Photo: SPD

 

 

Sarasota Police to introduce the new Community Action Team (CAT) tomorrow

 

SPD

 

Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino will hold a news conference tomorrow, Wednesday, June 24, 2020 at 1 p.m., outside of Sarasota Police Headquarters, 2099 Adams Lane, Sarasota, to introduce members of a new unit, under the Patrol Division, called the Community Action Team (CAT).

 

There will be two different Community Action Teams.  Each team will have a Sergeant who is a supervisor and five (5) Officers.  The first Community Action Team began on May 20, 2020 with one Sergeant and four Officers.  The expanded team plus and additional team was developed after Chief DiPino chose to reorganize the Sarasota Police Department Street Crimes Unit.

 

“The Community Action Team is much more than a community outreach unit,” said Chief DiPino.  “Our Officers will be engaging with the community, but they will be throughout the City of Sarasota to address crime issues as well as the underlining causes of crime to keep with our partnership policing philosophy.  They’ll have crime prevention duties as well as problem solving to develop creative solutions to crime issues.”