HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #35 - Discussion ItemCITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA
I -'WEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
.0 Howard ..racy DATE.
City %tanager
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SUBJECT
FROM Kenneth I. Harms REFERENCES:
Chief of Police
ENCLOSURES:
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The .Miami Police Department has selected Lt. James Tombley as the
;Most Outstanding Officer of the Month for May 1983.
Since joining the !Miami Police Department in 1959, Lt. Tombley
has consistently demonstrated his considerable law enforcement
talents. As early as May 1963 he was named the department's
Most Outstanding Officer of the Month after he arrested a suspect
responsible for a series of 20 burglaries. More recently, he has
continued to provide support for the officers in the field. Two
years ago he risked his life to convince a suicidal man not to
jump from a hotel room and last year he donated his own time and
money to provide health care for a vagrant's dog after the animal
was struck by a police car.
Another highlight of Lt. Tombley's distinguished career came last
month, when he was selected again as Most Outstanding Officer of
the Month for his role in the successful implementation of the
department's innovative "directed patrol" program. During "directed
patrol" uniformed officers set aside a period of time to deal with
special problems within their patrol zone. These problems are
identified based on input from the community or from the police
department's crime analysis program. Officers have used "directed
patrol" to combat narcotics sales and prostitution, to conduct
stake -outs in connection with robberies and burglaries, to perform
selective traffic enforcement and to make more frequent and
meaningful public contacts.
Under Lt. Tombley's direction, the "directed patrol" program began
as an experiment on the Miami Police Department's afternoon shift
last January. During the initial stage, Lt. Tombley worked to de -bug
the system. As the program developed, it grew into a viable,
fruitful tool in the fight against crime. In the program's first
month, 27 "directed patrol" problems were addressed. The next
month "directed patrol" activities were doubled, and by the end
of the first three months of 1983 a total of 136 "directed patrol"
operations were completed.
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Howard Gary
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the results were 250 arrests, 310 suspects questioned or identified,
312 traffic citations and 316 public contacts. It is important
to note that these activities were accomplished utilizing only 30
of the officers' available time yet they account for 100 of the
total shift activities.
And although these first quarter statistics are very impressive
considering this was an untested new program, "directed patrol"
really took off in April. In that one_montn, the production equaled
that of the entire first quarter of the year: 136 "directed patrol"
operations resulted in 228 arrests, 339 suspect identifications,
463 traffic citations and 463 public contacts. Wnile all the members
of the shift made significant contributions to this effort, Lt.
Tombley was the guiding force whose dedication to the "directed
patrol" concept has made the program successful far beyond our
expectations.
Lt. Tombley's police career includes assignments in Patrol, Accident
Investigations, Narcotics & Vice, Homicide and Burglary. He was
promoted to sergeant in September 1967 and to lieutenant in July
1975. He has earned nearly 100 commendations for outstanding
performance of duty, including two personal citations from the
Chief of Police and 14 letters of appreciation from citizens and other
members of the law enforcement community.
Please advise this office of the date and time of the City Commission's
presentation of the Certificate of Appreciation to Lt. Tombley.
KIH:mf
cc: Alina Novaro, Mayor's Office
Office of Public Information