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Minutes 11-28-07 NEIGHBORHOOD LEADER'S NETWORKING EVENT HELD ON NOVEMBER 28,2007 AT 6:30 P.M. CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS, BOYNTON BEACH FLORIDA Thelma Lyons, Neighborhood Services Specialist, opened the meeting at 6:35 p.m. and explained the presentation was a service of the Neighborhood Services Division of the Police Department. She noted there were City officials present and she invited them to speak. Kurt Bressner, City Manager, introduced Commissioner Marlene Ross and announced Mayor Taylor was present. He explained this effort was of interest and concern to the City of Boynton Beach and the presentation would signify what was occurring in the community and what steps the City has taken to address the matter. The City was working in concert with the County Violent Crimes Task Force and other law enforcement entities. He advised there was a youth engagement and prevention component to the program which was a dual effort to address the situation. Matt Immler, Police Chief, introduced his team, which in addition to Thelma Lyons, consisted of: Major Frank Briganti, Uniform Services Division Bob Kellman, Crime Prevention Officer Kelly Harris, Police Liaison to the Youth Violence Prevention Project and Commander, Community Action Team Troy Raines, Detective, Violent Crimes Task Force Chief Immler explained Detective Raines has become an expert in gang activity and he and Detective Montoya have been detailed away and work at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Detective Raines has been with the Metropolitan Area Gang Task Force, with the Violent Crime Prevention Project. Both detectives and their peers have formed the basis of the Violent Crimes Task Force that operates throughout the county and addresses the gang issues and violence. Chief Immler explained the City has benefitted from the effort. In 2006 there were 19 incidents of gang violence. Through their effort, there has been no gang violence this year in the City. The emphasis was now to maintain the effort. In addition to enforcement and prevention, youth engagement programs have been instituted in conjunction with the Criminal Justice Commission. Chief Immler emphasized the initiative needed the two-fold approach mentioned earlier to be successful. He advised the presentation contained information and there would be a question and answer period after the presentation. Meeting Minutes Neighborhood Networking Event Boynton Beach, Florida November 28, 2007 Officer Bob Kellman, who instituted the "Shop With A Cop" program, announced the program assisted about 60 youth who were identified as being very needy and provided them with a holiday shopping spree. The event this year would be held on December 18th. He advised this was the first step to reclaim the community and find out what was available. Officer Kellman was assigned to the Crime Prevention Team; however, he goes into the community and discusses issues of concern to the residents. He was asked to provide information on some of the types of crimes normally seen during the holiday season. Officer Kellman advised during the holidays, crime rises. He had a handout containing holiday safety tips. These should be kept in mind when shopping or going away for the holidays. He thought it was important to get to know the neighbors and generally, just be aware of one's surroundings. The community would be the ears for the Police Department and he urged the audience to take the time to read the materials and take the extra time to lock the doors and windows. He also advised women not to leave their purses in the car when pumping gas as several of them had been stolen recently. He urged the audience to undertake a little more due diligence and be aware of one's surroundings. If there was something a resident was unsure about, then they should call. Residents could also visit the Boynton Beach Police Department website and request a drive by if a resident would be away. The Police Department would try to accommodate the community, based on the available manpower. Additionally, they have a community concern card that contained items of interest to residents and neighborhoods. If there was a problem in the neighborhood, he recommended filling out the card and sending it in anonymously; it was self-addressed and of no cost to the residents. Officer Kellman also stressed patience. He gave an example of a problem at High Pointe and where they kept hearing complaints about Bethesda Park. They investigated the complaints, the Community Action Team (CAT) worked the area and the last arrest was just made due to a drug problem. He advised it does take time, but the system works. He pointed out one of the handouts contained statistics, which detailed the types of crimes that occurred during the holidays. He stressed not giving anyone a chance to take advantage of them. He also invited the public to visit the police website which was bbpd.org. Complaint cards could be obtained by calling him or be picked up at the Police Department. He explained they would ensure the neighborhood associations were given the cards as well. Detective Troy Raines made his presentation about gang violence and gang activity in Palm Beach County. He gave the definition of gangs and he clarified the difference between a gang member and a gang associate. The statute contained eight criteria and two needed to be met to be considered a gang member. Gang solicitation was also discussed. Computers were widely used to solicit gangs and he noted there were popular rap artists that were gang members and whose music depicted and sometimes glamorized the gang lifestyle. Monitoring computer activity was strongly recommended. 2 Meeting Minutes Neighborhood Networking Event Boynton Beach, Florida November 28, 2007 At a minimum, over 200 street gangs exist in Palm Beach County. Initial influences were from Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Miami. More recent activity has been documented involving gangs from Southern California, Central America, Mexico and Haiti. Detective Raines announced some gang members were leaving because there was too much of a police presence in the City. The need to increase community policing was discussed and the Police Department was stepping up the effort even more. Last year there were 100 gang related shootings, drive-bys and homicides in Palm Beach County. This activity has decreased dramatically this year. The City took a proactive approach and the residents were the eyes and ears of the community. There was a very brief question and answer period. Concerns raised were there were gangs' breaking and entering senior communities and how much activity was occurring at the hand of illegal aliens. Detective Raines could not say for sure how much crime was occurring in the senior communities due to gangs. He further advised there were federal initiatives that an individual convicted of a misdemeanor could face deportation to their home country. The use of AK47's and having police authorities using arms with greater firepower was discussed. This was the deadliest year for police officer deaths which increased by 41 %. Female gang member activity was also common; however they usually carried drugs or guns for the gang. They were also involved in credit card theft. Detective Raines concluded his presentation and invited concerned citizens to contact the Police Department. Any complaints would be passed on to the appropriate officers. He urged the residents to be involved and attend neighborhood meetings, or to start new ones. There was no further business and the meeting ended at 8:12 p.m. (\.' ~ ... 1 '"" I " _ CVdv_!~, ilL (,Ltv Let Catherine Cherry V Recording Secretary 121007 3