Woman Attacked in Downtown Tampa Parking Garage

Police are searching for the suspect.

Authorities are searching for a man they say attacked a woman this morning in the Fort Brooke Parking Garage in downtown Tampa. The victim, described by police as a 63-year-old woman, parked on the eighth floor of the parking garage and was walking to the ninth floor elevator when a man grabbed her and dragged her to the stairwell around 11:37 a.m. today, according to the Tampa Police Department. The man pushed the woman to the ground, punched her several times and fondled her, police said. The woman heard people nearby in the garage and started screaming for help, prompting the man to flee, police said. The man was spotted on the closed circuit camera system, and detectives are trying to download a surveillance video of the attack. The …

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National Night Out Events Unite Tampa Communities

The events are designed to promote safety and a sense of community.

Growing up in Ft. Wayne, Ind., Marti Woznicki always felt a sense of community. When she moved to South Tampa's Hyde Park area a few years ago, she felt a natural inclination to get involved in neighborhood watch. "It sounded like a way to connect with my neighbors, and watch out for them," said Woznicki, neighborhood watch coordinator for the Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association. In honor of Tuesday's National Night Out events, Tampa Bay residents like Woznicki gathered at locations such as the Kate Jackson Community Center, 821 S. Rome Avenue, to talk crime prevention and community. Other Tampa Bay neighborhoods and areas where events were held included Hyde Park, Bayshore Beautiful and MacFarlane Park. The event at Kate Jackson …

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Tampa Police K-9 Sniffs Out a Bust

The springer spaniel makes her living finding narcotics in South Tampa and Seminole Heights.

  Bad guys on the prowl within the Tampa city limits might want to take notice. K-9 Bailey is on the job. Bailey, a springer spaniel, is credited with helping the Tampa Police Department take 54 grams of marijuana off the streets Tuesday. She's regularly on the beat throughout District 1, which encompasses South Tampa and Seminole Heights. Here are the details of Bailey's latest bust: According to an incident report, a police officer made a traffic stop in the Port Tampa area around 6:40 p.m. June 12. When she put on her lights, the driver and passenger of the 2001 Chevy Impala got out of the car and tried to go into a home in the 7300 block of South Westshore Boulevard. When neither suspect complied with the officer’s requests, backup was…

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Autism, Dementia, Special Needs Heighten Call for Tracking Aid

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office's partnership with SafetyNet by LoJack is aimed to give some peace of mind to caregivers worried about loved ones wandering off. The system involves wearing a small ankle or wrist transmitter.

  Adults and children with special needs are getting special attention from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Deputies are partnering with SafetyNet by LoJack to better respond to calls for service of missing adults and children with special needs who wander from home. The aim is to more easily address cases of missing people, including silver alerts. Citizens enrolled in SafetyNet wear a small LoJack SafetyNet personal transmitter around the wrist or ankle that emits an individualized tracking signal. If an enrolled client goes missing, the caregiver notifies the local SafetyNet agency, and a trained emergency team will respond. "Caring for a loved one who wanders is a considerable responsibility,” notes the company’s Web site. “…

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Tampa Police Launch Crime Mapping Website

The tool also creates a new way for citizens to report crime tips online.

The following report was submitted by the Tampa Police Department: The Tampa Police Department has teamed up with RAIDS Online to provide easy to read crime maps and analysis to allow Tampa residents a first-hand look at crimes in our city.  RAIDS Online displays crime data to the public using Google Maps' well-known mapping interface.  All the user has to do is type in their address, select the date and crimes they'd like to monitor and the information is provided on the map. The RAIDS Online mapping system allows TPD to share crime information with the community while helping to reduce crime, improve public safety and to enhance neighborhood-police partnerships. Users will be able to customize the interactive maps for their neighborhood …

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Alessandra Da Pra

11:33 am on Friday, May 4, 2012

Denise, a woman was robbed early this morning: http://patch.com/A-sYnN   more ›

Victims' Voices Heard In Tampa This Week

Tampa kicked off its recognition of National Crime Victims Rights Week on Monday morning with a proclamation ceremony led by state law enforcement leaders.

Horrifically violent stories were overshadowed by tales of community and overcoming Monday morning as State's Attorney Mark Ober led the opening ceremony of National Crime Victims Rights Week. The program, held at the Hillsborough County Center in downtown Tampa, focused on the plight of victims and their families who have suffered from violent crimes and the organizations that help the victims in their darkest hours. Along with the ceremony was a victim assistance information and resource fair outlining the duties of the Victim Assistance Program. "The amount of people we see being affected by the violence that tears at the fabric of our society is sometimes overwhelming to those of us in the law enforcement community," Ober said. "But it…

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Tampa Police Honor Unsung Heroes

The agency is taking part in National Telecommunicators Week festivities.

When emergencies happen and help is needed right away, chances are you're going to pick up the phone and call 911. But who is on the other end of that line? In South Tampa, it's generally the dispatchers from the Tampa Police Department who make sure assistance is there when it's needed. While they're normally the unsung heroes behind the men and women in blue, that's not the case this week. To make certain these professionals get some recognition, the Tampa Police Department is recognizing National Telecommunicators Week April 8-14. "Each year, the second full week of April is dedicated to the men and women who serve as public safety telecommunicators," TPD staff explained on the agency's Facebook page. "TPD's dispatchers have a tough job…

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From the Tampa Police Department

How to Protect Your Bicycle from Theft

Maryanne Hunsberger, crime prevention practitioner at Tampa Police Department District I, encourages residents to register their bikes.

Maryanne Hunsberger, crime prevention practitioner at Tampa Police Department District I, said that the district has experienced an increase in bicycle theft from open garages. Hunsberger says bicycle theft can be greatly reduced if owners take adequate security measures by investing in equipment that will be effective. For instance, residents should use a quality locking device such as a U-shaped hardened steel with a locking bar, or a hardened steel chain and padlock to secure their bikes. Weak, inexpensive locks do not deter a proficient thief. Also, folks should always close their garage doors since it only takes a few seconds for criminals to enter a garage and remove a bike. As a pro-active measure to help District I reduce bicycle …

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