125 lines
5.5 KiB
Plaintext
125 lines
5.5 KiB
Plaintext
July 1991
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POLICE PRACTICES:
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OPERATION STAR
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Miami, Florida, attracts a significant number of tourists
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each year. The climate of the city acts as a magnet to those
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wanting to escape to a place known for its balmy weather,
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sunshine, surf, and sand. In turn, these tourists have to offer
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what every U.S. city needs--money. Without these tourist
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dollars, Miami's economy suffers considerably. Therefore, the
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city must remain attractive to vacationers. One way to ensure
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this is to reduce the number of crimes committed against
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tourists.
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To protect visitors from the city's criminal element, the
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Miami Police Department instituted Operation STAR (Safeguarding
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Tourists Against Robberies). The department took this action
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when it began to notice an upswing in robberies involving
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tourists.
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THE PROBLEM
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Increasingly, vacationers and business travelers were
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becoming the prey of criminals. Those committing crimes would
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target people driving rental vehicles, knowing that the
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occupants always carried money, cameras, or other valuables.
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Also, since these victims were from out of town, they usually
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were reluctant to return to be witnesses for the prosecution,
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and the criminals realized this.
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Criminals developed innovative approaches to their victims.
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One method was to bump the rear of the victims vehicle with
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their own. The victims, believing they were involved in a minor
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accident, would exit their vehicle to assess the damage. When
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they did this, the criminals, using force or at gunpoint, would
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rob the victims of money, jewelry, and sometimes even the rented
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car.
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Another effective method was to pull alongside vehicles and
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gesture or yell to the passengers that something was wrong.
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When the occupants stopped to investigate, they would fall
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victim to the robbery. Or, the criminals would simply drive
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through areas of the city looking for people trying to read a
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map. They would then approach the vehicle, as if they were
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going to offer assistance. In most cases, however, they would
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just open the door, drag the victims from the vehicle, and
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commit the robbery.
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THE SOLUTION
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The department realized that it must take a proactive
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approach to this problem. One idea that surfaced was to conduct
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decoy operations within areas of the city that attracted large
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tourist populations. This decoy operation was given the name
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"Operation STAR."
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To begin, two Operation STAR teams were formed. Each
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consisted of a sergeant and seven officers, one of whom was
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female. It was decided to use a female decoy officer to
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increase the appearance of vulnerability.
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The decoy would stop her rented vehicle in one of the
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targeted areas and raise the hood to make it appear as a
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disabled vehicle. Or, she would stop to use a pay phone and act
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as if she was calling to get directions. At all times, the
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other officers, riding in an undercover vehicle, kept the decoy
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under surveillance, including the use of a video camera. A
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video tape showing what transpired during the robberies was
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especially useful for prosecution.
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GOOD SAMARITANS
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Oftentimes, people from the area offered to assist the
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female decoy officer. On one occasion, a vehicle with three
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occupants drove past the decoy vehicle and noticed the lone
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female. They circled the block and parked their vehicle nearby.
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One suspect stayed in the car with the engine running, while the
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other two approached the decoy officer. As they began to walk
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toward the decoy, a tow truck operator stopped to help the
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would-be victim and refused to leave, even though the decoy did
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not want his help. Seeing this, the two suspects then walked
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back to the car and departed the area.
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USE OF THE MEDIA
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The department decided to conduct a media blitz of
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Operation STAR to deter criminal activity. News personnel from
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a local television station were invited to ride with the STAR
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teams and video tape what transpired. Because of the wide
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publicity, criminals became wary of tourists, not knowing if
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they were really visitors or the decoy team in action.
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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The Operation STAR teams enlisted the help of the
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department's Career Criminal Detail to monitor suspects as they
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were processed through the criminal justice system. Some of the
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offenders had several previous arrests, mostly for robbery.
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This fact resulted in many remaining in custody with increased
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bonds and facing longer sentences upon conviction.
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CONCLUSION
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Operation STAR continues to shine in Miami. During the
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initial operation, the city realized a 12-percent reduction in
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robberies. In fact, August and September 1990, the first 2
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months of Operation STAR, showed the lowest number of robberies
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reported for any month during the entire fiscal year.
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Because of the success of Operation STAR, the department
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formed a new detail that will work only decoy operations,
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although using different scenarios. Hopefully, tourists will
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realize that the police department is working to make their
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visits to Miami enjoyable by ensuring that they are crime-free.
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_______________
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Commander M. Frank Shonberger, Crime Scene Investigation
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Unit, and Sgt. Bradford Swink, Supervisor of the Robbery Detail,
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Miami, Florida, Police Department, provided the information for
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this column.
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