Due to the recent heavy rains, City of Corpus Christi Vector Control personnel are being inundated with requests from throughout the city for pest mosquito adulticide spraying.  Vector employees are responsible for a number of other key tasks besides mosquito spraying: from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM they are responsible for pesticide treatment of all city buildings, collecting and processing mosquitoes from the various traps throughout the city, and swarming bee eradication.

Vector Control can only spray for mosquitoes when it is not raining and the wind speed is low.   The pesticide dissipates quickly when it comes in contact with the ground, especially if there is any dew.  Even then, the fogger only kills the mosquitoes that are airborne 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 PM and Midnight.  It is estimated that the fog only kills one third of the total mosquito population. The three Vector employees have been working 12 to 14 hour days seven days a week for over the past two weeks to try to keep up with this demand.

The areas of the city to be sprayed are determined by the number of mosquitoes found in any of eight traps spread throughout the city.  Vector Control Officers will spray the routes surrounding any trap that exceeds 50 mosquitoes.  The routes to be sprayed are determined by the number of mosquitoes caught in traps, not by the number of complaints coming into the city call center.  Currently all traps in the city are exceeding the 50 mosquito threshold, so Vector Officers are conducting a patterned approach to spraying across the entire city.  The routes to be sprayed are posted on the City Website daily under the Health Department Vector Control page: http://archive.cctexas.com/Health/MosquitoSchedule/MosquitoSchedSearch.cfm

Vector Control is asking for the public’s patience as they work to reduce the recent increase in pest mosquitoes.  As always, citizens are encouraged to take the following 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.
• Regularly  drain standing water, including water that collects in empty cans, tires,     buckets, clogged rain gutters and saucers under potted plants. Mosquitoes  breed in stagnant water.
• Wear  long sleeves and pants at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
• Use air conditioning or make sure there are screens on all doors and windows to keep mosquitoes from entering the home.

The Corpus Christi Animal Care Services Division is proud to announce that they have placed second in their Division in the 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100,000 challenge. In addition to placing second in Division four, CCACSD placed fifth in the country, earning the “Most Improved Player “award. On Monday Animal Care Services was presented with a check in the amount of $30,000 from the ASPCA for their accomplishments. Animal Care Services will use the prize money to expand our Targeted Spay/Neuter Program and provide humane housing for cats at the Animal Shelter.

The 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge was a nationwide competition for animal shelters (and their communities) aimed at getting more animals adopted or returned to their owners than ever before. Corpus Christi Animal Care Services competed against nine other similarly sized animal shelters nationwide in our division and 49 shelters overall. The shelter that demonstrated the largest increase of live release (return to owner and adoptions) during the months of June, July and August in comparison to 2012, earned $100,000 from the ASPCA. In placing second, Corpus Christi Animal Care Services saved 858 dogs and cats during the three month period, an increase of 553 lives saved over 2012! The ASPCA reports that nationwide 56,379 lives were saved—an increase of 12,050 over last year.

Corpus Christi Animal Care Services worked closely with People Assisting Animal Control to win this award. PAAC is a non-profit organization that assists Animal Care Services and promotes responsible pet ownership and adoption. Without the hard work and dedication of staff and PAAC volunteers, this award would not have been possible. CCACS and PAAC wish to thank all the volunteers, donors, and sponsors who contributed tremendously to the success of this competition. Most of all, we thank those in the community who saved the life of a needy dog or cat through adoption.

Date: Saturday, September 14, 2013, 15:00

Location: 5488 South Padre Island Drive http://goo.gl/maps/bHOCr

Offense: Credit Card Abuse (Penal Code Section 32.31)

Case number: 1309180032

The Corpus Christi Police Department Property Crimes Detectives have issued a warrant for the arrest of a 44-year-old woman for credit card abuse after the woman was identified by a Crime Stoppers tip.

An 86-year-old woman reported to the Corpus Christi Police that her purse was taken without permission on Saturday, September 14, at a grocery store while she shopped. The 86-year-old woman said a person followed her and made small talk until the 86-year-old woman turned her back on the basket and purse while she got an item out of the freezer in the frozen food section. The 86-year-old woman said when turned back to the cart, the purse and the person who made small talk were gone. Corpus Christi Police Department Detectives discovered the credit cards taken from the 86-year-old woman were used at 5488 South Padre Island Drive after the cards were reported stolen.

A Crime Stoppers tip helped provide Detectives with information needed to identify 44-year-old Melissa Carmona (12/23/1968) as the person who unlawfully used the credit cards on September 14. Carmona is described as a white female, 5 feet 1 inch tall, weighs about 140 pounds, has brown hair and brown eyes and has a tattoo on her upper left arm and left wrist. Anyone who knows how to locate Carmona should call the Corpus Christi Police Department at 886-2600.

Search the website Crimereports.com to research all reported criminal activity in Corpus Christi. Anyone who knows any additional information about unsolved crimes should contact the Corpus Christi Police Department at 886-2841. Information about unsolved crimes may be provided to investigators anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS (8477) or online at 888TIPS.com. Information provided to Crime Stoppers which results in an arrest may earn the caller a cash reward.

The Corpus Christi Police Department will be celebrating National Night Out on October 1, 2013 from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. throughout the city.  Chief  Floyd Simpson and all command staff will be attending National Night Out events in your neighborhoods.   At 3:30 pm, we will be kicking off National Night Out at Sam’s Club located at 4949 Greenwood Drive. The community is invited to attend.  Please join us and meet our new Mounted Patrol Officers.

National Night Out is a unique crime and drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch. Neighborhood on Watch groups will join forces with thousands of other communities all over Texas to: heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, generate support for and participate in local anti-crime programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police community partnerships, and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighbors are organized to fight crime through community awareness.

The following is a list of locations in which National Night Out events are being held in your neighborhoods:

Be a part of National Night Out and turn your lights on for Texas’s Night Out Against Crime!

The Corpus Christi Police Department would like to caution the community after two separate attempted sexual assaults occurred within 24 hours of one another.

On September 28, 2013 at 04:48am, a 19-year-old woman was assaulted in the 4200 block of Ocean as she exited her vehicle. The woman told Officers a man approached her and attempted to sexually assault her.  The woman fought off the suspect and pepper sprayed him. 

On September 29, 2013 at 4:58am, a second 19-year-old woman was leaving Cole Park when she was flagged down by a man in red pick-up truck.  He warned her there was something wrong with her vehicle.  The woman pulled over in the 2400 block of Alameda and exited her vehicle.  The man attacked the victim in an attempt to sexually assault her.  The woman also fought back using her keys to stab at him.  The man fled.

The suspect in the first attack is described as a Hispanic man, 30 to 40 years of age, standing 5’8” to 5’9” feet tall and weighing 240 to 280 lbs.  He was last seen wearing a navy blue shirt and shorts. 

The suspect in the second attack is described only as a heavyset Hispanic man in his 50’s.  He was driving a red pick-up.

Police believe there is a good possibility that both assaults were perpetrated by the same suspect and he is targeting young women who are out alone in the early morning hours.

The Police Department has asked Officers to be extra vigilant while patrolling the areas near Ocean Drive and throughout the city.

The Police Department recommends that all young women avoid dangerous situations and be aware of their surroundings.   Don’t walk or jog alone, invite a friend or two to accompany you.  Make sure your car is in good working order and keep your doors locked as you travel.  Keep your cell phone charged at all times.

If flagged down by a stranded motorist , don’t stop, but drive on and  notify the Police Department at 361-886-2600 when it is safe to do so.

But above all, trust your instincts.  If you feel a situation is unsafe, it is. 

If you would like additional safety information, please contact our Crime Prevention Advisor at 361-886-2568.

Anyone with any information on these crimes is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS or submit a tip online at www.888TIPS.com.  Tipsters will earn a cash reward if the suspect is arrested.

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The Corpus Christi Police Department announces the newly established Mounted Patrol Unit. Senior Officers Chris Lynch and Teresa Lucich graduated from Dallas Police Department’s Mounted Patrol Officer Training program on September 6, 2013. These Corpus Christi Police Officers and their horses successfully completed 7 weeks of intense mounted patrol training.  Only 30 percent of officers who begin the Dallas Mounted Training successfully complete it to its entirety.Officer Lynch rides Cody and Officer Lucich rides Lady; both are American Quarter Horses and are 15 hands high. The officers and horses trained in sweltering heat which made for long days of riding. The mounted patrol training included bareback riding, crowd control, apprehension techniques, firearms proficiency on horseback, as well as stress induced training directed at the horses with fiercely loud distraction such as firecrackers, smoke, and cracking whips. After six weeks of training, officers further demonstrated proficiency with one week of Field Training and Evaluation in downtown Dallas.

The Citizens in Support of CCPD are honored to support the Mounted Patrol Unit and believe it will enhance the Department’s mission to protect and serve the city of Corpus Christi.