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ROCKWOOD POLlCE

DEPARTM ENT

2014 ANNUAL REPORT “Working for a Safer Community"

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS PAGE NO.

Letter from Chief of Police………………………………………………………….1

Command Staff Biographies………………………………………………………...2-5

Department Description……………………………………………………………..5-6

Department Accomplishments………………………………………………………6-11

Citizen Initiated Calls………………………………………………………………..11

Officer Initiated Activity…………………………………………………………….12

Activity Breakdown……………………………………………………………………………………………….12

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LETTER FROM THE CHIEF OF POLICE To the Mayor, Council, and Citizens of Rockwood:

It is my pleasure to provide you the 2014 Annual Report of the Rockwood Police

Department (RPD). This is our way of keeping you informed of the

professionalism, excellence, and effort provided by the employees of the Rockwood Police

Department.

It has been both a privilege and honor to serve as your Chief of Police during the past

one and a half years. We have strived to improve our department through upgrades in

technology, equipment, attitude, and appearance. The command staff has stressed a

proactive policing philosophy to our officers in an attempt to reduce crime and improve our

clearance rates for those crimes having been committed.

We have instituted several new programs to ensure the safety of our citizens. We are

especially proud of the valiant efforts of the sworn and civilian members of the police

department. Personally I am grateful for the support of our political leaders, fellow law

enforcement partners, and especially the commitment of our citizens to assist our officers

in the protection of our community. I am humbly gra tefu l to the employees on

the RPD for the i r dedicat ion and wi l l ingness to adopt the changes and

pol ices I have enact ed . This unified support is why we can celebrate our efforts in

moving forward band being proactive in all phases of policing.

We have established programs to insure the safety of our disabled and senior citizens

during extreme temperature changes. We have enlisted in the crimereports.com

thereby proving the community the mechanism to see what crimes are being

reported and investigated by the Rockwood Police Department . This web-based

software allows citizens to view up-to-date crime data that has occurred in their

neighborhood and throughout the city. Citizens need only to go to the city website at

ww.crimereports .com and type in Rockwood to see the results. This same search engine

will also provide you the list of registered sex offenders through a link with the Tennessee

Bureau of Investigation. The information reported to the site is mined from data from our

records management system (RMS) which went live in July 2013.

With the use of the m a n y n e w p r o g r a m s a n d t o o l s i m p l e m e n t e d

w i t h i n t h e l a s t y e a r c o u p l e d w i t h the unified efforts of the R P D and the

community, we can ensure future progress in our efforts to keep our community safe.

Though we have made great progress in all areas, we will not rest on t h e past but will

continue to work for improvement. As we look to the future, I invite all stakeholders to

join our mission to embrace the ideals to provide a safe environment for our citizens

and visitors.

Danny Wright

Chief of Police

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DEPARTMENT COMMAND STAFF

Police Chief Danny Wright Danny Wright contracted with the City of Rockwood to become Rockwood Police Chief on

July 1, 2013. Chief Wright is a native of Roane County having graduated from Harriman

High School in 1973. He attended Roane State Community College and the University of

Memphis (then known as Memphis State University) before accepting a position as a

Tennessee State Trooper with the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Chief Wright has a total of 36 years of law enforcement experience. Chief Wright began his

career in July 1977 as a Tennessee State Trooper assigned to the Knoxville Division of the

Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP). He transferred to Roane County on January 16, 1979. In

1982 he left the THP for a position as Police Officer for the Oak Ridge Police Department.

In 1984 he returned to the THP and was once again assigned to Roane County. During the

next five years Chief Wright became a Traffic Accident Reconstructionist.

In January 1989 Chief Wright was assigned to the Tennessee Highway Patrol Criminal

Investigation Division (THP/CID) as an undercover narcotics agent. Agent Wright was

promoted to the THP/CID in August 1989 as a Special Agent. In 2003 Chief Wright was

appointed as the Director of the THP/CID. As Director, Chief Wright supervised a state

wide investigative agency consisting of a total of 55 personnel and a budget exceeding $6

million.

As a result of a division reorganization, Chief Wright voluntarily requested a demotion and

reassignment to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). Chief Wright was assigned to

the TBI Drug Division and transferred to Roane County assigned to the Ninth Judicial

District. Chief Wright retired from the TBI in 2011.

Chief Wright has also serves as an adjunct criminal justice professor at Roane State since

2009. He teaches or has taught or teaches courses in Police Administration, Introduction to

Law Enforcement, Criminal Investigation, and Special Topics.

Chief Wright returned to Roane State and in 1988 obtained an Associate of Science Degree

in Criminal Justice. He continued his education obtaining a Bachelor’s of Science degree

from the University of Tennessee in 1990. Upon retiring from the TBI, Chief Wright

returned to the academic world completing the requirements for a Master’s of Science

Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of North Georgia in August 2013. He is also

a graduate of the 203rd session of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) National

Academy, the Tennessee Government Executives Institute, and the FBI Law Enforcement

Executive Development Seminar.

He is immersed in our community as well. He is presently serving his third term on the

Roane County Board of Education. He is a member of the Roane County Drug Coalition,

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the Roane County Boys and Girls Club, and the Roane County Parks Advisory Committee.

Deputy Chief Bill Stinnett

Deputy Chief Stinnett is a lifelong resident of Rockwood and Roane County. Dep. Chief

Stinnett attended school in, what at the time, was the Rockwood City School System. Dep.

Chief Stinnett graduated from Rockwood High School in 1980 and shortly after enlisted in

the U.S Army. Dep. Chief Stinnett attained the rank of Sergeant and was honorably

discharged from the Army in 1985. Shortly after being discharged, Dep. Chief Stinnett

began his career as a Rockwood Police Officer. He graduated from the Tennessee Law

Enforcement training Academy in 1986. Dep. Chief Stinnett advanced through the ranks of

the police department eventually holding the title of every rank. He has served as a patrol

officer and criminal investigator. Dep. Chief Stinnett was promoted to the rand of Chief of

Police in 2003 and served in that capacity until 2013. Presently he holds the title of Deputy

Chief of Police and is a vital part of the command staff and heavily relied upon by the Chief

of Police. Chief Stinnett by virtue of his knowledge of the community is accentuates the

police department in every way.

DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION

The purpose of the Rockwood Police Department is to protect life and property, prevent

crime, preserve the peace, and enforce all laws and ordinances within the confines of its jurisdiction. The Rockwood Police Department is a full service department that utilizes a

hybrid Community Oriented Policing philosophy. The department recognizes that working with citizens, community leaders and business is the key to the reduction in crime. It is our

goal to provide the very best service to the citizens we serve. We will endeavor to protect, serve and educate the entire community in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of

those who commit crime in our community.

The Police Department is comprised of four major divisions.

Administrative Division:

This division is comprised of the Office of the Chief and Deputy Chief. Day to day operations of the Police Department are supervised through the Administrative Division.

Patrol Division:

The patrol division is staffed by 12 fulltime and 3 part-time officers. This division is

responsible for patrolling all areas within the city, responding to calls for service, traffic

direction, accident investigation, prevention and suppression of crime, protection of life and

property, preservation of the peace, and apprehension of offenders. Because of staffing

numbers, many of our patrol officers have multiple assignments including a canine officer,

meth technician, training officer, and administrator of the Governor’s Highway Safety

Office Programs. The patrol division the home of our canine unit.

Our officers have completed training in many different areas of law enforcement. We have

two officers who have completed the Active Shooter Train the Trainer Course, one offered

by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and one by the Federal Law enforcement

Training Center in Glynco, GA. These two officers are certified to teach others for active

shooter certification. We have two other officers who also completed the FBI Basic Active

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Shooter course.

Others have attended classes in crime scene management, the Tennessee Bureau of

Investigation’s State Academy, tracking school, fingerprint school, transition school, as

well as many others. We are also taking advantage of the Virtual Academy Training that

allows our officers to receive Tennessee Police Officer Stands and Training (POST) credit

for classes taken via computer at work or home. This method of training save the city

money on travel Per Diem costs. Some courses are mandated but officers can choose from

others that fit their interests. The records are directly transmitted to POST and crediting the

officer with in-service training. We are continually searching for training opportunities to

provide you with the best trained officers possible.

Support Services Division: The Support unit is staffed by one administrative assistant and a codes enforcement/animal control officer. The Administrative Assistant serves as our Tennessee Incident based Reporting technician as well as our records manager. The codes enforcement/animal control officer answers all animal calls and oversees the city’s animal shelter. As a codes enforcement he also enforces violations of the building codes for the City of Rockwood

Investigations Division:

The Criminal Investigations Division is responsible for the investigation of serious

criminal acts, identifying and preserving evidence & property, major crime scene

coordination, court case preparation, background investigations, and narcotics

enforcement. The unit consists of two detectives both of whom operate under general

assignment. The detectives assigned to this unit serve as the department’s evidence

technician, and as such, are responsible for cataloging all evidence gathered from patrol or

current investigations and maintaining the chain of custody.

The detectives also initiate their own investigations and are tasked with following up on

criminal acts referred to them by patrol.

2014 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Departmental Web Page: This year the department established a web page containing important information. The site, www.rockwoodpolice.org,contains links to sites of interest to our citizens, monthly departmental statistics, alarm ordinance applications, “R U Safe” information, police officer applications, as well as other information that is electronically retrievable.

Facebook:

The department has also moved into the world of social media by creating a Facebook

page. The page is used to also inform the community of up events, crime issues, asking for community help in social or criminal matters. It is also used to give officers and staff praise for a job well done. It is also a place where the community can also provide feedback.

Nixle Public Alert System:

The City of Rockwood and the Police Department was able to network with the Nixie

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Public Alert System as well as Verizon Wireless. These programs allow citizens to sign up

to receive emails and or text messages to alert them ·to community events, crime trends, weather updates and other options for information that can be tailored to the citizen.

Verizon Wireless Emergency Alert System:

We have an agreement in place and also utilize the Verizon Wireless Emergency Alert

System. Citizens can sign up for this by using the police department website. Both the Verizon Alert System and Nixle are only used to alert citizens of issues vital to the welfare

of the public.

Anonymous Tip Line:

In an effort to help solve crimes and hopefully get information on active and cold case files

the department established an Anonymous Tip Line where citizens may call and leave

information without fear of being contacted or linked to the tip. This program is the

newest program started this past year and, and as such, the success is not yet known. It is

hoped that this will be an effective tool to assist us in solving criminal activity in

Rockwood.

Crimereports.com: Citizens are able to view crime trends by location from a website by going to

www.crimereports.com. Citizens may view crime by types, incident location, and initial

disposition of the case at the time the report is completed.

R U Safe Program:

The city suffered endured a tragic event during an extreme weather event during 2013. As a

result, the Rockwood Police and Fire Departments created a program titled “R U Safe” for

the disabled and elderly. Citizens meeting certain criteria could voluntarily sign up for the

program where, during extreme cold or hot weather, police officers and firefighters refer to

a list of signees and check for the welfare of qualified individuals.

Alarm Ordinance:

The city passed an alarm ordinance in April 2014 and enforcement of the ordinance began

in June 2014. The ordinance requires those residing inside the City of Rockwood having a

residential or commercial fire/burglar/intrusion alarm to register with the police

department. This ordinance was passed as a result of a high volume of false alarms where

no contact information for the business/residence was available. The alarm ordinance

requires those with an alarm to provide contact information assisting police and fire in

identifying the owner of a residence/business should an alarm be activated.

Technology Fee:

The city also passed a technology fee that was added to the costs of citations tried in

Rockwood City Court. Economic times are tough but the needs of technology to continue

crime prevention or to simply keep up with the times continue to grow. The technology fee

is dedicated to the police department to purchase computers, software, surveillance

equipment, or other technological tools. The collection of the fee as a court costs provides

the police department the funds to keep up with technology well into the future without

resorting to requesting additional funding in the budget which could result in a tax increase.

Patrol Fleet:

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The patrol vehicle fleet was aging. Fourteen of the

vehicles used in the police department had

mileage in excess of 90,000 miles at the

beginning of 2014. With the help of past Mayor

Watts and the past city council, we were able to

purchase 11 new Dodge Charger Patrol units. The

Chargers were equipped with all new equipment

including in-car cameras, power inverters, new

light bars, and sirens. The light bars chosen were

a red/blue combination. Red lights are more readily visible during daylight hours providing

more safety for the officers and the motoring public.

Body Armor:

We used a federal grant and a donation by the

Tennessee Police Federation to purchase custom

fitted body armor for all patrol officers. This

provides them the most up-to-date protection

against incidents of deadly force. The Tennessee

Police Federation donated the funds to purchase

two additional vests for our two newest officers.

Policies and Procedures:

We updated our Standard Operational Policy manual. The policies were purchased through

the International Association of Chiefs of Police and have been tried and tested legally.

They provide a more uniform standard of operations and provide protection against civil

liability for the city, the department, and most importantly the Rockwood Police Officers.

Assault Rifles:

Recent mass shooting incidents have illustrated the need for police to be ready to respond

to such incidents. RPD patrol officers are equipped with both shotguns and assault rifles

purchased in February 2014. The purchase of these assault rifles provides the firepower,

should it be necessary, to handle an incident where police have in the past been out gunned.

Our officers also receive additional training in the judicious use of the weapons.

Body Cameras:

We have equipped our patrol officers with new body cameras. In light of the increased

liability and need for justification for legal action taken by police, the command staff felt

the need to equip our officers with these cameras. Not only will this provide a measure of

evidence in defense of liability but may also provide additional evidence that may be used

in the prosecution of our cases.

Training:

We have diversified our training by sending many of our officers to specialized schools

rather than relying on the traditional method of putting on two one week schools. This

provides us with officers who specialize in different disciplines whereby we can call on our

officers to provide expertise in many different areas. We have also subscribed to the Virtual

Academy which provides us with the capability to conduct in-house training that is POST

certified at the convenience of the officers.

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Records Management System:

We renewed our contract with the vendor for our records management system (RMS)

which was purchased in July 2013. While it is detailed and efficient as we would like it

does serve the function we need in limited capacity. It provides a more uniform report, a

documented pass on capability, and limited statistical collections. It is a cloud based storage

system with mobile access providing us a backup to a catastrophic loss of information. The

use of this RMS has provided us with a more accurate measure of what incidents we are

answering. This also gives us a more accurate picture of crime in Rockwood compared to

record keeping of the past. While our system may not be the best it is the best we can

purchase while keeping costs low.

Uniforms:

We take pride in our appearance and continue to try to become more uniform in our

appearance. Winter uniforms consist of long sleeve and ties. We are the only local

department wearing a uniform consisting of a tie and hat. It is truly surprising how many

public comments complimenting the professional appearance of our officers. It is a respect

issue and we feel that to get respect you must show you respect yourself. This begins with

pride in your personal and department’s appearance.

New Badge and Patches: Even though we purchased new

badges and redesigned our

patches in late 2013, we feel it

important to mention these

changes since this is the

department’s first annual report

since their purchase. The old

badges were tarnished and

worn. New badges with a lifetime guarantee were designed and ordered. The old patches

were simply a stock patch design. Our officers designed a patch unique to Rockwood. The

patch incorporates the U.S. and Tennessee State Flags along the blue, the color associated

with police, green and gold which are the colors of Rockwood High School, and an eagle

which is our national bird. The patch also contains what has become the unofficial logo of

the city, the old clock located in the downtown park.

Extra Duty Events:

We provided uniformed officers to Rockwood High School football and basketball events.

Our officers patrol the football games and parking lots during the basketball games. We

don’t stand still we move for visibility and accessibility. They are easily recognizable as a

result of wearing the issued traditional municipal style police hat.

Foot Patrol:

We have reinstituted a hybrid version of the police patrol system of “foot patrol.” It is a

hybrid version of community policing. We have a limited number of officers but the

officers “walk” though the downtown area, the businesses located in the strip shopping

centers, and in the individual stores by actually getting out of the patrol unit and engaging

the public in these areas. Officers are encouraged to engage citizens they meet in the

neighborhoods in an effort to personalize themselves to our community.

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Community Engagement: RPD Officers have played host to Ridgeview Elementary Kindergarten classes. We have

read to the First Baptist Church pre-school students and we consistently walk through our

three public schools located in Rockwood.

Police Memorial Week

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy designated

May 15 as National Police Officers Memorial

Day, and the calendar week in which May 15

falls as National Police Week. In October of

1984, President Ronald Reagan signed into

law legislation authorizing the building of a

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial

in Washington D.C. In 1991 President George

H.W. Bush dedicated the National Law

Enforcement Memorial.

A candle light vigil is held at the beginning of

each National Police Week at the National

Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington

D.C., at this vigil the names of all Law Enforcement Officers killed in the line of

duty of the previous year are added to the memorial wall and read. An estimated

20,000 officers and family attended the vigil each year.

Last year Rockwood Police Officers also represented the City of Rockwood and the police

profession by attending and participated in Police Memorial Week conducted in our

nation’s capital, Washington, D.C, in May 2014. Office Rick Thomas and Sgt. Jason

Halliburton represented the Rockwood Police Department in Washington D.C. This is

an event sponsored by the Fallen Officers Association at no cost to our department

except for work time.

Police Explorer Program:

We established the first Police Explorer Post in the Rockwood Police Department.

While it is small we are continuing to build it as we move forward. We received

contributions from several businesses to help us purchase uniforms and pay the fees for

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all who are members. No potential explorer is turned away for inability to pay any

associated fees our purchase a uniform. We received contributions from the IGA

Grocery Store in Rockwood, the Evans Insurance Agency, and a $1,500.00 community

grant from Walmart dedicated to the expenses for the Explorer post. With these

contributions there is no tax payer costs associated with the program.

Squad Room:

Officers took the initiative to

paint and redo the squad room.

At their own expense they

painted and paid for the

stenciling of “Rockwood Police”

in the squad room. While this

may not seem a bragging point, it

improved the ambience of the

room and also the morale of the

officers. It shows that our officers

take pride in their department.

Operation Reach and The Fallen Officers Memorial:

RPD Officers volunteered their time to collect for Operation Reach and the Roane County

Fallen Officers Memorial. These officers volunteered their time to collect donations for

both these worthy organizations.

2014 CITIZEN INITIATED CALLS FOR SERVICE

Obligated Calls for Service: The Department responded to 8249 calls for service in 2014

compared to 7878 calls for service in 2013. This is an increase of 371 from 2013. This

represents a 4.50% increase over 2013.

Vehicle Crashes: The department investigated vehic l e 113 acciden ts in 2014 .

This is down from 127 in 2013 representing a 12.39% decrease from 2013.

Fatalities Resulting from Vehicle Crashes: There have been no traffic related deaths

in the City of Rockwood in 2014. We had one fatality in 2013 so this represents a

100% decrease from 2013.

Escorts: The department provided 379 escorts in 2014.

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Community Events: In 2014, the Police Department supplied officers for traffic and

crowd control for six (6) events including School Functions.

Christmas Parade Dixie Youth State Championships

Rockwood High School Football Rockwood High School Basketball

Bicycle Race Homecoming Parade

2014 OFFICER INITIATED ACTIVITY Traffic Citations:

Officers issued 1665 citations in 2014 compared to 1801 in 2013. This represents a

decrease of 8.17% from the previous year.

Misdemeanor Arrests: The department made 496 misdemeanor arrests in 2014 compared to 315 in 2013. This

represents a 36.49% in increase in misdemeanor arrests from 2013.

Felony Arrest: The Rockwood Police Department made 53 arrests of all types of

offenses in 2014 compared to 38 in 2013. This represents a 28.30% increase from 2013.

D.U.I. Arrests:

The department made 52 arrests in 2014 for the suspicion of driving under the

influence compared to 27 in 2013. This represents a 48.08% increase from 2013.

Warrants Served:

Members of the Rockwood Police Department arrested 748 persons on outstanding active

warrants in 2014 compared to 423 in 2013. This represents a 43.45% increase in warrants

served from the 2013.

DEPARTMENTAL ACTIVITY

YEAR Calls for

Citations Issued

Traffic Accidents

Felony Arrests

Misd. Arrests

Warrants Served

DUI ARRESTS

Total Miles

*Comparison is only for

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Service to Date Inv. to Date to Date to Date Driven comparable months

2013 7878 1801 127 38 315 423 27 184,908.00 $ 25,262.86

2014 8249 1665 113 53 496 748 52 234,877.00 $ 22,316.33

% Diff 4.50% -8.17% -12.39% 28.30% 36.49% 43.45% 48.08% 21.27% -13.20%

Numerical Difference 371 -136 -14 15 181 325 25 49,969.00 ($2,946.53)

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