Riviera Beach Police Department
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Riviera Beach Youth Message From Chief Williams Get a Taste of the NBA When I think about the The Jayson Williams and Charles Department were all in too. Joining various departments and groups of profes- Oakley Basketball Camp was held on the team as presenting sponsors were sionals who make Saturday, March 18, 2017, at Dan The Rebound Institute (rehabilitation RBPD what it is Calloway-Tate Recreation Center. organization) and the Riviera Beach today, I can’t help but What a memorable day it was - not Maritime Academy. realize how fortunate only for Riviera Beach youth and their we are. parents, but for the entire City of “As the idea of the camp began taking Riviera Beach. shape, our sights were set on making it Over the past 14 years, Riviera Beach happen this year, during spring break,” has had a 52.8 percent drop in crime. said Acting Assist. Chief Mitchell. Through their dedication and hard work, “The actual push began in December each individual on the RBPD team has with Mr. George Carter, President of played a key part in improving public the Maritime Academy and Ms. Franklin safety, despite the many special chal- visiting local schools to let the kids lenges facing law enforcement today. and their parents know about the This edition of The Blotter features camp. The response was great.” an article about our Communications Jayson Williams talking with Camp teenagers Department. They are the people who It was a fun- receive the emergency 911 calls for There were over 100 kids from the filled day for the RBPD. Their skills in getting crucial ages of 9 to 17 who participated in kids. They information from distressed callers the camp and a total of 250 people received basketball makes a tremendous difference to attended, including parents and jerseys, shorts, socks, dispatched officers arriving on the helpers. Former NBA basketball stars, and a backpack. And scene. Our team of telecommunicators Mr. Jayson Williams (NBA from not only did they learn are among the best! 1990 – 99) and Mr. Charles Oakley from two former NBA (NBA from 1985 – 2004) personally greats, participating I can’t thank former NBA stars Jayson interacted with the kids, giving them youths were also Williams and Charles Oakley enough pointers to sharpen their skills on treated to an exhibition for putting on their Basketball Camp in Riviera Beach. It was very well done. the basketball court. of basketball skills by I’ve said it before - it’s these types of special guest, Guy Dupuy, programs that help point our young The idea of having the camp began the “World’s Best Dunker” people in the right direction. with conversations between Tanya — funded by Jayson Franklin and Jayson Williams about Williams and Follow me on twitter: a year ago. Ms. Franklin is RBPD Charles Oakley. @ChiefCWilliams Senior Office Assistant to Acting Guy Dupuy performing an amazing dunk Assistant Chief Leonard Mitchell. To be on The Blotter’s mailing list, send your request to: Riviera Beach City Officials loved Chief Williams pointed out that the [email protected]. the idea. The Riviera Beach Parks & benefits from the camp will go far Recreation Department and Police beyond the basketball skills the kids Be safe! Remember, if you see something, say something. (Continued on page 2) learned. “The positive experience will The day was rounded out with a be translated into positive actions at basketball game between the Delray home, at school, on the playground Beach and Riviera Beach Police and in the streets,” said Chief Williams. Departments, plus a BBQ rib cook-off, “Jayson and Charles gave them some featuring Charles Oakley against Acting real character-building principles, Assist. Chief Leonard Mitchell. The through both words and actions, and game was close, but the win and these lessons will help shape bragging rights went to Delray Beach. their futures.” The cook off was a draw. But don’t tell Jayson Williams praying with youth from the camp that to Mitchell… Lol. Cellphone Use Reaches a Milestone questions. In fact, in many instances, RBPD Communications Meets emergency responders have already been dispatched while questions are being 911 Cellphone Challenge asked. The prearrival information helps the emergency responders determine Cellphone usage rates have reached has been fully tested by the Palm Beach what they need to do when they arrive, a milestone. A recent National Health County Public Safety Department, they which means better service. Interview Survey shows that 50.8 percent will work with regional PSAP (Public of homes and apartments have no land- Safety Answering Point) managers RBPD Communications Team line and rely solely on cellphones for to decide on a release date,” Kathy Ribeiro (39 yrs. of ser.) phone service. The study also found that Ms. Meriweather said. Yvette Meriweather (30 yrs. of ser.) 39.4 percent have both a wireless phone Edwina Saunders (25 yrs. of ser.) and a landline, 6.5 percent of homes RBPD 911 phones are manned 24/7, 365 Catina Jordan-Johnson (24 yrs. of ser.) have only a landline, and 3.2 percent days a year by a highly experienced, Donna Wilson (24 yrs. of ser.) have no phone service. 15-member team, consisting of a man- Tiwanda Edwards-Goodwin (17 yrs. of ser.) ager, supervisor, and 13 operators. Gerald Baker (14 yrs. of ser.) In the past, 911 dispatchers had problems Ms. Meriweather pointed out that there Verna Tomlinson (12 yrs. of ser.) pinpointing the exact location of incom- is no real peak period for 911 calls, and Latosia Lockett (11yrs. of ser.) ing cellphone calls and had to rely on there are always at least three 911 Latasha Kingdom (9 yrs. of ser.) verbal directions from callers. Now, operators answering calls. Onzanikka Edwards-Hayes (9 yrs. of ser.) technology improvements have made it Evangela Thomas-Balom (2 yrs. of ser.) possible to track calls within 50 feet of National Public Safety Telecommunica- Deneikqua Howard (2 yrs. of ser.) the caller, depending on the wireless tors Week, honoring our dedicated tele- Nereida Cintron (1st yr of ser.) carrier, phone, and cellphone communications personnel was April Udrica Frederick (1st yr of ser.) tower locations. 9-15, 2017. RBPD Major Steve Thomas reminds us of what a great team of Picture Callers traveling from place to place professionals we have in the RBPD to the left: left to right during the 911 call are now easier to Communications Department. Deneikqua locate and track thanks to new technol- Howard; ogy, said Ms. Yvette Meriweather, “Remaining calm while trying to gather Tiwanda RBPD Communications Supervisor. important information from a person Goodwin; “The caller’s phone generates the longi- Evangela who, in many cases, is in panic mode, is Thomas- tude and latitude point of where the call no easy task,” said Major Thomas. Balom is coming from. Then, as long as the “There are instances when operators are phone line is open, we are able to track yelled at and called very unflattering the caller’s movement and relay the names because callers feel emergency information to police.” responders aren’t arriving fast enough. Picture But, despite all of that, our operators to the right: The next breakthrough for 911 capabili- remain calm and get the job done.” left to right ties will be Text-to-911. Upgrades to the Edwina system, necessary for Text-to-911 imple- Ms. Meriweather emphasized how Saunders; mentation, are taking place this month Catina important it is for callers to give opera- Jordan- and the Palm Beach County Public tors all the information they request. It’s Johnson; Safety Department will begin testing the not that emergency responders won’t be Donna texting feature in July. “After the system Wilson dispatched until they get answers to their Foundation Provides Vital Support For RBPD RBPD has made tremendous progress in the fight against crime. Between 2002-16 (14 years) the crime rate in Riviera Beach has decreased nearly 53 percent. However, with the challenges facing modern law enforcement today, the need to stay current with training, technology and equipment is paramount. It is also costly – a financial burden that most cities can’t afford. Unfortunately, it’s a problem that Police Departments across the country are encountering. Major Spencer Rozier Foundation RBPD The Riviera Beach Police Foundation was established to help RBPD obtain the extra tools that enable Representative the Department to meet the changing needs of fighting crime. The City’s budgeting process covers basic law enforcement, and the RBP Foundation helps supplement this funding. Foundation funds are also used by RBPD in support of various community outreach initiatives. The RBP Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. Donations made to the Foundation are tax deductible. Through your donations, the Foundation gives everyone an opportunity to play a greater role in working with RBPD to improve public safety. All donations count. No donation is too large or too small. For information send an email to [email protected]. RBPD Wins Trophy For Beating RBFR In Wawa Contest Wawa Riviera Beach had its grand opening on March 23rd of this year. As part of their grand opening ceremonies, new Wawa stores hold a Hoagies for Heroes Contest between the local Police and Fire Departments. This contest is judged on the number of hoagies prepared and the complexity of the hoagies. The Wawa Corporation gives both participating departments a $1,000 check; in addition, the winner receives a trophy. The faceoff between RBPD and RBFR was intense, including stare-downs and an occa- sional piece of lettuce being thrown. The competition was tough, but the trophy and bragging rights went to RBPD.