Dealing with Drug Dealers in Your Neighborhood

A couple of years ago, we had a problem with the tenants of a rental house in our neighborhood. We suspected them of drug dealing. I thought it would be a good idea to share with others what to do, in the event this situation ever happens in your neighborhood. I emailed Lakeland Police Department about this today, and Officer Michael Spade (I'm not sure of his rank) emailed me this information:

Drug Activity Recognition and Reporting:

The following items are possible indicators of illegal activity, especially narcotics activity:

- Different people arriving at all hours and departing soon after.

- Brief contact between people at or outside of a location with vehicles and pedestrians.

- Litter consisting of small plastic zipper bags and/or corners of plastic baggies cut off from the bag.

- People arriving with appliances, household items, and tools, and then leaving without them.

- The stockpiling of those items at a location.

-People standing outside of a location acting as lookouts.


Recommended reporting:

If you're in Lakeland, call the LPD non-emergency number at 863-834-6966. Otherwise, call your local non-emergency police department number.

Call the Narcotics Hotline at 863-834-2549.

Try to discreetly and safely record subject descriptions, vehicle descriptions and tag numbers.
Note the times and type of activity, e.g. pedestrians coming to the door, people driving up to subjects outside, etc.

Chick-fil-A Calendars

After dropping off my two foster puppies at the Lakeland SPCA this morning, I decided to treat myself to Chick-fil-A breakfast. I stumbled across a great discovery that my fellow procrastinators might appreciate knowing about.

I had planned to buy a 2008 calendar there, because I realized it's now the middle of January and I have no calendar. These calendars are great, because they cost all of $5 and there's a coupon redeemable each month. They get their money's worth from me, because I don't redeem all the coupons. I forget about them half the time.

Anyway, I order breakfast and two calendars at the drive-thru, then see a sign that said if you purchased a $20 Chick-fil-A gift card, you got a calendar free.

I changed my order at the window and bought two $20 gift cards and got both calendars free. I may not redeem all the coupons, but I'll definitely use the gift cards.

I'm looking for couples who met at work and still are together

I'm working on an article about couples who reside or work in Lakeland (or anywhere in Polk County) and/or Plant City who fell in love at work and are still together. If you or someone you know fell in love at work, still together and willing to be interviewed for an article, please email me: Lorrie@LorrieWalker.com.

Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curbside Market Video

My friend Darby and I put together a video about the Lakeland Farmers Market. She did all the difficult work- I just did the speaking. This is the first time I've done this, so feedback and constructive criticism are welcome. Don't be hateful. :o)

Polk County Blogger Meet-up Feb. 4, 2008

If you write a blog, plan to write a blog or just like to read blogs, make plans now to attend the next meeting of Polk County area bloggers. Don't worry if your site is a diary, journal, PR blog or media blog...everyone is welcome.

We're meeting Monday, Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Black and Brew in Lakeland (205 East Main Street).

If you have questions, post them as a comment and I'll respond.

Bike-Thru Banking at Mid-Florida FCU

I stumbled upon some interesting information today. Mid-Florida Federal Credit Union now offers "Bike-Thru Banking."

In a nutshell, you can ride your bike through the drive-thru now, instead of parking and walking inside.

This is an amazing victory for me, even though I doubt that I had anything to do with the addition of this new service. However, I did attempt to ride my bike through the Gary Road Mid-Florida drive-thru in 2007 and was refused service. The teller told me it was "a security issue" and I could only use the drive-thru while on my bike if the lobby wasn't open. Apparently, riding a bike through a bank drive-thru was not a security issue between the hours of 7 and 9 a.m. back then. I used the drive-thru later when the lobby wasn't open and was not refused service.

Oh, how I'd love to believe that the influence of my blog is so great that when I wrote about being refused service, my legions of readers (thanks, Mom, Chuck, Vonya) wrote letters of protest and the powers-that-be at Mid-Florida called a special meeting and created this Bike-thru policy in my honor. But alas, something tells me that wasn't the case. Regardless, I'm happy I can take part in bike-thru banking now.

Talking to Strangers

Ginger came over yesterday to see the two puppies I'm fostering and- after a great deal of ridicule and calling her a pansy- to go for a bike ride. I don't know why she puts up a fuss. She's in much better shape and I am.

We headed to downtown Lakeland for our first stop- The Ledger. I needed a copy of the Polk County Business Journal. As we rode down Rose Street and under the Bartow Road overpass, we saw a man with a bicycle sitting on one of the benches. This may come as a shocker to some, but I'm actually a friendly sort. I say hello to people. Even to the homeless people, when I know they will use it as an opportunity to ask me for money. Too bad they don't have Internet access; they'd know how much spare change means to me.

Anyway, as we passed this man, a youngish man who didn't look homeless, I said hello and he said hello back. We continued our ride and finally wound up at McDonald's, where Ginger got her daily fix- two orders of cinnamon melts to go.

We parted ways on Edgewood Avenue and I headed home. As I approached the corner at the end of my street, who do I see standing in a neighbor's yard, but the youngish guy from under the overpass. Again, this may come as another shocker, but sometimes my friendliness acts on itself before good sense kicks in.

I throw my arm up in the air and wave wildly, smiling largely and yelling, "Hey, didn't I just see you downtown?" He didn't hear me, so I had to slow my bike a little bit and repeat myself.

He said, "Yeah, probably. I had to go to stewpid probation."

(Red alert! Red alert! Just ride away, Lorrie!)

I said, "Oh, well I thought I recognized you, so I was just saying 'hi' again!"

I started to ride off, and he said, "Well hold on a minute...what's your name?"

I started to freak out inside. Flashes of too many Lifetime movies raced through my head.

"No, no... I was just saying hello. Have a good day!" I said. But really I was saying that to the pavement in front of me, because all that guy saw was the back of me as I raced from the scene- and straight to a neighbor's house.

I knew Cheryl might be home, and I had to ask her a Stampin' Up question (she sells it). I figured now was as good a time as any.

While we were visiting, I shared my biking story with her, and she said, "Oh no, now he knows where you live!"

I said, "No he doesn't. I came straight to your house!"