Transportation Network Companies (Lyft, Uber X, Sidecar, Wingz, Summon, Taxify and Haxi for example) are currently not permitted to operate in the City of Corpus Christi. Several companies were notified by to meet the cities requirements or face enforcement actions as noted below:

“Companies or individuals who operate vehicles-for-hire without proper license and permits are in violation of the Code and are subject to criminal prosecution and vehicle impoundment.”

In the event that you are currently driving for a Transportation Network Company in the City of Corpus Christi you are in violation of the following codes based on the definition of Taxicab and For Hire: 

Taxicab (defined): Every automobile or motor-propelled vehicle used for the transportation of passengers for hire over the public streets of the city and not over a defined or fixed route, irrespective of whether or not the operations extend beyond the city limits, at rates for distance traveled, for waiting time, for both or at rates per hour, per day, per week or per month under circumstances that such vehicle is routed under the direction of the passenger hiring same.

For Hire (defined): For money or other thing of value, gratuities, tips and free-will offerings, whether paid directly or indirectly, as compensation or consideration for services rendered.

Sec. 57-30. Certificate, license and permit required.

It shall be unlawful for any person to drive or operate or to cause to be driven or operated any taxicab upon or over any street or thoroughfare in the city unless the owner or operator thereof has first secured a certificate from the city to operate a taxicab and the required license and permit to operate such vehicle under this article has been issued.

Sec. 57-76. Prerequisites to issuance of license.

Upon obtaining a certificate to operate a taxicab service in the city as provided in this article, the holder shall make application to the taxicab inspector for a license to be issued for each vehicle to be operated as a taxicab. The application shall be accompanied by an inspection fee of fifteen dollars ($15.00) per vehicle to be licensed. Prior to the issuance of a license for a taxicab, the taxicab inspector shall conduct an inspection of the vehicle to determine that it complies with the requirements of this article and the regulations promulgated pursuant thereto. In the event a vehicle fails to pass this inspection, the certificate holder shall have ten (10) business days to remedy any defects and submit the vehicle for reinspection without the necessity of payment of an additional inspection fee. After the ten (10) business day reinspection period has lapsed, an additional fifteen dollar ($15.00) inspection fee per vehicle to be licensed will be applied.

Sec. 57-96. Taxicab or vehicle for hire driver’s permit required; permit fee.

(a)

Every person desiring to drive a taxicab or vehicle for hire in the city shall apply for and obtain a taxicab or vehicle for hire driver’s permit from the taxicab inspector. It shall be unlawful for any person holding a certificate for the operation of a taxicab service in the city to permit any person to drive a taxicab or vehicle for hire unless such person shall have a driver’s permit in good standing duly issued by the taxicab inspector, with the exception of inspection purposes under section 57-75.

(b)

The fee for an original, renewal or transfer taxicab or vehicle for hire driver’s permit is a nonrefundable fifty dollars ($50.00) and shall be paid at the time the permit application is filed with the taxicab inspector. The fee for a replacement permit is twenty dollars ($20.00).

Violators will be subject to the issue of the citations listed above (each carrying a penalty of up to $500) and impoundment of their vehicle.

The Corpus Christi Police Department has received information that a mosquito, trapped near the area of Redbird Lane and Avenue C, has tested positive for the West Nile Virus.

Vector Control will begin spraying for mosquitos this evening and will continue for three (3) consecutive days (evening). The spray area will encompass a one-mile radius near the trap location. The traps in the area will continue to be monitored on a daily basis. The course of action will be dictated by any further detection of the West Nile virus.

Each morning the trap will be checked for mosquitos that will then be sent off for testing.

Citizens near the area are asked to take preventative measures. Vector Control is also asking parents to be mindful during outdoor sporting activities.

• Citizens are asked to use mosquito repellent with DEET.
• Wear long sleeves and pants and consider staying indoors when mosquitos are most active, that being dusk and dawn.
• Get rid of standing water in outdoor flower pots, buckets or barrels.

This year marks the 14th anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001. In an effort to honor the brave First Responders who made great sacrifices on our behalf on that day, as well as honoring the late Police Chief Floyd Simpson we are announcing the 5th annual Patriot 5K Run & Walk. Registration for this event will be capped at 1500 participants. Registration is free courtesy of the Corpus Christi Police Foundation.

When:
Friday, September 11, 2015. Event opens to the public at 5:00 p.m.

Where: (New Location)
McCaughan Park across from McGee Beach, Corpus Christi, TX  78401

Packet Pickup:
Due to the large number of participants in this event, packet pickup will be held over a three-day period.  Here is the most current information on packet pickup.

Wednesday, September 9 (11am to 6pm):  Firehouse Subs, 6418 S. Staples, Suite 140, Corpus Christi, TX 78413.  Firehouse Subs is located in the Saratoga Town Center at the intersection of Saratoga and S. Staples.  Firehouse Subs is located in the same shopping center as the Kohls department store.

Thursday, September 10 (11am to 6pm):  HEB Plus, 5313 Saratoga Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78413.  HEB Plus is located on Saratoga between the Everhart and S. Staples.  HEB Plus is close to Niko’s Steakhouse.

Friday morning, September 11 (9am to 1pm):  Bay Area Bicycles, 6020 South Padre Island Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412.  Bay Area Bicycles is located in the Gulfway Shopping Center.  Bay Area Bicycles is located at the intersection of Airline and SPID.

Race Day Packet Pickup will only be available from 4 pm. to 5:30 pm on Friday, September 11 at McCaughan Park.  Please try to attend Packet Pickup on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday morning.  You may send someone to Packet Pickup to obtain your packet.

Details:
This commemoration is sponsored by the Corpus Christi Police Foundation, a not-for-profit whose mission it is to create a safer Corpus Christi by strengthening the bond between the Corpus Christi Police Department and the citizens it serves.  In an effort to include and encourage as many people as possible who wish to participate in honoring our First Responders and the late Chief Floyd Simpson, there will be no entry fee for participation.  Participation is limited to the first 1500 participants who register.  In addition, all registered participant will receive a free commemorative t-shirt courtesy of the event sponsors.

Schedule:
6:00pm:  Opening ceremonies honoring First Responders and the late Chief Floyd Simpson
6:30pm:  5K Run & Walk
7:00pm:  Post event festivities including food, drink and music for registered participants
7:30pm:  Awards Ceremony – (Awards will not be mailed)

Music by the “The Rockaholics” after the awards ceremony. Several food trucks will be available at the park.

Location: (New Location)
McCaughan Park, 850 Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401.  McCaughan Park (across from McGee Beach) is located on Shoreline Blvd down the street from the First United Methodist Church. McCaughan Park is located at the intersection of Furman and Shoreline Blvd along the bayfront.

Parking:
Free parking is available in the North parking lot between McCaughan Park and Sherrill Park. Additional free parking is available along the City streets in the area around the Sherrill Park. Paid parking may also be available at surrounding are lots that are privately owned.  The parking lot adjacent to McCaughan Park is reserved for Police and Fire emergency vehicles.

Events:
5K Run & Walk for Ages 4 and Up – Children 6 and under must have adult supervision with them on the course.  This is a family friendly event so families are encouraged to participate together.

Strollers are allowed on the course but should seed themselves at the back of the starting pack. For the safety of all participants, pets are not allowed on the event course.  Exceptions for service animals will be made on a case by case basis.  Please contact the Race Director if you will be participating with a certified service animal.

Race Director:  A.P. “Freddy” Ramirez, zerievents@gmail.com

Awards: (Overall Awards are Gun Time,  Age Group Awards are Chip Time)
5K – Overall Male / Female, Overall Master (40+) Male / Female, Overall Grand Master (60+) Male / Female plus 1st, 2nd, 3rd place Age Group awards

Age Groups: (New Age Group)
(4 to 6), (7 to 9), (10 to 12), (13 to 14), (15 to 19), (20 to 24), (25 to 29), (30 to 34), (35 to 39),(40 to 44), (45 to 49), (50 to 54), (55 to 59), (60 to 64), (65 to 69), (70+)

Fees:  FREE!

Shirts:
Participation in this event is limited so only the first 1500 registrants will receive a free event shirt courtesy of our event sponsors.  Shirts will be distributed at packet pickup.  Shirt sizes are not guaranteed and may not be exact, but we will do our very best to accommodate your requested size.

Shirt Sizes:
Youth – Medium, Large
Adult – Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, XX-Large

Race Day Registration:
There will be no registration available at the race site.  You must register online.  Online registration is now CLOSED.

Timing:
Pendgo Timing working with Athlete Guild will provide timing for the 5K Run & Walk.  Athlete Guild uses only state-of-the-art equipment.  You will be issued a race bib with a disposable timing chip attached during Packet Pickup. You will not be asked to stand in a long line at the event waiting for someone to give you a shoe chip. You will also not be chased down by someone trying to cut-off your chip after the event.  Athlete Guild is now working with Pendgo Timing in our local community.

EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatch) is an APCO program that was re-designed specifically for MetroCom and our community.

The program is designed to utilize our EMS resources in an organized and efficient manner and provide pre-arrival instructions to callers. The pre-arrival instructions were provided by our Medial Director, Dr. Roberts and our response plans by the Corpus Christ Fire Department, Chiefs Paige and Flores. We have 4 EMD Instructors on staff and our entire division has been trained. Each dispatcher received more than 40 hours of training and Dr. Roberts had a part in every class.  

This new program has changed how we process Medical emergency calls for service. Dispatchers are trained to ask more questions and give pre-arrival instructions. We want the Community to know though we’re asking several questions, this does not mean units are not on their way. Once we know where and what’s wrong, the call is dispatched to the nearest units. The dispatcher is gathering more information and it’s being transferred to the units so they know how best to respond.  

The pre-arrival instructions range from very basic information such as gathering your medication and sitting down until units arrive to CPR and childbirth delivery. Our dispatchers are reassured with this new program because they know exactly what questions to ask and what instructions will best help the caller. 

“This cooperative effort between the Police and Fire Department will only enhance our capabilities to provide better services to our community” said interim Chief Markle.  

The Police Department has been working on implementing the EMD system for years. Those years of waiting have finally culminated in a truly robust system. 

7-Eleven^® Celebrates a Generation of Good Will with Operation Chill^®

(Corpus Christi, Texas) (August 4, 2015) – 7-Eleven^® celebrates a generation of good behavior this year. For 20 years, U.S. police officers have been ticketing kids with Operation Chill^® FREE Slurpee^® drink coupons. Many of those kids are adults now, and may even have children of their own who are eligible to receive a frozen treat for good behavior, compliments of 7-Eleven^® and the Corpus Christi Police Department.

Begun in Philadelphia to give law enforcement officers a positive reason to interact with children and teens, Operation Chill has expanded to cities across the country. Through Operation Chill®, law enforcement officers from participating local police and sheriff’s departments can “ticket” youngsters caught in the act of doing good with Slurpee® beverage coupons. Appropriate “offenses” might include helping another person, deterring crime or participating in a positive activity in the community. Each coupon can be redeemed for a small Slurpee drink at participating 7-Eleven stores.

Since the program’s inception in 1995, nearly 14 million Operation Chill coupons have been distributed to hundreds of law enforcement agencies across the country in areas where 7-Eleven operates stores. During 2015, up to 1.25 million coupons will be issued nationally; most during the summer months and back-to-school season.

“This is a wonderful way for our officers to praise kids for doing the right thing in our community. As our officers reinforce positive behaviors we hope that the children continue to make positive choices in their lives,” said Interim Chief Mike Markle.

Operation Chill was developed by 7-Eleven, Inc. to positively reward and encourage good behavior by kids during the hot summer months, when communities may experience increases in loitering, shoplifting, and graffiti, and to support law enforcement agencies’ community relations projects. Police use the Operation Chill program to reward youth for their good deeds as well as enhance their relations with the young people of their city.

“I don’t know who likes the Operation Chill program more, police officers or kids,” said Mark Stinde, 7-Eleven vice president Asset Protection.  “Police officers have told us they love having a positive reason to approach kids and surprise them with a Slurpee coupon, just for being good citizens.”

7-Eleven’s proprietary Slurpee semi-frozen carbonated beverage has generational appeal with slurpers both young and old. More than a half-million Slurpee drinks are purchased each day during the summer at 7-Eleven stores across the country.

There are six 7-Eleven stores in Corpus Christi.

# # #

On 5/19/15 The Narcotics Vice Investigations Division and Directed Patrol Officers of the Corpus Christi Police Department, in conjunction with Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations, conducted an operation focused on several local massage parlors. The operation was a result of an increase in citizen complaints directed at the massage parlors for engaging in illegal activity. This was a two part operation which involved regulatory inspections and had the following results:

Rose Spa 3517 S. Staples

2 arrests
Two adult females were arrested.
One female was charged with prostitution and a violation of the Occupations Code in practicing massage therapy without a license and operating a massage establishment without a license.
One female was charged with a violation of the Occupations Code in operating a massage establishment without a license.

China Spa 5315 Everhart

2 arrests
Two adult females were arrested.
One female was arrested for a violation of the Occupations Code for massage without a license involving sexual contact.
One female was arrested for a violation of the Occupations code for operating a massage establishment without a license.

Herbal Massage 5702 S. Staples

1 arrest
One adult female was arrested under the Occupations Code for Practice by a Massage Therapist (Sexual Contact)

Regulatory actions only:

Spa Massage 6601 Everhart #D4

Two adult females detained
OC 455.205 Massage Therapy (Operator) not a licensed establishment

Massage 5888 Everhart Unit B

One adult female detained
OC 455.205 Massage Therapy (Operator) not a licensed establishment

No other information will be available this evening.

Funeral services to honor Corpus Christi Police Chief Floyd Simpson have been scheduled.

Visitation
Thursday, May 7th
2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Corpus Christi Christian Fellowship
6602 S Staples St, Corpus Christi, TX 78413

*CCPD Traffic Units will be directing traffic at Staples and Timbergate.

Funeral Service
Friday, May 8th
11:00 a.m. (Doors open at 9:30a.m.)
American Bank Center
1901 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78401

*CCPD Officers will be directing traffic. Parking near the American Bank Center on Shoreline will be reserved for marked for First Responder Units.
*An Emergency Vehicle procession will take place 20 minutes after the conclusion of the event. The procession route will be along Shoreline/Ocean to Ennis Joslin to SH 358 (SPID) westbound and conclude near Old Brownsville Road.

*Due to the memorial service, the American Bank Center Box office will open at 2:00pm on Friday.
*Concession areas will be closed; there will be water stations available.
*Shoreline from the Art museum to Palo Alto will be closed starting Thursday at 6pm until Friday at 3pm

Due to increased mosquito activity and high mosquito counts on the Island area all routes located on the Island will be sprayed.  Spraying will take place this evening from dusk to approximately 11:00pm

Vector Control can only spray for mosquitoes when it is not raining and the wind speed is low. The pesticide dissipates very quickly when it comes in contact with the ground, especially if there is dew.  Even then, the fogger only kills the mosquitoes that are actually airborne and come in direct contact with the pesticide at the time of the spraying, so it is not effective for any great period of time.

Since the fog only kills the airborne mosquitoes, spraying only occurs during evening hours, usually between 7:00 p.m. and Midnight. It is estimated the fog only kills one-third of the total mosquito population. 

 Although Vector Control employees do their best to reduce the number of pest mosquitoes citywide, Corpus Christi Animal Care Services (CCACS) urges residents to take these personal precautions to avoid being bitten:

• Use an approved insect repellent every time you go outside and follow the instructions on the label. Approved repellents are those that contain DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.