<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Crucians In Focus &#187; Public Safety</title>
	<atom:link href="http://cruciansinfocus.com/category/public-safety/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com</link>
	<description>&#34;We knew the job was dangerous when we took it.&#34;</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:59:58 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1</generator>
		<item>
		<title>Special Ops Slashed For &#8220;Too Much Overtime&#8221;; Police Say Decision Is &#8220;Life Threatening&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/08/02/special-ops-slashed-for-too-much-overtime-police-say-decision-is-life-threatening/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/08/02/special-ops-slashed-for-too-much-overtime-police-say-decision-is-life-threatening/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:08:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[crime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Safety]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=7241</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Where do we turn when the police feel threatened? Last month the members of the Special Operations Bureau (SOB) learned they would now be working in two thinly staffed shifts of seven members each because they’ve generated too much overtime expense as an intact unit of 15. Police operations officials have said that the decision puts the officers in a “dangerous” and “vicarious” position. And Police union officials have called the decision “life threatening” and have said outright that the decision, and the lack of manpower it provides for this unit, was a direct contributor to the two shooting deaths on July 12 at Coki Point. But, at this writing, the decision stands. Crime is out of control. Just last week, Police Commissioner Novelle Francis expressed the outrage of a tortured community after a judge suspended the sentence for former Sen. Carmen Wesselhoft’s nephew after he was busted with assault weapons and drugs in his car. Situations created by gang-type activities and the message sent by the judiciary that crime only carries consequences for those without the right political connections are stoking the fire. And in the midst of all this, the leadership of the Police Department determined that it was more important [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/08/02/special-ops-slashed-for-too-much-overtime-police-say-decision-is-life-threatening/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>47</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tourist Murder Makes Coki Point A Priority For deJongh Administration</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/07/23/tourist-murder-makes-coki-point-a-priority-for-dejongh-administration/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/07/23/tourist-murder-makes-coki-point-a-priority-for-dejongh-administration/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:55:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Safety]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=6959</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You knew it was going to happen, but that doesn’t diminish the outrage we should all feel at the intensity of the response of this Administration to the July 12 shootout at Coki Point. Now that a tourist has been killed by the crime and violence we have been forced to endure on a daily basis, a “comprehensive plan” for the renovation of Coki Point has been announced by Gov. John P. deJongh, Jr. In a news conference Thursday, deJongh outlined the 10-day plan that includes closing the beach and executing a number of initiatives that should have been completed long ago for the local population, but are now priorities because a tourist was caught in the crossfire. And not one time in the broadcast was the fact that a local man was also killed even mentioned. It’s all about the tourists. Anyone would think the problems at Coki Point are a new development. All of a sudden we see the deteriorating landscape; the piles of debris; the open and visible sale of drugs and other contraband; and the disgusting bathhouse and other facilities at the once picturesque location. And all of a sudden there is money and staff to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/07/23/tourist-murder-makes-coki-point-a-priority-for-dejongh-administration/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>44</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Shootout At Coki Point &#8211; Forty Four Murders And Counting</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/07/12/forty-four-murders-and-counting-when-is-it-going-to-be-enough/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/07/12/forty-four-murders-and-counting-when-is-it-going-to-be-enough/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Jul 2010 03:29:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carnival cruise lines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coki point shootout]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tourist killed virgin islands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[us virgin islands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[virgin islands tourist murder]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=6631</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Editorial By CIF President Michael J. Springer, Jr. Have we had enough yet? There have been 44 murders in the Territory this year. Forty four deaths resulting from violent crime. The latest &#8211; the deaths of 15-year-old tourist Lizmarie Perez Chapparro and 18-year-old Shadid Joseph of St. Thomas – were both victims in what is now referred to worldwide as the “Shootout At Coki Point.” Our crime epidemic can no longer be hidden from world view. Google it. Then read it and weep. Check CNN and the Associated Press. It&#8217;s all right there. The link to the Washington Post coverage is attached below. Carnival Cruise Lines, on which the 15-year-old victim was a passenger, has suspended all excursions to Coki Point. Chapparo was on a safari bus heading for the beach on a tour from the Carnival Victory cruise ship on which she and her family were traveling to celebrate her birthday. Joseph was attending the funeral of the victim of the June 29 shootout at Tutu Park Mall.  A third victim was admitted to the Schneider Medical Center in critical condition. Could your child be next? We’ll cover the details in subsequent stories. We send our condolences to the families [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/07/12/forty-four-murders-and-counting-when-is-it-going-to-be-enough/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>77</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Carnival Suspends Tours To Coki Point Following Shootout &#8211; Can Other Tourism Impact Be Far Behind? (Updated)</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/07/12/carnival-suspends-tours-to-coki-point-following-shootout-can-other-tourism-impact-be-far-behind/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/07/12/carnival-suspends-tours-to-coki-point-following-shootout-can-other-tourism-impact-be-far-behind/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:16:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Safety]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=6654</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[(Editor&#8217;s Update: Princess Cruise Lines has joined Carnival in canceling tours to the Coki Point area. It is not known whether this action will be extended to all shore excursions on St. Thomas. Royal Carribbean, Celebrity and Norweigan have not yet determined policy in this area. We will keep you posted.) Carnival Cruise Lines has suspended all tours to Coki Beach in the wake of the shootout Monday that left a 15-year-old passenger dead from a fatal gunshot wound. In a letter distributed to passengers when they returned to the ship, Captain Salvatore Messini informed them that as the result of a “tragic” accident that killed Lizette Perez Chapparro and another passenger as a result of “a random exchange of gunfire between local residents while in route to the Coki Point beach area in St. Thomas.” The move by Carnival is likely the first visible impact on the tourism industry resulting from Monday&#8217;s shootout. CNN has been reporting it consistently last night. A link to the story published in the Washington Post is attached below. Chapparro was on a safari bus heading for the beach. She and her family were passengers on the Carnival Victory and were traveling to celebrate [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/07/12/carnival-suspends-tours-to-coki-point-following-shootout-can-other-tourism-impact-be-far-behind/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>32</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Suspect Surrenders In Coki Point Shooting: 2 Fatalities, 1 Critically Injured In Incident</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/07/12/2-fatalities-1-critically-injured-in-coki-point-shooting/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/07/12/2-fatalities-1-critically-injured-in-coki-point-shooting/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:41:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Safety]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=6624</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[(Update: Steve Tyson, 22, turned himself in on Tuesday and was charged with several offenses in connection with the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old tourist and a local man at Coki Point on Monday. Tyson was accompanied by his attorney at the time of his surrender. Tyson, a resident of the Smith Bay area on St. Thomas, was charged with two counts of first degree murder, first and third degree assault, possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of a dangerous weapon in the commission of a crime and reckless endangerment for his alleged involvement in the highly publicized incident that left two dead and one person in critical condition.) CIF has received reports that a shooting earlier today at a cemetary near Coki Point Beach on the east end of St. Thomas resulted in two people being fatally injured and one person left in critical condition. The fatalities reported are an unidentified local man and a 14-year-old tourist, a cruise ship passenger, who was on St. Thomas celebrating her birthday. No further information is available on the injured person. Details are very preliminary at this time. We will update this story as more information becomes available. Share on Facebook]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/07/12/2-fatalities-1-critically-injured-in-coki-point-shooting/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>46</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>No Gas For The Coroner&#8217;s Van????</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/06/29/no-gas-for-the-coroners-van/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/06/29/no-gas-for-the-coroners-van/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:07:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Safety]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=6454</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Now we know there is no dignity even in death. We learned today that a St. Croix family was forced to contact the media to report that a deceased loved one was left in the home for more than 8 hours after the death was reported because the coroner&#8217;s van had no gas. No gas? No Gas? No event scrapes the raw nerves of emotion more than a death and to think that in that agonizing time a family is further subjected to the unimaginable stress heaped on this family because of negligence in a basic government service is a disgrace. And, as usual, at this writing there has been no response or public comment from any official from the Department of Justice or any other government representative to explain or apologize for this horror. There is gas for Government vehicles to campaign for this Administration; there is gas for the wives of government officials to take their dogs to the beach; there is gas for government employees to go shopping and run errands on the weekends. But there is no gas for the Coroner&#8217;s van to retrieve the dead. Our sincere condolences to the family on their loss and the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/06/29/no-gas-for-the-coroners-van/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>70</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Administration&#8217;s Continued Neglect Turns Williams Delight Into Filthy, Flooded Swampland</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/06/02/emergency-in-williams-delight/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/06/02/emergency-in-williams-delight/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:52:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Safety]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=6044</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It’s an emergency in Williams Delight and Miss Phyllis Blackman isn’t going to stop talking about it until somebody listens. And, as difficult as it is to believe, there are actually public detractors who are trying to minimize these disgraceful living conditions, and who are encouraging this community crusader to quiet her campaign. Miss Blackman is President of the Williams Delight Homeowners Association, and is relentless in her public campaign to force public officials to solve the dangerous flooding issues facing the Williams Delight community. And as hurricane season approaches, the urgency is escalating dramatically. Incomplete road repair projects, the most recent that began six months ago, have aggravated the situation to the point that even minor rainfall turns the streets into muddy rivers, and a heavy rainfall “has water running through people’s houses,” she said. As these photographs illustrate, last week’s heavy rainfall has turned the residential area into a swamp. “People have to wear boots and walk through the water and mud to get out of their houses,” she said. “Sometimes the schoolchildren can’t get out of their houses to get to the bus.” And beyond the obvious distress the situation is causing the long-suffering residents of this [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/06/02/emergency-in-williams-delight/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>120</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Canegata Gunfight Latest Violent Disgrace &#8211; But We Are Not Helpless Against Crime And Our Children</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/05/24/canegata-gunfight-latest-violent-disgrace-but-we-are-not-helpless-against-crime-and-our-children/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/05/24/canegata-gunfight-latest-violent-disgrace-but-we-are-not-helpless-against-crime-and-our-children/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 May 2010 15:43:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Safety]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=5909</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Editorial by CIF President Michael Springer A gunman walks into the D.C. Canegata Ball Park on Friday night and opens fire in multi-island crowd attending a softball tournament. Before it’s all over, a 12-year-old girl was huddled in a fetal position on the ground, begging not to be shot, just before the 17-year-old gunman shot her anyway. In all three people were injured by the gunman who was supposed to be confined under house arrest for an assault incident on St. Thomas last year. Yet somehow he was on St. Croix, with a gun, to perpetrate yet another in the seemingly endless cycle of violent crime here in the Virgin Islands. Those in the crowd, parents and children, left their homes that evening to attend a constructive family event and instead were exposed to the type of criminal brutality the strive only to protect their children from. We dismiss with disgust Gov. John deJongh, Jr.’s ineffectual response to this latest incident, as if demanding an immediate meeting with the leadership of the VI Superior Court is in any way an appropriate response to this long standing problem.  Reports from the scene say that law enforcement arrived swiftly and by midnight, the 17-year-old [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/05/24/canegata-gunfight-latest-violent-disgrace-but-we-are-not-helpless-against-crime-and-our-children/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>45</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cease Fire!</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/05/11/cease-fire/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/05/11/cease-fire/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 May 2010 13:58:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Safety]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=5603</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It’s like talking about a war zone. Cease Fire. Retaliation. Radio host Mario Moorhead described this past weekend, which ended with five fatalities, as the “Mother’s Day Massacre.” And with 32 homicides recorded to date since the beginning of the year, the Territory is on track for a record 78 homicides in 2010. In an interview Tuesday with Crucians In Focus, Commissioner of Police Novelle E. Francis, Jr., repeated his commitment and the commitment of his officers to continue the war against the escalating violence and called on the Justice system and community to do their part. “My message to the people is cease fire,” he told CIF. “Put down the guns – there are other ways to solve the problems.” Ironically, this is Police Recognition Week in the Virgin Islands, but in a news conference on Monday, after recognizing those law enforcement individuals who serve the community, Francis shifted his comments to address the crime wave and pointed to the Judicial System as a large factor in the problem. novelle francis enough is enough Francis said his department is going full force on making arrests, but that their effort is diluted when individuals, particularly those charged in gun-related incidents, are [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/05/11/cease-fire/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>24</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://cruciansinfocus.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/novelle_francis_enough_is_enough.mp3" length="326007" type="audio/mpeg" />
<enclosure url="http://cruciansinfocus.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/novelle_francis_better_off_in_jail.mp3" length="166346" type="audio/mpeg" />
<enclosure url="http://cruciansinfocus.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/novelle_francis_domestic_violence.mp3" length="486503" type="audio/mpeg" />
<enclosure url="http://cruciansinfocus.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/novelle_francis_cease_fire.mp3" length="161331" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Anti-Crime Rally Draws Huge Crowd; Elicits Emotion, Hope</title>
		<link>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/04/01/anti-crime-rally-draws-huge-crowd-elicits-emotion-hope/</link>
		<comments>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/04/01/anti-crime-rally-draws-huge-crowd-elicits-emotion-hope/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:54:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Website Administrator</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Public Safety]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://cruciansinfocus.com/?p=4897</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[More than 1,300 marchers braved the hot Transfer Day sun to march across St. Croix on Wednesday in support of the &#8220;Reclaiming Our Streets, Uniting Our People&#8221; initiative spearheaded by WDHP radio personality Jamila Russell. Among those attending (above, left to right) were St. Thomas activist Clarence Payne, Sen. Shawn Michael Malone, WDHP radio personality and historian Mario Moorhead, Lawrence &#8220;Recon&#8221; Olive (in white hat) and Raffie Corniero. The march was an opportunity for those who have lost loved ones to violent crime to remember and honor those they have lost and a chance for concerned members of the community who are frustrated with the escalating violent crime rate to show their support for the anti-crime movement.  We&#8217;ll let the photos tell the story. Where we can, we&#8217;ve identified people in these photos, submitted by CIF President Michael Springer. Where we don&#8217;t know, let the pictures speak for themselves. CIF congratulates all who were involved in organizing this event and those from all the Islands who took the time to participate. Let&#8217;s take the momentum from yesterday&#8217;s event and continue to focus on stopping violent crime. Many relatives paid tribute to their loved ones on t-shirts and with photos.     [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://cruciansinfocus.com/2010/04/01/anti-crime-rally-draws-huge-crowd-elicits-emotion-hope/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>24</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

