MISSION LAKE PLAZA

COMBATING AN OPEN-AIR DRUG MARKET

IN A SHOPPING COMPLEX
LAUDERHILL POLICE DEPARTMENT, FLORIDA, 1996

THE PROBLEM: Mission Lake Plaza, a shopping complex, was generating a

disproportionate amount of calls for police service. Calls for service
included disturbances, narcotics, gang activity, loitering, and public
drinking. The plaza was covered with litter and poor lighting contributed
to an open-air drug market. The drug activity spilled out into an adjacent
park. School children walking through the plaza to and from school were
solicited to purchase and sell drugs.

ANALYSIS: Interviews and meetings with community members and business owners
revealed that the plaza had a longstanding reputation as an open-air drug
market, which was attractive to dealers because of the high level of
traffic, availability of alcohol and drug paraphernalia, and environmental
conditions (poor lighting and upkeep). The plaza also served as a
playground for truant schoolchildren.

RESPONSE: The police initiated buy-bust operations in and around the plaza and used
confidential informants and video buys to find out the identity of the
dealers. A trespass program was implemented enabling officers to have
probable cause to arrest an individual for trespass after a warning.
Truancies were also monitored more carefully and efforts were made to
improve the appearance of the plaza.

ASSESSMENT: The assessment is still ongoing. However, the observations of the

citizens and members of the city government have noted positive
changes. Calls and letters have indicated that the plaza was a better place
than it used to be. Calls for service have slightly decreased.

two convenience stores, a coin laundry, a hair

salon, a barbershop, a day care center, two
SCANNING storefront churches, two food vendors, and a
hair supply store. One of the convenience stores
In October of 1994, the newly formed Lauderhill sells alcohol.
Police Department assumed responsibility for
the Central Neighborhood from the Broward In the beginning, we responded to numerous
Sheriff’s Office. calls for service the plaza. Calls for service
included disturbances, narcotics, gang activity,
Mission Lake Plaza was identified as the largest, loitering, and public drinking. Police officers
most complex problem of the neighborhood. The were occasionally greeted with rocks and bottles
plaza has twelve stores with eight in operation— upon arrival at the plaza.

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 ANALYSIS
The conditions of the plaza were unsightly and
offensive. Beer cans, broken glass, and trash The Lauderhill Police Department received
cluttered the grounds. The dumpsters were information from the Broward Sheriffs Office
constantly overflowing with trash. Clear plastic months before the inception of the department
baggies used to package drugs were found on about the severity of the problems at Mission
the ground in the area. Poor lighting in some Lake Plaza. We also had data showing that the
areas camouflaged drug dealers, and pay phones Sheriffs Office responded to Mission Lake Plaza
were used for drug transactions and an excuse to over 2,300 times from 1992 to 1994 for calls,
loiter. These elements contributed to an open-air which varied in nature. The Sheriffs Office
drug market. Selective Enforcement Team made over 300
narcotic arrests in Mission Lake Plaza during the
Community members, police, fire, and city time they serviced the City of Lauderhill.
employees identified the plaza as an open-air
drug market. Mission Lake plaza is located in When the Lauderhill Police Department started,
very close proximity to City Hall, City Hall officers were assigned beats within the central
Park, and the police and fire departments. It is neighborhood. Officer Dan Mathis chose the
also close to Royal Palm Elementary School and challenge of Mission Lake Plaza as his beat
the Lauderhill Boys and Girls Club. Because of assignment. Officer Mathis went into the
these circumstances, the plaza created problems community and met with residents and business
for a wide range of people. owners to find out their concerns.

The plaza was determined to be the nucleus of Door-to-door interviews and randomly asked
the problems in the Central Neighborhood. It questions were discussed to determine the
was a long- standing open-air drug market problems. A group of concerned community
situated in the middle of a predominantly members were brought together to form a crime
African American community. watch group. This group consisted of residents
and business owners from the Mission Lake
The drug activity spilled over into the park, Plaza area. The group met twice a month at the
which is less than 30 feet away, and into the police department to brainstorm and discuss
adjacent apartment complexes. issues surrounding the plaza.

During the school year, between 400 and 500 In the beginning stages of these meetings, the
school children walked through and past the owner of the plaza refused to attend the
plaza on their way to and from school. These meetings. The owners of the businesses within
children were subjected to this environment on a the plaza expressed their disappointment with
daily basis. On some occasions juvenile drug the owner of the plaza for a lack of concern for
dealers solicited other children to be look-outs the perception and conditions at the plaza.
or sell drugs for them. Drug sales took place in
the presence of the children and near their The following areas were identified:
schools.
Open-Air Drug Market
The offenders were identified as adult and
juveniles, primarily African-American males. Mission Lake Plaza had a long-standing
The buyers consist of both whites and reputation as an open-air drug market. Drug
African-Americans. The drugs of choice are buyers knew the plaza as an information center
marijuana and crack cocaine, mainly sold in $10 and a source to either purchase or be directed to
or $20 amounts. purchase, marijuana or crack cocaine. The plaza
was saturated with dealers from one end to the
other. When the police arrived in the plaza, they
observed the dealers walk into one of the stores,
then purchase an item or hide their drugs.

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 copper pot scrubbers used to insulate crack
Statistical Summary cocaine smoking devices.
Calls for Service to Mission Lake Plaza
December 1994 to January 1995 540 Alcohol and tobacco products were sold to
March 1995 to April 1995 248 minors. Juveniles purchased single cigars to use
May 1996 to June 1996 390 them to smoke marijuana. (The inner leafs are
By November 1995, 30% of the calls to MLP removed from the cigar and replaced with
were drug related. marijuana.) The store served as a “one-stop
shop” for local drug dealers. The combination of
The presence of the drug dealers led to supply availability and customers made the
additional problems in the plaza. Dealers would plaza an excellent place to loiter. Drug dealers
loiter in front of the stores pretending to use the could drink alcohol, smoke marijuana, and wait
payphones, or appear to be waiting for someone for the next customer in one location.
inside one of the stores.
Trespass After Warning
When police arrived on scene, they observed the
dealers run over to the payphone so that they The availability of paraphernalia, alcohol, and
appeared to be on the phone. This activity customers made it very difficult to keep dealers
started at 7:00 am, continuing throughout the away from the plaza once they had been issued a
night into the early morning. trespass warning by an officer. When the dealers
saw the police coming they would flee on foot if
This location was attractive to dealers because of they knew they had been issued a trespass
the combination of environmental conditions, warning for the plaza. The plaza is accessible
storefronts, comer location, and high level of from many directions, creating escape routes.
pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Drug dealers Another alternative for them was to claim that
were also spread out in all directions from the they were patronizing one of the stores.
plaza into the community.
Gang Activity
Within a block in each direction, drugs could be
purchased. The drug dealers were mainly Some of the dealers have been identified as
African American juveniles and adults. The members of the “Deepside Posse.” “Deepside” is
buyers consisted of mainly whites. The African- the street name for Central Lauderhill. Gang
Americans that purchased drugs were usually members have marked Mission Lake Plaza as
local citizens. Road patrol officers obtained from part of their territory by spray-painting "DSP"
the results of a reverse sting operation, and from on parts of the property. Some of the members
observations this information. have been identified by tattoos and clothing. The
gang consisted of juvenile and adult members.
Sale of Alcohol and Drug Paraphernalia
Truant Juveniles
One of the convenience stores in the plaza
directly contributed to the open-air drug market Mission Lake Plaza was a magnet for truant
and the deterioration of the community. The juveniles. During the day juveniles loitered in
store sold the small clear plastic baggies used to the plaza. Some were lured into being lookouts
package and distribute drugs. for drug dealers, while others became involved
in gang activity. In the mornings and afternoons,
Store representatives claimed that the baggies other kids were subjected to seeing these kids
were used for coin and stamp collecting. loiter instead of going to school. This enticed
Another store representative stated that the them to want to skip school as well.
baggies were sold to dealers to make up for the
loss resulting from shoplifters. They also sold According to the Broward County Juvenile
Intake Facility, the City of Lauderhill led
Broward County with the most truant juveniles

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in the county. The Lauderhill Police Department not physically leave their homes. Residents also
was second in Broward County among agencies expressed a lack of confidence in the new police
picking up the most truants. Most of them were department and its philosophy of
picked up at Mission Lake Plaza. problem-oriented policing. Residents mainly felt
the problems at Mission Plaza could only be
Poor Lighting, Maintenance and Upkeep dealt with by the police and could not be solved
by community efforts.
The conditions of the area were unsightly. Beer
cans, bottles, broken glass, clear baggies, and The Lauderhill Police Department was offered
trash were scattered along the grounds, and an apartment, to be used as a neighborhood
dumpsters were overflowing. Poor lighting in satellite office, by an apartment complex
some areas camouflaged drug dealers and adjacent to the plaza. A rally and “March
suspicious people. Business owners complained Against Drugs and Crime” was used to kick off
that poor lighting in the plaza was partially due the grand opening of the satellite office.
to the plaza owner's refusal to replace broken
lighting. There was limited participation by community
members because many were afraid to be seen
We concluded from the analysis that the supporting the police department. As we
environment in and around the plaza had an continued implementation of the project,
adverse effect on the school children in the area community support continued to decline. The
and those that attended the Boys & Girls Club community was adamant on seeing presence
across the street. This was a very dangerous from the police department to eliminate the
environment for school aged children. problems.

RESPONSE At this point we re-assessed the problems and

the difficulties we were experiencing. The
Our initial response was an attempt to organize problems and possible solutions were outlined.
the community by developing a community Short-term and long-term goals and objectives
crime watch program, which would initially be were introduced.
kicked off by a rally. Meetings were held and
Officer Dan Mathis introduced the Mission Lake Narcotic Activity
Project to the community.
Road patrol officers initiated narcotics
The purpose of the meetings was to organize a enforcement. Officers coordinated buy-bust
crime watch team composed of motivated operations in and around the plaza. Confidential
volunteers. The team members would be placed informants and video buys were used by the
in strategic locations throughout the area to Central Neighborhood Task Force to find out the
observe violations in the plaza area. The team identity of the dealers.
would report violations either by CB radio or
cellular phones to the directed patrols, which The information from these operations was
were assigned only to the Mission Plaza and its given to road patrol officers to assist with
surroundings. Flyers were distributed throughout finding and arresting dealers. This effort was
the community to gain interest in the crime intended to communicate to the dealers around
watch program. the plaza that police officers were monitoring
their activities closely.
This approach was not successful due to the lack
of support from the community. Some residents Field Interview Cards and Photos
could not participate due to family obligations or
other personal reasons. We received many dispatched calls in reference
to dealers loitering in the plaza. Store merchants
For example, single mothers could not leave requested that some of the individuals be
their children unsupervised. The elderly could removed from the property. Road patrol officers

4
experienced difficulties issuing trespass Unsightly Appearance
warnings due to the fact that there are several
stores with individual owners. Mission Lake Plaza has twelve stores with eight
in operation. The appearance of the plaza was
To address this situation a trespass program was unsightly and offensive. Beer cans, broken glass,
implemented. Each storeowner, and the owner and trash was scattered over the grounds.
of the plaza submitted a letter authorizing the
Lauderhill Police Department to bar loiterers The dumpsters were constantly overflowing, and
from the property. A trespass/field interview in some areas the odor of urine could be
form was developed that created duplicate smelled. Small clear plastic baggies used to
copies. package drugs are frequently observed on the
ground. Poor lighting in some areas
When a trespass warning was issued in front of a camouflaged drug dealers and suspicious people.
particular store, the officer provided the store The pay phones were used for drug transactions
with a copy of the warning. This provided the and an excuse to loiter.
store with documentation that could be shown to
the responding officer. This then gave the Short- Term Goals (implemented within six
responding officer probable cause to arrest an months)
individual for trespass after warning.
Narcotics enforcement
In addition to the trespass program, signs were
erected throughout the plaza warning of the Trespass program
consequences. The trespass form served as a
field interview card as well. When this form is Enforcement of code violation through
completed in the field, the officer takes a photo Code Enforcement
of the individual and attaches it to the card.
These photos were organized in a photo album. Division Mapping through creative
The photo album helped with identification of sentencing, restricting presence in the
suspects and assisted victims of crimes. area of the plaza as a condition of
probation
Juvenile Delinquency
Field interviews and photos
We identified that one of the contributing factors
to the problem at the plaza was juvenile Long -Term Goals (within twelve months)
delinquency. School children loiter in the plaza
during school hours until late afternoon. The Reduce or eliminate drug sales and use
Lauderhill Police Department’s Truancy
Enforcement Team apprehended the second Improve the appearance and perception
highest number of truants in Broward County.
Establish recreational programs for the
Lauderhill Middle School had the highest youth
number of truant children in the county. Most of
these truants frequented Mission Lake Plaza. Establish the park as a safe place for
The Truancy Team worked closely with the family interaction
school resource officer to identify potential
truants by monitoring the absentee names. These Form a self-sufficient crime watch team
names were put on a list along with the names of
suspended students. The Truancy Team was The Central Neighborhood implemented strict
provided with this list to identify truants. enforcement efforts at the plaza. No loitering
and trespassing signs were erected in and around
the plaza. Violators were arrested, and issued a
trespass warning. The dealers responded by

5
watching the police department to learn what inspections of adjacent complexes for minimum
officers were working and how many. Dealers housing conditions to make certain that
also dialed 911 to learn the response routes and complexes were up to city standards.
the response times.
The Task Force did not limit its attention to
The next phase of the response included the Mission Lake Plaza. The activity in the plaza
creation and implementation of The Central affected adjacent locations, including City Hall
Neighborhood Task Force. The Task Force was Park, Don Carlos Apartment, and The
a uniquely designed problem solving team Windermere Condominiums.
consisting of police officers, business owners,
code enforcement, probation and parole, and As part of the area revitalization, these adjacent
other agencies. The police officers involved complexes were a part of the plans for changes.
possessed special areas of expertise. Most of the focus was centered on the park.
Sometimes the park was a second choice for
Dan Mathis, who had expertise in dealers and loiterers after they were directed
problem-oriented policing and street narcotics away the plaza. Officer CJ Fifer used his
enforcement, supervised the Task Force. Officer expertise in crime prevention through
C. J. Fifer specialized in crime prevention environmental design to re-evaluate and
through environmental design, bike patrol, and redesign the park to attract legitimate users.
weapons tactics; and Officer John Pulitano in
crime prevention through environmental design Some of the specific proposals suggested
and narcotics enforcement. This unique team highlighting the portion the park that is closest
made up the law enforcement component of the to Mission Lake Plaza by adding bright colorful
Task Force. tot lots, and other amenities designed for family
interaction. The intention of these upgrades and
The Task Force was created to bring minds changes is to make the park the centerpiece of
together to attack problems in the Central the neighborhood, attracting families and
Neighborhood. The goals of the Task Force children. Illegitimate users will not want to
were to drastically improve Mission Lake Plaza engage in criminal activity if they feel they are
and the appearance, reputation, and disposition being watched. More interaction in the park
of the entire Central Neighborhood. creates an atmosphere of natural surveillance.

One of the key partnerships in the formation the Central Neighborhood Task Force
Task Force was between the police department Statistical Summary
and the community development code Dec 95- Mar 96
enforcement department. A solid working Narcotic Arrests 66
relationship between the departments allowed Other Arrests 70
for successful joint operations. The community Search Warrants 5
development department coordinated future
plans for the central neighborhood with the During this phase of the project, several
police department. obstacles limited productivity. The community
still did not have faith in the police department
We realized how each department had some and its philosophy. The community felt that
involvement in the growth of the neighborhood. arrests would solve all of the problems, and they
Brainstorming sessions and constant wanted constant police presence.
communication contributed to a solid three-way
partnership. The Task Force consisted of only three officers.
These officers did not have full access to
Code enforcement was key in implementing resources such as a drug unit, canine, SWAT, or
crime prevention through environmental design other specialized units. The Task Force had to
in the plaza by citing code violations in the employ problem-solving techniques within their
plaza. Code enforcement conducted routine available resources.

6
 felt that the plaza was a police problem, not her
The Task Force utilized CPTED, enhanced problem. The Nuisance Abatement Board agreed
sentencing, and street level enforcement to gain with the police department.
control of Mission Lake Plaza. Mission Lake
Plaza is located within 1000 ft. of a school, and The complaint prompted media and community
within 200 ft. of a public park. attention in positive and negative forms. The
newspapers indicated to the public that the
Narcotic offenses committed in this zone Lauderhill Police Department was targeting the
resulted in a minimum mandatory three-year owner of the plaza so that the city could
sentence set by Florida State Statue. Lighting purchase the property for a cheap price and raze
upgrades, barricades, and code violation it. Statements were made saying the police were
enforcement changed the environment, making “picking on” the owner because she was
the plaza uncomfortable for dealers. The rear of Vietnamese.
the plaza was known for “drive thru” service. A
barricade made of cement stops and palm trees The television coverage focused on the problem
eliminated vehicular access to this area. The presented, and not peripheral issues. As a result
elimination of this space practically terminated of the picture painted by the newspapers, the
drug sales at this location by cutting off the police department was made to look cruel and
buyers. insensitive to some community members. This
took detracted from the purpose and aim of the
Nuisance Abatement complaint.
After the beginning stages of change, the Task
Force attempted to re-establish a working The newspapers persuaded some community
relationship with the plaza owner. The owner members, causing them to go against the efforts
routinely complained about lack of financial of the police department. Some even
stability being the reason for not making demonstrated in support of the plaza and its
upgrades. After weeks of failed attempts, the owner. But not all of the media coverage of this
owner was sent a drug activity notification letter. project was sympathetic to the owner.
This letter defined her property as a center of
drug activity calling for her attention. The letter At the Nuisance Abatement hearing, the board
also notified the owner that if no action or was not swayed by the media generated
cooperation were shown, it would result in a opposition. The board focused on the facts of the
filing to the Broward County Nuisance presentation, and they did not allow deviation
Abatement Board. from the rules and regulations of the hearing.

The Nuisance Abatement Board is made up of The Board considered the following facts:
seven local residents and officials that are
appointed to the board. The board has The plaza had a long- standing
jurisdiction over any property that is the site of reputation as a place to buy drugs
drug, prostitution, or gang activity on more than
two occasions within a six month time period. The plaza jeopardized the safety of
The board may bring a complaint, seeking children in the immediate area
permanent injunction on any declared nuisance.
The maximum penalty that can be imposed by The number of arrests resulting from
the board is a one-year closure of the property narcotics enforcement
after it has been declared a nuisance.
The overall uncooperative disposition of
Officer Mathis filed a sworn complaint on the owner
Mission Lake Plaza to the Nuisance Abatement
Board. The complaint stated that the plaza was The refusal to correct code violations
the site of drug sales and gang activity. The
owner contested the hearing process. The owner

7
The board solicited the recommendation of the ASSESSMENT
police department for changes to the plaza. The
recommendations presented were what the An ongoing evaluation of the response is
police department determined to be the most necessary for this project, because all of the drug
important to change the appearance, perception, sales were not completely eliminated. Drug
and reputation of the plaza. related activities moved into the park and
neighboring complexes. As part of the analysis,
The Police Department recommended the it was determined that a maintenance plan would
following: be needed due to the complexity of the problem,
the inability to isolate the problem, and the
To be completed within 10 days from number of people affected by the problem.
the hearing
Our best measure of effectiveness was drawn
Prohibit the sale of all drug from citizens’ opinions and observations.
paraphernalia (plastic baggies, Members of other departments of the city
rolling papers, and pot government noted positive changes. We
scrubbers) Limit the hours of received numerous calls and letters stating that
operation from 7:00am to the plaza was a better place than it used to be.
11:00pm The calls for service indicated a small decline,
Remove all payphones with no increases noted.
Comply with all outstanding
code violations As a result of the hearing, neighboring
Hire a 24hr armed security complexes initiated improvements to their
guard detail landscaping and property appearance. Crime
Develop a new tenant lease watch programs were initiated and owners began
agreement for tenants (to be taking more of an interest in their properties,
approved by the police hoping the drug problems would not flow into
department) their communities.

To be completed 3 months from the The outcome of the Nuisance Abatement

hearing date hearing created an adversarial relationship
between the plaza owner and the police
Install an iron gate in the open department. One of the items stressed by the
breezeway board was the need for the owner to establish
Relocate all dumpsters to the and maintain communication with Officer
rear of the plaza Mathis. After weeks of no communication, it
Replace light poles and bulbs was apparent that Officer Mathis had to initiate
with 100 watt high pressure contact the owner and the police department.
sodium lights This communication prompted a letter from the
Replace all exterior lighting attorney representing the owner of the plaza’s
with vandal-proof fixtures attorney requesting that Officer Mathis not have
Failure to comply or complete any communication or contact with the owner of
will result in a filing for a the plaza. This request terminated all efforts at
permanent injunction cooperation.

On or before the date specified above, the owner A copy of this letter was forwarded to the
was ordered to contact Officer Dan Mathis for Nuisance Abatement Board attorney. This was
inspection of the property. Officer Mathis would clearly an indication that the plaza owner did not
report his findings to the board. The Board will plan to adhere to the board's order. In response
retain jurisdiction of the case for 1 year from the to this letter, the board filed for an injunction
date of the order (June 14, 1996 through 1997). against the plaza. This injunction would, in
essence use the courts authority to enforce the

8
Nuisance Abatement Board’s orders. At the
same time, the plaza owner filed an appeal to the The complex has drastically deteriorated in
board's orders, asserting that the orders were appearance over the past five months. The
unjustified. As recent as August 20, 1996, complex currently has over one hundred code
hearings were scheduled in circuit court. violations. Drug dealers sell drugs from
apartments rented by friends or female
Prior to the most recent hearings, the owner had acquaintances.
made some of the changes that were requested.
The dumpsters were relocated to the rear of the There are several areas within the complex that
plaza, improving the appearance in the front of are ideal for selling drugs. Poor lighting,
the plaza. An additional gate was installed in the abandoned apartments, and accessibility has
breezeway to re-route pedestrian traffic. Street made Don Carlos a new location of operations
intelligence and business owners told police that for the drug dealers that frequented Mission
the drug sales have been displaced to the Lake Plaza. Efforts are being made to solicit the
adjacent apartment complex and the entrance to cooperation of management, and to make sure
the park. this complex is not transformed into another
open-air drug market.
The calls for service to the plaza have decreased
since June. We believe that this reduction is This project will call for continued monitoring
caused partly because the business owner does and continued enforcement. Mission Lake Plaza
not want to bring attention to the plaza anymore was identified as the nucleus of the problem in
after the of the Nuisance Abatement hearing, this area. However, it does not stand-alone. It
and partly because the drugs sales have actually affects a wide range of people and locations in
moved to another location. Only three arrests the central neighborhood. The efforts towards
have been made in the plaza between June and the plaza are the start of a long-term
July. revitalization plan for the central neighborhood.
The changes include appearance, design, and
This indicates that the problem has been economic development. The positive changes to
displaced to another location. Narcotics arrests the plaza have stimulated the positive
have increased in the area surrounding the plaza. development of the entire area.
We continue to receive other calls for service to
the plaza such as disturbances, police service FOR MORE INFORMATION
calls, and suspicious persons.
Dan Mathis, Jr.
Calls for service from June to July 1996 Lauderhill Police Department
Disturbances 40 1980 Northwest 56th Avenue
Juvenile Disturbance 9 Lauderhill, Florida 33313
Narcotics 24
Suspicious Person 19 NOTES
Trespassing 19
Information 4 1. The philosophy and practice of the
Police Service Call 7 Lauderhill Police Department demands
Fight 6 problem-solving efforts from every
Narcotics Arrest 3 individual in the department.
:
The displacement of the problems at Mission 2. During the initial stages of forming a
Lake Plaza has drawn significant concern for the new department, Chief Michael Scott
adjacent apartment complex, Don Carlos incorporated problem solving into the
Apartments. Don Carlos Apartments is administration and operation of the
composed of roughly two hundred units mainly department, and made it known that this
occupied by low-income tenants. would be a guiding principle of the
department.

9
3. When a police officer is hired, he or she 7. The department has sent personnel from
receives training in basic problem skills all levels in the organization to
from trained instructors in a classroom advanced problem solving training and
setting. Officers are introduced to the to the national problem oriented
problem solving process. Tracking and policing conference.
monitoring of projects is done by
computer program and requires 8. Incentives and awards are given to
documentation. At the beginning of a officers that engage in problem solving.
new problem-solving project initiated by Officers are allowed to work on their
an officer, he or she enters the project projects during their tour of duty, and
name and pertinent information into the are compensated for work done by them
department computer. This information off duty. The Chief of Police recognizes
can be accessed by anyone in the good problem solving efforts with his
department and can be referred to as a Excellence in Problem Solving Award.
guide. This award is presented on the basis of
recommendations from an officer's
4. Once a week, officers in front of supervisor; the Chief then reviews the
management do a problem solving recommendation.
presentation. This session is designed to
give the presenting officer ideas and 9. Problem solving skills are not limited to
suggestions on their problem solving police officers. Civilian personnel in the
efforts. department are encouraged to apply
problem-solving techniques to their
5. The management encourages positions. The entire Lauderhill Police
brainstorming between officers and their Department has dedicated itself to
peers. providing the community with quality
and dedication. Problem solving has
6. The department has a resource library propelled the department and the
stocked with problem solving community of Lauderhill into the 21st
publications and materials from around century by employing and delivering a
the country. higher level of police service.

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