We'll miss you, Fred...

The Police Department is saddened to hear that a long-time friend has passed away. Fred Bazemore was a quiet and gentle soul who for many years came to visit officers in the GPD, and firefighters at Greenville Fire-Rescue. 

Fred would come to the lobby of the GPD almost daily and was always happy to receive gifts from his friends, a dollar or two for some chewing tobacco, or a soft drink. He always had a smile on his face and enjoyed the police and firefighters as his friends.

Fred was a regular customer at Cubbie's Restaurant downtown. He could be found there almost daily. He also knew almost all the employees at City Hall, where he stopped frequently to say hello.

Battalion Chief Tony Smart spoke with Fred’s sister, who said she was very appreciative of the relationship between us all and Fred. He enjoyed the friendships during the 35+ years that he came by the station(s) and the various functions when he was included.

Fred's health began to decline several years ago, and his visits to the Department became less frequent. He passed away on Friday.

Fred, we will miss you.

Fred Bazemore

Nightmare...

It has to be a parent's worst nightmare.   As parents with teenagers in college, we know the possibility exists that we will receive this call.  But under most circumstances we expect a car crash,  possibly a drowning, but who could anticipate impalement?  

Police this morning responded to University Manor apartments to assist EMS regarding an ECU student who fell and was killed by becoming impaled on a metal post.

Detectives from the Greenville Police Major Crimes and Special Victims Unit found from their interviews that the victim and 4 friends were out in the woods behind the apartment complex. They had been drinking alcohol and were hanging out on an overturned tree.  As they were headed back to the apartment complex, the victim was holding on to a branch above him and walking on one below him.  The branch above broke and gave way, with him falling to the ground.  

Below him was a waist-high metal post sticking out of the ground.  The post was apparently there as part of a debris fence that had been in place since the apartment complex was built.  The post impaled the victim from the lower left back to the upper right chest.  

The witnesses attempted to render first aid but were not successful.  Detectives believe the victim died almost instantaneously.

An autopsy will be performed.

It is a parent's worst nightmare.

God's grace...

At about 2:45 a.m on Thursday, January 18, 2007, 4 men entered the duplex at 1312-A East 14th Street.  They were armed with guns and went in to rob one of the occupants who was known to be selling marijuana.

A young man by the name of John Scott Alligood was in there, too.  John was an ECU student.  He was from Washington, NC.   John wasn't selling drugs, but his room-mate  Thomas Harris was.

John was in the living room as the 4 suspects went in.  When the robbers came through the front door John stood up, and as he did so, one of the suspect swung a pistol at him to knock him back down.   The gun fired and John was struck in the chest.   John Alligood died a few days later.

The shooter, a young man named Cam Parker, had already committed at least one other murder by the time he and several associates planned to rob this college dope dealer...

Fast forward to Thursday April 11, 2013:  6 college-aged people are in a house on Cotanche Street.  Around midnight 3 armed suspects burst through the door to rob them of some pot, money, and cell phones...

...by the Grace of God, nobody got killed.

A chilling thing to do...

"The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin," says the newspaper or TV anchor...but really, there is much more to it than that.

One of the most difficult jobs a police officer ever does is to deliver a death notification.  Telling a person their loved one is dead, experiencing that reaction, dealing with the trauma, and answering the inevitable questions are elements to the notification process that no officer who has done this ever forgets.

It is most important that family members hear it from a representative of the official agency, and not from a roundabout source such as the media.

A death notification should be made in person whenever possible, but truth be told sometimes that doesn't work out.  Locating family members in a timely manner can be very difficult, and with our mobile world, family members are often hundreds of miles away.  

When a death notice has to be made in far away jurisdiction, then ideally, the local law enforcement agency would make a proper notification.  Sometimes all a family member gets is a notice to call the police in Greenville NC.

There is no sugarcoating a death message.  The officer delivering such a notice must be clear and straightforward, but compassionate. The officer needs to have detailed information about the incident and be ready to anticipate all manner of questions and emotions.  The officer will stay with a family and assist them to summon other family members, clergy, or offer whatever logistical assistance possible in the situation.

Speaking from experience, it is a chilling thing to tell parents their son is dead: Something an officer never forgets.  It is also a reminder that our profession is one of service and compassion, as much as enforcement.

Doctor's advice...

Time between calls for service is precious time for a police officer.  It affords the officer an opportunity to do things beyond the normal routine, to be proactive and to go beyond the boundaries of the radio calls for service.

Uncommitted time for most patrol officers is dispersed in small snippets--25 minutes here,  15 minutes there, 45 minutes...and no officer can predict how long that time will be available.  So, making the most of uncommitted patrol time is very important to the mission of the Department and to the delivery of quality police services.

This is where the "Koper Curve Principle" comes in.   Dr. Chris Koper is a police scientist at George Mason University.  His Koper Curve Principle says that a police officer who conducts highly visible and active patrolling for 12-16 minutes in one hot spot area can reduce crime in that area for 2 hours afterwards.

The highly visible and active patrol includes police foot patrols, field interviews, bicycle patrols, check points, and other patrols besides just driving through in a patrol car.

Dr. Koper's theory has been proven to work in other cities.  It is being put to use here in Greenville.

When you see Greenville Police officers walking the beat or conducting check points, you will know they are also following the advice of Dr. Koper, doing crime prevention in accordance with the Koper Curve theory.

For more detailed information about Hot Spot Policing, check out this Web Link:   Hot-Spot Policing Put To The Test