08-25-2007, 05:54 PM
Police Rebut School Official's Crime Reports
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By VALERIE KALFRIN The Tampa Tribune
Published: Aug 24, 2007
TBO.com Site Search | Tribune archive from 1990
TAMPA - An e-mail and messages on two local Web sites about robberies in south Tampa have triggered such a "public stir of hysteria" that Tampa police drafted a response Thursday.
They say the Sunday e-mail and messages, posted on SohoTampa .com and TampaGold.com, are filled with errors. The messages were written by Hillsborough County School Board member Jennifer Faliero, who urged neighbors to be cautious because her ex-husband was robbed July 31.
"Please send this alert to all your friends and neighbors who live in ZIP codes 33606, 33609 and 33611," she wrote. "These thugs are targeting areas where people live that have a lot of money, or at least appear to have a lot of money!"
The message misstates information about two robberies - the number of people involved, how people were injured and whether anyone was arrested - which has spurred residents to phone police about a crime spree and created "unnecessary panic," Assistant Chief of Police Jane Castor said.
Faliero also wrote that police shot and killed a suspect from a Waffle House robbery Saturday on West Shore Boulevard, which is untrue, Castor said.
Castor said the department drafted a response Thursday to submit to the Web sites. In addition, she and Police Chief Stephen Hogue will visit homeowners association and neighborhood-watch meetings in south Tampa in the coming weeks to answer questions.
Residents can obtain information about crime activity from an interactive map on the police department's Web site, Castor said. The map is accessible at www.tampagov (http://www.tampagov) .net/appl_police_crime_activity _maps/mappage.asp.
Faliero was re-elected to the school board in 2006 and is vice chairwoman. She did not return phone calls from the Tribune but responded to a reporter's e-mail requesting elaboration.
"I didn't get all my information from police reports and my family was personally involved, so I am privy to information that you will not have and I will not go into," she wrote. "Because my family is involved, I am not willing to publicly go on record."
Faliero submitted an e-mail to SohoTampa.com, which site manager Bill Sharpe said he confirmed she wrote and posted Monday. He said he was not concerned about inaccuracies.
"I think the brunt of her remarks is pretty clear: There are incidents occurring, and you need to be aware of what's going on," he said.
Castor said police use e-mail with neighborhood groups to alert residents about crime patterns. She thought the department was "partly to blame" for any communication breakdown that allowed the inaccuracies to circulate.
Police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said she fielded several calls from residents who accused the police department of lying about neighborhood crime. The message created a "public stir of hysteria," Davis said.
Faliero wrote that robbers who struck an Orleans Avenue family weeks ago "put them in critical condition." Of the robbers, she said, "not all are in custody." Both statements are false, Castor said.
Faliero also misstated the number of people and the type of vehicle involved in the Waffle House robbery, Castor said.
Faliero also described how she called 911 about a man in a "suspicious car" at a gated apartment complex on Davis Islands. She wrote that police did not find the man but told her he "might be one of the suspects" from the Waffle House robbery.
"I'm not sure how she put that together," Castor said.
Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at vkalfrin@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7800.
Skip directly to the full story.
By VALERIE KALFRIN The Tampa Tribune
Published: Aug 24, 2007
TBO.com Site Search | Tribune archive from 1990
TAMPA - An e-mail and messages on two local Web sites about robberies in south Tampa have triggered such a "public stir of hysteria" that Tampa police drafted a response Thursday.
They say the Sunday e-mail and messages, posted on SohoTampa .com and TampaGold.com, are filled with errors. The messages were written by Hillsborough County School Board member Jennifer Faliero, who urged neighbors to be cautious because her ex-husband was robbed July 31.
"Please send this alert to all your friends and neighbors who live in ZIP codes 33606, 33609 and 33611," she wrote. "These thugs are targeting areas where people live that have a lot of money, or at least appear to have a lot of money!"
The message misstates information about two robberies - the number of people involved, how people were injured and whether anyone was arrested - which has spurred residents to phone police about a crime spree and created "unnecessary panic," Assistant Chief of Police Jane Castor said.
Faliero also wrote that police shot and killed a suspect from a Waffle House robbery Saturday on West Shore Boulevard, which is untrue, Castor said.
Castor said the department drafted a response Thursday to submit to the Web sites. In addition, she and Police Chief Stephen Hogue will visit homeowners association and neighborhood-watch meetings in south Tampa in the coming weeks to answer questions.
Residents can obtain information about crime activity from an interactive map on the police department's Web site, Castor said. The map is accessible at www.tampagov (http://www.tampagov) .net/appl_police_crime_activity _maps/mappage.asp.
Faliero was re-elected to the school board in 2006 and is vice chairwoman. She did not return phone calls from the Tribune but responded to a reporter's e-mail requesting elaboration.
"I didn't get all my information from police reports and my family was personally involved, so I am privy to information that you will not have and I will not go into," she wrote. "Because my family is involved, I am not willing to publicly go on record."
Faliero submitted an e-mail to SohoTampa.com, which site manager Bill Sharpe said he confirmed she wrote and posted Monday. He said he was not concerned about inaccuracies.
"I think the brunt of her remarks is pretty clear: There are incidents occurring, and you need to be aware of what's going on," he said.
Castor said police use e-mail with neighborhood groups to alert residents about crime patterns. She thought the department was "partly to blame" for any communication breakdown that allowed the inaccuracies to circulate.
Police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said she fielded several calls from residents who accused the police department of lying about neighborhood crime. The message created a "public stir of hysteria," Davis said.
Faliero wrote that robbers who struck an Orleans Avenue family weeks ago "put them in critical condition." Of the robbers, she said, "not all are in custody." Both statements are false, Castor said.
Faliero also misstated the number of people and the type of vehicle involved in the Waffle House robbery, Castor said.
Faliero also described how she called 911 about a man in a "suspicious car" at a gated apartment complex on Davis Islands. She wrote that police did not find the man but told her he "might be one of the suspects" from the Waffle House robbery.
"I'm not sure how she put that together," Castor said.
Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at vkalfrin@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7800.