In 2004, Bayshore
Drive in East Naples was a haven for criminals, drugs and homeless people.
A local task
force, led by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office’s East Naples Community
Oriented Policing (COPS) Unit, was created and began tackling the myriad
problems in the area known as the Bayshore Triangle - Bayshore Drive bounded by
U.S. 41 East and Thomasson Drive. Problems also included trash in the streets, street light repairs and abandoned buildings.
The task
force was successful in taking a community riddled with crime and disorder and
transforming it into a thriving and healthy community.
The East Naples
COPS Unit was recently named the recipient of the 2014 L. Anthony Sutin Civic
Imagination Award for this collaborative effort that resulted in the successful
revival of Bayshore Drive.
The U.S.
Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services gives the award annually to honor creative,
successful and forward-thinking collaborations between local law enforcement
agencies and the communities they serve.
Cpl. Michael
Nelson and Cpl. Robert
Reu who started the project,
along with fellow COPS deputies Sylee Gibson, Angela Ison, James Spartz, and
William Pschigoda were joined by the Bayshore/Gateway Triangle Community
Redevelopment Agency Operations Manager Jean Jourdan as this year’s honorees.
“The
Bayshore Triangle Project has truly optimized the community policing principles
by improving the quality of life and increasing civic engagement through the
creation of innovative partnerships and problem-solving strategies,’’ said COPS
Office Director Ronald L. Davis in a press release announcing the award.
“Congratulations to the Bayshore Triangle Project for their exemplary work and
dedication to the community.”
Collier
County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk has long been a proponent of community-oriented
policing. The success of this project is proof community policing works, the
sheriff said.
“This
collaborative effort is an example of community policing at its finest,”
Sheriff Rambosk said.
Calls for law enforcement services are down
nearly 50 percent, as a direct result of the local community working together
with deputies, code enforcement officers and other local agencies. Commercial
and residential growth is on the rise. Eleven new businesses have opened their
doors since the project began. Several apartment buildings have been converted
to condominiums. There has been expansion done to the Naples Botanical Gardens
and Bayview Park. Construction on two new housing developments is underway. The
proactive redevelopment of the community has led to the area being designated
an arts district.
“The visible
prostitutes and drug dealers disappeared and were replaced with young joggers
and mothers pushing strollers with children,” said Steve Sherman, a retired
police officer who lives off Bayshore Drive.
Jourdan, the
CRA operations manager, said the reduction in crime was made possible by
deputies providing local government agencies with statistics on where calls for
service and complaints were coming from. This allowed the agencies to target
those areas. For example, the agencies were able to identify slumlords and
offer them fair market value for their properties, which led to them leaving
the area.
“The
statistics tell it all,” Jourdan said. “The crime reduction has been amazing
and we couldn’t have done it without this partnership.”
The partnership has continued to grow and strengthen since its inception. In
addition, the ideas and strategies that were utilized in this project have now
been used in other areas of East Naples and Collier County in order to promote
community growth, build partnerships and break down the barriers between law
enforcement and the public.
The L.
Anthony Sutin Civic Imagination Award is named in memory of Tony Sutin, who
served as a founder and deputy director of the COPS Office from its creation in
1994 until 1996. A distinguished graduate from Harvard Law School and former
partner of the law firm Hogan & Hartson in Washington, D.C., Sutin was
widely known and respected for his tremendous commitment to service and
community. It is with great admiration and respect for Sutin’s many
contributions to the COPS Office and the principles of community policing that
the COPS Office names this award in his memory, according to the U.S.
Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services website.
