On April 14, 2016 the newly created Community Pro-Tektor Pod Unit was installed at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Falkenburg Road Jail. The pod unit was designed for use within a jail setting as the content would be displayed on many televisions. Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay chose to use the pod unit to show Unsolved Crimes and Wanted Fugitives. The system allows for a brief narrative, picture and video to be seen by the viewer. The content displayed would now be airing on the pod televisions within the jail and be viewed by roughly 1,500 inmates during all meals.
Just 24 hours after the new system went live, an alert Detention Deputy contacted me to advise he knew the identity of an unknown robbery suspect that was being aired on the Crime Stoppers Channel. The deputy was able to identify the 16 year old suspect as he was currently incarcerated in the juvenile pod for unrelated felony charges. The unsolved robbery case occurred on March 1, 2016 in Tampa and the unknown suspects were wanted for meeting with a female victim to purchase a smart-phone that was advertised on the OfferUp site. The suspects were accused of punching the victim in the face and taking her phone. The information was provided to the assigned Tampa Police Detective who began investigating the newly identified suspect. After a thorough investigation, the detective was able to obtain a full confession. On May 17, 2016 an arrest warrant was obtained for Strong Arm Robbery and on June 6, 2016 the suspect was officially charged and is now facing criminal prosecution through the adult court system.
Law enforcement detectives have advised that the pod unit is an innovative tool they can add to their crime solving belt of resources.
For a Crime Stoppers program whose mission is to be an effective crime-solving force in the community, the pod unit brings detention into the network aiding law enforcement in solving crime and catching bad guys. Thank you Community Pro-Tektor for taking the time to create this unit. I look forward to having more success cases in the future.Master Deputy Kelly B. McLaren Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office June 15, 2016
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office received two Pro-Tektor kiosks in January of 2016. We have one of the two in our local Wal-Mart and the other in the lobby of our office. They have been a big hit with the public and the information we are able to transmit is invaluable. In emergency situations we are able to transmit and get the information to the public in a very timely manner.
The service and tech support is beyond expectations, anything and everything we have asked they have done. We broadcast two weekly PSA to each kiosk and Pro-Tektor wrote a special program just so we could present these over the kiosk and get the messages out to our public.
Pro-Tektor is top notch and the product they deliver is the best. I would recommend Pro-Tektor to any agency because they stand by their word.
Sheriff John Lenhart Shelby County Sheriff’s Office June 15, 2016
Since its deployment we have posted 105 wanted subjects on the kiosk. To date we have 53 apprehensions (over 50%). We have had 6 just this month. This does not include any of the missing, or runaways that have been located.
Chief Deputy Fred La Torre Marion County Sheriff's Office 01-22-2015 June 9, 2015
I just wanted to take the time to notify you of the success we are having with our kiosks. Once we received and deployed our units, they were immediately accepted and well received by the citizens of our county. In fact during a recent storm, the surge protector tripped, causing the unit to power off. Once the power was restored, we immediately began receiving phone calls inquiring why it wasn't working. Even the local grocery store has reported people congregating in the area where it is displayed, to see the information we put out. In the bottom section we have listed our county's sexual predators and wanted persons. In the three months we have had the Kiosk deployed; we have apprehended nearly 40% of the people highlighted with active warrants, some we have been looking for, for nearly 2 years. The kiosks have proven to be a perfect tool in enhancing our department’s community outreach programs, to keep the public informed and seek public input on unsolved crimes. If I can be of any assistance to you in the future, please do not hesitate to call me.
Sergeant Lorne Whaley Wakulla County Sheriff's Office 02-12-2015 June 9, 2015
Crime Prevention is everybody's business. We can stand on the sidelines and do nothing or law enforcement can be proactive by establishing a partnership with the community. There are many challenges facing our society today and the Kiosk meets these challenges by building public support and involving everyone in the fight against crime in our communities.
Marion County Sheriff's Office 04-28-2015 June 9, 2015