Not his to sell...

On Friday April 27, Greenville Police Officer J.L. Peterson was called to the report of a stolen truck from 1311 West 14th Avenue.  The owner was reporting that his red 1977 Ford Pick-up was stolen from a fenced in area. 

Officer Peterson took the necessary information from the owner and completed his report.  The owner told Officer Peterson that he had already been looking at area salvage yards to see if somebody had taken the truck there.

A few hours after the report, the owner called the police again to say he found his truck at Empire Salvage Yard, on NC Hwy 903, a few miles north of Greenville.

Apparently, whoever stole the truck took it to the Empire Salvage Yard to sell as scrap metal.  The owner found the truck before it could be crushed, but many parts of the truck had already been removed, namely the radiator, battery, and some tire rims.

Police and Sheriff's deputies identified the man who sold the truck to Empire Salvage. His name is Michael Donnell Williams of Fountan, NC.  Officer Peterson later obtained  arrest warrants against Michael Williams for Auto Larceny, Felony Larceny, and Obtaining Property by False Pretense.

Stealing cars and trucks and selling them for scrap metal is a big business nationwide.  It has become such a big problem that recently new laws were enacted that require salvage yards to obtain positive identification as well as a fingerprint of the person who is selling the vehicle for scrap.

Fortunately in this case, the truck had not been crushed.  Greenville Police Officers have seen incidents in the past where stolen cars and trucks had already been completely demolished and crushed before they were identified as stolen.

Besides cars,  stolen car parts being sold for scrap is also a nationwide problem.  Catalytic Converters are stolen from cars and trucks and sold quite often.  Copper theft is also a multi-million dollar industry.  New laws enacted in the past few years require positive identification for all people who sell copper as scrap, but much of the copper is melted and sold far away from where it is actually stolen.

As for Michael Williams and the stolen '77 Ford Pick-up truck,  He got paid $739 by the scrap yard, and will be arrested soon.  Employees of the scrap yard told police that Williams had already been there just a few days earlier and sold them a 1967 Chevrolet. . . .Now we have to wonder if that car was ever his to sell in the first place.

Be on time...

From time to time people ask about the process of becoming a police officer.  Here is some information on how that works:

The Greenville Police Department accepts job applications during periods of active recruitment.  Applications must be completed and submitted electronically through our employment link at: http://www.greenvillenc.gov.

If the department is not currently accepting applications, you can still submit an Email alert request to be notified when the recruiting process opens again.  It is important for potential applicants to remember that the department only accepts applications for a 2-week period before the beginning of our testing cycle.

Once the 2-week application period is closed, each application received is reviewed for the following minimum criteria:

·   You must be currently enrolled or have successfully completed the NC Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program.

·   You must be a U.S. citizen.

·   You must be a high school graduate or have passed the GED        test.

·   You must have a valid NC Driver’s license and have an        acceptable driving record.

·    You must be at least 20 years old at the time of testing.

·   You must be of good moral character with no  disqualifying  criminal convictions

Applicants who meet the minimum criteria are allowed to proceed to the next phase of the recruiting process, which is the physical agility testing.  All applicants participate in the Police Officer Physical Agility (POPAT) test.

Qualified applicants who pass the POPAT phase are invited to an interview board.  They sit before a 4-member board and answer a series of standardized questions dealing with police issues, ethics, and other topics.

Those applicants who pass through the interview board are then given a polygraph examination.  At this stage, applicants are questioned about their truthfulness in areas of their personal and professional life relevant to being a police officer.  Applicants must be truthful regarding issues about their application questions, prior employment, illegal drug use, as well as their overall integrity.

A psychological examination is provided to applicants who pass the polygraph testing.  This examination is mandatory for any candidate applying to become a law enforcement officer in North Carolina.

Applicants who pass the psychological examination are then given a conditional job offer, contingent upon their passing a rigid background investigation, a medical screening, and a drug screening test.

After all testing is completed the results of the application process are forwarded to the Chief of Police for review with a recommendation.  A final job offer is then extended to the candidate.

It’s a long process that may take several months, but in the end, those candidates with the desire, aptitude, integrity and other qualifications will be hired and begin their training as Greenville Police Officers.

Anyone who wants more information can contact our Personnel & Recruiting Officer, Cpl. K.Z. Edwards.  Her telephone number is: 329-4102.

What's love got to do with it...

On Wednesday April 18 at about 9:00 pm, Greenville Patrol Officer M.C. Verdin was called to the intersection of Evans Street & Deck Street in reference to a dispute in progress.

Officer Verdin met the victim who told the officer that her boyfriend Christopher Bizzell had beaten and kicked her.  The victim told officers that she had picked up Bizzell on Arthur Street, and once in the car, Bizzell threatened to kill her, and that he punched her in the face.

The victim reports that she stopped the car and allowed Bizzell to drive, and that Bizzell then took her cell phone and threw it from the car.  The victim got out to retrieve her cell phone, and she says Bizzell then tried to run her over with the car.

The victim told police that Bizzell got out of the car and then kicked her several times until she was unconscious.   She said that when she came to, Bizzell was gone.



Christopher Bizzell



Officer Verdin obtained arrest warrants for Bizzell, charging him with Assault with a Deadly Weapon,  Assault on a Female, Communicating a Threat, and Damage to Property

Bizzell has prior charges for Assault on a Female.

Christopher Bizzell was located and arrested on April 23, 2012. 

He was jailed under a $2,000 secured bond.  Bizzell has since posted bond and is now out of jail, pending his court date.

It's not so difficult..

Community Watch is one of the oldest and most effective crime prevention programs in the country.  It brings citizens together to deter crime and make communities safer.  

Community Watch counts on citizens to organize themselves and work with the police to keep a trained eye and ear on their communities, while demonstrating their presence at all times of day and night.  Community Watch works because it reduces opportunities for crime to occur.

Why start a Community Watch?  

Because law enforcement officers cannot be on every street corner, citizen involvement is necessary to combat crime.   You and your neighbors are the ones who really know what is going on in your community. By cooperating with each other and with the police, citizens can help fight crime in the most effective way – by preventing the victimization of themselves, their families and friends. You are the key element in fighting crime.
 

How to get started:

• Hold an initual meeting with a core group of neighbors and get to know each other.   Invite others as you get organized.
• Consider linking with an existing neighorhood organization, such as a homeowner's association, community development office, tenants’ association, or housing authority. They may be able to provide an existing infrastructure you can use.
• Canvass door-to-door to recruit members and inform them about community watch.
• Start an Email or telephone list so people can stay in touch with each other quickly;   looking out for children and reporting any unusual activities in the neighborhood.
• Invite the Crime Prevention Officer or other law enforcement officer to speak at your original meeting to help get your Community Watch program started.  The police can provide you with materials and safety information.

What next?

• Be a good neighbor.  Watch out for each other.  Stay alert to strangers or other suspicious acitivities.  Communicate with your neighbors and keep them informed.
• Call the police whenever you see something that seems out of place, and inform your neighbors.

In a nutshell, that's all there is to it.  You can help keep your neighborhood safe and reduce crime in your city by simply talking with your neighbors and keeping an eye on things.

It's a process...

About 6 years ago, the Greenville Police Department began using the Compstat policing model as a crime fighting and management tool.  Here is some basic information about that process:

The term “Compstat” is derived from the words, “Computer” and “Statistics” and denotes the importance of management decisions based on relevant and accurate crime data, usually generated by computerized crime analysis. 

Using real-time crime analysis, Area Commanders at GPD report to the Chief’s Staff on a periodic basis and summarize the crime activity in their assigned area for a given time frame.  More importantly, the Commanders then address what they plan to do in the upcoming time frame to predict, prevent, suppress, or solve the crime problems they have identified. 

Area Commanders may use a variety of resources to address the problems they’ve identified, including code enforcement units and other civil agencies, investigative resources such as detective units, uniformed resources such as special operations patrol units, and assigned shift patrol officers.  They also seek to involve the community members in the problem solving efforts, in order to leverage resources which would not normally be available to the police. 

The Compstat Policing model identifies four (4) key elements which are necessary if Compstat is to be a successful strategy:

1)     Accurate and Timely Intelligence Information

2)    Effective Tactics

3)    A Rapid Deployment of Personnel and Resources

4)    Relentless Follow-Up and Assessment

  Without accurate and timely intelligence information, Compstat Policing simply would not be effective, and resources such as personnel would be wasted by misuse and misapplication.

Timeliness is everything in respect to follow up:  Information can go stale very quickly and Compstat Policing requires the application of valuable resources addressing a problem in a timely manner, therefore “real-time” intelligence has become one of the most valuable commodities in the police department. 

Once a police Commander receives accurate and timely information, he must deploy resources and employ effective tactics to address the problem.  For instance the Commander may augment a directed patrol order with meetings involving stakeholders (property owners, business managers, community watch groups, etc.) to address a situation, or they might seek input from code enforcement and other city-directed departments (public works, inspections, etc.).  Depending upon the nature of the crime problem, a manager may implement something like an undercover buy/bust operation with the department Drug Unit, develop and use a traffic safety plan with the department Traffic Safety Unit, or develop and implement some other strategy. 

By having managers (area commanders, etc) with the authority to commit resources as they see fit, the delay of problem solving approaches is minimized.  The deployment of personnel may involve changing or adjusting work schedules on short notice.  In many instances, paying overtime to officers in order to maximize resources is part of the manager’s authority. 

Probably the most difficult part of the Compstat Policing process is the final element: Relentless Follow-Up and Assessment.   It allows commanders to manage personnel effectively by making adjustments as needed.  Assessment of the solution will discern whether or not a plan is meeting its intended goals.   

Comstat Policing in Greenville includes elements of Community Oriented Policing best practices, and the Greenville Police Department is working now to adapt to a more intelligence-led, predictive policing methodology, intended to maximize the effective use of our personnel and other resources.  

Opening the 2011 Caldwell Court Substation

Reported UCR part 1 crimes have declined 16% since 2010.  And there has been an overall 5-year reduction of 23% in the crime rate in Greenville.

There is little doubt that the Compstat policing practices adopted by the GPD have helped in this reduction.  Officers and staff will continue to try and keep the trend downward, and look forward to partnering with members of our community toward that goal.

A thief in the night...

Detectives from the Property Crimes Unit have obtained surveillance photographs of 2 people who are considered as suspects in the most recent wave of car break-ins along East 14^th Street.

Surveillance photographs from the nights of April 13-15, taken between the hours of 2—5 am at the Greenville Teen Center, show these 2 suspects as they walked through the area. The 2 suspects broke into the concession stand on April 13.  They were in the same area again and broke into the concession stand again on the night of April 15 when the car break-ins took place.  The Teen Center is located near the intersection of E. Greenville Blvd, and East 14^th Street. 

In the surveillance pictures, 2 white male suspects are pictured.  They appear to be teenaged males, and one suspect is considerably taller than the other.  The taller suspect appears to be about 6‘ tall.  He is wearing basketball shorts with a white stripe on the side, a long sleeve shirt, and he has a backpack.  He has dark hair.  The shorter suspect is about 5’ tall, and seen wearing dark pants, possibly shorts, a long sleeve shirt, and he appears to be wearing a baseball hat.

This case investigation is continuing and detectives are working to develop additional leads.  Any person who can identify the 2 suspects in these photographs, is asked to call the Greenville Police Department at 252-329-4315.



Weekend update...

It was a busy weekend for the police.  On Saturday morning, April 15, Greenville Police officers responded to 23 reports of car break-ins around the East 14^th Street corridor.  In almost every case, thieves targeted unlocked cars and stole valuable electronics, purses, loose change, and other items.

In some of these case reports, thieves stole purses and wallets, and then discarded them nearby after having searched through them for money and credit cards.  In a few of the cases, physical evidence was recovered by the police.

The Greenville Police Department is investigating these cases and detectives are developing a few leads. 

The Department asks the public to please report any suspicious activity to the police department.  Anyone having information on these cases is asked to call the Greenville Police Department at 252-329-4315, or Pitt-Greenville CrimeStoppers at 252-758-7777.

Early on  Sunday, April 15, a young man reported that he had been robbed and shot after meeting 2 women at a local nightclub.  After the nightclub was closed, the man apparantly was invited to socialize with the women, who took him in their car for a ride.  After a brief ride, the women stopped the car on a side street near Greensprings Park.  4 suspects then approached the car and robbed the young man.  He was shot in the leg as he tried to run away.  The women drove away.

On Sunday afternoon,  April 15,  a car crash on S. Memorial Drive at about 5:00 pm knocked out power in the area and closed Memorial Drive to traffic for several hours.  The patrol officers called on our Citizens On Patrol volunteers [COPs] to assist with the enormous traffic problem, and the volunteers COPs stepped up in a big way.  The COPs assisted with traffic diversion and traffic direction for several hours. 

A grandmother's love...

Across the nation, con artists are scamming grandparents out of thousands of dollars by posing as grandchildren in distress.  In one instance, Michigan, grandparents were taken for $33,000.  They wire transferred $3,000 to someone they thought was their grandson after he called and claimed he was caught fishing without a license in Canada and needed to pay a $3,000 fine.  They were taken for an additional $30,000 after the supposed grandson called again to say that alcohol and drugs were found when his boat was searched, and he needed $30,000 to post bond to get out of a Canadian jail.

how the scam works  

A grandparent receives a frantic call from someone they believe to be their grandchild.   The supposed grandchild sounds distressed and may be calling from a noisy location.  The supposed grandchild claims to be involved in some type of trouble while traveling, such as being arrested or in a car accident or needing emergency car repairs, and asks the grandparent to immediately wire money to post bail or pay for medical treatment or car repairs.   The scammer typically asks for several thousand dollars, and may even call back again several hours or days later asking for more money.  He or she may claim embarrassment about the alleged trouble and ask the grandparent to keep it a secret.

A variation of the scam may involve two scammers -- the first scammer calls and poses as a grandchild under arrest.  The second scammer, posing as some type of law enforcement officer, then gets on the phone with the grandparent and explains what fines need to be paid.  Alternatively, the scammer may pretend to be a family friend or neighbor. 

A common theme of the scam across the nation is the caller's request for the grandparent to wire money through Western Union or MoneyGram or to provide bank account routing numbers.  Wiring money is like sending cash; there are no protections for the sender.  Typically there is no way you can reverse the transaction, trace the money, or recover payment from the telephone con artists.

These types of scams occur often, and Greenville Police have recently received reports from victims of this type of scam. 

Be suspicious when you receive a telephone call where:

• A grandchild calls you from a far away location.
• The grandchild says, "It's me," or "It's your grandson," or "It's your favorite grandchild."
• The grandchild is in some trouble or some type of distress.
• The caller asks for money to be wire transferred

If you receive such a call, you should verify the identity and location of the grandchild claiming to be in trouble.  You should hang up and call another family member who can confirm your grandchild's whereabouts.  Try calling your grandchild at the telephone number through which you normally reach him or her.  Stay calm and avoid acting out of a sense of urgency.  Do not wire money unless you have verified with an independent third party that your grandchild is truly in trouble. 

10-4...

The week of April 8-14, 2012 is National Telecommunicator Week, intended to honor the first link in the chain of emergency police, fire, and medical emergency responses.   

The U.S. Congress established this week in 1991 to recognize and honor public safety dispatchers and telecommunicators for their devotion to duty and contributions to providing us with safer communities.

Public safety telecommunicators are the driving force behind our Nation's emergency rescue services. They are the men and women who dispatch our police forces, our ambulances, and our firefighters.  Although they are not as visible as the men and women who arrive at the scene of emergencies, they are just  as important.

If you’ve ever been the victim of a crime, been in an automobile crash, reported a fire, or needed emergency medical help, you’ve called 9-1-1 and been helped by a telecommunicator.

America’s public safety telecommunicators serve our citizens daily in countless ways. The work of these “unseen first responders” is invaluable in emergency situations, and each of these dedicated men and women deserves our heartfelt appreciation.

This week is a time for a grateful community to show its appreciation and to recognize that our health, safety, and well-being are often dependent on the commitment and steadfast devotion of public safety telecommunicators.

The Greenville Police Department employs 17 telecommunicators in our Communications Center.  These devoted professionals are on duty 24 hours a day to answer calls for service and coordinate responses from police, fire, and EMS to all types and levels of emergency situations.

Telecommunicators serve as the lifeline that connects the public and our first responders.

Property & evidence...

Several times each year, the GPD Property & Evidence Custodian must purge items of evidence that are no longer needed for court purposes.  Other items of property, usually found items with no known owners, are also destroyed. 

Before any property or evidence items can be purged and destroyed, the department must follow state laws and professional standards regarding the disposal of property & evidence. 

Unclaimed found property must be kept for a certain amount of time before it can be disposed of, usually at least 6 months.  Some items, such as bicycles for example, may be sold at auction.    Most items that are found and never claimed by the owners are usually destroyed.

Items that were once used as evidence are destroyed after their evidentiary value is gone.  A district or superior court judge must sign a destruction order that authorizes the department to dispose of the evidence.  Drug items are burned.  non-drug items are crushed.

These destruction processes are very controlled and regulated.  Personnel from various functions within the department participate in this process to assure everything is done thoroughly and completely.

Non-drug items are taken to the landfill.  Before they go into the landfill, however, every item is crushed by heavy machinery so that nothing can be salvaged or retrieved.

Drug items, such as marijuana, cocaine, and other illegal drugs, are burned in a local industrial-grade incinerator.   The incinerator burns the drug items at over 1,000 degrees;..so hot that no smoke is generated.

This short video illustrates the destruction process:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPMLvEwlCr8

The management of seized, recovered, and found property is a whole function within the department that the general public seldom gets to see.  The Greenville Police Department may have in its possession more than 75,000 individual items of property & evidence at any one time.  Some of these items will be kept practically forever because of their nature.  Evidence associated with a homicide is a good example of this type of property.

Other items may come and go in only a few months.

Property & evidence management is one of the many comprehensive functions of every professional police department.

Ripley's believe it...

Greenville Police officers responded to a reported armed robbery at Sterling Pointe apartments on Wednesday morning April 4, at about 5:40 a.m.

Officer M.T. McKnight met the reporting person, Kristopher Jackson near building 3940.  Jackson reported that he had just been robbed of $1,150 by somebody he knew as “Rocko.”

Jackson told the officer that he was at home and had received a phone call from a friend requesting a ride from downtown Greenville to Sterling Pointe, and that Jackson had provided the ride.  Jackson told the officer that he had known this friend for approximately 3 years, but that he did not know what the friend’s real name was.

Jackson further reported that when he and his mystery friend arrived at Sterling Pointe, a man named “Rocko” got into the backseat of his car.  “Rocko” then pointed a silver handgun at Jackson and robbed him of his money.  When questioned further, Jackson could not provide the officer with the telephone number for his friend, or say exactly where his friend went after the robbery.

Officer McKnight continued to interview Jackson and noted several inconsistent statements from him. Jackson changed his account of the events several times.   Officer McKnight conducted a computerized records check, where he found that Jackson was wanted for 2 counts of Failure to Appear in court on drug charges in Guilford County.

Officer McKnight arrested Jackson on the outstanding warrants from Guilford County.  Jackson was jailed under a $50 cash bond at the Pitt County Detention Center.

Closure for now...

Working from investigative leads and with assistance from CrimeStoppers, on Wednesday detectives from the Major Crimes Unit obtained arrest warrants in the murder case from 314 Academy Drive that occurred March 23.

Detectives contacted one of the suspects, Kuante Stanley, early Wednesday morning, and he came to the police department where he was arrested without incident.

With aid from the US Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force, detectives located the second suspect, Montrell Washington, at the Baymont Inn on S. Memorial Drive in Greenville. GPD officers and US Marshals surrounded the hotel and Police Negotiators then contacted Washington. He surrendered to police at 3:15 pm Wednesday afternoon without incident.

Both men are being charged with 2 counts each of Murder, Armed Robbery, and Kidnapping.  Police believe a drug-related robbery was the motive for the killings of 29 year old Shakeyeta Woolard and her boyfriend, 27 year old Keri Kenlaw.  Both victims where shot with handguns in their home.

Suspects Washington and Stanley are being held without bond pending their first appearance in court.

You can lead a horse to water...

Leaving an unlocked car with valuable items in plain sight is an open invitation to thieves.  Here are a few examples taken from the police blotter over the past week:

• Case #12-20835  B,E (mv) 301 SE Greenville Blvd (Motel 6) occurred between 0030 & 0300 on 3/21:  The victim was out visiting friends left his cousins vehicle unlocked. When he returned his bag containing his laptop was gone.

• Case #12-20586;  B&E Vehicle, 635 Cotanche Street:  Incident occurred between 1900 on 3/30 and 1600 on 3/31.  Suspect entered an unlocked vehicle and removed  a brown purse.  A white gold ring with a blue center and diamonds on it was also taken.  No latent evidence. 

• Case #12-18903 / Breaking and Entering M/V - Larceny  – 305 Davis Street:  Victim stated that  while she was caring for a patient at the location  she was informed that all the doors were open to her vehicle that was in the driveway. The victim stated that she investigated to find that someone had taken $20.00 from her wallet inside her purse. The victim stated the offender only took $20.00 and left her purse behind containing identification/other items. No forced entry or latent prints were located.  

• Case #12-20205 B&E Vehicle  3530 Diamond Dr.:  Officers responded to this location and spoke with the victim.    He left his trailer unsecured overnight 3/29/12.  When he returned the next morning, many of his hand tools had been stolen out of the trailer.  No prints were recovered.

Please secure your car and take any valuable items, including bags and boxes, out of your car.  Thieves love to steal from unlocked cars.  Let's not make it easier for them.  Report suspicious activity to the police right away.