That's a lot of saran wrap...

On Friday June 1, 2012 the Greenville Regional Drug Task Force, the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit, and DEA Raleigh concluded a 5 month long Marijuana Trafficking Investigation. The investigation led to the recovery of 122 lbs. of marijuana. The arrests and seizures were made at the intersection of Memorial Dr. and Stantonsburg Rd. at approximately 7:30 am.  The following subjects were arrested:

• Filiberto Cobarrubias-Herrera, 38 years old, Mebane, N.C.
• Angel Aguirre Luna, 47 years old, Burlington,  N.C.

The Goldsboro Police Department and Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the investigation.  Today’s arrest and seizure is not connected to the seizure of marijuana on May 31, 2012.  Members of the Greenville Regional Drug Task Force include the Greenville Police Department, the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Farmville Police Department.



122 pounds of marijuana seized by the Drug Task Force



A pink slip and the big picture....

"Don't you have something more important to do than write me a ticket?" ...It seems every police officer at some point in their career has been asked that question.

The fact is, traffic enforcement is just one part of a comprehensive approach toward making our community safe.    The Greenville Police Department works toward a safer community in a variety of ways. Among these are:  patrol officers and detectives catching criminals, volunteers working on community watch, code enforcement working to reduce public hazards,  community outreach with kids in the PAL program, and through traffic safety enforcement, just to name a few.

Let's dispel a few myths right here.  There is no such thing as a quota for traffic tickets.  Traffic tickets do not generate revenue for the City.  And no police officer has ever received a toaster oven for writing the most traffic tickets.

But there is a correlation between the number of traffic tickets being written, and the number of car crashes that take place each year.   As the number of traffic tickets that were issued decreased,  the number of car crashes increased.    No myth there. That is a fact.

Are other factors involved? Almost certainly.  The City of Greenville has seen tremendous growth and new roads have been built.  But the fact remains that the number of car crashes yearly has steadily risen from 5,046  crashes in 2005 to 5,575 crashes in 2011.   The number of traffic tickets issued yearly have gone down from 24,478 in 2005 to 14,950 in 2011.

Voluntary compliance to the traffic safety laws leads to safer roadways,  to lives saved, and to a safer community.  That is the goal of traffic safety enforcement and its part of law enforcement, which in turn is part of the bigger picture. 

So when you see that police officer ahead with the RADAR and you slow down, then who knows, a life may be saved and it may be someone you love.  It may even be yours, and what's more important than that?

While you were away...

Officer Slaughter on a traffic stop recovered a small amount of marijuana from the driver, more than likely just purchased from his two passengers. On a consent search a .38 caliber revolver was located under one of the back passengers, arrested was Rashad Lamar Barnes.

Officer Lather stopped Kenneth Johnson for blowing through a stop sign on Chestnut Street. Johnson was extremely nervous and consented to a search. Summing it up, Johnson ate the crack he had just purchased and was charged accordingly. Johnson is on probation and works at the Campus Store.  

Officers Young and Galluppi stopped a vehicle traveling reckless on Myrtle Ave. the driver jumped out stated that he didn’t steal anything. Turns out he and his two passengers had been cleaning out Walmart of steaks, underwear, t-shirts, and bodywash. Arrested:   Antonio Taylor who also had outstanding warrants for FTA Unauthorized Use & Hit Run, Angela Taylor and Mr. William Sheppard. They are now freshly dressed in orange at PCDC.

Can we help you?...

The Police Department front lobby is the front door as well as the front porch of the Greenville Police Department. 

A large volume of police-related business is conducted in the lobby and at the front desk, which is staffed daily by our Community Services personnel and by police officers. 

Many people come to the police department each day to file police reports for every type and variety of incident.  The Community Services personnel see reports for everything from a stolen lawn ornament to sexual assaults, and all things in between. 

Homeless people seeking admission to the Greenville Homeless Shelter come to the front desk to get background papers completed for admission.  Job applicants come here to get fingerprinted.  Almost everyone who has their car towed in Greenville comes through the front lobby to obtain a vehicle release form.  Some people come just to ask directions.  The personnel staffing the front desk see it all, daily.   They maintain a calm composure in the midst of occasional chaos, and seem to handle the many requests for help efficiently and effectively.    

The front desk is open to the public from 7:00 am until 11:00 pm, daily.  Non-sworn Community Services personnel are on duty from 7am to 7pm.  Police officers may be assisting them sometimes during the day, and police officers staff the desk at night until 11pm.  Anyone needing help after 11pm can speak with a dispatcher through an intercom located outside the front door, and a police officer will come to assist them.

Fingerprinting for job applications is conducted on Tuesdays & Thursdays from  8 -10am, and 1-4pm.  Volunteers graciously give their time and assist with fingerprinting--What would we do without the volunteers!?

Another vital part of the front lobby is the Records Division.  The Police Records Division is located on the first floor of the police department and has an access window in the front lobby for customer service. The normal hours of operation are 9:00AM to 5:00PM, Monday through Friday.  Records is closed to the public on Holidays. 

The Records Division handles public requests for Accident, Arrest, and Case Reports as well as applications for various permits.  Each day a small army of people come to the Records window to retrieve police case reports & accident reports.    A small fee is charged for making copies of reports under certain circumstances.  Victims are never charged for getting a police report, though.

Some of the unseen duties of our Records Division include merging computerized records from the Field Reporting System into our Records Management System.  They do quality control, auditing, and data entry.   The Records Division is also responsible for organizing and submitting Greenville Police Records to the NC SBI for

addition to the Uniform Crime Report.

Staffing the front desk and the records division are sometimes thankless jobs, it seems, but they are both extremely important to the proper functioning of the Greenville Police Department.

Some people never learn...

On Tuesday May 21 at about 5:45 pm, Greenville Police IMPACT Officers responded to a report of shots fired in the area of Chestnut Street and West 14^th Street.  Officers found the suspect, 58 year old Sammy Simms, running near Dickinson Avenue and saw Simms throw a handgun into a grass field on Broad Street.

Officers apprehended Simms without incident and further investigation determined Simms had broken into two vehicles and stolen two firearms (a .357 magnum revolver, and a .25 caliber semi-auto pistol) and a knife.  Simms is a repeat offender who is well known to police and to the courts.   As a previous blog entry described it,  Sammy is a  well known "frequent flyer."



Sammy Simms



Witnesses told police that the victims of the car break-ins began chasing Simms after they discovered what he had done.  When Simms realized the victims were chasing him he turned and fired one round in the air and four rounds at the victims.

Sammy Simms was charged with  2 counts of felony B & E from motor vehicle, 2 counts of Larceny of a Firearm, 2 counts of Possession of Stolen Firearm, 2 counts of Possession of Firearm by a Felon, 2 counts of Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Misdemeanor Larceny, and Discharge a Firearm in the city limits. 

Sammy Simms was jailed under a $1.5 Million Dollar Bond. 

For your service, part 2...

Four times each year the City of Greenville and the Greenville Police Department recognizes officers and civilian employees who have continuously served the City, the Department, and the community.  Service ribbons are presented to police officers for service of 5 years or more, and for every 5 years afterward.  These ribbons are issued to police officers to be worn on their uniform, signifying their years of service as police officers.

Service ribbons are symbolic of the public trust that each police officer holds. They represent faithfulness to duty, professionalism, and service to the community.

Officers and employees also receive a service pin and gift from the City for their continued service of 5 years or more.

 

On Wednesday May 16, The Greenville Police Department awarded service ribbons and gifts to the following employees for their continuous years of service:

·         Lieutenant Susan Bass                                   25 years

·         Interim Assistant Chief Ted Sauls                15 years

·         Mrs. Diane Leathers                                         15 years

·         Detective Frank Desantis                               15 years

·         Mrs. Devinder Culver                                         5 years

·         Ms. Molly Muise                                                   5 years

·         Ms. Kellie Mozingo                                             5 years



15-year Service Ribbon



Gently used, still servicable....

The STRIVE Second Chance Re-Entry Program will be hosting a large yard sale at CornerStone Missionary Baptist Church, Saturday, May 19 beginning at 6:00 am. 

CornerStone Baptist Church is located at 1095 Allen Road, near the intersection with Stantonsburg Road.

The Second Chance program is a plan intended to assist released jail inmates by giving them employable skill sets and job search assistance, with the goal of reducing their chances of re-offending and re-incarceration.  

In order to make STRIVE work,  staff members begin counseling with qualified inmates about 6 months prior to their release from jail.Throughout that time the staff members instruct and assist the inmates on job inteview and job skill requirements, goal-setting, and resident placement.

The City of Greenville and the Greenille Police Department are supporters of the STRIVE Re-Entry Program as a long-term crime reduction program and we want to assist in making this yard sale a fundraiser successful.

The acronym STRIVE stands for Support and Training Results In Valuable Employees.  Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church is the sponsoring organization for STRIVE in Greenville and the local STRIVE  program is modeled after a  very successful STRIVE program in Harlem, NY that was featured on the CBS 60 Minutes.

STRIVE is a great example of the public-private / faith-based partnerships that successfully help people in need of direction and guidance.  One of the progam's mantras is, "Inspiring Change That Begins Within."

If you want to learn more about STRIVE, go to their website:  http://www.strivenc.org/

You can also see a recent news story about STRIVE, featured on Greenville's WNCT: 

http://video.wnct.com/v/55932208/11pm-report-pitt-county-s-strive-puts-ex-offenders-back-to-work.htm?q=STRIVE