Sarasota News Leader

05/09/2014

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fire pit? Or some larger lots that might want to cook overnight?" "I want no open burning within a fixed dis- tance of petroleum sources," added City Commissioner Susan Chapman. That was it; no action followed. NEW ORDINANCES The commissioners did approve a "no-hang- ing-out-in-roundabouts" ordinance by a 4-1 vote (Snyder in the minority). The round- about in question is at Pineapple Avenue and Ringling Boulevard, where a vagrant has taken up semi-permanent daytime residence. If he continues staying there, he will violate the new ordinance. The commissioners also approved a lan- guage change in an ordinance after a Public Meetings Law challenge. The staff of the Independent Police Advisory Panel and the Police Complaint Committee — civilian advisory boards focused on city police oper- ations — will no longer be called "ex officio members." A threatened court challenge said "ex officio members" could not communicate with com- mittee members without official notice. The ordinance clarifies the ex officio members' status as city employees, not "members." That change passed 3-2, with Commissioner Paul Caragiulo and Snyder in the minority. They have consistently voted against mea- sures regarding the two advisory boards. NEW LOGO, NEW OUTREACH The city commissioners Monday were apprised of a new logo developed for the Police Department in cooperation with the Ringling College of Art and Design. Blue + You is the theme. "We came together; we worked and collabo- rated together and made a partnership," said Police Chief Bernadette DiPino. This initiative continues the theme of com- munity outreach that DiPino has championed since her arrival from Maryland in 2012. From entertaining children with a movie projected on the site of police headquarters to a BBQ in the center of a city neighborhood plagued by drug dealers, DiPino has attempted to forge a partnership between residents and cops. Thus, Blue + You is a natural outreach with many applications for growth. "This is simple," said City Manager Tom Barwin, himself a former cop. "It's a breakthrough." % Ringling College students created this poster for the first Blue + You movie night, held April 26. Image courtesy Sarasota Police Department Sarasota News Leader May 9, 2014 Page 58

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