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VOLUME 6, NO. 185
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THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022
PLANNING BOARD REJECTS WALDEN LAKE DEVELOPMENT PLAN PROPOSED ADDITIONS TO WALDEN LAKE COMMUNITY MET WITH DISAPPROVAL BRIAN FERNANDES STAFF WRITER
What was seen as an “incompatible” plan to implement a community within a community, is what led the Plant City Planning Board to oppose the Walden Lake development proposal with a unanimous vote of 7-0. The Wednesday, Feb. 23 ruling ended the second of two board meetings where the developer, Walden Lake LLC made a case for why its proposed residential and commercial additions to Walden Lake would be
beneficial, as community residents argued otherwise. Nicholas Brown is the representative of the Save Walden Lake organization, who gave a detailed presentation at the prior meeting, expressing his concerns about the building plans. He was one of many in the audience who were thrilled when the board reached its conclusion. “A seven-nothing verdict, I couldn’t hope for more,” he said. “I think the board members’ observations were spot on as far as what was wrong with this proposed development. It’s fundamentally wrong.”
The plan in question calls for a mixeduse Village Center as well as 10 new neighborhoods built among already existing Walden Lake subdivisions. The Village Center would be comprised of residences and commercial developments on 58 acres of land. It would include a ground floor commercial-retail area with the potential of becoming restaurants and offices. This would span 20,000 square feet. As far as residential development, the Village Center would include 157 villas, 70 townhomes, and 260 luxury apartments. The 10 neighborhoods would be made up
of 209 single-family detached homes and 59 villas. GREEN SPACE
Within the 319-acre development, over 200 acres has been set aside for open space. Walden Lake LLC has plans for that property to be used for paths, trails, activity pods, exercise areas, playgrounds, dog parks, stormwater ponds and water features.
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PCPD TO RECEIVE BODY CAMS THIS YEAR PLANT CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL SOON OPERATE WITH VIDEO/AUDIO FOOTAGE
BRIAN FERNANDES STAFF WRITER
The Plant City Police Department is now one step closer to incorporating body cameras as an essential part of an officer’s uniform. On Monday, Feb. 28, the Plant City City Commission granted City Manager Bill McDaniel the authority to make negotiations with Motorola Solutions for the purchase of body cameras. This comes after the Plant City Police Department started a body-worn camera pilot program, on Oct. 1, 2020. “One of the most important issues in law enforcement today concerns new technology and how to leverage it best for not only the law enforcement agencies, but for the community it serves,” said Police Chief James Bradford of the Plant City Police Department. PCPD sought out to find the most efficient body cameras that they could incorporate into the force. Motorola Solutions, Axon, Digital Ally, and Pro-Vision were the companies who proposed their own specialized cameras to be analyzed by the PCPD. Axon and Motorola Solu-
tions body cameras were chosen for a testing and evaluation period in December 2020. For three weeks, each product was tested by officers who had to complete a review form and document their observations. Five Axon cameras and six Motorola cameras were field-tested on both day and night shifts to see their performances in the dark. The criteria for the best choice, was based on the experience of the manufacturer, the capacity to accomplish work, performance, options of products, and the pricing. PCPD officers currently work 12-hour shifts, so finding a sustainable battery was also a part of the criteria. The Motorola Solutions Watchguard V300 body camera was ultimately chosen for its video quality, storage space, its ability to update software, and its compatibility with the newly enrolled dispatch system at the PCPD. “Motorola is the leader in [the] public safety technology industry,” Bradford said. “Use of social media, data mining, and other sophisticated tools have all changed
the way modern policing is conducted. Body-worn cameras are no different. Their adoption around the country represents one facet of this technology.” The body camera will be used for: • evidence for arrest and prosecution • officer training and development • accurate incident documentation • documenting officer professionalism • agency transparency • complaint resolution The camera is not automatically turned on, but is operated solely by the user. It is a part of the PCPD policy that if an officer feels there’s a situation that calls for the use of the body cam, the officer should let the person know that the camera is about to be turned on. In a circumstance where someone would like to explain something confidentially offthe-record, the officer would then turn off the camera and acknowledge that they did so. Not only do officers record footage, but also have the ability review, archive, redact, or export it as well. The camera is mounted up either by magnet or clip depending on the uniform worn.
The record start/stop button is at the front, just below the camera lens and sensor. “What the officers will do when they come in from their shift, they’ll dock their camera, upload the video, they can recharge their battery, get a new battery, put it in their existing camera, so in case they have to do something on their way home, or respond to something on their way to work, they’re good to go,” Bradford explained. PCPD will be equipped with 80 body-worn cameras, docking stations, a transfer station, management software, and spare batteries. It will also receive installation assistance, training, and first-year warranty service. This expenditure is a 5-year contract that costs $160,640. And total managed services and support from the second to fifth year comes out to $122,880, with a grand total of $283,520. Although there isn’t an official start date, it is expected to be incorportated during the summer. Public releases will be made.
2022 STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL GUIDE IS INSIDE! JUSTIN KLINE
SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR