Dallas Police Sgt. Felini award nomination letter
Former Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle wrote this letter nominating Sgt. Louis Felini for a state award that he ultimately received this year.
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March 12, 2010 Law Enforcement Achievement Awards Ms. Laura Le Blanc, Public Information Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education 6330 E Highway 290, Suite 200 Austin, Texas 78723-1035 Nomination of Sergeant Louis C. Felini, #5883 for the State of Texas Law Enforcement Award for Professional Achievement. The outstanding contribution to law enforcement made by Dallas Police Sergeant Louis Felini, #5883, in the development and implementation of difficult police programs has exemplified excellence for meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility. These programs not only exhibit a high degree of professional accomplishment, but serve as a model for other municipalities around the country. Since October of 2007, Sergeant Felini has been assigned as the Deployment supervisor for the South Central Division, and has been tasked with developing operations that target crime throughout the division, including in and around the truck stops, inter-modal yards, motels, rail yards, massive apartment complexes taken over by gangs, and wanted felons. One program in particular, the Prostitute Diversion Initiative (PDI) that targets truck stop prostitutes, has not only received international attention in over 500 news media outlets, but has been recognized by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a long term intelligence strategy for a transient criminal population. The PDI was the first law enforcement led diversion program of its kind in the country that brought outside services directly to the streets to provide victims of prostitution a complete exit from the sex trade and continued recidivism with the criminal justice system. The operation is conducted once a month at the truck stops and includes the Dallas Police Department, Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, Courts, Dallas County Health Department, Parkland Hospital, the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s (UNTHSC) Epidemiology Department, and over 45 social service and faith based organizations. To date, 374 women have been given the opportunity to change their life, over 30 have left the sex trade completely, and some have returned to help act as advocates for the program. For the women that enter the program and relapse, Sergeant Felini has developed two other first of its kind programs. The first is a “High Risk Potential Victims’ DNA Database, which he established with the collaboration of UNTHSC’s Forensic Lab and Center for Human Identification and the Vice Unit at no cost to the Dallas Police Department. The database will provide a way to identify these women should they become a victim of violent crime once they return to the street. The program provides value to their life, closure for their family, and a tremendous tool for law enforcement.
The second program is to educate these women on indicators that would identify a truck driver as a person of interest to law enforcement in the event they relapse. The FBI and the United States Secret Service (USSS) believe that this program may one day help law enforcement intercede earlier in a serial killer’s criminal career or thwart a domestic event, in which suspects try to exploit the vulnerabilities of the commercial transportation industry. The FBI’s ViCAP Unit, Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, has made Sergeant Felini an integral part of their Highway Serial Killer Initiative, and flies him around the country to speak to law enforcement agencies about his programs. The USSS has also made Sergeant Felini a member of their taskforce under a memorandum of understanding to facilitate intelligence these programs may develop for DHS. In an effort to combat crime at massive apartment complexes in the South Central Division that have been inundated with gang activity, Sergeant Felini developed Operation TAtTOO, Tactical Approach to Target Organized Offenders. These operations include the South Central Division, Gang Unit, Operation Disruption, the Helicopter Unit, and 60 deputies assigned to the Dallas County Sheriff’s Fugitive Apprehension Teams. The operation is an expansion of the Dallas Police Department’s criminal trespass initiative, and involves executing warrants, searching all vacant apartments, and developing collaborating citizens within the complex. The latter’s purpose is two-fold. First, developed sources could contact the South Central Division and provide information on observed criminal activity in and around the complex. Second, the Deployment Unit could contact these same sources to develop leads on offenses occurring in those neighborhoods. Operation TAtTOO has been such a tremendous success, the South Central Division continues to field calls from apartment complex owners and managers requesting the operation be conducted at their complex. In 2009, Sergeant Felini lead nine of these operations in sectors identified as having the worst problems. The resources applied to each initiative last for two days per complex for a maximum of two hours each day. The shock and awe impact to the area has been featured in the Dallas Morning News and WBAP News/Talk 820. Currently, Sergeant Felini’s Deployment Unit is implementing a burglar tracking system for the South Central Division to help patrol officers identify suspects on their beats that have active warrants or who are known to engage in property crimes. This program was modeled after the efforts of the Southeast Division in collaboration with Officer Joe King and, like everything else Sergeant Felini has done, has expanded the program to assist the Investigative Unit and the Deployment Unit narrow their focus on specific suspects for the purpose of surveillance. Over 200 burglars have been identified in our division and the list continues to grow. Sergeant Felini will be meeting with Fusion and Police Technology to link the information to the patrol officers’ mobile data computers in their squad cars. He has also begun collaborating with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, Lancaster PD, and DeSoto PD to help identify and apprehend these offenders. These are but a few of the programs Sergeant Felini has developed over the years, which have included Operation JUSTICE, Joint Undercover Surveillance Team Interdicting Criminal Enterprise, Operation “Delta Tango” (Decoy Trailer), and Operation Rolling Shield that involved over 13 local, state, and federal agencies. As a measure of his ability,
he has received over 100 commendations and awards, including the Award for Valor from the State of Texas. I personally believe that Sergeant Felini and the Deployment Unit he supervises have been a contributing factor to the reduced crime rate the South Central Division has enjoyed over the past 2 years. On a personal note, Sergeant Felini has been married to his wife Martha for over seven years, and both were featured in the January 2010 issue of the Dallas Observer, highlighting the work of the PDI program. There is no question that Sergeant Felini has exemplified excellence for meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility. The ability of officers like Sergeant Felini to think outside the box will be tantamount to the success of reducing crime for any law enforcement agency, and is a credit to the Dallas Police Department. Supervising Sergeants of this caliber has been extremely rewarding. He has my respect, and he has earned this award. Sincerely, DAVID M. KUNKLE CHIEF OF POLICE
Sherryl L. Scott Deputy Chief of Police South Central Division Patrol Bureau
The second program is to educate these women on indicators that would identify a truck driver as a person of interest to law enforcement in the event they relapse. The FBI and the United States Secret Service (USSS) believe that this program may one day help law enforcement intercede earlier in a serial killer’s criminal career or thwart a domestic event, in which suspects try to exploit the vulnerabilities of the commercial transportation industry. The FBI’s ViCAP Unit, Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, has made Sergeant Felini an integral part of their Highway Serial Killer Initiative, and flies him around the country to speak to law enforcement agencies about his programs. The USSS has also made Sergeant Felini a member of their taskforce under a memorandum of understanding to facilitate intelligence these programs may develop for DHS. In an effort to combat crime at massive apartment complexes in the South Central Division that have been inundated with gang activity, Sergeant Felini developed Operation TAtTOO, Tactical Approach to Target Organized Offenders. These operations include the South Central Division, Gang Unit, Operation Disruption, the Helicopter Unit, and 60 deputies assigned to the Dallas County Sheriff’s Fugitive Apprehension Teams. The operation is an expansion of the Dallas Police Department’s criminal trespass initiative, and involves executing warrants, searching all vacant apartments, and developing collaborating citizens within the complex. The latter’s purpose is two-fold. First, developed sources could contact the South Central Division and provide information on observed criminal activity in and around the complex. Second, the Deployment Unit could contact these same sources to develop leads on offenses occurring in those neighborhoods. Operation TAtTOO has been such a tremendous success, the South Central Division continues to field calls from apartment complex owners and managers requesting the operation be conducted at their complex. In 2009, Sergeant Felini lead nine of these operations in sectors identified as having the worst problems. The resources applied to each initiative last for two days per complex for a maximum of two hours each day. The shock and awe impact to the area has been featured in the Dallas Morning News and WBAP News/Talk 820. Currently, Sergeant Felini’s Deployment Unit is implementing a burglar tracking system for the South Central Division to help patrol officers identify suspects on their beats that have active warrants or who are known to engage in property crimes. This program was modeled after the efforts of the Southeast Division in collaboration with Officer Joe King and, like everything else Sergeant Felini has done, has expanded the program to assist the Investigative Unit and the Deployment Unit narrow their focus on specific suspects for the purpose of surveillance. Over 200 burglars have been identified in our division and the list continues to grow. Sergeant Felini will be meeting with Fusion and Police Technology to link the information to the patrol officers’ mobile data computers in their squad cars. He has also begun collaborating with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, Lancaster PD, and DeSoto PD to help identify and apprehend these offenders. These are but a few of the programs Sergeant Felini has developed over the years, which have included Operation JUSTICE, Joint Undercover Surveillance Team Interdicting Criminal Enterprise, Operation “Delta Tango” (Decoy Trailer), and Operation Rolling Shield that involved over 13 local, state, and federal agencies. As a measure of his ability,
he has received over 100 commendations and awards, including the Award for Valor from the State of Texas. I personally believe that Sergeant Felini and the Deployment Unit he supervises have been a contributing factor to the reduced crime rate the South Central Division has enjoyed over the past 2 years. On a personal note, Sergeant Felini has been married to his wife Martha for over seven years, and both were featured in the January 2010 issue of the Dallas Observer, highlighting the work of the PDI program. There is no question that Sergeant Felini has exemplified excellence for meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility. The ability of officers like Sergeant Felini to think outside the box will be tantamount to the success of reducing crime for any law enforcement agency, and is a credit to the Dallas Police Department. Supervising Sergeants of this caliber has been extremely rewarding. He has my respect, and he has earned this award. Sincerely, DAVID M. KUNKLE CHIEF OF POLICE
Sherryl L. Scott Deputy Chief of Police South Central Division Patrol Bureau
