Many innovative and focused strategies have contributed to the police department’s success in reducing crime, however the Juvenile Repeat Offender Program has proven particularly successful at controlling recidivism. This program tracks juvenile offenders who are likely to re-offend.

In July 2007, Detective Ronald Phifer was assigned to coordinate the District Three Juvenile Offender Program. He put protocols in place that significantly increased the number of juvenile offenders monitored and that enhancement is suspected to be a primary reason that Part 1 crime dropped. After approximately one year of administering the program, District Three experienced a twenty-percent reduction in crime. Detective Phifer’s daily contact with patrol squads, the State Attorney’s Office, and the Juvenile Justice System played an instrumental part in ensuring the program’s success.

In 2008 there were 29,577 home checks. Those checks resulted in 1,510 documented violations and 1,384 arrests. Reducing truancy is a part of the program and in 2008 there were 993 truancy interventions citywide. In 2008, the police department achieved a 9.2% reduction in Part 1 Crime, which raised our cumulative crime reduction to approximately 46% over the past six years. This reduction in crime is unprecedented, and the Juvenile Repeat Offender Program is believed to have played a major role in the department’s success.

 Detective Phifer’s leadership has been an integral part of the department’s successful effort to reduce crime through the monitoring of repeat juvenile offenders and therefore, Detective Ronald Phifer is selected as the 2008 Tampa Police Department Officer of the Year.