Greetings Northwest, we are a month into 2022 and I am happy to report some exciting news. The 2022 A
PD Field Services Bid will take effect on February 12, 2022. The new bid brings with it an increase in lieutenants, sergeants and officers for the Northwest Area Command. Dur-ing this bid, officers will switch from 8-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts. This schedule will provide greater coverage and overlap.
We did lose two quality leaders recently to retire-ment, Sergeant George Gabaldon from the Proactive Response Team (PRT) and Sergeant Cody Holmes from the Westside Impact Team. However, we gained two strong replace-ments in Sergeant Chris Poccia for PRT and Sergeant Marc Clingenpeel for Impact.
Sgt. Poccia has already organized an operation to address the crime concen-trated in the West Bluff and Cottonwood retail areas. The operation was a collaboration of local retailers, PRT, Impact, the Organized Crime Unit, the ATF and the Attorney General’s Office. By working together, this two-day operation resulted in arrests of 15 repeat felony offenders, recovery of more than $5000.00 in merchandise, three recovered stolen vehicles and a recov-ered firearm. This operation was the first of many to come.
We are unfortunately still seeing an increase in robberies and stolen vehicles so please pay attention to Pete Gelabert’s advice when it comes to making yourself and your property less desirable targets to criminals. We are work-ing with the Armed Robbery Unit, the Auto Theft Unit and the ATF to ad-dress these issues. Outside of these two categories, crime is down across the board.
As always, I encourage everyone to participate in the Northwest Communi-ty Policing Council, Cop on a Corner and Coffee with a Cop. Open dia-logue and communication are key to our success. Please keep an eye on the Northwest Area Command website for upcoming events.