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March 2024
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Captain John Carlson
Operations Division Midtown
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General Update
Operations Division Midtown (ODM) welcomed Lieutenants Brian Corcoran and Kimberly Frie. They have stepped right in and been working hard to meet all of you. Both have attended several neighborhood meetings and were also present at Coffee With a Cop a few weeks back.
We continue to strive to get to all of the issues that impact Midtown. Our friends at a small business on Alvernon have had a series of break-ins that appear to have happened in the early morning hours. We obtained video from the latest break-in, and hopefully we can identify this subject and bring this business owner some justice.
100-Acre Wood continues to be a topic of discussion. We have managed to remove all vehicles from the area and, in doing so, recovered a few stolen cars and motorcycles. The area is fenced off now and no additional cars or motor vehicles should be in there. In this and other problem areas, ODM continues to work with community partners to address issues that directly impact our community.
We receive many calls and emails on issues of concern in Midtown. Please keep them coming, as you are our eyes and ears out there.
Drive-by Shooting Suspect Arrested
On February 20, 2024, ODM Squad 9 responded to the 1400 block of North Alvernon Way regarding a drive-by shooting. An on-site security guard and resident reported that they had confronted a black male who was trespassing on the property. When they asked him to leave, he became verbally confrontational and made threats to shoot the security guard. The male got into a white Mitsubishi SUV and drove out of the parking lot, firing multiple rounds toward the victims as he drove away. The suspect was unknown to the victims and, thankfully, no injuries were reported. Surveillance footage corroborated the victims' statements.
Several days later, on February 26, 2024, officers located a matching vehicle in the area of Speedway and Swan that was being driven by a male matching the suspect's description. A stop on the vehicle was conducted and the driver was detained and identified. It was determined that the driver was also a prohibited possessor, and a live .38 round was spotted in plain view in the vehicle. Detectives from the Group Violence Unit responded to continue the investigation with Squad 9. A search warrant was obtained and served on the vehicle and the driver’s residence in the 4200 block of East Texas Circle. Additional live ammunition, a spent casing, and clothing identical to that worn by the suspect in the surveillance video was located. The driver was arrested for drive-by shooting, prohibited possessor, unlawful possession of dangerous drugs, and drug paraphernalia.
ODM Statistics
Activity
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Type
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2024 Division Year to Date
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2024 Department Year to Date
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Calls for Service
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6,613
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28,769
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Officer-initiated Activity
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1,691
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8,606
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Gun-related Crime
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5
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33
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Homicide
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1
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11
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Traffic Citations
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3,089
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6,494
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Staffing
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Type
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2024 Division Year to Date
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2024 Department Year to Date
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Sworn Members
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108
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809
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Community Service Officers
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36
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155
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Professional Staff
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3
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238
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ODM Award Winners
So much for January being slow! It appears that the holiday hangover is gone, and February is off to a quick start. Our Zebra Squad is busy teaching classes at Doolen Middle School and Roberts-Naylor K-8 School and our Community Response Team seems to be busier than ever.
I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all of our ODM award winners at this year’s TPD awards ceremony.
Congratulations to...
Community Service Officer of the Year: Lori Oien (on the right in the photo)
Unit Medal recipients: ODM/CRT: Officers Aaron Boone, Jacob Fraley, Anthony Hecht, Mark Holderness, Kyle Linares, Matthew Marcotte, Douglas Reese, Barry Schomisch, Detective Colin Roberts, Community Service Officers Jennifer Hider (on the left in the photo) and Lori Oien, Sergeants Lorence Jove and David Schneider, and Lieutenant Ericka Stropka
Community Partnership Award: Ms. Gretchen Ronnow of the Dodge Flower Neighborhood Association
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Chief Kasmar (far left) and award winners from across the department at the TPD awards ceremony.
ODM Officer of the Month
ODM would like to acknowledge the work of Officer Cassandra Kurtz. She is a 5-year veteran of the Tucson Police Department, having spent all that time in Operations Division Midtown Patrol. She currently serves in Squad 9.
Cassandra is always active and a leader among her peers. She was the officer responsible for making the stop of the drive-by shooting suspect in the story above, drawing on her recollection of the previous week’s events.
Cassandra is Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) trained and, as a former paramedic, she teaches department members in First Aid, IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) use, CPR, Tactical Emergency Casualty Care, and Active Attack and Integrated Response.
Great work, Cassandra!
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Crime Prevention Tip
Wait a minute, would the IRS ask me to pay in cryptocurrency? Or with gift cards?
No, no they would not. That's a scammer. Hang up.
Scammers may be one of the few groups who look forward to tax season every year - another opportunity to impersonate and steal!
Never let someone rush you into action. Scammers want to take your money (or your personal information) before you've had a chance to think, and realize something doesn't seem right.
Also, don't trust your caller ID. Phone numbers are very easy to fake, so the call may look like it's from the IRS but is actually coming from overseas.
Learn more and protect yourself from imposter scams. Visit ftc.gov/imposters.
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March Events
March 2, 2024, Public Safety Day at the Tucson Mall
March 9, 2024, TPD Family Day at TPD Academy
March 16, 2024, Tucson Roadrunners Public Safety Day, TPD v TFD Hockey
March 22, 2024, Midtown Easter Event at Freedom Park
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