Volume 1 • Issue 2
August 20, 2014
Sex at Colohatchee Police chief: “All options on the table” to tackle issue By Steve Bower
As individuals continue to use Colohatchee Park as a place for sexual rendezvouses, Police Chief Paul O’Connell said his department is looking at ways to make the park safer and eliminate it as a place to hook-up. “It’s been a constant thorn in our side . . . all options are on the table,” O’Connell said. Even a drone could be utilized to monitor the park. “That might be one of the options. It’s a work in progress.” Resident Carlos Bethart, who lives next to Colohatchee, compared the sex acts performed there to “an occupation” and called for more attention from the police. “It’s been going on forever. People think it’s only low-income [individuals having sex there]. It’s not,” he said. “You can see license plates from [wealthy] Palm Beach [County]. It’s become a real tourist attraction.” As for solving the problem, one option that seems more likely is a License Plate Reader [LPR]. O’Connell wants to mount an LPR on one of his department’s police cars and station it at “hot spots” such as Colohatchee Park. It could also be used while a vehicle is on patrol. When a license plate is read by an LPR camera,
the data is matched against the state’s criminal and vehicle databases. It can be tailored to alert authorities to any crime connected to the vehicle – from an unpaid parking ticket to a warrant for murder. Once alerted to a crime, the officer in the LPR vehicle can immediately arrest the suspect. Previously, Commissioner Tom Green said he is in favor of the system but only if its scope is narrowed. Green said he only wants the system to alert police to license plates connected with kidnappings, warrants, stolen vehicles and other serious crimes. The system is already being used in several Broward cities, including Lighthouse Point. Officials there say their system, which is a series of cameras placed at the city’s entry points, has been very effective in catching criminals and helping to prevent crime. O’Connell calls that one the “Cadillac option.” Hollywood has started utilizing the mobile LPR “with mixed results,” said O’Connell. The request to buy the $26,630 device with taxpayer dollars also got mixed results from commissioners. It’s likely O’Connell won’t get the full amount he requested. Mayor Gary Resnick said he wants to see the system implemented but suggested the police department could use police forfeiture funds to buy Continued on page 3
Mary Ulm – Preserving Wilton Manors Past By Denise Royal
Mary Ulm knows a lot about Wilton Manors. She’s not only up to date on the newest restaurant on Wilton Drive – but she has extensive knowledge about the city’s history. Ulm and her husband Ron moved to Wilton Manors 12 years ago. The couple, which has been married for 32 years, relocated from Atlanta to be closer to Ron’s father. The Ulms don’t have children;
instead, they’ve had a red parrot for 30 years. They’d been visiting the Wilton Manors area since the late 1970s and made the move despite a less than stellar first impression. “When we first starting visiting, it was a little run down – especially Wilton Drive,” Ulm said. During that time, Wilton Manors was home to mostly middle-income families, and the city was 99
percent white. Unlike today, Wilton Drive wasn’t filled with thriving shops and restaurants. Back in Atlanta, Ulm worked for the state of Georgia, specifically workforce staffing. The selfdescribed workaholic put in between 60-70 hours a week. These days, she puts the same level of dedication into the Wilton Manors Historical Society where she serves as President, and Ron is an advisor Continued on page 2
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