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Sebring downtown police patrol position proposed

Joe Seelig/Highlands Today

Sebring merchant, Suzette Rhoades, straightens out some items at her downtown Circle home decor shop, Le Attique on Monday, while discussing the possible addition of a police officer who would walk a beat but would be partially funded by the Community Redevelopment Agency.

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By JOE SEELIG

Highlands Today

Published: June 23, 2009

SEBRING - Sebring Police Chief Tom Dettman has proposed plans to hire a new evidence technician and has suggested to Scott Noethlich, the city administrator, that the Community Redevelopment Agency fund part of the position.

"Now is the time for us to plan our budget," Dettman said Monday. "And that's how this came up."

For the last three or four budget years, there have been two to four frozen positions, he said.

"It has somewhat restricted our ability to have a police presence downtown," Dettman said.

"Money's tight so if they can help and at the same time benefit, then that's a winning combination."

It costs about $35,000 to $42,000 plus benefits to hire a new officer depending on experience and qualifications.

Dettman went to the city of Boynton Beach's Web site and showed where the city has its own CRA Police force, as an example that it can be done.

Noethlich contacted Pete Pollard, the CRA executive director.

According to a June 19 memo from Pollard to his board of commissioners, Dettman has indicated that the person could do some community policing type duties in the downtown that were formerly performed by police inspector Lamar Forbes, who retired.

Forbes, who had more than 20 years experience with the Collier County Sheriff's Office before coming to work at the Sebring Police Department in 1993, retired after 14 years in 2007.

He was practically a fixture in the downtown, according to Pollard.

"For those of you that are not familiar with Lamar, he was responsible to walk the downtown, meet with the merchants and develop a relationship and would also be the point of contact with the SPD for all events," Pollard wrote in a memo to the CRA commissioners.

"It was a community policing effort that worked fairly well while Lamar was at the SPD. The proposal that will come to you for your consideration as a budget item will be to contribute approximately $16,000 a year toward salary and benefits."

Pollard said CRA staff will meet with Dettman prior to its July 13 meeting to "iron out the details and the exact cost."

It's been several years since Forbes retired, Pollard said Monday.

"He developed relationships with the merchants downtown," said Pollard. "Lamar would essentially walk the downtown area. He maintained a presence that was an example of community policing."

Forbes acted as a liaison to the now defunct Downtown Merchants and Professionals Association, handling requests for special events and road closures.

"When Lamar was here and he was the liaison sitting in on the DMPA meetings it was a good thing," Pollard said. "Everyone knew who to contact. There was a face to the name."

Pollard said while this type of relationship between the Sebring CRA and police department had never been done before, although it has been done by CRA boards in other parts of the state.

"It's an allowable expense," said Pollard.

But it could present a bookkeeping challenge, Pollard said, because the department would have to track down hours spent within the boundaries of the CRA district and how much time was dedicated to other police duties.

The chief said the new officer might also take on the duties of a special events coordinator for the downtown and perhaps even work as a crime prevention specialist.

Darlene Pigman has a relatively new business in downtown called Front Porch Dogs. She sells homemade doggie snacks and doggie items at 207 Circle Park Drive.

Pigman was asked if she felt safe working in downtown.

"There's been maybe one person in here in the months I've been here that made me nervous," she said. "But drivers have to be warned that pedestrians in the crosswalk have a right of way."

She thought having a cop walking a beat was a good thing.

Suzette Rhoades, owner of Le Attique, a medium-to-upscale home decor shop, said she too feels safe downtown.

"We have our security system and our police are here in minutes," she said. "When we've had shoplifter issues, the police have been right there."

Anytime you're getting added protection it's great, and anything that would make our customers feel safer."

She said several times she's had to help a handicapped person in the crosswalk get across the Circle because drivers are not stopping. She thinks a beat cop would help out with such traffic issues.

Highlands Today reporter Joe Seelig can be reached at (863) 386-5834 or jseelig@highlandstoday.com .

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