St. Petersburg Police Department

St. Petersburg Police Department
Abbreviation	SPPD
St. Petersburg Police Patch
Agency overview
Formed	1903
Employees	757
Volunteers	62
Annual budget	$86.9 million (2010 FY)
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction*	County of Pinellas County in the state of Florida, United States
Map of St. Petersburg Police Department's Jurisdiction.
Size	64 sq mi (170 km^2)
Population	250,000 citizens
Legal jurisdiction	St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Governing body	City of St. Petersburg
General nature	Law enforcement Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	1300 First Avenue North St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Police Officers	550
Unsworn members	212
Agency executives	Anthony Holloway, Chief of Police Luke Williams, Assistant Chief, Uniform Services Bureau David H. Dekay, Assistant Chief, Investigative Services Bureau Melanie Bevan, Assistant Chief, Administrative Services Bureau
Bureaus	4 Office of the Chief of Police Administrative Services Bureau Investigative Services Bureau Uniform Services Bureau
Divisions	17 Community Awareness Division Executive Operations Division Legal Division Internal Affairs District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 Uniform Support Division Crimes Against Property Division Crimes Against Persons Division Youth Resources Division Vice & Narcotics Division Communications Division Fiscal Services Division Training Division Records & Identification Division
Facilities
Districts	1
Patrol Boats	2
Website
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The St Petersburg Police Department (SPPD) provides crime prevention and public safety services for the city of St Petersburg, Florida. The department was created in 1903. The St. Petersburg Police Department has an authorized strength of 550 sworn officers and 212 civilian support staff. The department serves the fifth largest city in the state of Florida, with a population of 250,000. The St. Petersburg Police Department is one of over 1,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).^[1]

The department utilizes a wide variety of proactive specialized units, both uniformed and undercover, to target specific public safety issues within the city (ie: auto thefts, violent crime).^[2] The department uses community outreach programs like Park Walk and Talk,^[3] Facebook, Twitter, and a tip 411^[4] app to gather information from the community and address specific concerns.

Districts

The St. Petersburg Police Department has divided the city into three districts:

• District One – Bethel Heights, Campbell Park, Bayfront Hospital, Roser Park, Lassing Park, Harbordale, Coquina Key, Albert Whitted Airport, Eckerd College, Lakewood Estates, Jordan Park, Maximo, Skyway Bridge
• District Two – Downtown, Tropicana Field, The Peir, Northshore Park, The Vinoy, Harris Park, Placido Bayou, Meadowlawn, Fossil Park, Snell Isle, Shore Acres, Old Northeast, St Anthony's Hospital
• District Three – Childs Park, Tyrone Square Mall, Azalea, United Central, Garden Manor, Holiday Park, St Pete General Hospital, Yacht Club Estates

Police Chiefs

• Chief AJ Easters 1906 – 1921
• Chief James Coslick 1924–1925
• Chief Eli Vaughn 1925–29 and 1937–45
• Chief R H Noel 1929–1937
• Chief JR Reichart 1945–1958
• Chief E. Wilson "Bud" Purdy 1958–1963
• Chief Harold Smith 1963–1971
• Chief Mack Vines 1974–1981
• Chief Sam Lynn 1981–1990
• Chief Ernest "Curt" Curtsinger 1990–1992
• Chief Darryl Stephens 1992–1997
• Chief Goliath Davis 1997–2001
• Chief Charles "Chuck" Harmon 2001–2014
• Chief Anthony Holloway 2014–Present^[5]

Fallen officers

• Chief of Police James A Mitchell – December 25, 1905
• Officer E.A. George – September 16, 1908
• Officer Wayne Barry – May 23, 1929
• Officer Eugene Minor – October 25, 1929
• Patrolman Frank Pike – May 19, 1933
• Officer James Thornton – October 16, 1937
• Officer William Newberry – October 17, 1937
• Officer James Goodson – December 25, 1947
• Officer James Krupp – April 15, 1961
• Officer Gene A. Bessette – November 10, 1961
• Officer Charles L. Eustes – September 24, 1967
• Detective Herbert Sullivan – August 18, 1980
• K-9/SWAT Officer Jeffrey Yaslowitz – January 24, 2011
• Sergeant Tom Baitinger – January 24, 2011
• Officer David Crawford – February 21, 2011^[6]

Events of 2011

2011 is considered by many to be the toughest year faced by the St Petersburg Police Department. In 2011 three SPPD officers were murdered within the span of less than one month.^[7][8][9]

Controversies with brutality

Riots occurred in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1996 following the shooting and death of an African American male teenage motorist during a police traffic stop.^[10]

The "Courageous 12" lawsuit

In 1965, a dozen officers (Officers Nero, Adam Baker, Freddie Crawford, King, Styles, Lewis, Leon Jackson, Wooten, Primus Killen, Deloach, and Keys) dubbed the Courageous 12 sued the city for discrimination with the assistance of attorney James B. Sanderlin. After initially losing their case, a Federal Appeals Court ruled in favor of the Courageous 12 in 1968, effectively ending the department's policy of segregation. The actions of these officers inspired African American officers experiencing discrimination in other departments to pursue similar lawsuits.^[11]

See also

• List of law enforcement agencies in Florida
• List of U.S. state and local law enforcement agencies

References

1. www.stpete.org/police. "Welcome to the St. Petersburg Police Department". police.stpete.org. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
2. "64 Arrested in Multi-County Auto Theft Crackdown | Patch". St. Pete, FL Patch. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
3. "St. Petersburg police Chief Tony Holloway, after 100 days in office, gets high praise". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
4. "Tip411". police.stpete.org. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
5. "Former Chiefs of Police". police.stpete.org. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
6. "Fallen Officers". police.stpete.org. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
7. "Sergeant Thomas John Baitinger". The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP). Retrieved 2016-02-13.
8. "Police Officer Jeffrey Adam Yaslowitz". The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP). Retrieved 2016-02-13.
9. "Police Officer David Scott Crawford". The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP). Retrieved 2016-02-13.
10. "Neighborhoodtimes: '96 riots: After national shame, did city change?". www.sptimes.com. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
11. "St. Petersburg's 'Courageous 12' officers see familiar struggle 50 years later". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2016-02-13.

External links

• Official St Petersburg, FL Police Department web site
• List of calls for service to the Saint Petersburg, FL Police Department