Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/112475
Sarasota News Leader March 1, 2013 What���s going to happen now is Chief DiPino is going to take law enforcement ��� and she���s going to be the people���s policeman ��� to every neighborhood. Whether it���s St. Armands, Bird Key, North Trail, whatever. She���s going to be everybody���s cop. That���s powerful. She���s going to balance things out. As an atlarge commissioner, I like that. As for consolidation of services and things like that, I know I���ve talked to Tom [Knight, Sarasota County sheriff] about things we���re doing and trying to do. Page 15 City Commission Election March 12: Polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting begins March 2 and runs through March 9, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Supervisor of Elections Office, The Terrace Building, 101 S. Washington Blvd. (U.S. 301), Sarasota. Runoff, if necessary: May 14 I love the Police Department and I don���t want them consolidated, but how do we avoid what we���ve gone through in the past few months? And yes, some of these cops who have done the abuse of force, they may be errant cops. I don���t know, but [DiPino] is going to look into For more information the whole picture. What is going on? What is visit www.sarasotavotes.com. the morale? Who are the ones flying off the Advisory Panel, so I very much endorse that handle? strategy. She takes charge and she has a second skin like I���ve never seen. ��� ��� ��� When you look at the whole pie, when you Would you consider merging the Sarasolook at this city, it wants a good police depart- ta Police Department and the Sarasota ment, and they want to pay for it if they get a County Sheriff���s Office? good police department. Chapman: Not at this time. ��� ��� ��� Merge some special teams such as MaPolice consume the largest fraction of rine Patrol, Bomb Squad, SWAT and oththe city���s budget, using more than the ers? sum of all property taxes collected annually. Is there room for improvement in Chapman: Yes. That needs to be studied a little bit more, to see if it can result in reduced exhow Sarasota polices itself? penses. Some units require specialized training Chapman: Yes. We need more modern polic- and equipment, like SWAT and the Bomb Squad. ing practices, including intelligence-led polic- K-9 units require air-conditioned facilities. Those ing with the David M. Kennedy strategy of de- things require more than just staffing. terrence and hot spot policing. The High Point ��� ��� ��� [N.C.] strategy came from the Ad Hoc Police