View Report - Fort Smith Police Department

Annual Report
2012

Our Mission and Values
Mission Statement
In partnership with ALL segments of our community, the Fort Smith Police Department
will provide for the general protection, safety, and well being of all residents, businesses,
and visitors of the City of Fort Smith, Arkansas. This will be accomplished through a proactive
approach in the prevention, detection, and investigation of criminal activity.
The Fort Smith Police Department will seek to contribute to the highest quality of life for
the entire City through the assistance, involvement, and interaction of the citizens we have
pledged to serve. All activities of the Fort Smith Police Department will be conducted lawfully
in accordance with the laws of the City of Fort Smith, the State of Arkansas, and the
United States of America.
Statement of Values
We hold as our sacred duty the preservation of life. It is this belief that defines our priorities.
We accept nothing less than truth, honesty, and integrity in our profession.
We recognize that our basic responsibility is to enforce the law. Our role is to resolve problems,
through the law, not to judge or punish.
We view the residents of our community as partners who deserve our concern, care, and attention.
We are committed to reducing the fear of crime in our community, and we endeavor
to do this by creating partnerships in our neighborhoods.
We understand that our police powers are derived from the community members we serve.
We do not tolerate the abuse of our police authority.
We recognize that our personal conduct, both on and off duty, is inseparable from the professional
reputation of both our officers and the Department.
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Table of Contents
Mission and Values Statement 2
Table of Contents 3
City Administration 4
Police Department 5
Letter of Transmittal 6
Personnel Distribution 7
Budget and Funding 8
Calls for Service / Arrest Totals 9
Uniform Crime Reporting Definitions 10
Fort Smith Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics 11
CID Assigned / Cleared Cases 12
Narcotics Activity 13
Crime Stoppers / Crime Prevention 14
Traffic Analysis 15
Miscellaneous Patrol Functions 16
Office of Professional Standards 17
Communications Unit 18
K-9 Operations 19
New Personnel 20
Community Involvement 21
Honor Guard 22
Training Center 23
Celebrating 24
Retirements 25
Awards 26
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The City of Fort Smith
Mayor
Sandy Sanders
Board of Directors
Steve Tyler
André Good
Rev. Don Hutchings
George Catsavis
Pam Weber
Kevin Settle
(Vice Mayor)
The United States Army established Fort Smith as a military outpost
in 1817. The City still boasts an active military presence
with the 188th Fighter Wing and the Fort Chaffee Maneuver
Training Center operated by the Arkansas National Guard.
With a population of 87,152, Fort Smith is the second largest city
in the State of Arkansas. The City has a rich history and a future
held with promise including the new location of the United States
Marshals Service National Museum and continued growth of
businesses and community activities.
With an economy based on manufacturing, agriculture, and service
industries, Fort Smith is an excellent place to work, live, and
raise a family. The cost of living and home prices are below the
national average while the public education system is highly
rated. With over twenty-five parks and community centers, a
myriad of restaurants, entertainment venues, shopping and historical
sites, Fort Smith is an excellent place to call home.
Phillip Merry
City Administrator
Ray Gosack
Deputy
City Administrator
Jeff Dingman
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Our Department
The Fort Smith Police Department is made up of 222 officers and civilians whose primary
duty is to protect the life and property of the citizens of Fort Smith. When fully
staffed, the department has 166 sworn officers who are assisted by 56 civilians. Our Department
takes pride in serving our community and seeks to improve the quality of life
through its approach to prevent, detect, and investigate criminal activity.
The Department is organized into three separate divisions that work together to provide
services for the community. The most recognizable of these is the Patrol Division
which is staffed with 56% of the Department’s personnel and is comprised of three patrol
troops and the Patrol Operations Unit.
The Administrative Division is staffed with 25% of the Department’s personnel and is
comprised of Support Services, Central Records, and the Communications Center.
The Criminal Investigation Division, staffed with 19% of the Department’s personnel, is
comprised of the Criminal Investigation Unit, the Narcotics Unit, Street Crimes, Juvenile,
Computer Forensics, and the Identification Unit.
The men and women of the Fort Smith Police Department strive to serve this community
in the best way possible and take pride in their efforts to help provide a safe environment
for all citizens.
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Fort Smith Police Department
100 South 10th Street
Fort Smith, Arkansas 72901
Phone: (479) 785-4221
Fax: (479) 783-2356
To the Honorable Mayor, Members of the Board of Directors, City Administration
and Citizens of Fort Smith:
I am pleased to present to you the Fort Smith Police Department’s 2012
Annual Report.
Our goal is to share information on the performance and actions of the
Fort Smith Police Department. The Annual Report outlines the Department’s
organizational structure, operations, and achievements. Despite the need to continually operate
within a conservative budget, the police department maintained excellent community service focusing
on problem-solving and active partnerships with our community.
The Department completed the following goals and activities in 2012:
Achieved our third consecutive Law Enforcement re-accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation
for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA);
Continued preparation for re-accreditation of the Communications Center in 2013;
Training Division held two successful certified law enforcement academies in 2012, with other local
agencies in attendance;
Through the courtesy of a citizen’s donation, all K-9’s were outfitted with ballistic vests;
Citizen’s Police Academy was re-established after recognizing the value of the program for the
community and making some staffing changes.
The members of Fort Smith Police Department take pride in providing high quality, efficient, and effective
police services to our citizens, businesses, and visitors. On behalf of the men and women of the
Fort Smith Police Department, we look forward to continuing our tradition of providing excellent service
and contributing to the highest quality of life possible for residents in our community.
Respectfully submitted,
Kevin D. Lindsey
Chief of Police
“pride and progress”
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Personnel Distribution
The Department’s current
organizational
structure consists of
three divisions.
The Administrative Division
is comprised of
the Office of the Chief
of Police and Support
Services. Combined,
the Administrative Division
has 15 sworn
officer positions and 40
civilian employee positions,
including the Department’s
Communications
Unit.
The Criminal Investigations
Division has 40
sworn officer positions
and 3 civilian employee
positions.
The Patrol Division has
111 sworn officer positions
and 13 civilian
employee positions.
The Patrol Division includes
the Animal Control
Unit as well as the
Airport Security Detail.
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Budget & Funding
The total budget for the Police
Department was
$15,934,837.00 The budget
was divided into three areas:
Personnel, Operating, and
Capital Outlay.
The 2012 budget was distributed
among the divisions as
indicated. Again, the Office
of the Chief of Police and
Support Services combine to
make the Administrative Division.
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The Fort Smith Police Department’s
911 Communications Center receives
emergency as well as non-emergency
calls. The Communications Center
took over 359,000 calls in 2012.
The Police Department
made a total
of 9,346 arrests in
2012. As the chart
below indicates,
this is comparable
to arrest totals for
the previous two
years.
= Juveniles
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U.S. Department of Justice
Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR)
The UCR is the current
accepted standard for
measuring criminal activity
within a given
area. Across the nation,
agencies report UCR
offenses to the Federal
Bureau of Investigation
which in turn publishes
crime reports. The eight
crimes that make up Part
I Offenses are listed
here along with their
definitions. The following
page shows the number
of these crimes reported
in Fort Smith in
2012.
Murder
The willful (non-negligent)
killing of one human being
by another.
Rape
The carnal knowledge of a
person through the use or
threat of force. Assaults or
attempts to commit forcible
rape are also included.
Burglary
The unlawful entry of a
structure to commit a felony
or theft.
Theft
The unlawful taking or
stealing of property or articles
without the use of
force, violence, or fraud.
Arson
Any willful or malicious
burning or attempt to burn,
with or without attempt to
defraud.
Aggravated Assault
An unlawful attack by one
person upon another for the
purpose of inflicting severe
bodily injury, usually accompanied
by the use of a
weapon or other means
likely to produce death or
serious bodily harm.
Robbery
The taking, or attempting to
take, anything of value under
confrontational circumstances
from a person by use
of force, threat of force, or
by putting the victim in fear
of immediate harm.
Motor Vehicle Theft
The unlawful taking or stealing
of a motor vehicle including
attempts.
* U.S. Department of Justice, FBI Criminal Justice Information Services, Division Uniform Crime Reporting Manual August 2000
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The Criminal Investigations Division
is that part of the Department
specifically charged with
investigating crimes. This division
is comprised of several
smaller units, each of which has
a specific area of specialization:
Crimes against Persons, Crimes
against Property, Juvenile,
Computer Forensics, Street
Crimes, and the Identification
Unit.
The professional men and
women working in the Criminal
Investigations Division understand
their responsibilities to the
community they serve and are
committed and dedicated to investigating
all criminal allegations
thoroughly to help preserve
the quality of life that our
citizens and visitors enjoy.
The Identification Unit is
tasked with several responsibilities,
such as processing
crime scenes, print comparison,
and processing submitted
evidence. In 2012, the Identification
Unit processed 2,313
items of evidence and made
123 identifications through
print comparisons. 221 prints
were submitted through AFIS
which resulted in 27 hit confirmations.
The Evidence Unit of the Department is responsible for the
packaging, storage, and final disposition of all items recovered
by the various entities within the FSPD. In 2012, this
unit processed 5,581 items and had an inventory of 29,279
pieces of evidence.
* These statistics represent assigned cases only. Not all criminal cases are assigned. In many cases, victims may seek an
arrest warrant directly from the Sebastian County Prosecutor’s Office.
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Narcotics Activity
Due to a combination of
enforcement, aggressive
prosecution, and the increased
difficulty in obtaining
production materials,
the number of
methamphetamine labs
found inside the city limits
of Fort Smith has continued
to drop. In 2012, ten
labs were seized and disposed
of by the Fort Smith
Narcotics Unit.
Knowing that drug enforcement
is crucial to the quality of life in
Fort Smith, the Narcotics Unit
continues to use a variety of innovative
investigative techniques
to arrest violators and
seize drugs. In 2012, the Narcotics
Unit seized $123,875.00
in cash, ninety-two vehicles,
and executed thirty-two search
warrants. Federal forfeitures
totaled $68,323.59. Seized
property sold at auction totaled
$140,000.00.
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Crime Stoppers
The people that make up the Fort Smith community are not only those the FSPD is sworn
to protect, they are also our partners in crime prevention. We rely on input from citizens
and there are few places this is more evident than in our Crime Stoppers Program. Information
that flows into the Department from citizens is a crucial part of our ability to conduct
law enforcement operations. We greatly appreciate all the people who take the time
to call the Department and let us know what is happening in their neighborhoods. If you
have information on criminal activity, please report that information by calling:
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Traffic Analysis
Each year hundreds of thousands of
vehicles travel the streets of Fort
Smith. One of the Police Department’s
duties is to make sure motorists
have a safe environment while driving
in the city. Despite our best efforts,
accidents do happen. When they do,
we assist motorists by summoning
medical aid if needed, completing reports,
and clearing the roadways as
quickly as possible.
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The Fort Smith Police Department
provides a diverse range of services
to the community. These services
include warrant service and collection.
In 2012, the Fort Smith Police
Department served 3,390 warrants.
The chart to the right details the
number of warrants served on a
monthly basis.
Parking enforcement is another
function of the Department. Personnel
work year-round to ensure
that parking in metered areas is
conducted in a fair and balanced
manner. Parking Enforcement officers
issued over 5,900 citations and
th e Dep ar tm en t co lle ct ed
$117,686.16 from meters and overtime
citations.
$10,000.00
$8,000.00
$6,000.00
$4,000.00
$2,000.00
$0.00
Parking Meter Collections
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
$6,000.00
$5,000.00
$4,000.00
$3,000.00
$2,000.00
$1,000.00
$0.00
Meter Collections
Overtime Collections
The Animal Control Unit of the
FSPD is responsible for providing
various services, one of which is
taking in stray and/or unwanted animals.
In 2012, Animal Control
took possession of 2,692 animals.
The chart at right shows these collections
on a monthly basis.
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Office of Professional Standards
The Office of Professional Standards is directly assigned to the Office of the Chief of
Police. This unit is responsible for receiving and investigating complaints made concerning
Department personnel. The Office of Professional Standards utilizes a software
program called IAPro to manage complaints more efficiently and allow for better
reporting and records retention.
IAPro separates complaints into one of four categories: Administrative, Internal, Citizen,
and Bias-based. In 2012, there were seventy-eight complaints received and investigated.
Of these 78 complaints, twenty were found to have merit and were classified
as sustained. The charts below show the received and sustained complaints by category.
In 2012, the Fort Smith Police Department saw a 45% decrease in the number of biasbased
complaints. There were a total of five bias-based complaints filed against officers
in 2012. Each complaint was thoroughly investigated. In every case, Professional
Standards staff found that the officers were legally justified in making contact with the
complainant. All five of the complaints were closed as unfounded.
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Communications Unit
The Fort Smith Police Department’s Communications Center comes under the command of the
Administrative Services Division and has an authorized staff of 24 efficiently-trained Telecommunicators.
The Communications Center is vital, not only to our officers, but to the public
as well. Of the 359,248 emergency and non-emergency calls answered by FSPD Telecommunicators
in 2012, 74,883 resulted in a police call for service.
The Communications Center is accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law
Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), and is the “nerve center” for the Fort Smith Police Department.
The Center is a state-of-the-art facility where 911 calls are received and processed in
order to insure the proper emergency services are notified. The Telecommunicators have a
dynamic position that requires customer service skills, multi-tasking abilities, and the capacity
to remain calm under pressure. They field hundreds of calls each day, monitor multiple radio
channels tracking police and fire response, and access a variety of databases. The work is fast
paced, stressful, demanding, and requires good communication and resource-management
skills.
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K-9 Operations
K-9 officers are proactive patrol officers who demonstrate a high level of proficiency in all Departmental
policies, procedures, and search and seizure laws. They voluntarily accepted the additional responsibilities
and demands of maintaining these special animals, both on and off duty.
Record keeping is also important because K-9 handlers must be able to document and account for the
dog’s performance. To maintain the dog’s certification, the handler and supervisor must maintain
training reports, arrest reports, and seizure reports.
Each team, consisting of a dog and its handler, is dually certified in specialties consisting of narcotics
detection, criminal apprehension, and tracking. The teams must train a minimum of 4 hours per week
to retain certification.
In 2012, the K-9 Unit was utilized 178 times in response to requests from Patrol, Narcotics, Street
Crimes, the Detective Division, as well as surrounding agencies, and achieved the following results:
PROPERTY SEIZED
$9,932.00 currency
19 vehicles
10 firearms
TOTAL ARRESTS = 109
The K-9 Unit, at the request of the Fort Smith Public School system, performed periodic locker and
parking lot sweeps on 34 occasions during the 2012 school year.
Members of the K-9 Unit
Sgt. Brian Rice
Corporal Travis Watkins and Kilo
Officer Joseph Boyd and Vigo
Officer Daniel Kasper and Kane
Officer Cody Elliott and Chico
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2012 New Personnel
The Fort Smith Police Department would like to welcome its newest members. In
2012, we hired eight sworn and nine civilian personnel. The Department currently
has 164 sworn officers and 49 civilian employees — all striving to serve the citizens
of Fort Smith with Pride and Progress. Our 213 employees make Fort Smith the third
largest police department in the State of Arkansas based on its number of sworn personnel.
New Sworn Personnel
Gary Hulsey January 9
Lindsay Stankewitz January 23
Jared Girard June 11
Steven Creek June 11
Damon Reeder June 11
Kyle Stevens June 11
Addison Entmeier July 17
David Leslie August 13
New Civilian Personnel
Hayden Ohm January 31
Samantha Wagner May 1
Amanda Stanley August 7
Kagen Bevil August 28
Miesha Gaines August 28
Adel Morris August 28
Sierra McFerren October 2
Laura Price October 9
Jennifer Manning December 4
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Community Involvement
Throughout the year, members of the Fort Smith Police Department volunteered their time and effort
to support various community activities. Members of the Municipal Police Association and the
Fraternal Order of Police continue to contribute yearly through different projects, all of which have a
deep and lasting impact on the community. Below are just some of the activities that members of
the Fort Smith Police Department participated in during 2012:
Annual Blood Drive (Competition with the Fort Smith Fire Department)
Celebrity Cook-Off (fundraising event for local group mentoring juveniles)
Citizen’s Police Academy
Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics
Torch Run
22nd annual Grocery Giveaway (Evangel Temple Church)
Christmas Angel Tree (Municipal Police Association)
Annual National Night Out (Sponsored by Target Store)
Christmas Lights Run (Benefit for the Danny Martinez Memorial Scholarship Fund)
Cops and Kids at Christmas (Fraternal Order of Police)
Fallen Officer Benefit Fund
Fort Smith Police Department Honor Guard
Child Passenger Safety Education and safety seat installation
Neighborhood Problem Solving Meetings
Daniel Cruz Martinez Scholarship Fund
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Honor Guard
Our Honor Guard is a ceremonial unit comprised of volunteers that maintain exceptionally high standards
of appearance, aptitude, and conduct during formal occasions.
2012 Events
Police Memorial
Panama K-9 dedication
Citizen’s Academy
Christmas parade
Freedom Fighter ceremony with the 188 th Fighter Wing
Police academy graduation
Bass Reeves dedication
Citizenship swearing-in ceremony with Naturalization
Funeral honors
MEMBERS
Cpl. Anthony Cox
Ofc. Chad Cullen
Det. Jason Scarborough
Ofc. Derek Harwood
Ofc. Darrin Phelps
Ofc. Stephen Krumm
Ofc. Brandon Djordjevic
Ofc. Billy Rowe
Ofc. Vince Clamser
Ofc. John Little
Ofc.Angus Bradford
Ofc. Robert Moudy
Ofc. Chris Flanagan
Ofc. Keith Shelby
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Training Center
Located at 8400 Zero Street, the Fort Smith Training Center facility is used for the Department’s
academy classes for newly-hired officers, yearly training for sworn personnel, and the Citizen’s Police
Academy. In 2012, we hosted our first Auxiliary Officer course.
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Celebrating
25 Years of Distinguished
Service
20 Years of Distinguished
Service
Cpl. Alfred Flesher
Cpl. Randy Patterson
Sgt. James Hays
Cpl. Freddy Rizzo
Det. Cpl. Paul Smith
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Congratulations
After years of dedicated service, the following Fort Smith Police Department members retired:
Cpl. Harold Haney - 28 Years
Carolyn Ross - 23 Years
Marilyn Stockburger - 14 Years
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2012 AWARDS
Each year the Fort Smith Police Department recognizes those individuals who stand out among their
peers, and in 2012, six members of the Police Department were given awards for excellence within
their areas of service.
Officer of the Year
Jason Thompson
Rookie of the Year
Ryan Ohm
Reserve Officer of the Year
Andrew Gilchrist
Dispatcher of the Year
Mike Adams
Civilian Employee of the Year
Cheri Taylor
Commendation Award
Kristine Deason
Chief’s Special Award
Dr. Rick Hittner, K-9 Unit veterinarian, Office Manager ShaRay Scott
Chris Haas and Amy Burke of Mars Petcare for their continued support of the K-9
program
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