CCSO-LED BAYSHORE DRIVE REVIVAL

HONORED WITH NATIONAL AWARD

Deputies and county code enforcement officers partner during one of the many cleanups in the Bayshore area. CCSO file photo

When Cpl. Mike Nelson was assigned to run the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program in East Naples, the Bayshore Drive area was a well-known haven for criminals, drugs and the homeless “At that time, Bayshore was probably one of the worst areas we had in East Naples,” Cpl. Nelson recalled.

Homes were in deplorable condition. Businesses had been boarded up and abandoned. Crime was on the rise. Residents were afraid to walk the streets during all hours of the day.

After more than a year of patrolling East Naples, Cpl. Nelson decided something needed to be done about Bayshore and it would take more than the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

Led by Cpl. Nelson, a team of community members and government agencies, came together and formed a task force to begin tackling the worst areas of Bayshore.

It started out with task force members getting out into the community and knocking on doors to find out what the needs of the community were. Proactive patrols were utilized to locate the biggest problem. Once a problem was identified, attempts to get cooperation from the property owner were made. An evaluation from the building was obtained, along with a court order if necessary. Work was then assigned to contractors for litter removal and/or demolition of unsafe structures. Assessments were made to the property owners for the cost to the county to abate violations. More than 180 contractor abatements, 48 demolitions, along with the demolition and removal of the Bayshore Club Apartments and numerous boardedup structures, occurred during this process.

 The Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the Bayshore/Gateway Triangle Community Redevelopment Agency were recently honored for their collaborative effort resulting in the successful revival of Bayshore Drive. Photo by Cpl. Efrain Hernandez/CCSO

An exterior view of the former Bayshore Club Apartments. Long an eyesore and
nuisance, county code enforcers and deputies visited the complex on a regular basis. The
200-unit complex was razed in 2010 after being vacant for nearly four years.
CCSO file photo

An entry sign and landscaping are among the improvements to Bayshore Drive in East Naples. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the Bayshore/Gateway Triangle Community Redevelopment Agency were recently honored for their collaborative effort resulting in the successful revival of Bayshore Drive. Photo by Cpl. Efrain Hernandez/CCSO

An entry sign and landscaping are among the improvements to Bayshore Drive in East Naples. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the Bayshore/Gateway Triangle Community Redevelopment Agency were recently honored for their collaborative effort resulting in the successful revival of Bayshore Drive. Photo by Cpl. Efrain Hernandez/CCSO

At the same time, deputies were forming partnerships with residents and helping them identify criminal activity in their neighborhoods and encouraging them to report that activity.

Bayshore Drive also received cosmetic improvements. Streetlights were repaired and repainted. Street signs were replaced. Pedestrian crosswalks were added to streets, along with flashing lights and flashing stop signs. New landscaping and bicycle lanes also were added.

More than a decade later, calls for law enforcement services are down nearly 50 percent, as a direct result of the local community working together with deputies, code enforcement officers and other local agencies. Commercial and residential growth is on the rise. Eleven new businesses have opened their doors since the project began. Several apartment buildings have been converted to condominiums. There has been expansion done to the Naples Botanical Gardens and Bayview Park. Construction on two new housing developments is underway.

A real estate office specializing in Bayshore properties has opened.

The East Naples COPS Unit was recently named the recipient of the 2014 L. Anthony Sutin Civic Imagination Award for this collaborative effort that resulted in the successful revival of Bayshore Drive.

The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services gives the award annually to honor creative, successful and forwardthinking collaborations between local law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.

An entry sign and landscaping are among the improvements to Bayshore Drive in East Naples. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the Bayshore/Gateway Triangle Community Redevelopment Agency were recently honored for their collaborative effort resulting in the successful revival of Bayshore Drive. Photo by Cpl. Efrain Hernandez/CCSO

An exterior view of the former Bayshore Club Apartments. Long an eyesore and
nuisance, county code enforcers and deputies visited the complex on a regular basis. The
200-unit complex was razed in 2010 after being vacant for nearly four years.
CCSO file photo

effort resulting in the successful revival of Bayshore Drive.
Photo by Cpl. Efrain Hernandez/CCSO

Cpl. Nelson, along with Cpl. Robert Reu, who helped start the task force, and their fellow COPS deputies Sylee Gibson, Angela Ison, James Spartz, and William Pschigoda were joined by the Bayshore/Gateway Triangle Community Redevelopment Agency Operations Manager Jean Jourdan as this year’s honorees.

“The Bayshore Triangle Project has truly optimized the community policing principles by improving the quality of life and increasing civic engagement through the creation of innovative partnerships and problem-solving strategies,’’ said COPS Office Director Ronald L. Davis in a press release announcing the award. “Congratulations to the Bayshore Triangle Project for their exemplary work and dedication to the community.”

Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk has long been a proponent of community-oriented policing. The success of this project is proof community policing works, he said.

“This collaborative effort is an example of community policing at its finest,” Sheriff Rambosk said.

The proactive redevelopment of the community also has led to the area being designated a Cultural Arts District. The Bayshore Arts Festival draws more than 5,000 people every year. Jazz on the Green is a free summertime concert at a local park. A 17-acre site has been designated for a future arts center.

“The visible prostitutes and drug dealers disappeared and were replaced with young joggers and mothers pushing strollers with children,” said Steve Sherman, a retired police officer who lives off Bayshore Drive.

Jean Jourdan, the CRA operations manager, said the reduction in crime was made possible by deputies providing local government agencies with statistics on where calls for service and complaints were coming from. This allowed the agencies to target those areas. For example, the agencies were able to identify slumlords and offer them fair market value for their properties, which led to them leaving the area.

“The statistics tell it all,” Jourdan said. “The crime reduction has been amazing and we couldn’t have done it without this partnership.” The
partnership has continued to grow and strengthen since its inception. In addition, the ideas and strategies that were utilized in this project have now been used in other areas of East Naples and Collier County in order to promote community growth, build partnerships and break down the barriers between law enforcement and the public.

The L. Anthony Sutin Civic Imagination Award is named in memory of Tony Sutin, who served as a founder and deputy director of the COPS Office from its creation in 1994 until 1996. A distinguished graduate from Harvard Law School and former partner of the law firm Hogan & Hartson in Washington, D.C., Sutin was widely known and respected for his tremendous commitment to service and community. It is with great admiration and respect for Sutin’s many contributions to the COPS Office and the principles of community policing that the COPS Office names this award in his memory, according to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services website.