching the suspect description.  So naturally, when he saw the officers, the guy took off out the front door.

Officers came out the same door giving chase, when I saw Mike Powell out of the corner of my eye starting to run at an angle to intersect this guy.  If anybody has seen a patrol dog chase down a bad guy, it’s the same way.  If the bad guy is running, they take an angle approach to intersect.  So this is where the story gets interesting “with all due respect.”

As Mike was running I see him go down onto all fours and start gaining ground on the guy. I had to rub my eyes because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.  Then as Mike catches up with the guy, he takes him down to the ground just like a patrol dog would, you know like knock them down and then looking for someplace to get a bite on.  I remember Mitch and I were the first officers to catch up because they were running direcly towards us.  As I approach the two, Mike biting this guy on the lower leg and all I hear is “GRRRRRRR.”  I yell, “Losa, Losa,” and for those of you who don’t speak Belgium,” Losa” is a patrol dog command that means OUT, or quit biting. 

So, Mike’s not outing after a couple of more times of me yelling at him, so I grab him by the collar and pull him off the guy and now I can hear what he has been saying to the guy as he had his leg in his mouth.  Do you want to know what he was saying over and over? 

Classic Mike Powell, “Please sir, stop resisting,” over and over again.  So professional all the time, what can I say.  So I gave him a couple “Zoza Bra’s”, translation again for  non-Belgium speakers – “Good Boy, Good Boy”, then scratched him behind the ear and his leg went like that (shaking my leg) and I threw him a piece of PVC pipe to chew on.  That’s all it takes to make Mike happy. 

Now, I may have taken a little writer’s liberty with some of the facts in this story, and by saying that I know my college creative writing teacher would be proud.  The problem is about 90% of this story is true, and most fun is no one knows which ten percent isn’t but me.

Mike – Thank you for your service to the City of Shawnee and the women and men of the Shawnee Police Department for the past 31 years.  You will be missed …at least for the next thirty days until you return as a community service officer. 

Shawnee Tomorrow Leadership Program

I am up late tonight getting ready for a retirement celebration tomorrow.  Shawnee Police Officer Mike Powell is retiring after more than thirty-one years of service to the City of Shawnee, and really to the Kansas City area.  But more about Mike in tomorrow's post.

Today I was out of the office attending "Health Care Day" with the 2011 Class of the Shawnee Tomorrow Leadership Program.  Shawnee Tomorrow is a community leadership development program founded in 1989 by the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce. The goal is to continuously develop individuals with the willingness, desire and capabilities to assume leadership roles within the Shawnee community, Johnson County and the State of Kansas and beyond.  The Chamber's Senior Vice President Mary Taylor does a great job of overseeing the program.

For more information on Shawnee Tomorrow please follow this link:

http://www.shawneekschamber.com/about/about-tomorrow.html 

My Staff

Wednesdays are really busy days at the Shawnee Police Department and today was no exception. The Police Department’s Command Staff normally meets on Wednesdays to discuss the last week’s happenings and plans for the future. After meeting with my staff today I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce them to you. They are an exceptional group of people.

As I mentioned before Deputy Chief Rob Moser oversees all Police Department operations. Rob is a nineteen-year veteran of the Shawnee Police Department and has commanded the Patrol and Staff Services Divisions in the past.  He is a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy.

Captain Bill Hisle commands the Patrol Division of the Police Department. Bill has the unique distinction of being the first DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer in the State of Kansas. Bill was instrumental implementing the department’s Professional Standards Unit and has commanded the Staff Service Division in the past. He is a graduate of the Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command.

Captain Dan Tennis commands the newly formed Support Services Division. In June 2010, we combined the old Investigations and Staff Services Divisions to form Support Services. Dan spent many years in the Investigations Division, and in the past served as a board member of the Sunflower House. Dan is also a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy.

Lieutenant Mark Hein currently serves as a watch commander in the Patrol Division. Mark served as a DARE Officer, Patrol Sergeant, Training Sergeant, and Professional Standards Unit Commander. Mark was instrumental in the planning and construction of the Shawnee Justice Center.

Lieutenant Doug Orbin currently serves as the Commander of the Staff Services Bureau. Doug most notably served as the Sergeant of the Traffic Safety Unit when it first developed and implemented in 2002. He will be a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy in the near future.

Lieutenant Jodi Andrews currently serves as the Commander of the Investigations Bureau. Jodi served as a DARE Officer, Patrol Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, and Traffic Safety Unit Sergeant prior to being promoted to Lieutenant. Jodi recently led the department’s conversion to digital in-car video systems in our patrol vehicles.

Lieutenant Mitch Brim currently serves as a Watch Commander in the Patrol Division. Mitch has served in many capacities in the department, but most notably led the development of the department’s Special Tactics and Response Team throughout the years.  Mitch is one of the department’s Patrol and Special Police Tactics Trainers.

Greg Collins serves as the department’s Planning and Research Manager. Greg is a retired Shawnee Police Sergeant, and is responsible for advising the commanders on legislative activities and policy matters. Greg is a Crossfit Fitness Level 1 Trainer.

Susan Smith serves as the department’s Crime Analyst. Susan advises the commanders of our regional crime patterns and trends, the way they affect a particular geographic area, and how we can appropriately respond to them. Dr. Susan Smith (abd) is working on her dissertation to complete her Doctorate of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration, Specialization in Criminal Justice Program.

Last but not least is Marsha Toler, the Command Staff’s Administrative Professional. Marsha keeps the circus moving and on track. She recently completed a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.

The short descriptions above do not even scratch the surface of these individuals. Please refer to the department’s web page for more information on their backgrounds. Our Command Staff has more than 235 years of combined public service in the law enforcement profession. It’s been said one way to determine a leader’s competence, as well as their confidence, is to look at the people around them. If that statement is true, then I am one lucky individual.

My First Day

Hello… My name is Larry Larimore and today is my first day on the job as Chief of Police in Shawnee, Kansas (I know...sounds like the start of a paper we did in grade school).  I have been a Shawnee police officer for twenty-five years now, and before my current promotion, I served as Deputy Chief to now retired Police Chief Jim Morgan.  When Jim announced he was planning to retire last summer, I immediately let City Manager Carol Gonzales know that I would love to have the opportunity to lead this fantastic Department and I had several ideas of what I would do as Chief.  One of my ideas was to have our Police Department develop and implement a social media strategy.  We recognize that social media sites are rapidly becoming a norm in the way people and organizations communicate.  Through the use of these communication methods, the Police Department can spread our message by reaching a larger and diverse audience.  Creating this blog is part of that strategy.  


Back in January 2011, before I was even appointed Chief, I spoke with the City's Social Media Guru Bridget Moser and presented my idea.  She shared some valuable insight and then pointed me towards Susan Bedsaul, the City's Web Development Manager.  I told Susan about my idea and she said it would be easy to set up a blog and link it to the City's web page and the City's social media sites.  As a matter of fact, before I even had time to drive back to my office, Bridget and Susan already had my blog set up and named.  Thank you Bridget and Susan for getting me started.      


The purpose of my blog is to share some behind the scenes look at the Shawnee Police Department.  I plan on posting a mix of entertaining community-oriented information, crime and criminal happenings, crime prevention tips, and commendable performances by our staff.  The schedule of a police chief in a City as large as ours can be very hectic, but I plan to post as often as possible.  If you would like to share your comments, I would be happy to read them and pass them on if necessary.  All I ask is that any comments are constructive in nature, and for that I thank you in advance.  Please come back and read more about our Police Department and our cast of characters. I can promise it will be entertaining, and I have assembled a crack group of reporters and they should be funneling me the GOOD stuff. 


Last thing before I sign off…I would like the thank Deputy Chief Rob Moser in advance.  Rob is responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations at our Department, and with the ship in his very capable hands, I am free to do things like this and promote our Department as one of the best in the Country.


More to come…