The Corpus Christi Police Department was pleased that there were no major injuries related to the Buc Days Parade this past May 4, 2013 and consider the event a success because of the absence of injuries. This was a safe event for families to attend, and there were a few minor incidents to report.

The Parade enforcement spanned from 6:00pm until 11:45pm on May 4, 2013. There were 54 total calls for police service in which Corpus Christi Police Officers acted on some type of event which spanned from affecting an arrest to helping a pregnant mother who went into labor during the parade.

Ten people were arrested along the parade route which was primarily the result of over consumption of alcohol. There were 11 disturbances which merited police response, 1 missing child call of which the child was quickly located by officer’s moments after the parent contacted police. There were two requests for medical assistance (one for a woman who fell and the other for the mother who went into labor), and 6 calls for suspicious persons.

The Buc Days Parade for next year is already in the planning stages and the Corpus Christi Police Department will be ready for another fun and safe event.

 The Corpus Christi Police Department’s commitment to “Keep Corpus Christi Safe” has continued with its “Zero Tolerance No Insurance Initiative”

On Saturday, May 4, 2013, a total of 73 cars, trucks, and motorcycles will be auctioned at the Corpus Christi Police Department’s Vehicle Impound Lot located at 5485 Greenwood Drive during our monthly auction. The site has four paved acres for an auction lot.

Approximately 20 of these vehicles are “No Insurance” impounds.   On Friday, May 3, 2013, the general public will be allowed to register and view the vehicles to be auctioned from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There is no registration fee.

On the day of the auction, the general public can continue to register and view the vehicles from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The auction will commence promptly at 10:00 a.m.   The vehicles to be auctioned can be viewed at http://www.siskauction.com.  An auction list may also be downloaded from the same website.

The department’s strong stand and enforcement of this “Zero Tolerance No Insurance Initiative” will continue and all vehicles involved in accidents will be impounded and the driver cited if they are unable to provide financial proof of insurance. Driver’s license and proof of financial responsibility checkpoints will continue to be conducted at the Shift Captains’ authorization.

During 2012, Officers issued 5,756 citations for Failure to Maintain Financial Responsibility and impounded 1,009 vehicles.  In April of 2013, Officers issued 542 citations and impounded 86 vehicles for the same charge.

Planning Committee Seeks Relatives of Fallen Officers

On Monday May 13th at 10:30 am, the Corpus Christi Police Department, Nueces County Sheriff’s Office, and the Port of Corpus Christi Police Department will together host the seventh annual Regional Peace Officers Memorial Day Ceremony.  This year’s event once again will be held at the Solomon P. Ortiz International Center Outdoor Pavilion, 402 Harbor Drive, Corpus Christi.   Keynote speaker for this year’s ceremony will be United States Congressman Blake Farenthold.  The ceremony is a tribute to all Peace Officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, specifically recognizing those officers from the Coastal Bend who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their community. The public is cordially invited to attend.

Members of the Peace Officers Memorial Day planning committee are seeking current addresses for family members of the fallen officers so they can be invited and properly recognized during the ceremony.  If you are a family member, or can provide the address for a family member of any of these fallen officers please contact:

Executive Assistant to Chief Floyd Simpson

Teri Barrera

(361) 886-2603

TeriB@cctexas.com

By: Captain John Houston

On April 20, 1953, 60 years ago, Patrol Officer Roy Newton Smith was responding to a fight call when his patrol car was struck by another car at Staples and Lipan. Smith died of his injuries that day. Smith was 21 years old and had been on the department for just 4 months at the time of this tragic accident. Roy was married to Laverne Smith and had come here from Wichita Falls, Texas to work at the department. Roy and Laverne had one daughter Gail. Roy served with distinction in the Army having served in the Korean conflict before joining the department. Please take a moment out  of your day to remember our fallen brother. Our prayers remain with him and his family and may we never forget him and his sacrifice. Roy Smith is the fourth officer to die in the Line of Duty for the Department.

As a side note, we were able to locate his only daughter Gail Michalsky of Spring, Texas who never had a chance to know her father and she attended her first Police Officers Memorial Service last year. She was given a copy of the Wall of Honor photo by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

The week of April 14 through April 20, 2013, is National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. This is a designated time when the public can thank the men and women who answer emergency calls and dispatch resources to crisis situations. The public may show gratitude to 9-1-1 calltakers, dispatchers, technicians that maintain radio and emergency phone systems, communications staff trainers, communications center personnel, and other public safety telecommunications staff across the country who work tirelessly, often behind the scenes, to help during emergencies.

National Telecommunications Week began in 1981 in the effort to recognize and honor the hard work and dedication of the telecommunicators in emergency services. Congress made a formal proclamation in October 1991 to designate the second week in April as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.

Patricia Anderson of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in California set up the first week-long event in 1981 and the Corpus Christi Police celebrates the service of the telecommunicators in 2013.