Tampa Police K-9 Sniffs Out a Bust

The springer spaniel makes her living finding narcotics in South Tampa and Seminole Heights.

  Bad guys on the prowl within the Tampa city limits might want to take notice. K-9 Bailey is on the job. Bailey, a springer spaniel, is credited with helping the Tampa Police Department take 54 grams of marijuana off the streets Tuesday. She's regularly on the beat throughout District 1, which encompasses South Tampa and Seminole Heights. Here are the details of Bailey's latest bust: According to an incident report, a police officer made a traffic stop in the Port Tampa area around 6:40 p.m. June 12. When she put on her lights, the driver and passenger of the 2001 Chevy Impala got out of the car and tried to go into a home in the 7300 block of South Westshore Boulevard. When neither suspect complied with the officer’s requests, backup was…

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Vélo Champ Bike Shop Nearly Broken Into Again

Owner Jordan Miller is facing a major security issue with his Central Avenue storefront, just days after a $2,000 bike was stolen.

Just days after having its door kicked in and a $2,500 bicycle stolen, Velo Champ on Central Avenue has been targeted again. This time, suspects shook the boarded-up door of the Seminole Heights bicycle shop violently around 10:30 p.m. Thursday. Four suspects were spotted in surveillance footage as they walked around the storefront amidst passing cars before eventually heaving a chunk of asphalt at the front door's window, Tampa Police said. The plexiglass did not shatter, but the alarm was triggered. "I look forward to doing whatever we have to deter this interest we're getting from thieves," Vélo Champ owner Jordan Miller said Friday. "We can't afford to have bikes stolen and rocks thrown at the windows of this place. They spent about 30…

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Autism, Dementia, Special Needs Heighten Call for Tracking Aid

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office's partnership with SafetyNet by LoJack is aimed to give some peace of mind to caregivers worried about loved ones wandering off. The system involves wearing a small ankle or wrist transmitter.

  Adults and children with special needs are getting special attention from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Deputies are partnering with SafetyNet by LoJack to better respond to calls for service of missing adults and children with special needs who wander from home. The aim is to more easily address cases of missing people, including silver alerts. Citizens enrolled in SafetyNet wear a small LoJack SafetyNet personal transmitter around the wrist or ankle that emits an individualized tracking signal. If an enrolled client goes missing, the caregiver notifies the local SafetyNet agency, and a trained emergency team will respond. "Caring for a loved one who wanders is a considerable responsibility,” notes the company’s Web site. “…

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Tampa Police Launch Crime Mapping Website

The tool also creates a new way for citizens to report crime tips online.

The following report was submitted by the Tampa Police Department: The Tampa Police Department has teamed up with RAIDS Online to provide easy to read crime maps and analysis to allow Tampa residents a first-hand look at crimes in our city.  RAIDS Online displays crime data to the public using Google Maps' well-known mapping interface.  All the user has to do is type in their address, select the date and crimes they'd like to monitor and the information is provided on the map. The RAIDS Online mapping system allows TPD to share crime information with the community while helping to reduce crime, improve public safety and to enhance neighborhood-police partnerships. Users will be able to customize the interactive maps for their neighborhood …

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Alessandra Da Pra

11:33 am on Friday, May 4, 2012

Denise, a woman was robbed early this morning: http://patch.com/A-sYnN   more ›

Victims' Voices Heard In Tampa This Week

Tampa kicked off its recognition of National Crime Victims Rights Week on Monday morning with a proclamation ceremony led by state law enforcement leaders.

Horrifically violent stories were overshadowed by tales of community and overcoming Monday morning as State's Attorney Mark Ober led the opening ceremony of National Crime Victims Rights Week. The program, held at the Hillsborough County Center in downtown Tampa, focused on the plight of victims and their families who have suffered from violent crimes and the organizations that help the victims in their darkest hours. Along with the ceremony was a victim assistance information and resource fair outlining the duties of the Victim Assistance Program. "The amount of people we see being affected by the violence that tears at the fabric of our society is sometimes overwhelming to those of us in the law enforcement community," Ober said. "But it…

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Crime Blotter

Police Warn of Emerging Pattern in Residential Burglaries

Recent reports from Tampa Police District 2's crime blotter.

Tampa Police Department District 2 has seen an emerging pattern in residential burglaries. According to a crime alert, last Friday, April 7, at about 12.10 a.m., two suspects were witnessed attempting to kick in the front door to a residence in the 6000 block of North Orange Blossom Avenue. The suspects left walking westbound on West Idlewild Avenue after realizing that they were being watched. Both suspects were described as two black males in their late 20s, medium build and 5-foot-10. One suspect wore camouflage-patterned shorts and a white T-shirt. The other suspect wore blue shorts and a white T-shirt. According to the report, a neighbor noted a black male in a maroon, four-door Chevrolet driving slowly through the neighborhood as if…

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Tampa Police Honor Unsung Heroes

The agency is taking part in National Telecommunicators Week festivities.

When emergencies happen and help is needed right away, chances are you're going to pick up the phone and call 911. But who is on the other end of that line? In Seminole Heights, it's generally the dispatchers from the Tampa Police Department that make sure assistance is there when it's needed. While they're normally the unsung heroes behind the men and women in blue, that's not the case this week. To make certain these professionals get some recognition, the Tampa Police Department is recognizing National Telecommunicators Week April 8-14. "Each year, the second full week of April is dedicated to the men and women who serve as public safety telecommunicators," TPD staff explained on the agency's Facebook page. "TPD's dispatchers have a …

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Crime Blotter

Crime Blotter: Thief Finds Key on Front Porch; Car Burglarized at Chamberlain High

Stashing the house key on the front porch railing wasn't prevention enough at one home.

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Police: Crime Rate Is Down

In 2011, Tampa’s crime rate dropped by 7.4 percent, according to Tampa Police Department.

Crime in Tampa has dropped under Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor’s leadership, said Tampa Police spokesperson Laura McElroy in a press release. In 2011, the city’s crime rate fell by 7.4 percent, and has decreased by 64.3 percent since 2003. According to the release, Tampa Police Department accomplished this success through its Focus on Four Policing Plan, which "concentrates on proactive policing driven by real-time crime analysis and partnerships with the community." As a result, almost 22,759 fewer crimes occurred in Tampa over the past 9 years, the release said.

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Tampa Gun Crimes Drop After Buyback Event

The Tampa Police Department hails December's gun buyback in Seminole Heights as a success as gun crimes dropped by 24 percent in the month that followed.

The city of Tampa saw a drop in gun crimes in the month following a gun buyback event in Seminole Heights, police officials said Wednesday. More than 1,000 guns were turned in at the daylong Dec. 10 event at Seminole Heights Baptist Church — more than doubling the Tampa Police Department's goal. In the month that followed, 38 crimes were committed with a gun in Tampa, representing a reduction of 24 percent. In that same period a year earlier, 50 gun crimes were committed, a drop of 8 percent. "The community can take comfort in knowing the guns we recovered will never be used against an innocent victim," TPD Chief Jane Castor said in a media release. "This includes more than two dozen sawed-off shotguns or short barreled rifles that are …

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