The Apopka Police Department met with the community to share a steaming-hot cup of coffee at McDonald's Tuesday morning. Police Chief Michael McKinley and Deputy Chief Jerome Miller were all smiles as they chatted and laughed with patrons.
Coffee with a Cop allows the police to interact and build trust with Apopkans in a casual setting. Apopka has a steadily increasing population and the APD recognizes the importance of being involved with the people of the community they are sworn to protect and serve.
“It puts us in the community where we’re visible and we can talk to them,” McKinley said. “I’m available all the time with people and if they want to call me and talk to me about their concerns with the community, we’ll address those concerns.”
According to the census, Apopka’s population has grown from 41,542 in 2010 to 54,873 in 2020, a 32.09% increase. In comparison, the growth of Florida’s population in the same time frame has grown from 18.8 million to 21.5 million, a 14.56% increase.
Crime statistics released by the FBI are staggered by a couple of years and the most recent data from their Crime Data Explorer shows that Florida experienced 383.6 violent crime offenses and 1,769.4 property crime offenses per 100,000 people in 2020. The Crime Data Explorer reports that in Apopka, 247 violent crime offenses and 1,395 property crime offenses were reported in 2020.
According to the NYC Data Science Academy, studies find conflicting results when analyzing population density correlating with an increase in the rate of crime. Logistics seem to play an important role in determining if a given area will experience a higher rate of crime due to an influx of the population. People’s proximity to one another might explain higher crime rates in cities, as opposed to counties outside of cities where population density affects crime rates to a certain degree and then stabilizes or decreases. The study referenced compares and contrasts New York City to the state of New York (excluding NYC) and it must be noted that many other factors play a role in the crime rate.
According to a study that can be found on the U.S. Department of Justice’s website, police presence as a crime deterrent does not consistently reveal identical results. The study found that some effective methods of policing were “close cooperation with the community” and patrolling or creating some type of visible presence. The study determined that “how police are used” rather “than how many there are” was the main factor in effectively deterring crime.
McKinley employs these tactics but also wants to meet the state’s average number of officers per capita. He said that his goal is to bring the APD’s number of officers to Florida’s average per capita rate of 2.33 officers per 1,000 citizens. The APD currently employs 122 officers putting them at a per capita rate of 2.2 officers per 1,000 citizens. The APD would need 137 officers to reach the state’s average per capita rate.
McKinley said that crime numbers are returning to what they were before the COVID-19 pandemic but that those statistics, without context, don’t give a clear image of what’s happening at the ground level. He said that violent crime rates remain stable but that “property crime is out of control” with car theft or valuable items left in a vehicle being stolen.
“We send out reminders on social media all the time called our ‘nine o’clock reminder’ to check your doors, make sure they’re locked…” McKinley said. “…Unfortunately, we have too many times when there are firearms in the car and the car is left unlocked, so now we have a youth or somebody in possession of a handgun.”
A viral TikTok video that teaches the viewer how to hot-wire Hyundai and Kia vehicles is believed to have increased the rate of car theft. Owners of these vehicles are recommended to take precautions such as locking the vehicle, parking in a well-lit area, a garage if available, or installing a steering wheel lock. The video came to the public’s attention around August 2022 and the car companies offered security software upgrades in February but the vehicles are still being stolen.
“We know where crime is occurring, and that’s where officers are patrolling when they’re not on calls for service; they’re trying to address those crime areas and those patterns of concern so that we’re not just out here wasting gas and driving aimlessly,” McKinley said.
Other than Coffee with a Cop, the APD organizes charitable events like Cops and Bobbers and Shop with a Cop. Cops and Bobbers invite 20 children to fish with the officers and supply them with new fishing gear that they can keep. Shop with a Cop is a fundraiser event that started eight years ago and gives children from low-income households money to buy toys around Christmas time. The last Shop with a Cop was able to provide 150 children with a holiday experience they may not have had otherwise.
McKinley said that Apopka is fortunate because it is primarily made up of good neighborhoods, and that many of the new residents are young families that don’t affect the crime rate. He said the APD must have a good relationship with Apopkans because the community trusts and supports them.
“…In return, we have to do something to ensure we continue with that trust and gain that trust and be willing to talk with them, attend their events, put on events to show our appreciation for them,” McKinley said.
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Richard
If the Chief needs 15 more officers to meet
standards to benefit the community and public safety, give him the funding. If the fire department needs 18 more firefighters to staff four members on trucks meeting national fire safety standards, give them the funding. 92 million dollars between three different banks the city taxpayers have. I expect both department heads to ask for this funding during the July public safety workshop. If they do not, they are failing the community.
Friday, May 19, 2023 Report this