Fairfield Glade Police Department hosted a Conrad Facility Tour on Dec. 15. The tourists learned about the department, its services, programs, training, implementations and the proactive measures they take to ensure the community’s safety.
Directly following the tour of the department building, Chief Kate Self and captains Mark Rosser and Fred Sherrill offered the group a presentation. Self spoke on Fairfield Glade infraction statistics, issues and new programs going into the New Year. Rosser presented on scam awareness and Sherrill gave safety tips for winter travelers to consider.
Self gave statistics for the department year-to-date through November: FGPD conducted 28,128 house watch/home security checks; 583 reports, compared to 500 the same time last year; arrests were 73, compared to 58 last year, for a 26% increase.
“These arrests are primarily this year in the ‘other’ category. What that means are felony arrest and our drug cases. So those are our possession or simple possession cases,” Self said.
Self said that FGPD would be expanding on the home security/house watch program next year and their training. Each officer in the department is trained in basic first aid, AED and CPR. Each squad car has an AED, and each officer carries NARCAN to administer in the event of an overdose and individual first aid kits on their person and are tourniquet trained.
Self said one of FGPD’s officers attended a tactical medical response instructor course and will be training the entire department in the coming year. FGPD has also partnered with other law enforcement agencies to become training adjuncts and host training courses in exchange for lowered and waived academy training costs.
“We have made a lot of changes within our department. We are getting officers that are younger and more proactive. They’re eager,” Self said. “Yes, it takes a toll because we have to send them to the academy, and that’s more of a cost to us on our budget. But, for us to serve you guys more effectively and for public safety, we find that we need to be less reactive and need to be more proactive to ensure you guys are safe.
“That’s why you see these [arrest] numbers that are higher. We are not trying to alarm you. We are not trying to scare you. But, we want to be transparent.
“We’re out here making sure we can intervene and interdict what’s coming into our community and keep it out; less drugs, less thefts, less burglaries, less violent crime.”
Self then presented traffic citation statistics. Through November, the department issued 1,599 citations, a 55% increase for the same timeframe last year. Speeding accounted for 1,036 of those citations.
Though speeding is an issue, Self noted that those numbers show an increase not necessarily because more people were speeding more often but due to hiring more officers and their ability to saturate more problematic areas. In contrast, last year, FGPD experienced an extreme staffing shortage.
Rosser then presented on scam awareness, with ploys and cons that range from what he describes as a “nuisance” to “life-changing.”
“Some of the things that hit our community the hardest out here are scams,” Rosser said. “You work your whole life to be able to live the life that you want. You’re living comfortably, and you’ve got this good nest egg. You get a phone call or text on the computer, and the next thing you know, your whole life savings is gone, with no way to retrieve it.
Rosser added the department is dedicated to raising awareness about emerging and trending scams to prevent residents from being taken advantage of and resolving scam cases.
There are three signs that it might be a scam:
1. There’s an unexpected problem or opportunity, like computer virus issues, a loved one needs help or was arrested, or someone won a prize.
2. There is a time limit to respond; something terrible will happen, or lose the opportunity.
3. There is an expectation of payment, be it in the form of money, gift cards, cryptocurrency and Bitcoin, kiosks, wire transfers, or requests for bank or credit card information over the phone.
Another scam that has come down the pike is what Rosser referred to as a “title scam,” in which a criminal creates a fake property listing as a seller, receives money from the buyer and doesn’t actually own it.
Sherrill then presented winter traveler tips and helping residents plan:
1. Research forecasts for impending weather events.
2. Address concerns about health needs, pack necessary medications and fill out a Vial of Life and a Yellow Dot Packet to keep in the car.
3. Pre-trip vehicle: assess tire wear and proper tread; maintain adequate air pressure in tires; check oil, transmission fluid and antifreeze; check and replace bulbs for turn signals and high and low beam headlights. Also, be sure to have a spare tire in working order, a car jack, lug wrench and jumper cables. Additional emergency items to consider are tire air compressor, an additional gallon of pre-diluted antifreeze, a flashlight and batteries, bottled water, dry snacks and quilts.
4. Research roadway changes, such as potential road construction, detours, high-traffic areas and congestion.
