Don’t ask Pasco County sheriff Chris Nocco to wait in doing something he believes in, even if it’s unclear how taking action would be received by the public.
That’s why Nocco isn’t waiting for court challenges or even the Florida Legislature before ordering more than 400 body cameras that will be equipped to deputies out on patrol. And while the $400,000 annual cost will be eaten by federal forfeiture funds this year, it’s something Nocco hopes the Pasco County Commission will write a check for in future years.
“We’re not fearful of being a leader out there,” Nocco told reporters during a press conference last week, as shared by reporter Michael Hinman. “There’s always going to be bumps in the road, and there is always going to be tweaks.”
The cameras, however, are not a result of police controversies in Ferguson, Missouri, or New York City, where law enforcement officers took the lives of two unarmed suspects, Nocco said.
“This started months ago because citizens are constantly pulling their phones out and taping deputies,” he said. That prompted those deputies to ask for cameras, and even offer to buy them on their own. But Nocco insisted the sheriff’s office draft a policy in place.
So what do others think about these cameras? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker, available on newsstands now, or right here with our free online e-edition.
Christmas is right around the corner, and it’s usually a time we think about family and spending time with them. But for many, it can be quite difficult instead — especially couples who have suffered through a recent miscarriage.
Reina Flores-Robinson is feeling the pain of losing a baby, and is sharing her experience with others to hopefully not only provide support to other women and couples, but to also build awareness of the emotional impact such a loss can have on families.
“At first, it was just hard to even understand, just the initial shock,” Flores-Robinson told reporter B.C. Manion. “I have an amazing doctor. He told me, ‘You’re going to recount every step you took because you’re going to try and figure out what you did wrong.’ He said, ‘I’m going to tell you there’s nothing you could have changed, and nothing you could have done differently. You’re never going to find an answer to it.'”
But how do families cope? Flores-Robinson shares her personal insight in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available now in driveways and newsstands, and also in our free online e-edition, which can be found by clicking here.
And finally, when we think of soccer powerhouses, we think of Sunlake High School. But apparently, the Seahawks are no longer the only (perfect) game in town.
Wiregrass Ranch High School also has an unbeaten boys soccer team, and there may be no slowing these footballers down.
“They’ll run the first 25 minutes of practice without me having to do anything,” Wiregrass Ranch coach David Wilson told reporter Michael Murillo. “I say one thing to them, and they’ll be gone. They go on their run, they come out and stretch, they do their preliminary practice stuff and their preparation stuff.
“There’s expectations that we’ve set, and these kids know what to do when they come in.”
But can Wiregrass Ranch make it all the way to the state finals? Get a peek inside the school’s soccer operation in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available all over the central and eastern parts of Pasco County, or through our free online e-edition by clicking here.
All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.
If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.
