Poinciana Medical Center Nearing Completion Of $10 Million Expansion

Poinciana

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March 14, 2019

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Poinciana Medical Center Nearing Completion Of $10 Million Expansion

by James Coulter

As the Poinciana community near Haines City continues to grow, so too will its medical center need to grow to better accommodate the medical needs of its growing population.

For this reason, the Poinciana Medical Center is currently undergoing massive expansion and renovation efforts to its facility, all of which is expected to be completed this April.

The current renovations will expand the medical facility by 14,000 square-feet. The emergency room lobby is currently receiving the most attention, as the expansion will make the lobby much larger, as well as provide it a more comfortable atmosphere.

Also being added to the medical facility will be a second triage and nine new room, which will expand the facility’s capacity from 22 beds to 31. The laboratories are also having their sizes double through this expansion.

The overall project, which was stated last year, costs more than $10 million, and is expected to be completed by the end of April. This is the hospital’s third expansion since opening nearly six years ago.

When the medical center first opened in 2013, it served as a free-standing emergency room, later adding 30 in-patient beds. This latest expansion will increase that capacity with 31 emergency room beds and 76 in-patient beds.

“So if you go from day one to now, the growth rate is 180 percent,” explained CEO Chris Cosby. “And part of the reason for this expansion is that we have more than 50,000 ER visits a year, so we have grown so much it is time for an expansion.”

The hospital has grown so much since first opening six years ago partly due to the overall growth within the surrounding area. Poinciana itself has quickly become a fast-growing community, and so as its patient population grows, so too shall the hospital to better meet its medical needs, Cosby explained.

“To be able to grow on an average of five to ten percent per year in our visits, and to accommodate that growth and the growth in the community, we need to have more ER beds and efficiencies in our ER,” he said. “So essentially, what this will allow, as our patient population continues to grow, we are not going to lose efficiency.”

Helping provided such quality healthcare to the community has been the hospital’s partnership with HCA Healthcare, which, according to its website, is “One of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services” with more than “185 hospitals and 119 freestanding surgery centers located in 21 U.S. states and in the United Kingdom.”

Both its expansion and renovations to its facility, as well as the quality service provided through HCA, will hopefully allow the medical center to provide quality healthcare to the local growing community, Cosby said.

“I think moving forward, the hospital will add more service lines, recruit more physicians, and essentially, this hospital will become a 200 to 350 bed hospital, probably within ten years,” he said.

Poinciana Medical Center is located at 325 Cypress Pkwy, Kissimmee, FL 34759. For more information, call 407-530-2000, or visit their website at https://poincianamedicalcenter.com/

Help Winter Haven Police Department Locate Walmart Skip Scanners

Staff Reporter

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March 13, 2019

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Help Winter Haven Police Department Locate Walmart Skip Scanners

Release by Winter Haven Police Department

Skip Scan Duo
Yep – skip scanning… it’s a thing. This pair knows all about it. They were observed skip scanning items at Walmart (7450 Cypress Gardens Blvd) and as they started to exit the store, the associate attempting to stop them was pushed away. They left in an older model black Nissan Altima.

Know who they are? Call Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS (8477) Callers are guaranteed anonymity and could be eligible for a CASH reward.

Man Facing Life In Prison After Polk County Jury Convicts Him Of Grooming Child To Perform Sexual Acts

Polk County

Staff Reporter

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March 13, 2019

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Man Facing Life In Prison After Polk County Jury Convicts Him Of Grooming Child To Perform Sexual Acts

By Kaitlyn Peterson ( State Attorney’s Office 10th Judicial Circuit, PIO)

Salter groomed the boy to perform sexual acts by using food.

A jury deliberated for about 90 minutes Thursday and convicted Salter of three counts of capital sexual battery on a victim less than 12 years of age. Salter is facing mandatory life imprisonment, which will be handed down on April 12.

Assistant State Attorney Lauren Randall told jurors how Salter slowly groomed the child and repeatedly abused him.

“This became his normal,” she said, “and it continued for over a decade.”

After every act, Randall said, Salter told the boy not to tell his mother. And because the child was fearfully protective of his mother, he complied.

In May of 2017, the victim came forward. He told law enforcement Salter had been abusing him for years and that he wanted the abuse to stop and for the defendant to be out of his life.

Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives conducted a controlled phone call between Salter and the victim.

The teenager asked Salter when he planned to have sex with him again.

“When we see each other,” Salter said.

Randall told jurors the strongest part of the controlled call was when the victim then asked Salter why he liked having sex with him.

“You’re big. You’re strong. You’re like milk chocolate,” Salter told him.

He was then arrested by law enforcement and taken in to custody.

At trial, the defense said the victim only came forward with the allegations because he wanted a cash settlement. They claimed the evidence in the case had not been corroborated.

But Randall reminded jurors that the victim remembered powerful details spanning back more than a decade.

“You do not tell a child that he’s like milk chocolate,” she said, adding that Salter’s incriminating statement on the controlled call was woven in with discussion about school and the victim’s mother’s health like it was normal.

“This was long-term abuse,” Randall said. “It’s because of his (Salter’s) own admissions that the state has proven his to you beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Great Tastes Of Winter Haven Offered At Annual Chamber Event For Fifth Year

Staff Reporter

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March 13, 2019

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Great Tastes Of Winter Haven Offered At Annual Chamber Event For Fifth Year

by James Coulter

Pork belly bao tacos, sweet and sour shrimp, and beer cheese fountains were some of the great tastes of Winter Haven showcased at the fifth annual fundraising event of the same name.

Taste of Winter Haven was hosted for the fifth consecutive year to raise funds for the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce and its many programs within the community.

More than 20 local eateries attended this year’s event to offer a diverse selection of tasty treats and fine drinks, ranging from barbecue pork and chicken wings to Korean beef bao and chicken fajitas.

This year’s event was hosted at Venue 650, a local event space near downtown Winter Haven that opened last April. Taste of Winter Haven is often hosted outside the Chamber, but the event was moved to its new location to offer a larger indoor space, explained Katie Worthington, Chamber CEO and President.

“Normally, we do it outside by the Chamber, but I love the low risk of the weather doing it inside here, though it is a lovely night tonight,” she said.

At their new location, guests could either enjoy the food and festivities indoors or go outside on the patio to enjoy the brisk evening weather and live entertainment.

Also new this year were the selection of craft beer venues, with wine and beer tasting provided by Florida craft breweries such as Grove Roots and M.I.A. Beer Company.

The date for the event was also changed this year. Taste of Winter Haven is normally hosted on the second Saturday of each March, while this year’s event was hosted on a Thursday.

This year drew in a larger attendance, both of food venues and attendees. More than 500 guests attended that evening, and this year saw the largest number of resturaunts serving food with more than 20 local eateries.

What has allowed this local event to remain successful within the past half-decade has been the community, as the participation from the community has allowed the event to grow and continue, Worthington said.

“If there is anything that will draw people out here to Winter Haven, it is food and drink,” she said. “We have different corners of the community who come to this event. You have your normal Chamber crowd people, but you also have the general public coming to enjoy local food places.”

Joy Keer is the owner of the soon-to-be-open Smoothie Squad, a local health food cafe serving fresh fruit smoothies and other healthy edibles from fresh organic, non-GMO local produce.

With her eatery set to open soon, she decided to help promote it that evening by serving organic buffalo wraps, Caesar salad, and banana and strawberry almond milk smoothies.

Many guests were quite intrigued by the food that Keer and her crew had to offer, and were more than anticipating the opening of her new eatery, she said.

“We loved being able to talk with people we’ve never met and networking with people and others, it has been a great turnout, we love it,” she said.

Jay Madden, an employee from Tempo 1930, also attended this event for the first time this year, though his employer has been attending the event since his cafe opened two years ago.

Madden helped serve his place’s famous meatballs, as found within their meatball sliders and apps. Such appetizers are only a few of the selections, from Cajun shrimp pasta to fresh beignets, served at their downtown location.

“It is a great location,” he said. “We have a full bar, a full extensive menu, live entertainment, I can’t go on, there is too much to go on, it is a great place.”

Madden himself loved being able to attend the event and talk with the different people there, especially new and potential customers. He certainly considers visiting again next year.

“This is a great group of people,” he said. “I am definetly coming back again and we hope to have a better setup next time so we can really wow people. On a scale of one to ten, I’d say it was a great 8.59.”

Greg Gay, co-owner of Tanners Lakeside, attended once again this year, with this one being his fourth. As always, he served shrimp and grits, which proved as popular this year as last year.

“We have been told that our shrimp and grits are the best around,” he said. “We get that same comment tonight. They love them.”

Gay loves being able to see old and new faces, especially people that he only sees a few time each year there. Though he was skeptical about the move to a new location, the turnout for this year’s event more than subsided his skepticism.

“I was a little bit concerned about moving it from downtown,” he said. “[I was] a little more impressed, and we get to see everybody. It is the largest number of vendors I have seen.”

If you missed out on experiencing the great tastes of Winter Haven, don’t worry! Many of the people serving that evening serve their great tastes all year round at their locations. Feel free to check them out here in Polk County:

• The Catering Company: https://www.thecateringcompanyofcentralfl.com/

• Crispers: https://www.crispers.com/

• Duke’s Brewhouse: https://dukesbrewhouse.com/

• Flightline Cafe & Catering: https://flightlinecafe.com/

• Gourmet Goodies: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Local-Business/Gourmet-Goodies-Bake-Shop-1279787222098257/

• Grove Roots Brewing Company: http://groveroots.com/

• Mirtha’s Latin Café: https://www.facebook.com/MirthasLatinCafe/

• Olive Garden: https://www.olivegarden.com/home

• Richard’s Fine Coffee: https://www.richardsfinecoffees.com/

• Rick’s Bar-B-Q: http://ricksbarbq.com/

• Smoothie Squad: https://smoothie-squad.com/

• Tallulah’s By The Sea: https://www.facebook.com/tallulahstable/

• Tam’s Classic Catering: http://tamscatering.com/

• Tanner’s Lakeside: http://tannerslakeside.com/

• Tempo 1930: https://www.tempo1930.com/

• Terrie Lobb Catering: http://www.terrielobbcatering.com/

• Tijuana Flats: https://tijuanaflats.com/

• Pengo, Inc KFC Auburndale: http://tinsleyfamily.co/pengeomanagers

Woman Killed In Cypress Gardens Blvd Crash Tuesday

Winter Haven

Staff Reporter

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March 13, 2019

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Woman Killed In Cypress Gardens Blvd Crash Tuesday

Polk County Sheriffs Office Press Release

Around 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, the PCSO Traffic Unit investigated a two-vehicle crash in Winter Haven that resulted in one fatality. Preliminary information so far is as follows:

The crash occurred on Cypress Gardens Blvd at Helena Road. It appears that 71-year-old Eugene Travis of Winter Haven was stopped in his 2004 blue Ford Explorer at the red light leaving the Publix shopping center to cross over CGB onto Helena Rd when, for unknown reasons, he pulled around at least one car that was in front of him, entered into the right-turn-only lane, and then proceeded straight across CGB against the solid red light. He entered into the path of a 2003 black Hyundai Elantra that was heading westbound on CGB, being driven by 60-year-old Claudio Villanueva of Bartow. Villanueva had a solid green light on CGB.

The Explorer rolled and came to a rest in a ditch. No airbags deployed and it’s unknown if Travis was wearing a seatbelt.

Both airbags in the Hyundai deployed and both occupants – Villanueva and his wife, Monica – were wearing seatbelts.

Travis was transported via ambulance to LRHMC and is in critical condition.

Mr. Villanueva was transported via ambulance to LRHMC with serious injuries but he is expected to recover. His wife was airlifted to LRHMC, where she succumbed to her significant injuries. She was 62 years old.

CGB was down to one lane of travel for approximately 4 hours during the investigation. The investigation is ongoing, and any potential charges are pending completion of the investigation.

3 People Killed In Poinciana Crash

Poinciana

Staff Reporter

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March 13, 2019

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***UPDATE: PCSO Triple-Fatal Crash from March 12th***

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is asking for any information from witnesses of the crash on Marigold Avenue in Poinciana Tuesday, March 12, 2019.

Detectives are also looking for a gray pickup truck (unknown make and model) that was also speeding prior to the crash, but several cars behind the red Nissan 350z. It is not known if the pickup truck was involved in with the crash, but detectives would like to speak with the driver of that truck.

If anyone has any information they are asked to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200.

***UPDATE ON TRIPLE-FATAL CRASH IN POLK COUNTY***

The names of the three people killed in Tuesday (March 12, 2019) night’s crash are:

* Emmanuel Lashawn Macedo Semedo, 19, 197 Big Black Dr. Kissimmee, FL (Driver of Nissan 350Z)
* Johana Martinez Rodriguez, 45, 4781 Rockvale Dr. Kissimmee, FL (Driver of Nissan Sentra)
* Ramon Antonio De Jesus Cintron, 43, 4781 Rockvale Dr. Kissimmee, FL (Passenger of Nissan Sentra)

The crash remains under investigation.
Original Polk County Sheriffs Office Press Release

Around 7:15 PM this evening, Tuesday, March 12, 2019, A PCSO Deputy sheriff on patrol in the Northeast district saw a red car driving at a high rate of speed heading north on Marigold Avenue – the Deputy was near the Coyote Drive area. The deputy pulled out onto Marigold to track down the red car and as he rounded a curve he saw that a crash had occurred.

Preliminary information indicates that the red car crossed over the double yellow centerline and hit a white sedan that was traveling southbound, head-on – propelling the sedan into the air and into a ditch.

The deputy pulled the driver out of the red car and performed CPR on him however that driver is deceased on-scene. The two occupants of the white sedan are also deceased on-scene. All victims are adults. We are in the process of notifying their next of kin at this time. The name of the driver of the red vehicle is Emmanuel Lashawn Macedo Semedo, and he was 19 years old. He is from this area.

If anyone witnessed anything in this area they are asked to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200.

This area is near the entrance to Solivita, in unincorporated Polk.

Convicted Murder Sentenced To Death Lakeland Triple Homicides In 2016

Lakeland

Staff Reporter

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March 12, 2019

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Convicted Murder Sentenced To Death Lakeland Triple Homicides In 2016

By, Kaitlyn Peterson (SAO 10th Judicial Circuit, PIO)

Johnathan Alcegaire stood still as Judge Jalal Harb handed down three death sentences for each of the lives he claimed.

Alcegaire was convicted on Sept. 27, 2018, of three counts of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, burglary of a dwelling with an assault or battery while armed with a firearm, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and armed robbery. Article regarding that robbery her: Three People Shot & Killed In Lakeland

He was one of three men who traveled to Lakeland for a drug-related home-invasion robbery and murdered 24-year-old David Washington, 31-year-old Stacy Branch, and 23-year-old Angelica Castro. Additional story here: Two Suspects Arrested In Triple Homicide In Lakeland

The same jurors who convicted Alcegaire in September then recommended that he should be sentenced to death. Judge Harb imposed those three death sentences Friday morning, along with the maximum amount for Alcegaire’s additional convictions.

Alcegaire is the second defendant in the Tenth Circuit to be sentenced to death under the new death penalty law, which requires jurors to have a unanimous vote instead of majority.

Former Assistant State Attorney Hope Pattey and ASA Mark Levine prosecuted both the trial phase and penalty phase of this case. State Attorney Brian Haas said Friday that he is pleased with the outcome and that he is thankful for the hard work put in to the Alcegaire case by both Pattey and Levine.

Further investigation led to murder charges against Andrew Joseph, 38, and Jamaal John Smith, 28, both of Miami, for their involvement in the murders. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for each of them if they’re convicted of first-degree murder. Both Joseph & Smith are awaiting trial set for this year.

Runways At Bartow Takes Flight With Grand Opening

Staff Reporter

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March 12, 2019

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Runways At Bartow Takes Flight With Grand Opening

by James Coulter

The early bird gets the worm, all the better to prepare themselves for a day of flying. Pilots wanting to take flight from Bartow are sure to prepare themselves likewise with an early meal at the airport’s newest eatery.

Runways At Bartow recently opened at the Bartow Municipal Airport, and celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Greater Bartow Chamber of Commerce on Saturday morning.

The airport’s newest eatery serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch all through the week from Tuesday to Sunday. Fridays have them open late with both Happy Hour until 6 p.m. and a dinner after 5 p.m., while Sundays offers an all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch buffet.

For breakfast, start your day right with down-to-earth dishes, whether you prefer oatmeal, pancakes, or a diverse selection of omelets, while lunch offers hamburgers and other sandwiches. Either way, you’re sure to enjoy a meal that will fuel you up enough to take flight, even if you aren’t a pilot or passanger.

Everything is served through fresh cooking with a simple manner. The corned beef especially is highly recommended by the owner, as its slow-cooked up to 18 hours until prepared to tender, melt-in-your mouth perfection.

Whether you stop by for breakfast or lunch, or even if you plan on staying late on Friday for happy hour or dinner, you’re sure to be treated with the type of Southern hospitality one would expect from a city such as Bartow.

“We offer friendly southern charm,” said owner Darren Denington “The management team want to know the guests and personalize their service and take great care of you.”

Ever since he was a teenager at the ripe age of 13, Denington has been involved in the resturant industry. As a certified chef with a degree in food and beverage management, he brings with him 36 years of resturant experience.

Such experience makes him the prime candidate to take over the eatery at the Bartow Municipal Airport. The airport itself has gone through several eateries in the past, so this new one helps fill a great need, especially with the local airport experiencing recent expansion and renovation.

“I have been getting to know Bartow more and more,” Denington said. “The vision of the airport and what I felt the resturant could be was well aligned, and they have been great support. So we had the right idea at the right time with the right partners.”

The Bartow Municipal Airport recently hired a new airport director one year ago. Since then, the airport has concentrated on improving overall infrastructure through maintenance projects, especially restoring the 80-year-old airfield.

The director himself, John Helms, brings with him ten years of airport management experience. Prior to that, he served within the Navy and as a commercial pilot. Such experience has made him the best person to oversee the revitalization of the local airport.

Part of these revitalization efforts has been bringing in a new eatery. Helms considers that an important asset to any airport, as pilots needs a place to eat before and after their flights.

As someone who has had lunch there and tried everything on the menu, he especially recommend the corned beef, which is good either with hash or as a Reuben.

“This one [eatery] is unique,” he said. “The effort that their crew put into working around a diverse group between the airplanes and industrial park, and making sure to not only have a nice place for the aircraft to fly into, but also a place for the working members for the airport to come into for lunch.”

Trish Pfeiffer, Bartow Airport Authority, is not big on meat herself, as she preferred the broccoli casserole. However, she has seen the burgers and believes they would look and taste awesome for any carnivore.

“The new resturant, we are excited to have it here at our terminal,” she said. “We had many eateries come and go before, but Darren and this team are professionals cooking up good food, so we are looking for success from them at this location.”

Pfeiffer herself has a close friend from Ocala who flies in once a month to have lunch with her husband. As such, the eatery serves as a big draw for many pilots, and will hopefully help draw in greater traffic to the airport, she said.

Everyone involved, from the resturant owner to the airport manager, all have high expectations for the new eatery, and hopes that it will not only serve the many busy pilots there, but also bring in more people to the airport with its good food.

“My expectations is that we will offer good food at great prices at good service,” she said. “It is really important because we have aviation traffic that comes in here, so we want to have something to offer the pilots…We are not a destination place, but a lot of pilots do say lets fly to Bartow, to the airbase, and have lunch. And so pilots like to do recreational flying, and we want to be a destination for that.”

Runways At Bartow is located within the Bartow Municipal Airport, located at 5995 Airport Blvd Bartow, Florida 33831. For more information, call 863-519-4400, or visit their website at http://runwaysatbartow.com/

Crime is down 12.7% inside the City limits of Lakeland!

Lakeland

Staff Reporter

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March 12, 2019

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Crime is down 12.7% inside the City limits of Lakeland!

Lakeland PD Press Release:

LAKELAND, FL (March 12, 2019) – According to Uniform Crime Data Reports (UCR) there were 550 less crimes reported in 2018 than 2017 under the jurisdiction of the Lakeland Police Department. UCR data is reported both semi-annually and annually by law enforcement agencies across Florida to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). There were 3,778 crimes reported in 2018, as compared to 4,328 in 2017, a total reduction in reported crimes of 12.7%

Chief Ruben Garcia said, “These results show what happens when a community and a police department work together. We can’t do it alone. Our dedicated team works every day to not only bring justice for victims but implement proactive programs to hopefully prevent crimes with support from our engaged citizens.”

The UCR data measures seven categories of part one crimes: Homicide, Sexual Crimes, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Larceny and Motor Vehicle Theft.

The downward trend for lower crime rates in the City of Lakeland has remained consistent for the past four years. There were 5,285 crimes reported in 2014, as compared to 3,778 in 2018, a total reduction in reported crimes of 28.5%

Firmly operating on the foundation of Community-Oriented Policing, LPD has implemented and expanded many of the agencies outreach and enforcement initiatives since 2014. Those efforts in concert with the traditional policing activities of our Uniform and Investigative divisions continue to bring a positive impact to our neighborhoods.

In 2014 in the Gang Task Force was established with City departments, Polk County School Board, local faith-based organizations and community groups. The group meets quarterly to discuss and develop plans for continuous youth involvement. In 2014 there were 18 gang-related shootings in Lakeland. In 2017 that number dropped to zero and only one gang-related shooting was reported in 2018.
In 2015 the Neighborhood Liaison Section was reestablished; Comprised of two teams of 5 officers and a Sergeant. These teams work proactively within neighborhoods instead of responding to the daily calls-for-service received through dispatch. The officers also attend all neighborhood meetings and events within their zones. This allows citizens to develop relationships with the Neighborhood Liaison Officers (NLO) assigned to their area. Also assigned to the Section is a Homeless Liaison Officer. During 2018 NLOs made over 1,000 arrests and attended 197 community events and meetings. Since 2016 the team has collaborated with the Nuisance Abatement Board to close 12 properties known for illegal activities.
The agency’s School Resource Unit has expanded from 8 officers in 2014 to 16 in 2018. Two of the added positions are College Resource Officers, funded by and located at Florida Southern College. The unit is expected to add five additional officers in 2019, with four of those dedicated to primary schools in Lakeland and one dedicated to Florida Southern College. Along with focusing on student safety, School Resource Officers proactively mentor and build relationships with students to build positive relationships with law enforcement at an early age.
The Crime Prevention team has continued with consistent community engagement initiatives and programs. In 2018 alone the five-member unit participated in over 1,200 community meetings, 334 crime prevention programs and 244 neighborhood watch programs. The team also initiated over 70 Park, Walk & Talk Operations in local neighborhoods. The operations involved crime prevention practitioners walking neighborhoods, talking to residents and reminding them of important crime prevention measures such as locking vehicles and properly securing residences.

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