Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 9-7-18

Local
Police Launch ‘High Visibility’
Veteran Officer Steps Into Role Of Captain
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
When Gary Neal joined the Tampa Po- lice Department 17 years ago, it was because of his family. He wanted to be able to spend time with his wife and 3 children.
The job offered him that security, income, and the freedom as well as the opportunity to meet people. Recently, he became Captain Gary Neal with his latest promotion.
“I was surprised and thrilled when I learned of the promotion. It’s good when people seek the work you do and then recog- nize you for it,” Captain Neal said.
An added bonus of the promotion is that he will remain in Uniform District III where he has spent the majority of his career. “I don’t stay in the office. I like getting out into the community. I spend a lot of time in the neighborhoods. I have gotten to know the people in the district,” he said.
A native of Jamaica, Captain Neal said his family moved to Massachusetts when he was 12 years old. He graduated from Lawrence High School, and continued his ed- ucation at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he earned his degree in Busi- ness Administration.
Captain Neal comes from a very close knit family. He is one of 8 children and says that he talks with his family members who remained in Massachusetts two or three times a day. However, he moved to Tampa because of the weather. He never adjusted to
CAPTAIN GARY NEAL Tampa Police Department
the cold coming from Jamaica, he said with a smile.
And while some people may frown on working in the same area of town for so long, Captain Neal, 46, takes it all in stride.
Captain Neal plans to continue walking the neighborhoods, getting to know the peo- ple he serves, and building on the concept of neighborhood policing.
He knows that establishing those working relationships of trust now will help in the fu- ture.
“As people, we all make bad choices. But my faith is what keeps me going,” he said.
Enforcement
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced plans to conduct High Visibil- ity Enforcement (HVE) De- tails in targeted areas of the county. The event began on Tuesday, September 4th and will culminate on Friday, May 17, 2019.
According to statistics, Hillsborough County ranks in the top 25 counties in the state for traffic crashes result- ing in serious and fatal in- juries to pedestrians and bicyclists.
The purpose of the initia- tive is to protect the safety of the most vulnerable road users. Deputies will focus on the intersections of Fletcher Avenue between Bruce B. Downs Blvd., and Nebraska Avenue, Waters Avenue be- tween Himes Avenue and Sheldon Road, Sheldon Road between Hillsborough Av- enue and Linebaugh Avenue, and Brandon Blvd., between Gornto Lake and Valrico
Road.
The areas being targeted
are over-represented in traf- fic accidents resulting in in- juries and deaths.
The goal of this enforce- ment effort is to increase awareness and compliance with traffic laws that protect the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists.
Enforcement efforts will focus primarily on education for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists. Deputies will hand out educational materials to include best practices for nighttime visibility.
Residents and motorists will notice deputies on foot, motorcycles and patrol cars enforcing traffic laws. Viola- tions may result in warnings or citations depending on the circumstances.
HVE details are funded through a contract with the University of North Florida in partnership with the Florida Department of Transporta- tion's focused initiative to im- prove pedestrian and bicycle safety.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-A