Operation Triple Play

Police 'Triple Play' Aimed At Thieves
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By KEITH MORELLI The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jun 2, 2006



TAMPA - Fighting crime, apparently, is a lot like playing baseball. You rely heavily on statistics to win and the more you score, the more the home crowd roars in approval.

The boys of summer in Tampa aren't wearing pinstripes, though. The only stripes on their blue jerseys are the ones on their arms.

"Operation Triple Play" is the name given to the Tampa Police Department's latest rally to bust criminals. The name was chosen because the effort covers three areas where crime will likely surge the next three months, said Sgt. Jim Contento, a die-hard Yankees fan. He announced the initiative Thursday during roll call at the District 1 station.

"Operation Triple Play" also targets three types of criminals: burglars who break into cars, burglars who break into homes and businesses, and car thieves, he said.

"This is the field of dreams," he told officers and reporters.

"We are giving the officers the resources and the equipment and manpower they need to reduce the crime rate," he said. "It is exciting for you, you can lower the crime rate and it'll be fun, also."

Patrol officers will do their jobs as usual, he said. Each shift participating in the effort will have 15 to 20 extra officers, including street crime, drug and school resource officers, mounted patrols and a bicycle unit. They all will be assigned to the three areas where the crime rate spikes in summer.

Those areas include WestShore Plaza and International Plaza and nearby hotels and parking lots; the business district along the Dale Mabry Highway corridor from West Kennedy Boulevard to West Spruce Street; and the business districts of Hyde Park and Davis Islands. If needed, patrols also will focus on the West Hillsborough Avenue business district.

The operation targets mostly thieves and burglars, he said, and the department knows what crimes are taking place where and what time of day, thanks to the department's crime analysts. In some cases, they also know who.

"We have scouting reports," he said, waiving dossiers on suspects.

Police Chief Stephen Hogue said District 1 has led the city in crime reduction the past couple of years because of "innovative ways of dealing with crime."

He said summer is always a high-crime time, and that's when such an initiative can do the best to pull the rate down.

"In the police business," he said, "the summer is when we win the war on crime or don't."

Statistics show that the District 1 summer rates of auto theft, home and auto burglary have dropped nearly 40 percent since 2003, from 575 three years ago to 351 last year.

Contento said the operation doesn't cost extra, that it just adjusts resources. "We're just moving people around."

At the end of roll call, Contento said that in August, when the initiative winds down, nominations for "Most Valuable Player" will be submitted. The winning officer will get "front-row seats at a Devil Rays game. Well, front row in the outfield."

Contact Keith Morelli at (813) 865-1504 or kmorelli@tampatrib .com

Why is it that everything that D1 does has to revolve around baseball? Wasn't it some D1 personnel that received some baseball gratuities about 12 years ago? Why does the D1 DLIS Sgt always have to try to be in the spotlight with the media? I would rather ride the express than be in some person's fantasy with baseball.

Because you have two glory hounds that are buddies.

Believe me,

The D3 Express WILL make the Media Blitz.

Its just the way this Department wants, not only D1.

Get on board!!!

haha

Someone needs to bring on Barney the dinasour program to a district. He is out of work and looking for employment. Officers who reduce crime the most can have Barney ride with them for the month>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Barney could be at your roll call and work with the major.
Barney hats good deal....
Great idea......

Police work is turning into childrens games.....why not just put gold and black stars by the names of officers who do good and those who don't.......

We're killing a zone to staff this thing. Saturation patrol is a great thing if you have the needed personnel to do it without affecting officer safety and service to the public. How do you think the citizens of an uncovered zone would feel if they knew they don't have an officer any where near by? Where is there any consideration for our safety when you have officers responding to calls from extremely widely dispersed locations because of the managerial reduced street units? Why doesn't leadership realize the manpower crisis they create for this media blitz without the grunts having to yell from below? Please put the priority back where it belongs, truly being of service to our felllow man.

[MW]

Who filed the grievence with the PBA that "Operation Triple Play" is an Officer Safety issue?

I have been with TPD for over 10yrs. When I was first hired it was common to kill a zone because of a manpower shortage. Then Chief Hogue came in and shook big blue until all these det. cpls and officers fell out of their hiding spots. He got rid of the "specality squad of the month to address this immediate temporary problem that if I get it solved will get me promoted" and we actually had a good number of officers on the squads. As short as it was, it was fun for the street officer to have the time to mess with the hookers/ dopers hanging on the corner rather than hit the seiren as you drove by to the next call holding.

Well, now we are back to the "strip the street squads, cause ya know they dont do anything anyway" and use them for the specality squad. Everybody feels better. The staff can tell the chief that "we have formed a new squad to address this ... bla bla bla... (that has been going on forever) but I (a Lt. that wants to be captain) have developed this new squad/operation/ club that will immediately address this problem. And for my next trick I will cook up some numbers to show you that I really have done something" The officers involved are happy cause they are in the light- ya gotta dance with the light shines on you so that I can get promoted- and the staff gets to do a press release.

So be patient, the special people on the special squads will come back when we realize that no matter how often you throw junior at the JAC center, he bounces back and our effect on crime is really minimal. Truth of the matter, the country has been on a 5yr down swing on crime and now it is going back up. So we can beat our chests and say how great we are but we have a very small effect on the actual amount of crime.

However, to give credit where it is due, I must say that the administration of the specality squads is the best I have seen. The Quad/ Sac are no longer hidden away. Before, we never knew where they were. When you called them from d-2 they would say, "we are working this operation, yea thats it, in district one.. " Now, you actually see them on the street... and hear them on the radio. So anyways, thats my story.

Yeah operation triple play is great. Too bad were fielding a team half as good as the devil rays.

Way to go guys. You doing great keep up the good work or you will be forced to jump aboard "the train" choo choo.

Give me a break with this stuff majors, you are killing us. Are you running a district or a kindergarden.

Gotta go the Lt. just told me its time for gym, and after that I get milk and cookies before my nap.

You think cutting a zone is an officer safety issue? Try being in D3. They cant fill zones most nights because they are so short. Then on thurs/fri/sat, they send one whole squad and SAC to Ybor all night. This leaves about 8 or 9 officers to cover the whole sector. They say oh well, thats how the city spreads manpower. Wait till something happens and someone sues. Maybe they will just charge more for OD in Ybor to pay the lawsuit.

Trust me, you guys and gals have it good compared to the size of squads on the other side of the bridge. Day shift rountinely check on squads numbering in the single digits. Covering entire Districts!

Cant be as bad as we have it?

Be safe!