TPD Patrol Division Midtown Newsletter - March 2025

Captain Adam Kidd
Operations Division Midtown

March 2025

ODM Operations

March 3, 2025 – Weapon/Drug Charges
ODM officers were conducting proactive patrol around East 29th Street and South Alvernon Way. While in the area, officers observed a male riding his bicycle on the sidewalk with no lights. A bicycle traffic stop was conducted. A handgun was observed on the subject and returned as stolen. Drug paraphernalia, M30 stamped pills, and methamphetamine were also located. The subject was arrested for misconduct involving weapons, theft of a firearm, drug possession, and drug paraphernalia.

March 6, 2025 – Carjacking/Shooting
ODM responded to the report of a carjacking/shooting in the 100 block of North Alvernon Way. The victim had been shot in the leg and was transported to a local hospital. A total of four suspects stole the victim’s vehicle and fled the scene. Officers located the vehicle leaving southbound on Alvernon and there was a short pursuit until the vehicle was lost in a neighborhood. The vehicle was found after a collision in the 800 block of South Columbus Boulevard and all four suspects fled on foot. Officers responded and contained the area for a S.W.A.T. K-9 search. Due to the suspects being armed, schools in the area were locked down for safety reasons. The suspects were not located in the search but follow-up was completed by detectives and Midtown’s Community Response Team and all four suspects were subsequently arrested.
 
March 14, 2025 – Drug Possession
ODM's Community Response Team became aware of a local suspect with a felony warrant for his arrest. They conducted follow-up and observed the suspect leave in a vehicle. They conducted a civil traffic stop near 27th and Alvernon. The suspect was arrested for the felony warrant and 70 fentanyl pills were located on his person. His passenger was also in possession of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia. Both were arrested and taken to jail.

ODM would like to recognize Officer Sebastian Sikora.

Officer Sikora was working his patrol shift when a carjacking/shooting call came out in the 100 block of North Alvernon Way. Four suspects stole the victim’s vehicle and fled the scene. Officer Sikora was en route lights and siren to assist with the call. While driving north on Alvernon toward the incident location, he observed a matching vehicle traveling south, away from the scene. Officer Sikora made a U-turn, turned off his lights, and caught up with the vehicle. The vehicle changed driving behavior and began to speed away. Officer Sikora reactivated his lights and siren and began to pursue the vehicle as it turned into a neighborhood.

Officer Sikora lost sight of the vehicle and slowed down to try to search for the armed suspects. The vehicle was located after a collision on Columbus Avenue, and nearby witnesses said the suspects all fled on foot. Other officers arrived to contain the area using small unit tactics and the S.W.A.T. team responded to conduct a K9 search of the area. The suspects were not located but a backpack with a computer was left behind. Officer Sikora’s attention to detail in spotting the suspect vehicle and pursuing it, causing the suspects to flee and leave behind evidence, was key in cracking this case, and all four were subsequently arrested.

Your WiFi router is a criminal's path to your network, your computer files, even your "internet of things," if your home's appliances and systems are connected to your network.

Unless you're an IT professional, securing your router probably doesn't sound like fun. But it is doable and more important – it's essential.

Both the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and CISA (Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency) have instructions on how to do this. Set aside a time to learn how to secure your router and give yourself some peace of mind.

• FTC: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-secure-your-home-wi-fi-network 
• CISA: https://www.cisa.gov/audiences/high-risk-communities/projectupskill/module5