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Surfside Police Department Introduces Electronic Traffic Citations - E-Ticketing Solution from Advanced Public Safety Minimizes Officer Risk, Reduces Cost and Increases Accuracy -
Advanced Public Safety is a leading provider of electronic ticketing software for public safety agencies; the Surfside Police Department has chosen the company to provide the agency with a complete electronic traffic citation system.
At traffic stops, the solution allows officers to check federal and state databases for any stolen vehicle or outstanding warrant alerts and to obtain other relevant information on the vehicle and driver. Previously, officers had to manually transcribe driver and vehicle registration information from the Surfside Police Dispatcher with a time delay.
With the APS QuickTicket software integrated within Verizon Wireless solution, Surfside Police officers will have a system that eliminates handwritten forms and uses unique APS software capabilities to automatically move MobileCop query response data to electronic forms -- significantly reducing data entry while improving accuracy.
At a traffic stop, the officer enters the violator's information into the MobileCop application to obtain background information from available national, state, and local databases. The APS QuickTicket software then auto-populates the requisite information from the mobile query database files directly onto the agency's citation forms. The officers print a copy of the citation for the violator, and electronically transfer the data to be automatically uploaded to police department and county court databases, which reduces the manual data entry process.
"The system is extremely beneficial, it eliminates re-keying driver information two or three times, improving overall efficiency and accuracy. It also allows me to clear all my traffic stops faster, which improves safety on the roadside for me and all Surfside motorist" -said Surfside Officer Joseph Schaefer.
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Surfside Police honored with LEO Award two straight years
The LEO awards are an annual event that recognizes outstanding law enforcement officers and prosecutors from throughout Miami-Dade County on the local, state and federal level. Officers are nominated by their respective departments and a panel of judges reviews all nominations and selects the winner. Police agencies are broken down into three categories based upon the number of sworn personnel.
Officer Joaquin Polanco was recognized for the outstanding year he had in 2007 which included the arrest of a burglary subject from the Best Western Hotel, the arrest of a bank robber and the arrest of two subjects who were burglarizing construction sites. He is consistently one of the top producers on the department.
He certainly was well deserving of this prestigious award. We are very proud of Ofc. Polanco and his accomplishments. He exemplifies the type of officer we want working in Surfside.
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New Police Dispatchers
The Police Department has recently hired two new police dispatchers, Tabatha Washington and Stephanie McHugh. Tabitha and Stephanie are currently assigned to the field training program under the direction of Communications Supervisor Susie Sperbeck. After completion of their training, the new dispatchers will be responsible for specialized work in dispatching police and fire units to emergencies, assisting the public with information, providing record checks and criminal intelligence to officers through State-wide computer systems, and managing the front desk clerical and complaint activities. |
2007 Officer of the Year Joaquin Polanco
On April 14th, 2007 Officer Polanco responded to the area of the Best Western Hotel after a tourist was awakened by an intruder inside her hotel room. The intruder fled and a description was given out. Officer Polanco observed a subject matching the description in the area and detained him. The tourist was unable to positively identify the subject. Officer Polanco was not satisfied with the reason for the subject being in the area and arrested him for loitering and prowling. A subsequent investigation revealed that a second hotel room had been burglarized earlier in the evening and the subject was charged with two counts of burglary. Officer Polanco received Officer of the Month for the month on April.
On August 10, 2007 Officer Polanco self-initiated a investigation of three subjects that had a large amount of copper on the hard pack area of the beach. The investigation revealed that the subjects had just stolen the sheets from a construction site in Miami Beach , which produced three arrests for Miami Beach PD. The subjects had been stopped by Officer Polanco initially due to the recent burglaries at construction sites in our town and most likely prevented further crime in out town. Officer Polanco also assisted during the month of August with the arrest of a subject that had just committed two car burglaries at the 300 block of 92 Street. Officer Polanco received Officer of the month for the month of August.
On November 15th, 2007 Officer Polanco was dispatched to a bank robbery on Harding Ave. Enroute to the location a BOLO description was given over the radio. Officer Polanco observed a male matching the description carrying a brown paper bag walking northbound on 96th Street. Officer Polanco immediately ordered the suspect to the ground and apprehended the suspect, who was later positively identified as the bank robber by a bank employee. Officer Polanco received the Officer of the Month for the month of November making it a total of three times during 2007 that he has received this award.
Officer Polanco issued 1093 traffic citations, and made 110 arrests for the year. He has also been recognized on many occasions by citizens and supervisors for his professional and courteous service to the community. He has successfully completed the Police Bicycle, Police ATV, Police Rifle, and Officer Survival training courses. In addition, he is one of three finalists for the prestigious LEO Patrol Officer of the Year and has been nominated for Miami-Dade Rookie Officer of the Year awards. Most remarkable, Joaquin has only been a police officer for just over a year. He has proven himself to be an exceptional individual who excels at both proactive and community policing and exemplifies the new Surfside police officer.
SOUTH FLORIDIANS ENCOURAGED TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION (I.C.E.)
Local residents who hold a current Florida Driver License or Florida Identification Card may choose to participate in a new emergency contact information (I.C.E.) service being offered by the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles (DHSMV).
It is now possible to go on-line and enter two emergency contacts on your Florida Drivers License which can only be retrieved by a police officer. If you are involved in an accident and you are incapacitated, the police will be able to run the Drivers License and know immediately which of your family members or loved ones to contact. This information may save crucial time in the event you are involved in a critical situation. Your personal information in Florida motor vehicle and driver records is blocked in accordance with the Driver Privacy Protection Act.
If you are interested in participating in this program, please go to the DHSMV website:
www.hsmv.state.fl.us, click on Driver License Full Service Menu, and select Emergency Contact Information.
NORTH SHORE KIWANIS & THE SURFSIDE POLICE
PROVIDE HOLIDAY DINNERS
This past Thanksgiving Day, the North Shore Kiwanis Club generously sponsored the purchase and delivery of complete turkey dinners to area seniors. Meals were brought to local elderly residents, who live alone, and are registered in the Surfside Police Reassurance Program. Participants in the program receive a daily phone call and are re-assured by the knowledge that their well-being is being checked on a regular basis.
Kiwanis member & Surfside Police Special Projects Coordinator, Wanda Flores and Surfside Police Officer, Ian Leonard organized the pick-up and timely delivery of all the meals.
Thank you to everyone who joined in the sprit of giving during the holiday of thanks.
AREA LAW ENFORCEMENT “Working at the Car Wash” for
THE FAMILY OF OFFICER JOSE SOMOHANO AND OFFICER JODY WRIGHT
On Sat. Oct. 6, the Surfside, Bal Harbour and Bay Harbor Police Departments participated in a county-wide Car Wash to raise funds for the Police Officers Assistance Trust (P.O.A.T.), in memory of Miami-Dade Police Officer Jose Somohano and for Police Officer Jody Wright, who were shot, and respectively, slain and injured on Sept. 13th during a burglary surveillance, when they stopped a vehicle driving erratically in the area they were working.
Representatives of the Surf-Bal-Bay Police Athletic/Activities League (PAL) and participants in the Police Explorers program, senior law enforcement staff, line officers, business leaders and residents, worked side-by-side on the wash brigade to ensure the success of the event.
The Surf-Bal-Bay Car Wash was #1 in the County in terms of charitable dollars raised, and contributed $14,225 to this worthy cause! The grand total collected by all agencies was over $105,000.
The Surf-Bal-Bay Police Departments extend special thanks to:
The Residents of the Tri-City Area for their tremendous outpouring of support
The entire Corps of Volunteers for their tireless efforts
Beau Parrillo of United Auto Insurance
Edwin “Junior” Gonzalez of Tremont Towing
Manny Diaz, Jr. of Brothers Vending
Dwayne Berger, General Manager of Publix Supermarkets
and
Steve Oppenheim of Worldwide Products Inc.
for their generous corporate and personal donations of time, money, muscle power, food, beverages, and cleaning supplies for this charitable event.
SURFSIDE PD RECOGNIZES LARRY FEDER
At the Commission Meeting held on October 9th, the Surfside Police Department honored Construction Depot, Inc. owner Larry Feder in front of an audience of his family and friends, elected officials, residents, and police personnel. During the ceremony, Police Chief Dave Allen presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Mr. Feder with gratitude and appreciation for his selfless dedication to law enforcement and the Town of Surfside. He generously has dedicated his time, effort, materials and staff for the construction of the Police Fitness Center and the holding facility at no cost. In his name, a donation has been made to the “For Fallen Hero’s of the Police Forces” Charity.
Surfside Police Establishes Two New Units:
Raises Level of Service to the Community
At an afternoon ceremony held on Wed., Oct. 4th the Surfside Police Department announced the creation of two new positions intended to advance service to the community. Surfside Police Dispatcher, Susie Sperback, was promoted to Communications Supervisor and given the responsibility of developing the Department’s Communications Unit. In addition to her role as the overall supervisor for three shifts, Susie will also be tasked with creating an ongoing training program for communications personnel and enhancing the department’s customer service levels. She has already begun this process by recently introducing a standard, professional telephone greeting to be used by all dispatchers. Following her graduation from North Miami Senior High and her further academic studies at Florida International University, Susie joined the Surfside PD in the spring of 1997. She has the experience and knowledge to implement ongoing positive improvements to the department’s interaction with the community, other rescue agencies and the general public.
Crime Prevention/Training Coordinator, Tom Lederman, was also welcomed on Oct. 4th to the Surfside Police Department. In his new position he will be responsible for raising the standards of in-service training and crime prevention outreach to the community. Following a stellar career with the Miami Beach Police Department, Tom recently retired after 26 years of distinguished service. Tom worked in the Patrol Division, the Strategic Intelligence Unit as a Detective and Sergeant, was detached for 2 ½ years to the South Florida Money Laundering Task Force, was assigned to the Marine Patrol Unit, was a Police Diver, and supervised the first Community Policing Bicycle Unit.
Tom’s real forte is training. He is an Instructor at the Miami-Dade Police Academy where he has taught Firearms, Vehicle Operations, Narcotics Enforcement, Patrol Tactics and Vehicle Stops. Surfside Police Chief, Dave Allen says, “We have a very young police department that will benefit from training in many fields from firearms, to driving techniques, to building searches, to investigations, to specialized units. Tom is a Certified Instructor in all of these fields and more.” Assistant Police Chief, John Di Censo adds, “We are fortunate to have someone with Tom’s experience and knowledge join our organization. He brings a lot to the table and will be a tremendous resource for our officers.”
Tom volunteered many hours as the lead instructor with Surfside’s first Citizens Police Academy and is currently hard at work with the second group of Citizen Police Academy participants. He will implement workshops, conduct citizen surveys, and has plans to introduce a citizen volunteer “in-police” service program which will assist and supplement police personnel in the execution of their duties. Tom says, “I am pleased to join the staff of the Surfside PD and I am committed to building a strong, positive working relationship with the community.”
New Equipment
We have purchased a new All Terrain Vehicle and two new bicycles using forfeiture funds to increase our visibility, citizen contacts, and response time on the beach and residential areas.
The new Intoxilyzer 8000 Breath Testing instrument is installed in the Surfside Police Department. This is the state of the art in breath test technology approved by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The instrument will be used to help enforce Florida DUI laws and keep the streets safe for our families.
| The Surfside Police Honor Guard has been established to represent the Surfside Police Department, its officers and families at police funerals, parades and other ceremonial occasions. The team consists of Sgt. Richard Williams, Officer Rory Alberto, Officer Lesmes Ruiz, and Officer Bryant Luke. |
Police Fitness Center
The Police Fitness Center was created at no cost to the Town of Surfside in a partnership with the Bal Harbour Police Department and thrugh donations from local businesses. The equipment and assembly of the Police Fitness Center were also donated from supporters of law enforcement. The Police Fitness Center is open 24/7 to Surfside and Bal Harbour employees. The purpose is to keep police officers physically and mentally strong to cope with their many responsibilities.
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