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Margate Police Get Grant to Fight Crime
• MPD is growing SET
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Friday,
June 5, 2009
In an effort to increase police presence in high crime areas of the city, Margate Police will be using a grant in the amount of $85,000 to expand their Special Enforcement Team (SET).
Currently, the SET consists of a sergeant and four highly-motivated officers. They operate in marked units and receive special training in street-level tactics. They work mostly at night and have been targeting the rash of residential burglaries in Margate and hot spots for criminal activity, such as the Southgate / 441 area and others along the State Road 7 corridor.
Formed in January of 2008, the whole point of SET is to “get out there and be seen,” said Captain Dana Watson of the MPD. “SET is not a covert operation.”
The JAG (Justice Assistance Grant) grant comes at a time when property crimes are on the rise in Margate. Robbery and burglary are up 16 and 26 percent respectively. Motor vehicle thefts are up a whopping 31 percent.
“If you’re a bad guy out there and the SET pulls you over, the whole team is going to show up,” said Watson.
Every traffic stop has the potential to go bad, said the Captain, which is why residents often see more than one patrol car during a traffic stop.
Although crime is up across South Florida, SET enables the MPD to maximize police personnel during critical times of day and is vital to displacing criminals from the city, Watson said.
In 2008, the MPD cleared more crimes than Coconut Creek, Tamarac and North Lauderdale Police Departments and is on par with Coral Springs' clearance rate of 30 percent.
The MPD expects to grow the number of officers who participate in the SET program by utilizing JAG monies and other grants available in the future.
A good majority of the property crimes in Margate, said Watson, are committed by people who don't live in our city.
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