Date of Release: July 17 2007
Time of Release: 1:30 p.m.


 

OPERATION: "ALL HANDS ON DECK"-Continuation

Don’t be surprised to see more police officers out on the streets in the coming months. On Monday June 11, 2007 Chief McCoy and Mayor Dyer announced a new initiative to better patrol areas of the city that have been plagued by high crime rates.

For over a month the Crime Analysis Unit plotted data on reported murders, rapes, robberies, burglaries, car thefts, and cases of breaking and entering. The plotted data clearly showed 25 “hot zones” where these crimes were much more highly concentrated. Operation: All Hands On Deck is a creative attempt by the Orlando Police Department to dispel crime in the City Beautiful. Mayor Dyer supported the operation, calling it a creative solution and urging other law enforcement agencies to think outside of the box.

Between June 10 and July 7, 2007 an additional 88 officers patrolled those zones in an effort to reduce and displace criminal activity. In addition to standard patrol officers, specialized units donated man-hours to Operation: All Hands On Deck. Orlando Police Department Management was also required to spend a specified percentage of their workweek patrolling the hot zones. Captains, Sergeants, Lieutenants, Deputy Chiefs, and even Chief McCoy himself will be moving to the streets. While explaining the addition of OPD management to the Operation, Chief McCoy reminded the audience that, “we all started as officers on the street. We all had the same genesis.”

At the conclusion of the one-month period, Operation: All Hands On Deck was reevaluated to determine its effectiveness. Due to overwhelming public support and impressive enforcement statistical results, Operation: All Hands On Deck will be continued. Though the specified zones may be moved around in the coming weeks, the expanded police presence will continue to be seen in the targeted hot zones and Chief McCoy will still be out on his bike.