Pubdate: Sat, 02 Aug 2008
Source: News-Press (Fort Myers, FL)
Copyright: 2008 The News-Press
Contact:  http://www.news-press.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1133
Author: Don Ruane
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

VACANT HOMES FILL DEPUTIES' SCHEDULES

Captain Tells Chamber About Area Crime Rates

Vacant houses and houses filled with growing marijuana plants keep 
deputies busy, the captain of the Lee County Sheriff's Office 
district in Lehigh Acres told the chamber of commerce Tuesday.

The crime rate would be a lot lower without the vacant houses, Capt. 
Ed Tamayo told about 80 people at the chamber's monthly luncheon 
while talking about residential burglaries.

Tamayo spoke after he and 13 other members of the district received a 
standing ovation and accepted the chamber award as member of the month.

They protect us and our families every day, said chamber member Aldo 
Ibarra, who referred to the July 18 murder of Fort Myers police 
officer Andrew Widman as an example of the danger law enforcement 
officers face on a daily basis.

No records are kept of how many vacant homes are in Lehigh Acres. 
Vacant homes may be in foreclosure, unrented or unoccupied for other reasons.

Lee County's code enforcement division has identified 400 cases of 
abandoned homes under construction. Construction sites are considered 
abandoned if they haven't had an inspection in six months.

Deputies also have been busy with grow houses in Lehigh. The district 
closed nine houses in June.

"Lately, it's become an almost daily event," Tamayo said.

The News Star began tracking grow house raids in Lehigh Acres on Oct. 
1, 2007. Law enforcement officers have shut down at least 52 
operations through July, made more than 80 arrests and confiscated 
nearly 3,200 plants.

Tamayo talked about how the sheriff's office tracks crime and 
experienced criminals by computer.

They've determined the lower Leonard Boulevard area, with a large 
number of duplexes, is the community's hotbed of burglaries and other crimes.

Identifying high crime areas by computer enables the district to 
focus patrols, surveillance and other crime fighting tools on those 
areas, Tamayo said.

Deputies also track a top 10 list of veteran criminals who keep 
turning up during investigations, Tamayo said.

"The more arrests they have against them the more likely they are 
going to do prison time," Tamayo said.

"It's a great network," Panther Community Bank President Karen 
Makowski said of the sheriff's computer statistics program.

The district meets monthly to share the data and trends with security 
people in the community, Makowski said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom