- April 18, 2024
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After reading the Jan. 5 guest editorial written by Marjorie Vincent-Tripp, I wanted to detail the call so you may understand what actually happened and why a response was generated.
Initially, we received a 911 call from a resident of the Grand Landings subdivision at approximately 8:29 a.m. stating she wanted to report someone who was a non-resident that was wandering in her subdivision.
The caller stated her neighborhood was really small and she knew everyone who lived there and she did not know this man who was only described at that point in the call as wearing a “hoodie” on a hot day. According to weather reports, at the time of the call, the temperature was in the 70s.
The caller then advised that when she drove by the man and looked at him, he quickly hid his face from her and she stated, “He seemed extremely up to no good.” It was only after the Sheriff’s Office communications specialist asked for his description halfway through the call did she state he was a black man.
Based on all of the information the caller provided, a single deputy was dispatched to investigate and he arrived at 8:32 a.m. The second deputy arrived three minutes later. While investigating the call, deputies found the clubhouse unsecured, and additional units were called in to help search the building. No crime was found, and the man was never located.
At approximately 9:06 a.m., deputies were flagged down in the subdivision by two people who were later identified to be residents of Grand Landings and the suspicious man’s parents. According to the deputy’s report, the parents advised they had been in an argument with their son, and he walked outside to cool off. According to Tripp’s letter to the editor, her son had not been to her home since they moved to Palm Coast several months ago.
On Dec. 11, 2015, following the terrorist attacks in Paris and California, as well as keeping the memories of September 11 in mind, we joined a national public awareness campaign called “See Something, Say Something.” We made it clear in the material we released to the public that “Factors such as race, ethnicity, and/or religious affiliation are not suspicious.” We also teach in our crime watch groups and community events to report incidents that appear suspicious.
As law enforcement officers, we also know that burglaries often occur in the daytime, and many citizen reports have been the key in identifying or apprehending individuals who are committing crimes. Based on the totality of the circumstances in this case, to include being the day before Christmas, the information provided to 911 justified a response by law enforcement.
We are not asking anyone to use race as the element for the call. There must be more than that. I urge our citizens to remain vigilant and report all suspicious activity to 911. Together, we can and will keep our streets safe and homes and businesses secure.
James L. Manfre is the Sheriff of Flagler County.
