Loading...
Minutes 10-09-96 MINUTES OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1996, AT 7:30 P.M. PRESENT Ron Washam, Chairman Wilfred Hawkins, Assistant to the Elizabeth Jenkins, Vice Chairperson City Manager Ronald Bair Lt. Chris Yannuzzi, Police Dept. Belky Cruz Joy Currier Blanche Girtman Brenda Lee Williams Dee Zibelli Arthur Berman, Alternate ABSENT Natalie Macon I. OPENING, PLEDGE, PRAYER Chairman Washam called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was led by Ms. Cruz. A moment of silent prayer was observed. II. ROLL CALL The Recording Secretary called the roll. Ms. Williams was not yet present. III. RECOGNITION OF VISITORS Chairman Washam welcomed Michele Costantino, her son, Cory, and Officer Dan Vargas of the Boynton Beach Police Department to the meeting. IV. AGENDA APPROVAL No additions, deletions, or corrections were made to the agenda. Motion Vice Chairperson Jenkins moved to approve the agenda. Ms. Girtman seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. V. MINUTES APPROVAL MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 9, 1996 No additions, deletions, or corrections were made to the minutes of the last meeting. Motion Ms. Girtman moved to approve the minutes of the September 11, 1996 meeting. Vice Chairperson Jenkins seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. VI. CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS None. At this time, Ms. Williams arrived. VII. PUBLIC AUDIENCE Michele Costantino , 155 Flamingo Drive, stated that there is a serious drug and gang problem in her neighborhood. (Her written statement is attached to the original minutes on file in the City Clerk's Office.) She said the people have lost interest in the Wrice marches, and she would like help in starting a Crime Watch in her neighborhood. She advised that the Boynton Times is not delivered to her neighborhood and felt it would help if there was communication between the community and the police officers. She would like the Community Police Officers back in her neighborhood. She said the kids like to ride their bikes with the officers, and they feel secure that they can follow the officers and not have to worry about someone jumping them and stealing their bikes. She asked for any assistance the board could offer. Ms. Williams asked if the residents in that area have formed a neighborhood association. Ms. Costantino said there is a very loose organized home owners association. Ms. Zibelli added that there used to be a neighborhood association, but a lot of people did not attend because it was on a Friday night when everyone gets paid and goes shopping. In addition, many of them participated in the Wrice marches. She stated that the gang problem has affected Ocean Parkway. Ms. Williams asked if the police patrol that area. Ms. Zibelli advised that the police respond very quickly when she calls them. She said she heard that the police were taken out of the Shop Kwik store where they had an office. 2 MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 9, 1996 Lt. Yannuzzi explained that the Police Department started an initiative in Zone 3 (MLK Boulevard between Seacrest and Federal Highway) the first week in August. From August 4th through August 18th, the Boynton Beach Police Department and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office M.A.N. (Multi-Agency Narcotics) Unit formed a task force and targeted the MLK area between 9th and 11th, the area between Seacrest and the railroad tracks. We targeted drug dealing and took care of some prostitution problems. In order to provide adequate personnel for that operation, all of the 12 officers associated with community patrol were pulled from their neighborhood assignments. That operation was a great success. One hundred and thirty-three arrests were made. We were able to successfully gain some headway in taking back that area, and we did not want to give any of that back. Therefore, in addition to the officers assigned to that area, we set up a day shift and an afternoon shift with two officers on each shift to maintain a presence there. During the last week in September, we decided it would be best if we assigned the officers to that area on a weekly basis instead of pulling them out of their assigned neighborhoods on a daily basis. That seemed to work better in allowing the officers to get back into their neighborhoods as often as they can. In addition, during this period of time, the Police Executive Research Forum (P.E.R.F.) provided all the Community Patrol Officers with a week's worth of training in problem oriented policing. This training dealt with analyzing the calls for service and the reasons behind the calls for service. We have maintained zero tolerance in the original target area, and we have expanded to encompass Poole's Diner and areas in Cherry Hill. We realize that there is a resurgence of the problem that used to exist in the original target area of the Wrice Process, namely, N.W. 3rd Street and N.W. 4th Street between Boynton Beach Boulevard and 4th Avenue, the area around Latin American Grocery, and a couple of houses north of there. There has also been increased activity in the Sand Castle area just north of the City limits. The Sheriff's Office is aware of that increased activity and we have joined efforts with them. Lt. Yannuzzi explained that when you attempt to target an area, you are going to push the dealers elsewhere. We knew this was going to occur. We do not want to chase them and allow them to slide in behind us. We are exercising proper tactics by maintaining a physical presence and moving out as we can. Several months ago we attempted to create designated areas in the City and assign 3 MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 9, 1996 Community Patrol Officers to those areas. We assigned officers to Zone 1 (north of Gateway Boulevard), Zone 2 (the area between Gateway Boulevard and the C-16 Canal), Zone 3 (Boynton Beach Boulevard to the C-16 Canal, Zone 5 (the area where Mr. Bair lives), and Zone 6 (Golfview Harbour). When this initiative came along in August, we concentrated on Zone 3. As officers could, they got back into their areas. We have attempted to establish an office inside Shop Kwik at 3001 N. Seacrest Boulevard. We are working with the homeowners and the landlords that own residences in the area to help clean up the area. We are utilizing the vacant residences as points for surveillance. We have been working with the Palm Beach County Transportation Agency with regard to relocating bus stops so that the dealers or suspects cannot claim that they are waiting for a bus when they are standing on a particular corner. Unfortunately, an incident occurred during this week's Wrice march that may cause us to losing the office inside the Shop Kwik. However, we are attempting to rectify that situation. As a result of targeting a particular area of the City, all the other neighborhoods in the City have not had the neighborhood officers that they were originally assigned to have. It is now a matter of scheduling and getting them back into the neighborhoods. At 6:30 p.m. at Ezell Hester Park, there is going to be a community meeting for the area between the C-16 Canal and Gateway Boulevard. Officers Peters and Ribatto, who are assigned to that area, will be there. Officers Vargas and Santana will be back in their assigned neighborhoods at least two out of every three weeks. They are assigned to the extra unit in Zone 3 during the third week. Ms. Cruz felt we need community patrol back in our communities. Lt. Yannuzzi advised her that the officers feel the same way. However, we had to seize that opportunity to work closer with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office M.A.N. unit, which caused us to change direction a little. Lt. Yannuzzi clarified that we did not take all the officers out of the rest of the City. The general patrol officers still patrol every zone in the City 24 hours a day. The Community Patrol Officers and the officers associated with the Directed Patrol Unit are additional units that were redirected to a specific problem. We realized before we started that the dealers were going to move elsewhere and we have been planning to tackle that issue. However, we did not want to give up any ground that we gained. Ms. Currier asked if the community Crime Watch groups had better results when the officers came into the neighbors to somebody's house. Lt. Yannuzzi explained that one of 4 MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 9, 1996 the problems with Crime Watch groups is that sometimes there is a sense of complacency. When you are successful, you start to not show up at the meetings. Instead of concentrating all their efforts in one area, Ms. Williams suggested that the police randomly concentrate on different areas so that the criminal element will not know their schedule and will be thrown off guard. She asked how many officers the department is down. Lt. Yannuzzi advised that we are short about 6. There are 132 sworn police officer positions allotted for in the budget. Five officers are currently in training and it is going to be a while before they are out on their own. In light of the tragedy that occurred last week, Ms. Girtman asked if it is possible to reduce the speed limit on Seacrest Boulevard. Lt. Yannuzzi advised her that Seacrest Boulevard is a County Road. Therefore, the County has to make that decision. Ms. Girtman said several men gather on the southwest corner of 6th Avenue and Seacrest, and the women are afraid to pass that area. Ms. Zibelli heard that the Wrice process is going to end by January 1st. Lt. Yannuzzi believes Chief Gage's comments were misinterpreted. He believes Chief Gage hopes the situation will have been addressed so that there will be no need to continue the Wrice Process. He stated that the support for the Wrice marchers is occurring north of Gateway Boulevard, not in Zone 3. Members of that community are coming into the area of MLK Boulevard, N.W. 10th Avenue, Cherry Hill, and are marching with a small group of local residents in those areas. This past Saturday, there were about 10 people when we started marching. As we moved up into the area north of Gateway Boulevard and headed down Miner Road, we picked up another 10 or 15 people from the residences along that road. When we crossed Seacrest and headed toward Shop Kwik, we had about 20 or 25 people. Mr. Bair referred to the problem in Ms. Costantino's neighborhood and said he had a similar situation in his neighborhood. About two years ago, the residents in that area started a Crime Watch operation. With regard to Ms. Costantino's concern about lack of communication, he advised that at the meetings held at the Police Department every other month, computer printouts of the crimes and the crime locations are provided. The people can review them and see what is occurring in their neighborhood. The members of the Crime Watch can then visit with the people to find out what happened and see if there is something that can be done to help them secure their homes better, etc., to prevent it from happening again. He also recommended that when Ms. Costantino forms a Crime Watch and is able to get the police to go there and talk with the group, that they hold the meeting outdoors in an area where the criminal element can see the neighborhood gathering together in force. It sends a very clear, strong message to these individuals. 5 MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 9, 1996 He would like the board to write a letter to Chief Gage asking him to reinstate Community Policing as soon as it is feasible to do so. It builds a strong rapport between the officers and the citizens. Lt. Yannuzzi advised that the Police Department is already working towards that. Ms. Girtman suggested waiting another month to see what comes out of the rescheduling of the officers into their former positions. Vice Chairperson Jenkins was also in favor of Community Policing because Community Police Officers know the people and are more pleasant. Ms. Girtman added that Community Police Officers are friendlier than the officers who patrol in cars. Chairman Washam agreed that Community Policing is important; however, he also felt we all need to be more united in our neighborhoods. Ms. Currier inquired about sensitivity training. Lt. Yannuzzi advised that it is a State mandate that every officer receive 16 hours of human diversity training every four years. Ms. Costantino said the community needs to know what position the owner of the Shop Kwik is taking. That store is a hangout and men have been seen urinating on the building. The community is having a problem understanding what is going on because they see the owner of that store tolerating what they do not want in their neighborhood. She asked how the community can support the officers working out of that store when they do not want it in their neighborhood. She said perhaps the community would feel more comfortable if they had some assurance that the owner of that store is cooperating. Lt. Yannuzzi explained that during a Wrice march, the marchers were verbally engaged with the owner in front of the store. They had no knowledge what this gentleman has done for us in the past and what he is planning to do for us. The owner did not appreciate what happened and has now taken an opposite stance with regard to us moving in there. However, we hope we will be able to fix that situation. He agreed that the community needs to know exactly what is going on at all times so that they understand that we are not developing a relationship with a bad guy. Chairman Washam advised Lt. Yannuzzi to let the board know if they can help rectify this situation. Lt. Yannuzzi advised that we have been developing a tremendous rapport with the Palm Beach County Housing Authority, a Federal HUD organization. The Police Department is 6 MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 9, 1996 going to be assisting them in the "One Strike You're Out" program. This program deals with situations where people who are arrested or creating nuisances end up being evicted from HUD homes, either HUD owned facilities or Section 8 homes (homes owned by somebody else but subsidized by the Federal and/or County government). This program should be implemented in a couple of months. We will perform criminal histories of potential tenants so that the Palm Beach County Housing Authority can decide whether or not the tenant can move in. Once they are in, they need to comply with all the rules and regulations set up by this program. Also, we were awarded a little over $100,000 from the Federal Government to finance a police officer in the Cherry Hill area to work out of the HUD office for two years. This has to go before the City Commission for final approval. VIII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Youth in Government Day - October 29, 1996 Chairman Washam advised that Youth in Government Day has been rescheduled from October 17th to October 29th because of a conflict. Letters were sent to the schools, and we will be endeavoring to make personal contact with the schools over the next week or so. Mr. Hawkins advised that the letters have been mailed to the principals and the Youth Government Advisors of each school. These are the people who the members of the board should contact. Joyce Costello in the City Manager's Office can provide the names of those people to the members of the board. Mr. Hawkins invited the board members to go on the tour of the West Water Treatment Plant with the students. He pointed out that we have the latest technology in water filtration. If the members of the board wish to go on the tour, they should be at City Hall at 7:45 a.m. Mr. Hawkins advised that during lunch at the Madsen Center this year, the Library Director, Virginia Farace, is going to show a video about the history of Boynton Beach and talk to the students a little bit about Boynton Beach. B. Multi-Cultural Festival Update Ms. Zibelli thanked Chairman Washam and Mr. Bair for taking off time from work to visit Waste Management to see if they would donate some money for the festival. Chairman 7 MINUTES COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA OCTOBER 9, 1996 Washam advised that they offered to provide recycling containers and toilets. He is going to continue to try to get some funds from them in lieu of the toilets. Ms. Zibelli reminded the members of the board about the festival committee meeting tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. at the Library Administrative Conference Room. IX. NEW BUSINESS None. X. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the board, the meeting was adjourned at 9:09 p.m. Eve Eubanks Recording Secretary (Two Tapes) 8