Ever wonder how your Security Membership dollars are being put to work? One of the main areas of focus for Security is providing additional patrol hours for Grogan's Point. Sergeant Acosta, who is in charge of coordinating those patrols, provided the following overview of how GPRA Security Patrol activities are performed.
A typical patrol shift is four hours long.
A deputy patrolling Grogan’s Point conducts:
Vacation watches
Generally performed at the beginning of a shift.
A deputy typically conducts 5 – 10 per shift.
Each check takes approximately 5 – 10 minutes if no issues are detected.
General patrol activities
General patrol activities include traffic enforcement (radar, monitoring stop sign compliance, providing a visible law enforcement presence while buses are picking up / dropping off children) and observation (suspicious vehicles and/or persons). Officers also provide security for community areas such as the parks and engagement with residents (responding to questions or concerns), and “BOLO” Activities (Be On the Look Out. Law enforcement alerts based on specific criminal activity, to include wanted persons, stolen vehicle alerts, suspect descriptions of people wanted for questioning, etc.) These messages are closely monitored and deputies position themselves to keep a vigilant watch for known threats.
Officers also watch for suspicious activity through stationary observation at the entrance to the neighborhood to monitor all traffic entering or departing the subdivision, and stationary observation at various locations to monitor activity and deter potential crime by
providing a visible law enforcement presence in the neighborhood. Past monitoring activities such a these have led to arrests for narcotics, theft and other criminal activity.
The main goals of each patrol are to be seen, deter crime, and respond rapidly when necessary.