5A – Identifying Local Opportunities

GPD ‘hot cop’ in hot water over selfie - The Gainesville Sun

Link: https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190911/gpd-hot-cop-in-hot-water-over-selfie 

 Description: According to official Gainesville Police Department policy, employees cannot post anything regarding uniforms, badges, logos, or anything of the sort without obtaining permission. However, a member of the Gainesville Police Department, Officer Dan Rengering, who additionally modeled and appeared on a television show posted a selfie with himself in uniform that also had a caption containing sexual innuendo in late 2017 during Hurricane Irma. Despite being told to take the photo down, the officer left it up, although it was "hidden", something which the Gainesville PD department took very seriously.

 Problem Presented within Story: I feel that the greatest issue within the story has to be the officer's callous disregard for GPD's social media policies, and his use of sexual innuendo in a post that might make the department as a whole look bad, along with his disregard of the department's policies regarding sexual innuendo. 

 Who has the problem? I feel that having read the article, Officer Rengering has the problem, as in this case, his disregard for his employer's social media policies might be leading him into getting into greater trouble going forward. 

Opportunity: Alachua County police should revise their social media conduct and make it much stricter, as with the current political climate in the U.S., good relations between officers and communities is a necessity in order to create safer communities.

Biker caught stealing plants from Satchel’s Pizza - The Alligator -

Link: https://www.alligator.org/news/biker-caught-stealing-plants-from-satchel-s-pizza/article_f8110938-d5c1-11e9-b240-63c79cc54825.html 

 Description: Satchel's Pizza, a local Gainesville eatery, reported that before 5:30A.M on Wednesday, September 12th, someone on a bicycle stole a few potted plants from the front of the establishment. The thefts have been reoccurring for several months, however, this is the first instance of any such theft being caught on camera. Despite having cause to call the police, the owners of the establishment opted to instead post the surveillance photo online, figuring that local police should not be distracted by what they deemed to be a minor issue. 

 Problem Presented: The problem within this article has to be that a thief feels comfortable enough to return repeatedly to Satchel's Pizza and steal plants, which causes concern for the owners as they keep having to buy new plants.

 Who has the problem?: The owners of the establishment have the problem, as they have to deal with the reoccurring theft of plants that aren't easy to replace on a repeated basis as the thief tends to return and continue do so. 

 Opportunity: Satchel's Pizza should look into seeing whether community support, rather than relying on local police might be able to help these repeated thefts stop.

Alachua County Jail hacker outsmarted system “just to prove” he could - The Alligator - 

Link: https://www.alligator.org/news/alachua-county-jail-hacker-outsmarted-system-just-to-prove-he/article_bfd17294-d5dd-11e9-83af-5379a6d2d3d5.html 

 Description: A repeat offender already serving a sentence in Tennessee expected to last until 2028, Justin Lee Williams used his skills to trick officials in Alachua County to release another inmate. When apprehended and asked why he chose to undertake such an action, Williams responded with, "To prove I can.". Williams, following this infraction, was placed into solitary confinement due to having attempted to escape, despite in his mind never having made a successful attempt.

Problem Presented: A serial offender continues to offend, using a myriad of skills to assist other inmates in staging escapes from jail while also committing fraud, something that almost manages to succeed, causing concern for jail officials. 

 Who has the problem?: Alachua County officials, having nearly been tricked, now realize that there might be ways for inmates to escape that were previously unknown, leaving a breach in security that should be closed in some form. 

 Opportunity: Alachua County officials should look into revising security in such a fashion that future escapes cannot occur in a similar manner.

City Commission repeals plastic ban, raises GRU rates - The Alligator -  

Link: https://www.alligator.org/news/city-commission-repeals-plastic-ban-raises-gru-rates/article_cbb76770-d5e3-11e9-9a5e-2fe54a48b3cd.html 

 Description: Having previously moved to ban single-use plastics within the City of Gainesville, the city commission, after receiving much pressure repealed both bans. 

 Problem Presented: The city of Gainesville, despite attempting to work hard to ban styrofoam containers and single-use plastics had its efforts entirely overturned and stalled. 

 Who has the problem? The city of Gainesville will continue to suffer from plastic litter, which is bad for the environment and causes pollution, with their efforts to ban single-use plastics now having been stalled altogether. 

 Opportunity: The city of Gainesville should use this as a reason to look for other ways to encourage sustainability and the use of recyclable products. Despite this resolution having had much support throughout the city, businesses were the primary cause of this resolution being overturned, showcasing how decisions that are more conscious of economic concerns might be worth looking into.

UF student reported she was raped in Jennings Hall, UPD says - The Alligator -  

Link: https://www.alligator.org/news/uf-student-reported-she-was-raped-in-jennings-hall-upd/article_03622c12-d41f-11e9-9b96-9fab926c54c5.html 

Description: Despite already having been in the news for another UF residence hall based sexual assault allegation, the University of Florida finds itself in the spotlight again as a Jennings Hall resident reports herself as also having been sexually assaulted, raising serious concern for the well-being of students on campus when it comes to issues such as sexual assault. 

 Problem Presented: The University of Florida now grapples with the issue of how to prevent sexual assault within residence halls on campus, as despite being a Top 7 university, students might be afraid to attend the University if issues like these are prevalent. 

 Who has the problem: The University should look into how to punish students who commit sexual assaults, as well as reevaluate how they can prevent future assaults from happening on campus in order to help students feel safe and facilitate attendance at the university. 

 Opportunity: UF should take this opportunity to reevaluate their policies regarding sexual assault on campus. Students who commit sexual assault shouldn't be allowed to continue being on campus as they clearly pose a danger to students around them, and should altogether be banned from it. Stricter penalties might be one way to curb these instances from occurring again in the future.