Read this...Your responses will be fun reading.

From St. Times
12/30/2006

It was time to take a stand.

In two months, L.A. Malin's motorbike shop was burglarized five times. Robbers shot her Doberman pinscher - twice. And seven of her bikes were swiped.

So one night last month, she, her husband and their dog spent the night at Xzilr8ing MotorSports, their shop on 49th Street S, armed and ready to pounce.

No one tried to break in that night, but Malin said it was the beginning of her own battle against robbers who she thinks are wreaking havoc on her neighborhood.

"I'm tired of being the punching bag," she said. "There is a problem, and someone needs to do something about it."

Like Malin, a growing number of Gulfport residents and business owners have started an anticrime movement to combat what they see as an increasing number of robberies and burglaries in the area. They have installed video recording systems and alarms in hopes of catching the culprits in the act. They also complained to City Council members about the need for better lighting in commercial districts and more police officers patrolling on foot.

However, Gulfport police said there is no crime wave and urged residents to check out crime statistics on the police Web site before rushing to conclusions.

There were 18 burglaries in the first two weeks of December, a figure that doesn't seem outrageous to Sgt. Richard Lehr, the department's supervisor of detectives.

An average of seven to 10 burglaries a week is normal, he said, adding, "We are not having a problem with burglaries right now."

Through August, there were about 110 burglaries, the most recent year-to-date total available, he said.

In 2005, there were 215 burglaries, down from 244 in 2004.

But crime statistics have done little to soothe the fear of residents, who argue that even one burglary is too many.

Mayor Michael Yakes said he was surprised to hear that police said the burglaries were not a significant problem.

"I don't want to hear of a normal crime rate. I want to hear of a zero," he said. "We need to definitely be more aggressive and have our Police Department much more involved with those neighborhoods where those burglaries occur."

Resident Nancy Kelley is helping to lead the anticrime campaign. At her last monthly crime awareness meeting, 16 people showed up. She asked the police to come but said no one from the department was able to attend.

"That is unacceptable," she said. "We feel we need to get the word out to the citizens of Gulfport that we need more people to take an active interest in the safety of our community."

Kelley said it is not enough for a police officer to occasionally drive down Beach Boulevard and give the area a look over. She is calling for a patrol officer on foot, bicycle or scooter in the downtown business district on weekends.

Malin also wants more streetlights in the alley behind her property.

Since opening Xzilr8ing in 2003, Malin has had 10 break-ins, half of which occurred in the past two months. Arrests were made in many of those cases, she said, but usually only after a month or two.

"This is a lot of crime for a city of this size," she said. "If the police say this is not a problem, I wonder what their priorities are."

Cristina Silva can be reached at (727) 893-8846 or csilva@sptimes.com.


CRISTINA SILVA...

YOUR AN IDIOT. YOU SHOULD DO BETTER RESEARCH. PROPERTY CRIME IS THE NUMBER ONE CRIME EVERYWHERE. TRY LOOKING IT UP IN THE FBI'S UNIFORM CRIME REPORT WHICH IS PUBLISHED EVERY YEAR.

MAYOR YAKES...

YOU ARE ALSO AN IDIOT. IF YOU WANT ZERO CRIME, BECOME THE MAYOR OF CANDY LAND. YOU NO LONGER LIVE IN 1950'S GULFPORT. IF YOU WANT ZERO CRIME...WHY DID YOU AND THE CITY COUNCIL VOTE TO CUT THE BUDGET???

NANCY KELLEY...

ALSO AN IDIOT. THIS WAS THE FIRST I'D EVER HEARD OF YOUR SO CALLED ANTI CRIME CAMPAIGN. IF YOU'D REQUESTED AN OFFICER TO ATTEND YOUR MEETING, YOU WOULD HAVE GOTTEN ONE. YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENT ALSO DOES A HELL OF A LOT MORE THAN JUST DRIVE DOWN BEACH BOULEVARD. THE REASON WHY YOU DON'T SEE IT....YOUR OLD BUTT IS PROBABLY SLEEPING WHEN WE ARE PROTECTING YOU FROM THE SCUM OF THE EARTH. WHAT IS REALLY "UNACCEPTABLE", MS. KELLEY, IS YOUR IGNORANCE TO WHAT YOUR PD DOES.

L.A. MALIN...

YOU ARE BY FAR THE BIGGEST IDIOT OF THE BUNCH. FOR STARTERS, YOU OPEN UP A BUSINESS SELLING HIGH DOLLAR MERCHANDISE ACROSS THE STREET FROM CHILDS PARK. YOU MIGHT AS WELL PUT ON ALL YOUR FANCY JEWELRY AND RUN AROUND WITH A SIGN ON YOUR BACK THAT SAYS, "PLEASE ROB ME". THAT LITTLE DOBI YOU HAD WILL NOT PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS FROM CAREER CRIMINALS "DUH!" AND, IT TAKES US ONE TO TWO MONTHS TO FIND THESE DIRT BAGS, BECAUSE TRUE PROFESSIONALS CANT JUST PULL SUSPECTS OUT OF OUR REAR ENDS. IF YOU WANT MORE LIGHTS, THEN FREAKIN BY THEM YOURSELF. WE CANNOT AND WILL NOT CATER TO THE FEW. WE ARE CHARGED WITH PROTECTING ALL OF OUR CITIZENS. NOT JUST THE LOUD MOUTHED.

GP OFFICERS ARE HARD WORKING, DEDICATED AND PROFESSIONAL. ITS WRITE UPS LIKE THESE THAT PISS ME OFF. :evil:

Hard working Gulfport Officers? Now that's a stretch.

Sounds like those residents need to start a contract with the S.O. campaign.

I hope the paper misquoted Rich. If I were a resident I would be unhappy with that response as well.

Actually....the paper did misquote him. And the stretch would be to find a hard working SO Dep. LOL.

Maybe the S.O. should take over the 30 man/woman P.D. town of Gulfport, there are a lot more deputies to cover the area. They already patrol South Pasadena. Hello, time to modernize. The S.O. also has better equipment and the necessities of a great agency that is capable of more than the good ole boys network of officers. How many patrol the town each shift?

What does the S.O. have that GP doesn't? K-9's, more marine units, swat, crime scene/forensics, flight units, better weapons (Beretta's suck), crime analysis, more deputies and etc. Ms. Duke is correct; it seems as if it would be beneficial. Your cruisers say PUBLIC SAFETY they don't say GP POLICE is LARGE, BOLD print. From experience I know that the S.O. assists GP with their crime scenes so in a sense we are already paying for the so to come out to our homes. I remember when former Sheriff Rice tried to come into GP, but the citizens of GP are too scared of change. Sometimes change is good and for the better. Look into it do your research. By the looks of your cruisers I can see that GP are big spenders when it comes to public safety. Remember you get what you pay for, and whose budget was cut. How much are our officers paid to protect and serve our city and what was our money put towards? Modernize people, get with the program. Have you seen some of the new S.O. cruisers they make your cars look ghetto. And no it is not just about the cruisers, it's about the technology that they have at their fingertips, the resources they have to offer. South Pasadena, they are some smart folks. I'm not putting anyone or the fine officers or anything about GP down. I am truely glad your there. I'm just a technology supporter that likes advancement and to feel I can be safe in my own home and neighborhood. I am not afraid of change. Just call me an alarm clock, it's time to wake up and open your eyes! Just think about it :wink:

Daisy Mae and Alarm Clock should submit a request for a ride along, both in Gulfport and at the S.O. Then they will see that Gulfport officers use the same or, in many cases, better equipment than the deputies (like Crown Vics instead of those lame and useless Impalas). They will see that, although the S.O. does have more resources, they are spread very thin and are often unavailable to low-priority areas (Gulfport is only about 1% of the county's population, so where do you think we'd fall on that priority list?).

When Sheriff Rice proposed taking over Gulfport, he suggested that two deputies could cover the city full time. He has obviously never worked a shift in this town. Also, those deputies would only work five days a week, meaning that on the weekends, relief deputies (people who are completely unfamiliar with the town, its people, and its problems) would be sent in to cover the busiest times of the week. And every six months or so, the squad would rotate, and our deputies would go to Palm Harbor or some other place.

Oh, and when you're not satisfied with the way a deputy does his job, no more calling your council member and expecting quick action. Nope. You'll have to wade through the bureaucracy of the S.O's management, who must also answer to the other 990,000 residents of this county.

Yeah, going with the S.O. is a real smart idea.

P.S. Although the Gulfport budget was cut, it had no effect on the police labor agreement. We still got a 6% across the board raise. Our annual base starting pay is within pocket change of a new deputy's.

Hey wake up and smell the coffee, my pencil pushing admidistrator. The Officers would have had a lot more; however, the City lowered the Millage rate for the citizens and had a total disregard for the Officers. The Officers did not have a say in what the City has done. The Chief of Police however did. Did he stand up for his Officers in that City Council meeting? I THINK NOT! if you think I'm telling a tale? Read the minutes for that meeting. Yeah The Officers are far from being within pocket change of a new deputy, you fool. Keep believing in your administration, Good luck Punky Brewster.

"Just Me" you sound like every other person who has absolutely no idea what you are talking about. The only thing you can say is that GP has crown vic's!? Are you kidding me. That's it! Well let me know what type of police cars GP would have if they had to buy 200-300 cars yearly.

Any deputy assigned to a contract city is required to give a minimum of 2 years. The deputy always have the ability to stay longer. And if the S.O. contracted with the city you could still have your officers. Any that complete the FTO program can go right back to the city and work it.

I would suggest you go ride with deputy who works a contract city and tell me they don't provide the level of service GP currently provides. The Sheriff bends over backwards to provide the contract cities with anything. Deputies in South Pasadena lock and unlock bathrooms; deputies in Indian Rocks lock and unlock gates; and every city, along with the unincorporated couty residents, can get a house check.

The level of service provided by GP in no way comes close to what would be provided by the S.O.

You are living in an illusion if you think otherwise. If you are an officer of GP you are flat out lying about what you do and what service you provide.

Enough said.

Every now and then someone from the SO gets on here and says how they should take over Gulfport. Let me explain something. You can’t march into Gulfport like an invading army. The decision would be placed up to the voters in the city. The citizens of Town Shores, who always turn out at the polls are never going to give up their small town police department. The voting block in ward one is just too strong. The only way this would happen if some sort of front page scandal broke out.

Look, I have nothing against the Pinellas SO, I have some good friends there but come on already. For some reason you guys keep coming onto this site and picking fights, what is it ? Do you miss the place that bad ?

dear mr. mayor:

the paper --if you can call it that-- recently quoted you as having been concerned with the pd's response to the burglary rate in g-town. you were quoted as saying that you didn't want to hear about a normal crime rate. instead, you wanted to hear about a zero crime rate. are you blind--no pun intended-- but are you familar with the neighborhoods g-town borders? hell, it's not like we are just across the street from child's park.

here's the point: no city, town or village will ever have a zero crime rate. to blame the police for that rate shows both a lack of understanding and intelligence. gpd tries very hard--if not overly--to appease the citizens it serves. however--and quite unfortunately--the police are outnumbered. there aren't any police departments that can be everywhere at once, especially gpd, so crime is inevitable. sometimes it's up, sometimes it's down. when it does go up, gpd responds and responds well. if you want a lower crime rate, perhaps you should propose more funding from the budget to increase officers. but that would make too much sense.....afterall, the real issues like casino docks, skate parks and bathrooms are far too important to be ignored. so don the glasses and get to work; the citizens await.

Dear Just Me,
I do not know where you figure pocket change is the difference!
GP starts out at $36129.60 a year. The S.O. starts out at $40000. +
St. Pete even pays more than GP; they start out at $40000. + a year. That is quite a difference if you ask me or any other citizen. Your idea of pocket change could pay my homeowners insurance for the year with almost a G to spare. There is nothing wrong with the Impala's, don't forget they also drive Dodges, unless I am reading incorrectly and it really says Chevy... A lot of agencies have left the crown vics behind and moved on to something else.

Here are the most up-to-date numbers on GPD pay:

http://www.gulfportpolice.com/Pay_BenMatrix.pdf

The Sheriff's Office is not doubt a great agency with an abundant amount of resources. However, the citizens and the city government are happy with the quality of service GPD provides. Regardless of how our cars look, we get the job done. The officers know the problems of the city and handle them appropriately. I don't know what more you can ask for. You don't have to be shiney and new or modern to provide professional, high quality service to the citizens you serve.

I hear more and more that the citizens should contract the Sheriff's Office for police services. Especially from SO Deputies. However, this cry is not coming from the citizens of Gulfport. Also, I don't see citizens changing there minds. I think the appropirate cliche is, if it aint broke, dont fix it.

And yes, the city cut some things out of the budget related to law enforcement. But isn't that par for the course. And some of the things cut aren't really things we need, but things officers want. (New back up weapons for instance. The old ones still work).

If you think about it, The LE budget for Gulfport is the largest expenditure in the city's budget. Where else are they suppose to cut? This type of action is not new, its happened for years and will continue, in EVERY AGENCY, not just Gulfport.

Also, for the poster who referred to GP LEO's as a "good ole boy" network, your mistaken. Most of our officers are young. Very few old timers are there. I admit our PD is quaint, but far from a "good ole boy" network.

Why not let Gulfport be. I'm sure there is enough of the county for all of us.

Your missing one point "SO what" and that is, that its the majority of the GP officers that want the So to come and take over. and the main reason is not the equipment or the budget or even the pay.

Its how the admin treats the Officers. its the lack of trust in the chief and his henchmen. its the fact that officers are so affraid of getting in trouble for minor things. or the fact that JS might actually be a boss, which is utterly retarted

the fact is that there are many good officers in GP but they could be 100 times better working for a more structered department

Your missing one point "SO what" and that is, that its the majority of the GP officers that want the So to come and take over. and the main reason is not the equipment or the budget or even the pay.

Its how the admin treats the Officers. its the lack of trust in the chief and his henchmen. its the fact that officers are so affraid of getting in trouble for minor things. or the fact that JS might actually be a boss, which is utterly retarted

the fact is that there are many good officers in GP but they could be 100 times better working for a more structered department

You are right, Coats backs his guys 110%. Just look at the way he tossed his two Sgt's under the bus a few weeks ago.

I just couldn't keep my mouth closed on this topic.

If the SO came in and took over Gulfport, we'd be like Tierra Verde and South Pasadena. With what, one, sparsely visible SO cruiser passing through once in a while? I do almost all of my errands in South Pasadena, and I can't remember the last time I saw an SO vehicle there, except maybe at Rally at 3 am drinking coffee. The one time I called for an SO officer for a crash it took them 23 minutes. I'd take a venture to guess that there's never been a time in the history of GPD that it took 23 minutes for their first officer to arrive!

I can't go ten blocks in Gulfport without passing at least two cruisers, either on a traffic stop or on the side of the road somewhere doing traffic. There's what, 4-6 officers (including supervisor) during the day, and 2-4 late at night? That's pretty damn good for a small town. Back East, you'd be lucky to have one cop for a city this size. And he wouldn't be chasing people with open containers back into the bars or actively stopping the crack heads on bikes and writing tickets for having a light out just to make contact with next week's burglar/drug problem. You should be thankful for that these cops do.

Do you have any idea how many minor problems they keep subdued so that people who live here don't have to deal with the rabid bullshit? Yeah. So they might take a nap at 4 am after being on twelve hours because they are covering for someone else. They might be pissed off because someone's talking shit about someone else this week within the department, or a little frustrated because they're knee deep in another of the department's famous (and useless) DI's and IA's. They might be a little bitter because their supervisors don't listen, don't care about their officers (Yeah, that's right, you think any of the officers WANT 12 hour shifts and squads? HELL NO.) But the individual officers are doing a pretty damn good job regardless. You call them, they show up. And sometimes they find the bad guy, sometimes they solve the problem. But they are only human. They can't be everywhere at one time.

How in the world can anyone blame the officers for places getting burglarized. If you open a business, get adequate security for your business. Weather it be a working alarm system or sleeping in your business with a gun - you can't expect the police to sit in front of your shop all night long unless you want to pay them to do just that. Winn Dixie pays O/T officers to provide extra security with an off-duty officer. Your business want to do that? I'm sure an officer would love the O/T pay, and would gladly sit in your parking lot overnight as long as you're paying.

There's some 24/7 armed security services that would probably put someone on your property to patrol all night. If you want to pay them, go for it. But don't blame the cops because they are on some false alarm call, or chasing someone's dog-at-large instead of waiting around for your place to get hit again. Or maybe they're breaking up a domestic, arresting some crack-head with a warrant or babysitting some drunk puking across the street from O'Maddys until EMS arrives. Regardless, they've got plenty of crap to do, and it doesn't involve providing personal security for your one place of business.

If there's more burglaries than usual in Gulfport, get together an active crime watch. Let the business owners on Beach Blvd or 49th St take turns providing a watchful eye, or everybody chip in for some decent surveillance and security alarms. Pay for some of the off-duty details they want to see Officers doing. After all, it's the business owners problem that they won't install properly working lighting, alarms or locks.

And to the people from Motorbikes - if you're smart, you'll get your poor dog out of there before someone kills her. Baby is just that - a total Baby, and since we all known damn well she wouldn't hurt a fly, why don't you find her a nice safe home before someone kills her as an afterthought while they're ripping you off next time.

I may be a little late in responding, but, here I am. You remember the old saying that starts "sticks & stones may break my bones....."? Well, you can say all you want, it is not going to hurt me in the least. First off, the St. Pete Times misquoted me on several items which I let Ms. Silva know about, plus I copied the GPD. They neglected to mention that I hold the GPD in high esteem...that they are my friends. I had no idea about Child's Park when we purchased our buildings to open our "Mom & Pop" shop. Shame on me for not knowing, however; your comments sound like they are coming from one of the GPD officers or the SO. High dollar merchandise?.....I don't think so....very reasonable, if you took the time to look around. You have to realize that after more than 10 break ins that we DO look to the officers of Gulfport to protect us. I do not ask for "special" treatment to cater "to the few". The problem lies in the fact that we are in Gulfport and the other side of the street is St. Pete. You are the one that sounds like a biased idiot....and if I want to wear all of my fancy jewelry with a sign on my back, that is my prerogative, not yours. You did not have to pull the suspects out of your rear end, we gave you their names and their addresses. Yeah, we want more lighting in the alley, but we don't feel that we need to sign a long term contract to have such. I would welcome talk of splitting the costs. Write ups like this one pisses you off? Well, your comments piss me off more. You want to challenge us, I will gladly take you on. Bring it on.

I was reading this old article and thought how drastically things can change in just two years.

PCSO is making budget cuts and is in a financial crisis and Gulfport is still coming along with no layoffs thus far and hopes of annexing parts of the county.

:D