Agenda Item 8BAGENDA ITEM # 813
JUNE 11, 2012
Atlantic Beach
Police Department
1 St Quarter 2012
Highlights
The Police Department continues to have two full time COPS Officers, dedicated to the
Mayport area, who form relationships with city residents and business owners. They
have positive interaction with the community on a daily basis, often assisting citizens
who are in need of services or assistance. The COPS officers conduct many of their
patrols on bicycles, interact with the kids at the Atlantic Beach Community Centers and
apartment complexes, and attend special events in the community.
Several of our Patrol Officers have also been trained to conduct patrols on bicycles, and
spend the majority of their bike patrol time in the communities on the east side of the
city. Crime Suppression Detectives have continued to make alcohol law compliance a
priority, conducting frequent checks on all local establishments that sell alcohol. During
strategic planning, the commission recently identified pedestrian and bicycle safety as
one of their top initiatives for the year. The department is in the process of completing a
preliminary report for the commission on improving pedestrian and bicycle safety within
the city.
The Atlantic Beach Police Department continues to have an exceptional emergency
response time. The average emergency response time for the first quarter was 1 minute
44 seconds.
Crime
The 2011 state wide annual crime stats have been recently published. The table below
summarizes the crime in Duval County as compared to the state average. The per capita
crime rate is the number of crimes per 1,000 residents.
Per Capita
Crime Rate
AB
NB
JB
Jax
Florida
2011
37.33
36.19
65.80
51.49
40.70
2010
35.73
45.93
57.55
50.04
41.05
2009
38.60
45.23
72.24
56.67
43.97
Although the number of crimes in Atlantic Beach actually decreased in 2011 as compared
to 2010, the per capita crime rate showed an increase as there was a decrease in
population. The first quarter crime rate in Atlantic Beach for 2012 showed a 16%
decrease from the same quarter in 2011. Accidents were up 20% (from 50 to 60)
compared to last year's first quarter.
AGENDA ITEM # 813
JUNE 1 ] , 2012
Productivity
The Crime Suppression Unit (CSU) and Investigations Division continue to be very
productive. All part one crimes are assigned to a detective for follow up investigation.
Additionally, any crime which is not a part one that has any solvability factor is assigned
to the detective division for follow up. Atlantic Beach officers and detectives cleared over
26% of the part I crimes reported.
In an effort to gain compliance from motorists within the city, Officers have made 65
DUI arrests in the first quarter of 2012 and issued almost 1,000 traffic citations.
Animal Control had an increase in the number of phone calls during the first quarter, with
627 calls in 2012, up 12% from 2011 first quarter (558). These calls range from citizens
wanting to report a lost pet or turn in a found animal, report an animal bite, and requests
for assistance or complaints about animal issues in the city.
Personnel
Currently the Police Department has one vacancy for police officer and applicants are
being processed for that position. Applicants are also being processed for the Animal
Control Officer and Emergency Communications Officer openings.
Training
The Department is deeply committed to providing quality training to all its employees. In
the first quarter of 2012, employees have attended training in the following topics.
• Large Vehicle Operations
• General Instructor Techniques
• Crime Prevention through Environmental Design
• Interviews and Interrogations
• Emergency Animal Sheltering
• FBI -LEEDA Supervisor Liability
• Radar /Laser Speed Measurement
• Administrative Investigations for First Line Supervisors
• Excel 2007 Intermediate
• Property & Evidence training conference
• DUI Standardized Field Sobriety Testing
• Crime Scene Processing
Advanced training keeps employees current and on the cutting edge of Public Safety
techniques, trends and strategies. The Department believes a better trained employee
results in the delivery of a higher quality of service. The above list does not include
classes taken by the employees who are enrolled in various college degree programs.
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