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August 21, 2009
- City News |
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Mayor's
Message |
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Dear Friend,
It’s with great
enthusiasm that I write to update you on our
collective effort to keep Orlando safe.
Recently Police
Chief Val Demings joined me and our City
Commissioners to open the Orlando Police
Department’s new state-of-the-art training
facility. This facility is the final component
of our three year, multi-million dollar Public
Safety initiative that has bolstered the number
of officers on the streets, added new
substations throughout the City and invested in
tools, training and technology for our police
officers.
I want you to
know that this commitment to safety is paying
dividends. Since 2006, there has been a 62
percent
decline in the number of homicides in our City.
Further, all violent crime is down in our City
by 13 percent.
This year, we
also launched the first phase of our IRIS
program that utilizes “smart cameras” that can
detect movement and alert police to crimes as
they are happening. Already, these cameras have
helped OPD make a number of arrests. Before the
end of the year, IRIS cameras will go live on
International Drive.
We are also
working hard to ensure the safety of our City
despite the negative effects of the global
economic crisis. Faced with a City-wide budget
deficit, the Orlando Police Department (like all
City Departments) is reducing its budget for the
upcoming fiscal year.
I am happy to
announce that we have been able to avoid the
elimination of any OPD officers thanks to a
federal COPS hiring grant. Late last month, we
received notification that the City was
selected, through an extremely competitive
process, to receive these federal stimulus
dollars that will preserve these police jobs.
Clearly, we are making important strides in our
ongoing effort to maintain the safety of our
City. As a community, we cannot rest on our
laurels.
The safety of our
City is my first priority. With your help, we
will continue to ensure that Orlando is a safe
City in which to live, work and raise a family.
Sincerely,
Buddy Dyer
Mayor |
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New OPD Training
Center Highlights
The new OPD
training facility has three ranges to assist in
the training and preparation of its officers.
 Tactical Range
The tactical
range is designed to accommodate reactive style
training. It has 144 computer-controlled targets
that run, turn, pop-up and drop out of the
ceiling. This range forces officers to perform
in real life positions and lighting conditions
and react to the target by evaluating whether it
is a threat.
 Qualification
Range
The qualification
range is designed to give officers experience
with vehicles and traffic stops because a large
percentage of officer shootings are during
routine traffic stops.
The qualification range is a large, open bay
that allows 20 officers to shoot at once and is
equipped with 20 computerized turning targets as
well as running targets.
 Rifle Range
The rifle range
is designed to train officers on shoulder
weapons at greater distances. This range will be
used by the SWAT team as well as for officers
carrying patrol rifles. The rifle range is
equipped with 60 computerized targets as well as
running targets allowing reactive scenarios.
Safety Tips for the
New School Year
Public school
starts Monday, August 24. As you are preparing
your kids for their first day, please remember
these safety tips.
Awareness:
- Rehearse
with your children their full names, address
and phone number.
- Make sure
your children are taking the safest route to
school or to their friend’s house. Walk or
bike the route with your children.
- Teach your
children to walk confidently and stay alert
to what is going on around them.
- Teach them
to look out for each other and to report
anything that doesn't seem right.
- Travel in
groups. Create a buddy system for your
children of at least two walkers.
Staying at
home alone:
- Make sure
your children know how to reach you by
phone. Post your work number, a trusted
neighbor’s phone number and the phone number
for both the Police and Fire Department
beside every phone in the house.
- Teach your
children to use 9-1-1.
- Have your
children check in with you at work or with a
neighbor when they get home.
- Establish
and enforce rules for having friends over or
going to someone else's house when an adult
is absent.
- Work out an
escape plan in case of fire.
- Teach your
children to never tell a stranger who calls
on the phone that they are home alone. Teach
them to say that their parents are busy and
ask if they can take a message.
- Teach your
children how to work all the door and window
locks in the house.
Driver safety:
- On a two-way
street or highway, all drivers moving in
either direction must stop for a school bus
that has stopped to pick up or drop off
children until the bus stop arm has been
withdrawn.
- If a highway
is divided by a raised barrier or an unpaved
median at least five feet wide, you do not
have to stop if you are moving in the
opposite direction of a school bus. If you
are behind the school bus, you must stop and
remain stopped until the bus stop arm has
been withdrawn.
- When
children or school crossing guards are
present in a crosswalk, drivers must yield
or stop at the marked stop line.
- Watch for
school zones with reduced speeds and
children walking or riding their bikes to
school.
For additional
tips,
see the Orlando Police Department’s Start of
School Traffic tips.
Kicks for Guns 2009
In an effort to
prevent robberies and keep kids safe at home,
the Orlando Police Department and six additional
police agencies partnered with REAL Radio 104.1,
102 JAMZ, Rumba 100.3 and Kiss 95.1 for the
annual Kicks for Guns event on August 14. Kicks
for Guns trades new tennis shoes and gift cards
for guns in an effort to remove firearms off the
streets and keep them from falling into the
hands of criminals.
The event yielded
1,093 total firearms, nine of which were stolen, and
included the largest participation of law
enforcement agencies to date. Firearms collected
by each agency were as follows: Orlando Police
Department 108, the Orange County Sheriff’s
Office 120, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office 84,
Kissimmee Police Department 77, Palm Bay Police
Department 133, Sanford Police Department 225
and Daytona Beach Police Department 346.
Thank you to all
who participated and helped to make Central
Florida’s streets safer.
Orlando Fire
Department Bomb Squad Re-Accredited by FBI
Last week, the
Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI)
Hazardous Device Operations Center and Bomb Data
Center announced the National Re-accreditation
of the Orlando Fire Department’s Bomb Squad. The
reaccreditation of the squad is issued for
successful compliance to national standards
regarding equipment, standard operating
procedures and personnel.
The City of Orlando Fire Department’s Bomb Squad
is one of only 40 fire department bomb squads in
the nation. Orlando’s squad currently has eight
nationally-certified bomb technicians on board
and all have received their basic training at
the FBI's Hazardous Devices School.
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Buy
Local Orlando Business Profile
 Buy
Local Orlando is under way and each week
we want to make sure you know that you can get
great deals, discounts and offers. There are
more than 150 merchant members participating in
the Buy Local Orlando campaign
offering special offers and discounts
exclusively to Buy Local Orlando
consumers.
- Visit
Central Florida’s premier used book
destination—The Book Worm of Orlando (2400
East Washington Street) and Buy Local Orlando
consumers save 15% off their entire
purchase**! Visit thebookwormoforlando.com
or call 407.898.7888. (**Cannot be used with
in-house trade credit discount)
- Experience
unique blends of Moroccan and Mediterranean
cuisine at Metro West’s Kabbab House (2423
South Hiawassee Road). Show your Buy Local Orlando
card and buy one entrée and two beverages
and get the second entrée of equal or lesser
value free ($9.95 max value). Visit
kabbabhouse.com or call 407.704.7830 for
more information.
- Looking for
a pick-me-up? Make an appointment for a hair
color, highlight or relaxer on Tuesdays and
receive 10% off at Salon Dominicano (4401
East Colonial Drive, Suite 101). Visit
salondominicano.com or call 407.897.2200 for
more information.
For more
information on the Buy Local Orlando
program, please visit
buylocalorlando.net.
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Summer Concert
Series
Hines, the
development manager for the Dr. P. Phillips
Orlando Performing Arts Center, proudly presents
a Summer Cultural Concert Series on August 28 at
6:30 p.m., at the Renaissance Senior Center at
Curry Ford Community Park. Enjoy a Friday
evening of music featuring Latin Gospel Core:
Jill Colindres Recio, Saxophonist Edeimer
Johnson, Éttienne Montalvo with Aqui Canta
Puerto Rico and recording artist Nahmony
Santana. Admission is free with a donation of a
new, in wrapper, school supply item. The
Renaissance Senior Center is located at 38900 S.
Econlockhatchee Trail. Contact LaVon P. Bracy,
Hines project community coordinator, at
407.839.0119 or LaVon.Bracy@hines.com.
Amway Center Webcam
 Watch
the progress of the construction of the new
Amway Center with the Amway Center Webcams.
Showing multiple bird's eye views of the two blocks
south of Church Street and west of I-4 which
will become the home of the City's new venue for
sports, music and entertainment, the cameras
take a picture every 15 minutes and saves the
photos so viewers can watch the progress like a
movie. The webcams can be found online.
Community Venues Construction Update
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Did You Know? |
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Burnham Institute
and Florida Hospital Announce Diabetes
Institute
On Monday,
August 17, Florida Hospital and Burnham
Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona
have taken another giant step in advancing
Orlando as a hub for medical research by
announcing the appointment of Dr. Steven R.
Smith, an internationally-renowned diabetes
and obesity researcher, as the new executive
director of the Florida Hospital - Burnham
Clinical Research Institute that focuses on
the study of diabetes, obesity and
cardiovascular disease.
The clinical
institute will be located in a proposed
state-of-the-art, 35,000-square-foot
building on Princeton Street that will serve
as the gateway to Florida Hospital’s Health
Village, the area being developed around
Florida Hospital Orlando for medical space,
residential areas, retail and more.
“With this
partnership, we hope to change how diabetes
and obesity research is conducted,” said Dr.
Steven R. Smith, executive director of the
Florida Hospital - Burnham Clinical Research
Institute. “This new institute will help
break down the distance that exists between
research and the clinic and help make it
possible to deliver results faster and on a
personalized level.”
“We are thrilled
these two organizations have come together
to advance the health of our community and
the world,” said Mayor Buddy Dyer. “This truly is a defining day for
Orlando and will only help with our mission
to become a medical destination.”
Burnham is a
nonprofit, public benefit corporation
headquartered in La Jolla, California, with
campuses in Orlando, Florida and Santa
Barbara, California. For more information,
visit www.burnham.org
Battle of the
Badges
 Florida's Blood
Centers is spearheading a life saving event
during the month of August called the Battle
of the Badges. The Battle of Badges runs
through August 31 and is a competition
between sheriff and police agencies in
Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. Any
resident can donate blood before August 31
at any Florida Blood Center location or on
any Big Red Bus to register their vote for
the Orlando Police Department. Make sure
that you tell the blood center employee you
are donating for the Orlando Police
Department. Take a moment this month and
donate blood. Not only will you be enjoying
a little friendly competition, but you will
help save lives at the same time.
Vote for Orlando at
Yahoo’s Fantasy Football
Local sports
fans can help Orlando score a $15,000
donation to the Parramore Kidz Zone (PKZ)
and After School All Stars (ASAS) by voting
for Orlando now at the Yahoo Sports Mayoral
Face Off fantasy football league at
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f2/mayoral-faceoff.
The winning city with the most passionate
fantasy football fans will be announced on
September 11, 2009.
Mayor Buddy Dyer
will be competing in the Mayoral Face-off
with Mayors from across the nation this
football season. The mayor with the best
fantasy football league team will win a
second $15,000 donation to a sports-related
charity of their choice. If Mayor Dyer wins,
his prize will go to the PKZ and the ASAS.
The PKZ gives children in the historic
Parramore neighborhood positive
opportunities they otherwise might not have,
such as pre-kindergarten programs, pediatric
health and dental care, mentoring, tutoring,
after school and summer programs and
programs that help youth transition into
jobs and higher education.
After-School
All-Stars offers a proven alternative for
middle school children. Students are engaged
in activities and on-going relationships
that increase confidence and encourage
success in all areas of their lives - at
home, in school and in the community.
Veterans Day Parade
 The City of
Orlando is now accepting applications for
the 2009 Veterans Day Parade. The parade
will be held at 10 a.m. on November 14 in
Downtown Orlando. If you are interested in
participating in this year’s Veterans Day
Parade, please
click here. Applications and fees are due
on October 9. |
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Upcoming
Events |
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City Hall
400 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: 407.246.2221
buddy.dyer@cityoforlando.net |
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