Safety and Crime Prevention Top Forum Agenda

Commissioner Santamaria

Commissioner Santamaria

Keeping our neighborhoods safe was the message at the November 16 community forum hosted by Commissioner Jess Santamaria. Guest speakers were Chief Dep. Mike Gauger and Sgt. Jim DeFago of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and John Shwiner with CrimeStoppers of Palm Beach County.

Gauger played a short video with Sheriff Ric Bradshaw explaining current budget issues and how his department delivers efficient, cost-effective service to the citizens of Palm Beach County.

Gauger noted that residential crime has dropped in municipalities where the Sheriff’s Office provides service, including Lake Worth (down 45 percent) and Pahokee (down nearly 80 percent).

Gauger said volunteer-based programs such as Citizens on Patrol and youth programs like the Police Athletic League are having huge positive impacts. “We have to build partnerships, we know we can’t do it alone,” he said.

John Shwiner, CrimeStoppers president, said the nonprofit just celebrated its 30th anniversary. He played a clip of the very first CrimeStoppers re-enactment to appear on local TV. Channel 12 produced and aired the piece in September 1981 about a murder that had occurred 11 months earlier in Boca Raton.

In 30 years of taking anonymous tips, CrimeStoppers information has assisted with 104 homicides and 4,500 arrests, helped solve 7,000 cases, and recovered approximately $7.6 million in property and $17 million in narcotics. A total of $425,000 in rewards has been claimed by informants, Shwiner said.

Sgt. DeFago, PBSO’s CrimeStoppers coordinator, said he is especially proud that in 1994 the program was expanded to schools. Student Crime Stoppers offers $500 for any firearm found on campus. Thus far, student tips have resulted in 581 arrests, 573 cases solved, 250 weapons confiscated, and $150,000 in property and $35,000 worth of narcotics recovered. The program has paid out $43,500 in reward money.