CHIEF REVELL

In January 2020, Chief Lawrence Revell took the helm. With a clear vision for the department, he took immediate action to build a core Command Staff and began the internal promotion process to fill key roles throughout the agency, keeping in mind diversity and inclusion at all ranks. Promotions have recently been announced for 24 Sergeants and eight Lieutenants. Following robust community outreach in 2019, plans are moving forward toward the construction of TPD’s new headquarters facility on the Northwood Center site.

Items discussed throughout this update align with many of the objectives listed under the Public Safety, Impact of Poverty and Organizational Effectiveness priority areas of the City’s FY 2020-2024 Strategic Plan:

• 2A-4: 100 TEMPO participants that have found employment paying a “fair” or “living” wage job.
• 2A-I1: Enhance partnerships with community reentry programs.
• 2A-I2: Promote the City’s Explore Program and Junior Cadet Program.
• 2D-I2: Cultivate partnerships to further the implementation of wellness programs.
• 3A-I2: Have a City workforce that is reflective of community’s demographics.
• 5A-2: Number of community-oriented policing activities held annually.
• 5A-3: Number of Community Liaison Officers deployed.
• 5B-2: Reduce vehicle burglaries through crime prevention and community partnerships to reduce the number of stolen firearms.
• 5B-3. Reduce violent crimes by partnering with community leaders and other law enforcement agencies.
• 5C-I1: Increase annual community-oriented policing, sensitivity, fair and impartial policing, and de-escalation training for TPD officers.
• 5D-I1: Implementation of license plate reader (LPR) technology at strategic locations in the city to enhance traffic and public safety.
• 5D-I2: Enhance City capabilities to proactively detect criminal activity.
• 5F-1: Complete construction and begin operations at the new Public Safety Campus by 2024.

Below are recent updates and accomplishments from each of TPD’s three branches, as well as some forward-looking items.

The Internal and External Branch was created earlier this year to enhance transparency and engagement, both internally and externally. Among other projects, this branch will oversee three vital initiatives.

• Citizens Advisory Council – This is a group of 30 citizens from all areas of our community who act as a conduit between the department and community to keep the channels of communication open. The group participated in its first workshop in August; this focused on Use of Force. Its next meeting is being scheduled in September.
• Youth Citizens Advisory Council – The goal of this group is the same as the CAC. Hearing directly from our youth will provide a different perspective as they face different challenges. More than 90 students applied to participate, and we hope to hold the first meeting in September.
• Officer Wellness Committee – This is an internal program that focuses on officers’ overall health (physical, mental, social and spiritual). Twelve team members have been selected to help cultivate this initiative.

To help bridge a gap for at-risk youth, TPD is proud to support the New Start Scholarship Fund, which provides college / vocational scholarships for at-risk youth. Chief Revell recently presented a $10,000 contribution on behalf of TPD to this scholarship fund.

TPD has also hosted numerous events this year (with health safety measures in place) to strengthen relationships in the community, including:

• Conversation with the Deputy Chief, held at Old West Florida Church on June 25 to meet in person with residents of the Greater Bond Neighborhood. This was the first in a series of neighborhood-focused meetings.
• Lunch with TPD, held at Leon Arms Apartment Complex on July 11 to provide masks, a meal and meet with neighbors. Approximately 100 people attended.
• Conversation with the Deputy Chief, held at Walker-Ford Community Center on July 16 to continue dialogue with residents in the Greater Bond Neighborhood. To encourage attendance, this was held on opening day for the Southside Farmers Market’s 2020 season; the popular market is also held at Walker-Ford.
• Snowballs and Cops, held at Goodbread Hills and Springfield Apartments on July 30. With Big Easy Snowballs, TPD treated approximately 125 kids and their parents to a sweet treat.
• Pack the Patrol Car School Supply Drive, held on August 1 at West Marine to collect school supplies from local students in need.
• Conversation with the Deputy Chief, held at Jake Gaither Community Center on August 6 to discuss concerns and issues with residents of the Silver Ridge, Tuskegee, Jake Gaither and Liberty Park neighborhoods.
• Okaloosa Street resident meetings that led to collaboration with the City’s Traffic Engineering and resulted in “No Parking Signs” being posted and the painting of curbs to yellow.
• Ongoing Lake Ella business outreach to address trespassing issues. TPD obtained multiple TPW Letters from business owners at the Lake Ella Cottages.
• Partnership with Bass Pro Shop, which donated fishing reels and rods for our COPS and BOBBERS program for next year. This program helps teach young anglers how to fish, while providing positive interaction with law enforcement.

Forward View: TPD recently hired a civilian Digital Media Manager / PIO to help enhance communication and transparency efforts with the public and within the agency. Alicia Turner was selected from a pool of highly qualified candidates. She is scheduled to start in September 2020.

TPD placed within the top three agencies statewide (in its size category) in the Florida Law Enforcement Liaison Traffic Safety Challenge. This recognized our efforts in developing and implementing a comprehensive traffic safety program that makes a significant and positive impact by reducing traffic-related crashes, injuries and fatalities. This was based almost solely on TPD’s Traffic Unit’s statistics and prevention classes.

TPD has worked consistently with local protest leaders to ensure peaceful demonstrations. Due to officers’ engagement, there has been very minimal property damage and only two reported incidents with violence. In both, officers took swift action in accordance with their training to de-escalate the situations and take possible offenders into custody while the incidents were investigated.

For more routine elements, implementing call diversion for non-emergency situations has allowed patrol officers more time to commit toward proactive patrols and community outreach. Additionally, TPD expanded its online reporting options for citizens and is continuing to look at ways to enhance these functions.

Two TPD officers have been assigned to the newly created Tactical Flight Unit to work in collaboration with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Division. This will expand the hours of operation for the Aviation Unit.

Forward View:

• TPD’s new Community Service Technician program is moving forward. Eight CSTs are moving through the hiring and training process. Thanks to our partnership with the City’s TEMPO program, two of the incoming CSTs are TEMPO graduates. In support of the Commission’s adopted Clean Energy Resolution, eight Chevy Volts have been purchased for CST use, with “docking” (fueling) stations, which will be installed at TPD and also available for citizens to use.
• Once promotions are complete, TPD will move to a quadrant system for patrol. This is anticipated to occur this fall.
• Community Liaison Officers – 20 specially trained officers will be assigned to Patrol Squads as direct communicators with citizens and community leaders.

TPD’s Violent Crimes Unit has been selected for a very prestigious international award. We have been asked not to share the details of this award until they have officially announced it, which should occur next month.  Entries are received from agencies around the globe.

In February, the Tallahassee Board of Realtors, in partnership with Scent Evidence K9, donated a bloodhound canine and the associated training for the canine and handler. Jon Jon, the bloodhound, will be used to search for missing persons, as well as evidence in various crimes. He is due to complete training and become certified in September.

Working in conjunction with residents, Public Safety Cameras were installed in the Griffin Heights and Frenchtown neighborhoods during the last year. This expanded an already successful program that launched in the Greater Bond Neighborhood. Below is an overview of current camera distribution in the community:

• 11 camera locations in the Greater Bond Neighborhood
• 7 camera locations in the Griffin Heights/Greater Frenchtown area
• Within the 18 locations noted above (in Greater Bond, Griffin Heights and Greater Frenchtown), there are 42 individual cameras installed.
• 20 traffic cameras incorporated into the program

In FY21, we plan to expand the Public Safety Camera program, per community request, into the Providence and South City neighborhoods. With this expansion, we anticipate adding approximately 15 camera locations. Additionally, 30 traffic cameras will be incorporated in the coming year.

The License Plate Reader program is up and running. We are in the process of training and giving access to more members of the department.

TPD continues to nurture productive, collaborative working relationships with other law enforcement agencies and community and faith leaders. Of note, TPD has joined the HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas) task force with DEA, LCSO and FDLE.

Forward View: Through the Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), TPD will be connected to the Public Safety Camera systems, LPR, CDA and statewide law enforcement agency records to obtain real time information to pass along to officers. We anticipate a go-live date in early 2021.  We will continue to coordinate with LCSO’s RTCC and review potential co-locations until the new TPD facility is built. TPD will purposely build RTCC with interagency capacity into the design of the new building.

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