At the Sept. 5 Hillcrest Leadership Council meeting at 1151 Hillcrest CT, in Rec Room 2, Cindy Abraham, Secretary of the HLC introduced our new City of Hollywood Police Chief, Jeffrey Devlin, she outlined his wealth of experience in his 26 years with the HPD: Devlin held leadership positions within the Patrol Division, Canine Unit, Detective Bureau, Training division, Neighborhood Team Leaders, Support Services, Special Operations and led the SWAT as Team Commander.
Chief Devlin brought with him numerous high-ranking members of the Hollywood Police Department. Our Neighborhood Team Leader, Officer Joshua Grotenhuis, who attends every HLC meeting was also present. Abraham presented Grotenhuis with a Police Prayer Coin in appreciation for his service to Hillcrest.
Chief Devlin began by addressing the shooting incident that took place on Hillcrest Court August 9th. Hollywood police detectives almost immediately identified one of the men suspected of breaking into eight or more cars. Devlin lauded the work of the detectives who located the suspect at an undisclosed South Florida hospital.
The Miami-Dade County man was found after he fled with a getaway driver at about 2:30 AM. That’s about the time a resident in Hillcrest 9 spotted the crimes in progress. The man, not identified by police, opened fire on the suspects, Devlin said. According to the police chief, the alleged criminal brandished a weapon on the Hillcrest 9 resident who stood his ground under state law. No charges were filed against the Hillcrester, although two people who live across the way from the incident asked questions about the gun fire. They said their car was shot up with bullets, and that bullets also struck their kitchen window in their Hillcrest 4 apartment. Devlin promised to get them a police report so they can show it to their insurance company.
Devlin strongly advised residents to call 911 when they see a crime happening rather than intervening with a weapon, which could result in harm to themselves and neighbors who may have been on the scene. Devlin also praised District 6 Commissioner Idelma Quintana for communicating with him regularly about local issues. And Quintana responded with her appreciation for how the HPD works to serve our community with both fairness and justice.
Devlin went on to explain the variety of ways his department works to make our community safe. This includes flying drones over the area, license plate readers and speed monitors. He reminded us that anyone speeding in a school zone faces minimum $100 fines. However, the Chief added, technology only goes so far. He urged residents to continue demonstrating an interest in their community by letting police know when they see something that doesn’t seem right.
Two candidates in the upcoming election were also in attendance. Catherine “Cat” Uden is running for Mayor against incumbent Josh Levy in the Nov. 5 election. Hillcrest 26 resident Claudia Villatoro is taking on Quintana for the District 6 commissioner position. Quintana, Uden and Villatoro stayed after the meeting to speak with building leaders and answer questions.
In another matter of importance to the Hillcrest community, building leaders learned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has changed their findings on which Hillcrest buildings are in or out of the flood zone. The changes are effective Aug. 1. This is important because some buildings do not carry flood insurance for their Associations because they were not in a flood zone according to the previous map. However, because of the change in status for several buildings, Dante Frettoloso, a commercial insurance advisor, for Brown and
Brown insurance, said it’s important for Association representatives to learn about the changes and to take action. Among other things, Frettoloso said he has been working to secure our buildings a Letter of Map Amendment. The so-called LOMA document helps buildings by letting a surveyor document that the building is no longer in the flood zone. Associations can show the letter to their insurance company if they want to adjust their flood insurance policy. What’s more, it’s possible some Association’s may have an already-existing LOMA letter, which can be updated.
Cindy
Abraham showed the attendees a document that her partner, Brian Gaiefsky, obtained online which listed the Hillcrest buildings that had previously secured the LOMA letter. Abraham sent copies to every building so that the boards can go to the FEMA website and plug in their case number to get a copy. In the meantime, Frettoloso said, he can advise the buildings newly placed in the flood zone how to hire a surveyor to determine that the building is elevated. This document, called an Elevation Certificate, can greatly reduce a building’s flood insurance premium.
Both the LOMA and Elevation Certificates are done by an independent FEMA flood surveyor, according to Frettoloso, who can connect condo Association’s with such an expert if needed. You can reach Frettoloso at (954) 825-7217 or dante.frettoloso@bbrown.
POLICE PRAYER:
God, please give me:
COURAGE to confront my fears,
STRENGTH to protect the innocent,
DEDICATION to do my job with endless loyalty,
COMPASSION when dealing with victim’s families
PATIENCE when confronting subjects,
KNOWLEDGE to find the truth,
PROTECTION to go home to my family,
