Latest news with #FortLauderdalePolice
Fox News
02-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Florida bomb squad demonstrates damage fireworks can inflict using watermelon
A Florida police bomb squad used explosives on various household items to educate the public about fireworks dangers ahead of July Fourth. The Fort Lauderdale Police Bomb Squad demonstrated the potential harm fireworks can inflict on the human body, using explosives similar to an M-80 on a paint can, cantaloupe, and watermelon. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue and Broward Health released a video of the demonstration to educate the community about safety and address common fireworks-related injuries. "The Fourth of July is one of the busiest times of year for our emergency departments," said Dr. Robert Chisholm, an emergency physician at Broward Health. "We typically see an increase in visits due to fireworks and sparkler injuries, dehydration and heat-related illnesses, food poisoning, severe sunburns, and alcohol-related accidents." Officials also tested sparklers on raw chicken to show what kind of injuries the hand-held firework can cause to human skin. Fireworks-related injuries and deaths typically spike around the holiday. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urged caution last week, reporting 11 fireworks-related deaths and an estimated 14,700 injuries last year. Most deaths involved misuse or device malfunctions. According to the CPSC, deaths increased 38% in 2024 compared to the previous year, while injuries spiked 52% during the same period. Sparklers accounted for about 1,700 emergency room visits in 2024, the CPSC noted.
CBS News
02-07-2025
- CBS News
Large police investigation underway in Wilton Manors neighborhood
A large police investigation is underway in Wilton Manors residential neighborhood. It's happening on NE 26 Street, just off Andrews Avenue. The investigation involves multiple agencies including Wilton Manors police, Fort Lauderdale police and the Broward Sheriff's Office. Police have not released details at this time on the investigation. This is a developing story, check back for updated information.
CBS News
25-06-2025
- CBS News
FBI announces 65 arrests in South Florida violent crime crackdown
The FBI's Miami Field Office held a press conference Wednesday afternoon to announce the arrest of 65 individuals and the seizure of 21 firearms, including two fully automatic weapons, during a targeted violent crime initiative dubbed Operation Viper. The operation, conducted from mid-May to late June 2025, focused on apprehending the most violent offenders across South Florida, the FBI said. Collaborative law enforcement effort Operation Viper deployed a Violent Crime Rapid Deployment Team to support local agencies in Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Miramar, Miami Gardens and Pembroke Pines, the FBI said. The team, comprising of approximately 35 FBI agents, task force officers and local law enforcement, coordinated daily to execute arrests and investigations, resulting in 60 local and five federal arrests, the FBI reported. Targeted arrests and community impact Fort Lauderdale saw the highest number of arrests, with 16 individuals apprehended for crimes including armed robbery, burglary, grand theft, drug trafficking and firearms offenses, Fort Lauderdale Police Chief William Schultz said. In Miami, authorities targeted a criminal enterprise originating in Little Haiti, which had grown to impact broader areas of South Florida, City of Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales stated. Miami Gardens Police Assistant Chief Joseph Nargiso reported two arrests of documented gang members suspected of homicide. The operation also responded to a false swatting call at Stoneman Douglas High School in Fort Lauderdale on May 21, showcasing the rapid response enabled by the FBI's presence, Schultz added. The FBI emphasized that Operation Viper's success stemmed from trust and shared commitment among agencies.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Well-known Fort Lauderdale detective fired after investigation
A well-known Fort Lauderdale Police detective was fired after an investigation revealed that he used police databases to search his ex-girlfriend and her family and made conflicting statements about a tracker found on the woman's car. As a recruiting officer for the department, Henry Lockwood III often served as the face of Fort Lauderdale Police. He helped lead efforts to advertise the department to Spring Breakers, as the South Florida Sun Sentinel previously reported, mentored youths and spoke about the force on national television. 'We want to make sure we increase in community engagement. The more we engage with them, the less problems we know we have,' Lockwood told the Sun Sentinel during the Spring Break initiative. According to a Fort Lauderdale Police internal affairs report obtained by the Sun Sentinel, Lockwood has been terminated from his job after his ex-girlfriend raised concerns with the Coconut Creek Police Department about a tracker on her car. During an August 2024 interview with an officer in Coconut Creek, the ex-girlfriend said she and Lockwood had parted ways in April that year. She went to the police, she said, 'as she was 'scared' and wanted to 'have it documented in case anything was to escalate from this situation,'' according to the report. Two days after the interview, a Coconut Creek Police investigator followed up at a local Hyundai dealership where the woman had asked for help in finding a tracker. She did so, she told police, because 'on two occasions she noticed that her ex-boyfriend showed up to different locations without her telling him where she was. She found that suspicious,' the Fort Lauderdale Police internal affairs report says. When the woman returned to the dealership to retrieve her car, the GPS tracking device was missing, prompting an employee to review the dealership's video. It was then, according to the internal affairs report, that the employee and the ex-girlfriend 'observed an unknown male walk into the service bay' toward the area where the car was located. The man was then observed leaving the service bay 'carrying the GPS tracking device in his hands.' The woman told employees she knew the man on the video. The dealership's video cameras showed it was Lockwood who walked in wearing plain clothes to retrieve the device. He was on duty at the time, the report says. Interviewed later by Fort Lauderdale Police investigators, Lockwood initially denied placing the tracker on the car but later admitted to it when speaking to a supervisor. Then he denied it again, saying someone else had placed it there. Asked by Fort Lauderdale investigators why he had removed his uniform shirt while at the dealership, he replied: 'Because at that time I was not in any official capacity.' Lockwood also used police databases at least 26 times between April and August of 2024 to conduct searches on his ex-girlfriend and people in her life, including her brother, friends and a former boyfriend, according to the report. The investigation found Lockwood violated multiple department policies, including conduct unbecoming an officer and misuse of law enforcement authority or position. Misuse of police databases for personal reasons can lead to criminal penalties, depending on how the information is used. On Aug. 29, the report says, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department's office of internal affairs referred the case to the public corruption unit of the State Attorney's Office, which 'declined to review it.' Neither the former girlfriend nor the car dealership wanted Lockwood to be prosecuted, according to the report. 'Honestly, I just want this to go away,' the woman is quoted as telling a Coconut Creek officer. 'I don't want Henry to be in any type of trouble. I don't want him — his job to be on the line — his career. I just want us to go our separate ways. So, he continues his life. I continue my life and we just be done with it. No criminal charges, no consequences. I just wanted this to be documented. And that's pretty much it.' The dealership told police that it did not want to press any charges. On March 5, Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Walter Schultz signed a 'disciplinary recommendation' of termination. The records show Lockwood has been represented by attorney Eugene Gibbons of Fort Lauderdale through the Fraternal Order of Police. A phone message left with Gibbons' office Monday evening was not returned. The police union did not respond to an emailed message seeking comment. This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Miami Herald
30-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Dog mauls Broward County Animal Control officer in Fort Lauderdale, police say
A dog viciously attacked a Broward County Animal Care Control officer Thursday in Fort Lauderdale, police said. The attack happened around 7:15 p.m. in the 700 block of Southwest 14th Terrace, police said. In a 911 call released by police, a woman witnessing the incident is heard frantically screaming for officers to hurry. 'Oh my God, it's mauling her,' the woman tells the 911 operator. 'The dog is attacking an Animal Control officer. Please send somebody!' Police arrived about three minutes later and found the officer with life-threatening injuries, said Casey Liening, a Fort Lauderdale Police spokeswoman. Witnesses trying to help the woman injured the dog in the process, Liening said. Zachary Rinkins, a spokesman for Broward County Animal Care Control, said the officer was conducting an animal-welfare check on the property when she was attacked. The dog, an American Staffordshire terrier mix, was 'humanely euthanized,' Rinkins said. Paramedics took the officer to Broward Health Medical Center. Liening said Friday that her injuries are serious, but she is expected to survived. It was not immediately clear what will happen to the owners of the dog. Broward County Animal Care Control is leading the investigation into the attack, Rinkins said.
