Call box key

Last night was the graduation ceremony for our Spring academy. Seventeen new police officers were commissioned. They were hired for these positions from a total pool of 372 applicants. I've been making remarks at two graduations annually for 14 years, and the regular attendees are probably a little tired of couple of variations on the theme that I normally talk about. Nonetheless, I haven't covered this ground in The Chief's Corner, and I thought it might make a good story for those who haven't had to hear it a dozen times before.

It's about the endurance of values in the police department. I talked to the trainees earlier in the day about the importance of upholding their ethics, abiding by their oath, keeping balance in their lives, focusing on quality, not obsessing over the inevitable missteps that will start tomorrow, and a few other things I think are important for police officers. The most important of all: The Golden Rule. I told them that the values of the organization are healthy, and are passed on from each generation to the next.

To illustrate the point, I tossed them my key ring. The gray plastic fob is a smart card that pops the doors in our facilities' computer-controlled access system. The brass key is my call box key. New recruits don't know what a call box key is, and some readers won't either. A call box is a metal box containing a direct-line telephone to headquarters. This is how the police communicated before radio. These boxes were strategically located around the city, and on a specified interval, the officers contacted headquarters for dispatches or instructions, and to report their status.

When I was hired in the summer of 1974 the call box key was among the stuff in the cardboard box of gear Officer Paul Wiar issued to me. Forty years earlier, LPD's first radio system was acquired in 1933. It was receive only, until two way radios were deployed in 1942 (page 9, if you have the patience). By the mid 1960's portable two-way radios were common, and by the time I started, everyone went out with both a mobile radio in the car, and a portable on the belt. Rookie officers all started with an assignment to downtown foot patrol. We were required to go to a call box and phone in to HQ between five minutes to and five minutes after the hour. The call boxes were long obsolete, but we were still calling in every hour, even though we all carried perfectly functional portable radios on our Sam Brownes.

The last remaining call boxes were removed from downtown utility poles in the mid-1970's. I'm still carrying the key, which has now been obsolete for at least 30 years. I'm not alone, many Lincoln police officers still have their call box key. The key is emblematic of tradition, endurance, and the inertia of values. We best make sure those are healthy and productive, because they last a long, long time.

Graduation ceremonies are among my favorite duties. Department veterans look forward immensely to watching the careers of these men and women unfold, and seeing them have the same opportunity to do challenging, socially-significant work that we have enjoyed.

Lock slows burglars

A few weeks ago, a burglary was reported at a self-storage unit in north Lincoln. It came to my attention because I know the victim, Steve, and he told me about the crime. Somebody clipped the padlock on his unit with bolt cutters, and made off with a trunk-load of goods. Among the stolen items were hundreds of jazz CDs.

The case was cleared when the suspects tried to sell the goods at a second-hand music/video/game store. I guess the people that showed up trying to offload the collection just didn't look like fans of classic jazz, and the owner was suspicious. He contacted us, and within a few days we had arrested three suspects--all meth addicts, two of whom are recently released from prison.

Before the arrests were made, I quizzed Steve about his padlock, and told him to get a disc lock. A few days ago, he confirmed that he had done so. Several years ago during an ACUDAT meeting, we were examining a spate of storage unit burglaries. During the discussion, Det. Sgt. Jeri Roeder mentioned that she rented a storage unit personally, and that the company required tenants to purchase a disc lock. She could never recall a case where one of these locks had been successfully attacked. No one else could either. From that point forward, the disc lock has been standard advice to owners and tenants of storage units.

This style of lock isn't a guarantee, but a standard padlock is a snap for a burglar armed with bolt cutters. Getting around a disc lock is a more complicated affair, and as we know, most burglars are essentially disorganized, lazy, and possessed of a rather short attention span. Let them move on to an easier target.

There have been 19 storage unit burglaries in Lincoln so far in 2008. The number has fallen like a rock over the past decade. I would attribute this in part to our efforts to promote better locks, in part to better physical security by complex owners, and in part to the proliferation of video surveillance systems. That's a very nice trend line.

Retirees appreciated

Last week, we held a luncheon for our retired police officers and civilian personnel at the Northeast Team's Station in University Place. We had a great turnout, ranging from some very recent retirees to some pretty seasoned veterans.

After a nice lunch and a short talk about some of the issues the department is dealing with at the present, everyone had a chance for a tour of the facility, and we ended up in the conference room where help was solicited identifying the personnel in many old photos. Do yourself a favor and write those names on the back of prints as soon as you get them. And get cranking on my digital collection, too.

These men and women committed their lives to public service. When I joined LPD, many of them were in supervisory and command ranks. The department wasn't without flaws, but I came to work for an organization with strong values and a strong work ethic, where misconduct was rare and wasn't tolerated well. I learned a lot from the example of my supervisors, particularly those that were upbeat, enthusiastic, and clearly enjoyed what they were doing. I think they still do. They still follow the trials and tribulations of LPD, and despite the moaning and groaning we all do during our work lives, they're still stuck to this department like glue.

When I walked up to the front of the building, one of our newest rookies, freshly assigned to the Northeast Team, was on the steps shaking hands with one of our most senior retirees. It was a nice picture. I guarantee you he wished he could change places with Derek, and was thinking back to the day he was in the same place, just starting out on an incredibly exciting, challenging, and fulfilling career at the Lincoln Police Department.

Thanks are due to Capt. Joy Citta, Michele Selvage, Sgt. Don Scheinost, Officer Katie Flood, and Mallory the Intern for organizing the event, and to Capt. Doug Srb and his staff for hosting.

History online

I'm not exactly sure why, but The Chief's Corner seems to be particularly popular among librarians. Someone must have discovered it one day, and forwarded the link around. It makes sense, I suppose, since they are in the information business. At any rate, some of the employees over at the Nebraska Library Commission took note of a few posts concerning the history of the Lincoln Police Department. It turns out that the commission is involved in a great project to do exactly what we've been working on: preserving and digitizing many of our historic documents and photos for online access.

We've been doing this work using a succession of interns. Free labor is great, but it's also episodic, so the work proceeds slowly, if steadily. The Library Commission, however, has the scanning, conversion, and web serving of historic documents on a fast track with the Nebraska Memories Project. We are thrilled to have their help, and this is a great way to make our historic documents available to the general public. We hope you enjoy the collection as it grows!

Benchmark chiefs' discussion

I am just returning from this year's meeting with the Benchmark City Chiefs. Chief Mark Beckner hosted this year's meeting in Boulder. Eighteen of the 20 cities were represented. As usual it was a great exchange of information and dialogue about our issues of mutual concern.

The much-anticipated discussion of binge drinking by young people and the legal drinking age was cordial and open-minded all around. I found an ally in Chief Dennis Harrison of Fort Collins. Following several alcohol-related deaths, the 2004 alcohol poisoning death of Samantha Spady at a Colorado State University fraternity was a catalyst for change. A broad-based coalition led by the lieutenant governor was formed, and Chief Harrison reports that there is good progress being made in addressing binge drinking with consistent efforts that sound quite similar to our ten year effort with NU Directions (now the Lincoln College Partnership.) There was a lot of discussion of the link between high risk drinking and violent crimes that victimize young people.

We also had a great round table discussion about things we are each doing that are innovative, effective, and potentially of value to other agencies. I highlighted our computer-enhanced roll calls, a training series Capt. Brian Jackson and I have been conducting to help officers prepare for career opportunities, and our efforts to improve fuel mileage through reduced idling.

Richardson, TX has a very intriguing program that really caught my eye. Chief Larry Zacharias calls it "The Richardson Challenge." It is a series of rather non-traditional challenges for new officers to complete during their first year. I want to look into that more.

Yesterday morning, we closed things up with a discussion of budget issues most of us are confronting. With a couple of exceptions, most of these 20 cities are in the same boat with Lincoln: we've grown dependent on sales tax for funding city government, and it has gone flat. We have almost all had varying degrees of pain associated with the current economic conditions.

At dinner Sunday night, I was something of a rookie at my table with a mere 33 years. Dennis Harrison (Ft. Collins, CO), Craig Steckler (Fremont, CA), David Dial (Napierville, IL) , John Douglass (Overland Park, KS), and Phil Cotton (Norman, OK) all had time on me. In this business, the average tenure of chiefs is not very long, but in this group we are all among the original chiefs who formed the Benchmark Chiefs in 1997. We can finish each other's sentences.

Two more guns located

Over the past seven months, I have blogged several times about Lincoln's largest gun shop burglary at Scheel's All Sports back on October 1, 2007. Although 30 of the guns were recovered within a day of the burglary, the remainder have been surfacing in an incredible array of crimes and tragedies.

Since the initial recovery of 30 guns in October, 11 more have been located. Two of these have were accounted for in the past week. Number 10, a Ruger .40 cal., was actually recovered some time ago, but we just learned of it last week. Apparently Phoenix police, investigating a robbery of an individual which occurred on November 29, 2007 identified a suspect who was allegedly attempting to cash a check stolen in the crime. The suspect's vehicle was impounded and was searched pursuant to a search warrant on March 7, 2008. The gun was recovered at that time, but we were not notified until a confirmation request was sent to LPD on May 14.

Number 11, a Glock 9mm, was recovered last Friday, May 16, in Omaha during a vehicle stop by the Omaha Police Department. The pistol was located under the driver's seat. This brings the total recoveries to 41. The total number of guns still missing stands at 39, and the investigation continues.

Two good meetings

A couple of very good meetings took place last week that are noteworthy. On Monday evening, Jon Carlson, Capt. Mike Woolman and I hosted a meeting with landlords. We had invited the individuals and companies who own rental property in the 48 square block area south of the State Capitol where we are focusing our efforts for Stronger Safer Neighborhoods.

I expected a light turnout, and was quite surprised when about 80 individuals showed up at headquarters. We briefed the group on what we are up to in the neighborhood, and introduced them to some resources that might help them: LPD's online resources for background checks, Lincoln's REOMA (Real Estate Owners and Managers Association), and Tenant Data Services. There was a good discussion, and many landlords lingered after the meeting to talk about various issues in greater detail. Landlords are key stakeholders in this area, where the home ownership rate is very low, and 94% of the residential units are rentals.

Meeting number two was on Wednesday night, when I met with high school youth at an open forum sponsored by the Lincoln Police Department's Youth Advisory Council. It was a good discussion with a diverse group of about 40. The most interesting question: "What can we do to help you?" I mentioned practicing good crime prevention (young people are disproportionately victimized by crime) with some specific examples, and staying active in community affairs--including paying attention to the police department's issues, and continuing to give us advice and feedback.

I noted previously that the Topeka Police Department was impressed with our Youth Advisory Council, and has organized a group of there own. All in all, a pair of very worthwhile evenings with two quite different groups, both very engaged and willing to help.

Peace Officers Memorial Day

Flags across the United States will be at half staff today. In 1962 a joint resolution of Congress authorized and requested President John F. Kennedy to proclaim May 15 of each year as Peace Officer's Memorial Day. The week in which it falls is "Police Week," and nationwide at court houses, state houses, cemeteries, police stations, and other locations ceremonies large and small will be held honoring police officers, deputy sheriffs, state troopers, and other law officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

The Lincoln Police Department marked Police Week at our own ceremony on the steps of the Hall of Justice and Law Enforcement Center on Tuesday. A nice crowd ranging from our newest recruits to a large contingent of our retirees turned out to here remarks appropriate for the occasion by our long time colleague from the City Law Department, John McQuinn after an invocaton by Rev. Dr. Harry Riggs. Captain Genelle Moore revealed a previously hidden talent by singing Amazing Grace a capella, the LPD Honor Guard posted and retired the colors with their usual precision, and Sgt. Tom Ward's playing of taps raised the goose bumps on many arms.

All in all, it was a fitting remembrance of those officers who gave their lives in service to their fellow citizens of Lincoln. It has been forty years since a Lincoln police officer has died in the line of duty. I think, though, that we all realize it could happen at any instant. We will pass the memory of these five officers on to each succeeding generation of Lincoln police officers.

Captain Charles E. Hall died on March 31, 1917 in a motor vehicle collision near 33rd and Adams. Detective Hall was 53 years old and survived by his wife and four children.

Officer Richard E. Leyden died on September 26, 1949 of injuries suffered in a traffic collision on 16th St. between G and H. Officer Leyden was to be married on October 2, 1949.

Detective Lieutenant Frank H. Soukup died on December 16, 1966. in a gun battle at 2413 P Street. Lt. Soukup was 53 years old and survived by his wife and three children.

Detective Paul B. Whitehead died on August 10, 1967 when he was shot near 38th and O Street by an escapee from the Indiana State Prison. Detective Whitehead was 30 years old and survived by his wife and three children.

Officer George E. Welter died on February 9, 1968 when his police motorcycle collided with a motor vehicle at 27th and W Street. Officer Welter was 25 years old and survived by his wife and three children.