The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

David Shears

Zephyrhills Police undergoes restructuring

By

The Zephyrhills Police Department is shaking up its command staff — a measure it hopes will improve efficiency and communications throughout the law enforcement agency.

The department is adding an operations lieutenant and an administrative lieutenant, while eliminating a captain’s position and a detective sergeant’s position — roles that have been vacant for months.

The lieutenants’ positions already have been advertised internally and will be filled from the current group of sergeants. The starting salary for both is $53,584.  The starting salary for the eliminated captain and detective sergeant positions were $57,975 and $47, 696, respectively.

The new positions are expected to be filled by the end of the year or in early 2018, Zephyrhills Police Chief Derek Brewer said.

The Zephyrhills City Council approved the staffing proposal last month.

In a memo to the council and City Manager Steve Spina, Brewer said it offers a number of benefits, including, “better span of control, improved unity of command, opportunities for employee advancement and potential cost savings.”

The department’s command staff in the past has been budgeted for a chief, two captains and five sergeants, as well as 25 sworn officers.

One of those captain’s position has been vacant since June, however. The detective sergeant’s position also has remained vacant since the promotion of Capt. Reggie Roberts, at around the same time.

Because of that, Roberts has been the liaison for the agency’s operations and administrative divisions, without the benefit of another captain or detective sergeant to reduce the burden.

Adding two lieutenants — to report to Roberts — will “level out” supervision for both divisions and improve agency directives, the police chief explained.

“By placing some lieutenants in between the sergeant and the captain, it allows for information to flow a little better, and also for the captain not to be stretched so thin,” Brewer said.

Once in place, the operations lieutenant will directly oversee three departments: uniform patrol, criminal divisions and special operations — which encompass reserve, honor guard, bike patrol.

The administrative lieutenant, meanwhile, will oversee communications and administrative support and services, ranging from property and evidence management, record keeping, accreditation and training, fleet maintenance and so on.

Brewer, a 15-year veteran of the department and a former lieutenant, said the idea to reshuffle the command staff arose while he was serving as interim chief from June to September.

He was officially sworn-in as the city’s police chief in October, replacing former chief David Shears, who retired in May.

Brewer pointed out many similar-sized agencies, such as the New Port Richey Police Department, “adopt that model of more layers in-between.”

It gives the command structure “a more linear approach,” he said.

“One thing I’ve kind of noticed with the chief and the two captains over the years is that span of control is still pretty wide, so I kind of felt like this was the best way to approach the span of control, as well as just making sure things move more fluid,” the chief added.

The shuffling may also reduce agency overtime costs.

Besides assisting with administrative duties, the lieutenants would also support patrol functions by filling gaps in supervision should unforeseen needs arise from shift supervisors, such as sick time. Instead of calling in another supervisor for coverage, a lieutenant could cover the open shift to eliminate the need to call in a sergeant or officer in charge on the opposite side of the schedule.

Brewer explained, “A lot of times when sergeants accumulate overtime, we don’t have that ability to adjust their schedule, but having lieutenants may allow us to fill those gaps, so as they accumulate the overtime, we can kind of adjust their schedule and save in overtime.”

In 2014, independent consultant William Liquori, from the Florida Police Chiefs Association (FPCA), recommended reinstituting lieutenants within Zephyrhills Police.

In his report, Liquori, a 44-year law enforcement veteran from Altamonte Springs and past president of the statewide association, said communication was a major concern among all employees, and that command staff needed to address the issue.

Brewer said that report further “reinforced the need to bring (lieutenants) back.”

By hiring lieutenants from within, Brewer said it allows for additional opportunities for promotion and internal movement for the department’s employees.

“We thought that it would create better morale; that was another thing we had looked at,” Brewer said.

Published December 20, 2017

New Zephyrhills police chief has a familiar face

By

Derek Brewer’s official promotion to Zephyrhills Police Chief was just weeks ago — yet he’s no stranger to the uniform, or to the community he’s tasked to serve.

The 45-year-old Brewer was appointed the city’s permanent, full-time police chief on Sept. 25. He was sworn-in two weeks later, on Oct. 9.

Brewer, however, already had months of familiarity with the position.

He served as interim chief since June, filling in the post formerly held by Police Chief David Shears, who retired after 25 years with the agency.

Derek Brewer was sworn in as Zephyrhills Police Chief on Oct. 9. He replaces David Shears, who had been chief since 2008. (File)

Brewer is a 15-year veteran of the Zephyrhills Police Department, who gradually worked up the ranks from patrol officer, to field training officer and lieutenant, to captain.

The test-run as chief proved valuable for Brewer.

“I think it definitely helped,” Brewer said, in a recent interview with The Laker/Lutz News. “I got a chance to see things there from a little different perspective, but at the same time, I’m very familiar with the agency, and the city and the community. My role may have changed a little bit, but everything was still very familiar.”

Brewer was born in Massachusetts and raised in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

After high school, he moved to Florida, searching for a better job market while escaping from blistering cold northern winters.

After a decade of “working odd jobs” in the Sunshine State, the then 29-year-old Brewer opted to become a law enforcement officer, at the encouragement of others.

After police academy training, he joined the Zephyrhills Police Department in 2002.

Being a police chief was not in his original plans.

“It’s not something I ever truly imagined I would be in, but being here for the agency I started with, there’s just an extreme amount of pride,” Brewer said.

He is the 10th police chief in Zephyrhills history.

Within the role, he’s responsible for 32 officers (33 when fully staffed) and an annual budget that exceeds $4 million.

He said the biggest adjustment so far has been overseeing additional personnel — from the entire police force, to its civilian employees in administration.

It means managing “a lot of different personalities” and handling “a lot of different problems.”

Brewer added: “Even though I had some experience in the administrative side when I was a lieutenant, it’s different when you have all of them together working at the same time.”

Challenges aside, Brewer still follows advice often bestowed upon him by Shears.

And, there has been plenty of that, through the years.

When Brewer was a patrolman, Shears was his sergeant. When he was a sergeant, Shears was his captain. And, when Brewer became a lieutenant and captain, Shears, of course, was his chief.

“I really did have an opportunity to learn a lot from him, particularly in police work,” Brewer said. “But, the one thing he always said that really always stuck with me was: ‘You do the right thing, and no matter how hard it is, you’ll always be OK.’ I still follow that today, and I truly do believe that.”

Since joining the department, Brewer earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Hillsborough Community College, attended the senior leadership-training program at the Southern Police Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, and also attended the Florida Police Chiefs executive leadership training in 2014.
He graduated this July from the Command Officer Management Program at Saint Leo University, and is scheduled to receive his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Saint Leo University this December.

In the meantime, Brewer has received numerous honors during his extensive law enforcement career, including:

  • Pasco County Crisis Intervention Team Officer of the Year (2010)
  • William B. Eiland Officer of the Year Award (2012)
  • Tampa Police Department Appreciation Award (2013)
  • City of Zephyrhills Employee of the Year Award (2015)

Besides regular police duties, Brewer has been a member of several committees and organizations that include the Transportation Exception Plan Committee; Pasco-Hernando State College Technical Advisory Committee; Pasco County Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Task Force; Zephyrhills Code Enforcement Task Force; Zephyrhills Police Department Homeless Initiative; Zephyrhills Site Plan Review Committee; Florida Police Chiefs Association; and, Noon Rotary Club of Zephyrhills.

His appointment to chief was recommended to the Zephyrhills City Council by city manager Steve Spina, who was part of a six-person interview committee.

Of the six applicants interviewed for police chief, Spina told the council Brewer was “without a doubt” the top candidate.

The council later approved Brewer’s hiring in a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Ken Burgess dissenting.

At the Sept. 25 meeting, numerous speakers offered support for Brewer’s appointment, including police officers and members of the community.

They praised his leadership and management style, his work ethic, his compassion and humility, and his ability to handle high-risk situations, such as Hurricane Irma.

One of those speakers was Amy Chappell, vice president and residential loan officer at CenterState Bank.

She characterized Brewer this way: “You have an individual that cares, and that’s something you won’t find really on the resume.”

Published October 25, 2017

Zephyrhills appoints police chief

By

Following a four-month nationwide search for its next police chief, the city of Zephyrhills has opted to hire from within, appointing interim chief Derek Brewer the city’s permanent, full-time police chief.

At its Sept. 25 meeting, the Zephyrhills City Council voted 4-1 in favor of Brewer, a 15-year veteran of the Zephyrhills Police Department who’s served as the interim chief since May following the retirement of former chief David Shears, who held the leadership position since 2008.

Brewer’s appointment was recommended to the council by city manager Steve Spina, who was part of a six-person interview committee during the hiring process.

Derek Brewer, a 15-year veteran of the Zephyrhills Police Department who has served as the interim chief since May, has been appointed as the city’s permanent, full-time police chief; he will be sworn in at the city’s Oct. 9 council meeting.
(Courtesy of Zephyrhills Police Department)

Of the six applicants interviewed, Spina told the council Brewer is “without a doubt” the top candidate for the position.

Brewer, 44, gradually has risen up the agency’s ranks, since being hired as a patrol officer in 2002.

He served as a field training officer, patrol sergeant and lieutenant before being promoted to patrol captain in 2014.

While on the force, Brewer earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Hillsborough Community College, and attended the senior leadership training program at the Southern Police Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Florida Police Chiefs executive leadership training in 2014.
He also graduated this July from the Command Officer Management Program at Saint Leo University, and is scheduled to receive his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Saint Leo University this December.

Brewer has received numerous honors during his law enforcement career, including:

  • Pasco County Crisis Intervention Team Officer of the Year (2010)
  • William B. Eiland Officer of the Year Award (2012)
  • Tampa Police Department Appreciation Award (2013)
  • City of Zephyrhills Employee of the Year Award (2015)

Besides regular law enforcement duties, Brewer is a member of several committees and organizations that include the Transportation Exception Plan Committee; Pasco-Hernando State College Technical Advisory Committee; Pasco County Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Task Force; Zephyrhills Code Enforcement Task Force; Zephyrhills Police Department Homeless Initiative; Zephyrhills Site Plan Review Committee; Florida Police Chiefs Association; and, Noon Rotary Club of Zephyrhills.

Several officers of the Zephyrhills police force spoke in favor of Brewer’s appointment to the department’s top job, during the meeting’s public comment period.

Lorenzo Limoges, a K-9 officer, said the agency, under Brewer’s leadership, has experienced “some of the best teamwork I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“…I’ve talked to just about every officer that we’ve got, and I can’t tell you one that hasn’t showed their support for Derek and the agency,” Limoges said.

(File)

Zephyrhills police captain Reggie Roberts said Brewer’s promotion to chief is “what’s right” for Zephyrhills and the police department.

Roberts touched on Brewer’s management style, outlining his work ethic, compassion and humility, and the handling of high-risk situations, such as Hurricane Irma.

“I believe in him 110 percent,” Roberts said.

A few citizens stepped forward, too, to express their support in naming Brewer the 10th police chief in the city’s history.

Amy Chappell, vice president and residential loan officer at CenterState Bank, said Brewer deserves the job and “has the talent it takes to bring this city together for the greater good.”

“You have an individual that cares, and that’s something you won’t find really on the resume,” said Chappell, who’s spoken in favor of Brewer at previous council meetings.

Mickey McPhee, who manages the Publix Supermarket on Gall Blvd, also applauded Brewer’s service as interim chief.

“Anytime we’ve needed the police department, they’ve just been great. And, it’s his leadership that makes it great,” McPhee said.

The store manager noted Brewer and the agency were particularly accommodating in the week leading up to Hurricane Irma.

“I just appreciate (Brewer) for the communication we had all during the storm,” McPhee said.

“We were the last retailer to be open in Zephyrhills. We didn’t call the police department, but he came down there personally and sat with us for the last 30 minutes (we were open). It was comforting, and it was his leadership that made it comfortable,” McPhee added.

The lone councilman opposed to Brewer’s appointment was Ken Burgess, who suggested an outside hire to give the agency a “fresh look.”

The Zephyrhills City Council voted 4-1 in favor of Brewer at its Sept. 25 meeting, with councilman Ken Burgess the opposed vote.
(Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

“I felt that this was an opportune time to possibly look at things from a new philosophy and perspective,” Burgess, addressing the council, said.

“During this whole process, I gathered as much information as I could, and I spoke to a lot of individuals, both in and out of the law enforcement community on this important decision. In our current society, I believe our next chief will face challenges that previous chiefs probably never faced or had to deal with. He will need to have an access to a multitude of resources and a willingness to embrace them.”

Council vice president Lance Smith countered Burgess, pointing out the city’s previous outside hires for police chief failed in the past.

Smith mentioned by name former chiefs Russell Barnes — who resigned in 2008 after accusations he created a “flex time” policy that allowed employees to receive time off instead of overtime pay for extra hours worked — and Jerry Freeman— who resigned in 2003 after just nine months on the job, due to perceived questionable decisions and judgments.

Smith said, “We have gone outside before without much success. But, that’s one part of the equation to me. The other is seeing the way the employees respond to Derek. “I think he’s done a great job,” Smith said.

Once Brewer’s appointment became official, Burgess said he will support him “all the way through, because that’s what’s important for the city.”

Brewer will be sworn in at the city’s Oct. 9 council meeting.

Published Oct. 4, 2017

Retirement ‘bittersweet’ for Zephyrhills police chief

By

After 25 years of service, former Zephyrhills Police Chief David Shears is settling into retirement life.

Throughout a respected career, Shears at some point worked every hour of the day, every day of the week and every day of the year.

Now, he gets to relax.

His last day in uniform was May 31.

To Shears, stepping away from law enforcement altogether is “bittersweet.”

David Shears retired as Zephyrhills Police Chief on May 31. He spent 25 years in the department, moving up the ranks from patrol officer to detective, sergeant and captain. (Kevin Weiss)

“You enjoy the job, and enjoy doing the work and everything,” he said, “but, also I think with veteran officers there comes a point it’s time to move on and let the next generation come in.

“For me personally, my goal was to get my 25 years in here at the police department.”

He’ll most cherish memories of his time on patrol.

“The biggest thing I am going to miss is actually being out there working with the community as a cop on the street; that was something I enjoyed,” he said.

Shears, 54, exits the department satisfied, with what he considers a job well done.

“I can walk out with my head up high, feeling good about the agency and everything that we did here,” he said.

Zephyrhills leaders agree.

City Manager Steve Spina shared his appreciation for Shears’ service, during a May 22 city council meeting.

Spina said, “Chief Shears led his department — and the men and women working there — with quiet resolve, moral integrity and high ethical standards. While every department and every organization experiences turbulence and some level of discord, never in his tenure as chief were there any ethical or moral lapses that compromised or embarrassed his coworkers, the city of Zephyrhills or his community.”

Other councilmen expressed similar sentiments.

A portion of Eighth Street—from North Avenue to Henry Drive—has been renamed Chief Shears Way, an honorary designation for the outgoing Zephyrhills Police Chief. The council unanimously approved the measure May 22.

“He has been a leader, and he has taken this city and molded it into a safe, protected city,” Council president Alan Knight said. “He’s really just somebody that I want to tip my hat to.”

“He’s just been a tremendous part of this city,” Councilman Charles Proctor said. “He’s helped transform our police department into the modern police department that it is today; he’s left it in great hands.”

Shears is often described as ‘a cop’s cop.’

A native of Flint, Michigan, Shears relocated to Florida in 1982.

Prior to joining the force, Shears worked in internal security, and then became an electrician.

Law enforcement, however, was his true passion.

“I always wanted to be a police officer,” Shears said. “I was blessed that my parents paid for my academy.”

Shears joined the Zephyrhills Police Department in 1992 as a patrol officer.

He wasn’t the only one in his family to don the badge, either.
His older brother served in the Tampa Police Department, while his younger brother was an officer at the New Smyrna Beach Police Department.

In Zephyrhills, Shears moved up the ranks to detective, sergeant and captain, before being named the city’s ninth police chief in 2008. He replaced former chief Russell Barnes, who resigned after accusations he created a “flex time” policy that allowed employees to receive time off instead of overtime pay for extra hours worked.

Over the years, Shears worked with and trained scores of numerous veteran officers; supervised patrols and actions; oversaw the civilian side of the department; provided for records and evidence, communications and dispatch, volunteer services and operating equipment; and equipping the department.

His first year as acting chief was a “learning experience,” he acknowledged.

“It was a little bit more of a difficult process for myself,” Shears said. “I had to learn the administrative side rather quickly, and also I had to put together a budget, which is very tough on someone that’s never done one before.”

But, the most challenging aspect, he said, “was getting a mindset that you’re responsible for everybody in (the) police department. Decision-making that affects not only the police department, but the community — that was something that you better learn real quick.”

He preserved two key citywide streaks: all of the city’s homicides were solved, and no Zephyrhills police officer was killed in the line of duty.

There were other highlights, too.

In 2015, starting officer wages increased to $43,000.

Training opportunities, such as in-house de-escalation instruction, also ramped up.

Shears also helped modernize the department’s property room, instituting bar coding.

“I believe that we have made this a better agency than it was when I took over,” Shears said. “We have made improvements throughout the years that had really bettered this police department.”

Shears also emphasized high standards in ethics and integrity.

“Transparency has got to be a big thing in this line of work,” he said. “Whether we’ve made a mistake or we’ve done good, it needs to be out there so people understand that you’re doing the right thing, and sometimes the right thing isn’t always the most pleasant.”

Meanwhile, efforts to make Zephyrhills safer are still needed, Shears said.

Addressing the city’s drug problem is one approach.

“The majority of crimes that are committed—in any community—is generally drug-related,” Shears explained. “I think combating that situation, but also having the backing of our State Attorney’s Office, is something that needs to be looked into and firmed up, because that’s what’s going to deter a lot of crime that is committed here with thefts and all the burglaries and property crimes that are being committed by people addicted to drugs.”

In hindsight, the police chief role was burdensome, at times.
Besides navigating the city’s budget crunches around 2010 and 2011, Shears prepared for countless retirements and defections inside the police department –often to higher-paying agencies.

Around that period, he battled two bouts of colon cancer, and underwent an assortment of surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation.

Dealing with cancer, Shears said, was “very difficult.

“I had to keep a positive mindset that we could handle anything, and that’s the way I looked at it. I’m just thankful that I had a staff to step up.”

He’s been cancer-free since 2012.

With new-found free time — and less stress — Shears plans to take a family vacation, with visits to North Carolina and West Virginia.
House repairs and fishing are on his initial retirement agenda, too.

“I’ve got to learn how to fish again,” Shears said, jokingly.

Zephyrhills police Capt. Derek Brewer is serving as interim chief, until the city fills the position permanently.

Besides losing Shears to retirement, the department is also losing another long-time veteran. Zephyrhills police Capt. Robert McKinney, a member of the department for 15 years, retired, effective June 2. He had been in law enforcement for 25 years.

Published June 6, 2017

Zephyrhills Police to have a changing of the guard

By

Zephyrhills police chief David Shears is hanging up his uniform following 25 years of service.

His retirement, effective May 31, was announced during the Zephyrhills City Council May 8 meeting.

Zephyrhills police chief David Shears is retiring after 25 years of service. Shears has been the city’s police chief since 2008.
(Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The council then unanimously approved City Manager Steve Spina’s appointment of Zephyrhills police Capt. Derek Brewer to interim chief, effective June 1.

The city now will undergo a hiring process—expected to take several months—to fill the position permanently.

Shears, now 54, had 16 years on the force when he replaced former chief Russell Barnes in 2008.

Barnes resigned after accusations he created a “flex time” policy that allowed employees to receive time off instead of overtime pay for extra hours worked.

Brewer, like Shears, is a longtime member of the Zephyrhills Police Department. Hired as a patrol officer in 2002, Brewer served as a field training officer, patrol sergeant and lieutenant, before his promotion to patrol captain in 2014.

Brewer, 44, earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Hillsborough Community College, and attended the senior leadership training program at the Southern Police Institute in Louisville, Kentucky and the Florida Police Chiefs executive leadership training in 2014.
He also is slated to graduate from the Command Officer Management Program and obtain a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Saint Leo University this year.

Zephyrhills police Capt. Derek Brewer has been appointed interim chief, effective June 1. He’s been on the force since 2002. In 2015, Brewer won the City of Zephyrhills Employee of the Year award.
(Courtesy of Zephyrhills Police Department)

Besides regular law enforcement duties, Brewer is a member of several committees and organizations: Transportation Exception Plan Committee; Pasco-Hernando State College Technical Advisory Committee; Pasco County Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Task Force; Zephyrhills Code Enforcement Task Force; Zephyrhills Police Department Homeless Initiative; Zephyrhills Site Plan Review Committee; Florida Police Chiefs Association; and, Noon Rotary Club of Zephyrhills.

Additionally, Brewer has received numerous honors during his 15-year law enforcement career, including:

  • Pasco County Crisis Intervention Team Officer of the Year (2010)
  • William B. Eiland Officer of the Year Award (2012)
  • Tampa Police Department Appreciation Award (2013)
  • City of Zephyrhills Employee of the Year Award (2015)

In March, Brewer outlined the city’s 2016 crime statistics to the Zephyrhills city council.
The report — generated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation — found overall crime and arrests decreased in Zephyrhills last year, but violent crime and domestic offenses went up.
According to the report, the city’s total crime rate, which incorporates violent and property offenses, decreased 4.7 percent in 2016.

The city of Zephyrhills will undergo a hiring process to permanently fill the police chief vacancy. The search is expected to take several months.
(File)

Violent crimes rose 3 percent (a total of 51 offenses), while property crimes fell 5.2 percent (a total of 879 offenses).
The report also revealed a significant jump in citywide domestic-related offenses.

Those incidents, which include simple battery and assault, skyrocketed 27.6 percent, with 125 actual offenses in 2016.
Total arrests, however, decreased 12 percent (832 total) in 2016.

At that meeting, Brewer indicated that Zephyrhills Police is taking a more proactive approach toward narcotics arrests, using a special response team for surveillance and intelligence gathering “to attack the problem at a broader level.”

He also said the department is looking to take “a stronger approach to domestic violence cases.”

Brewer noted that addressing code enforcement and the homeless rate within Zephyrhills are some of the department’s other major focuses.

Published May 24, 2017

Zephyrhills police chief applauds award winners

By

The Zephyrhills Police Department has recognized its annual award recipients for 2016.

Police Chief David Shears recognized the department’s annual award recipients for 2016 Police Officer of the Year, Civilian of the Year and Volunteer of the Year during the City Council’s Feb. 13 meeting.

The department selected David Wainwright as the William R. Eiland Police Officer of the Year. Wainwright, a field training officer, has been with the department for 13 years.

From left: Mayor Gene Whitfield, Zephyrhills Police Department Field Training Officer David Wainwright and Zephyrhills Police Department Chief David Shears. Wainwright was awarded the department’s 2016 William R. Eiland Police Officer of the Year.
(Kevin Weiss)

Wainwright, who holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Saint Leo University, regularly performs as an acting sergeant.

“His decision-making skills are right on task,” Shears said.

The department also honored Building Maintenance Specialist Gene Rains as the department’s Civilian of the Year. Shears was especially complimentary of Rains, highlighting his “high level of professionalism, courtesy, efficiency and ability to perform his duties at ZPD.”

Shears added: “He brings a higher level of experience and work ethic to his position than would be normally be seen in his job classification, and is a great asset to the department. He is always willing to assist and handle any project, no matter how small or large the task.”

Eleanor Cooley, who’s been with the department since 2009, was selected as the department’s Volunteer of the Year. Cooley volunteered more than 105 hours “with a smile and positive attitude.”

“She interacts well with all age groups and enjoys helping others,” Shears said.

Department volunteers, the chief said, typically assist with fingerprinting, event supervision, public education, bicycle helmet fitting and literature distribution.

The nominations committee is chaired by Capt. Robert McKinney, and selections are signed off by Shears.

“I have to say this year my job was very easy,” Shears said.

Wainwright, Rains and Cooley also were recognized during the department’s annual award ceremony on Jan. 25 at the Elks Lodge.

Published Feb. 22 2017

Zephyrhills’ police have a hairy, happy situation

By

People of Zephyrhills: Do not adjust your eyewear. You can believe your eyes. The facial hair you’ve noticed on your policemen is not an illusion or a sign it’s time to change your prescription.

In a scheme to raise a treasury for an awards banquet in January, the department has altered its position against hirsute cops, meaning, at least through the end of the year, you’re going to be seeing more than a few beards on the boys in blue.

And Officer Caleb Rice, for one, couldn’t be happier.

These members of the Zephyrhills Police Force are growing whiskers for a good cause. They are, from left, Capt. Derek Brewer, Sgt. Nathan Gardner and Officer Caleb Rice. They are standing outside of the Zephyrhills Police Department Headquarters. (Tom Jackson/Photo)
These members of the Zephyrhills Police Force are growing whiskers for a good cause. They are, from left, Capt. Derek Brewer, Sgt. Nathan Gardner and Officer Caleb Rice. They are standing outside of the Zephyrhills Police Department Headquarters.
(Tom Jackson/Photo)

Mere weeks ago you wouldn’t have guessed, but thickly thatched faces have been part of Rice’s family tradition for, literally, as long as he can remember.

“I have never seen my father’s face,” Rice says, flipping through smartphone photos until he arrives at the image of a proud man sporting a beard the color of a bronze statue, cooing into a baby’s smiling mug.

“That’s my dad,” he points, “and that’s me.” The picture is nearly 35 years old.

Then, another photo, a recent family portrait. All the men, save one, boast beards worthy of Vikings. Which is appropriate. His mom descends from Norwegians, and there’s a rumor about a family connection to Erik the Red.

“We can’t nail it down,” Rice says, a little forlornly, “so I don’t claim it.”

Now, about the bare-cheeked one: That’s Caleb looking alarmingly like Steven Furst’s sweet-faced “Flounder” from “Animal House.” Small wonder Rice readily concedes, “When I don’t have a beard, personally, I feel like I’m less” — he pauses, getting his mind around the confession — “manly.”

Let’s get this much straight. Aside from soft, beguiling features that promise to age well, there is nothing anyone would consider unmanly about Caleb Rice. Pushing 6 feet 3, he’s built like an offensive tackle: square-shouldered and sturdy, with a low center of gravity. He’s no pushover.

For the first 10 years of his working life, Rice was a truck driver, a profession famously lax regarding codes of appearance. When he became a Zephyrhills policeman about four years ago, however, the beard had to go.

“Maybe I’m old school; maybe it’s the way I came up,” says the town’s Dickensian-named — for the purposes of this story, anyway — police chief, David Shears. “I just never thought it was a good idea for policemen to have beards. It was part of the image. We were a clean-cut profession, and we ought to look that way.”

In his day, he says, if a patrolman showed up with so much as an overnight stubble, his sergeant would shove a Bic disposable in his hand and point him toward the locker room.

But, with an end-of-the-year banquet to fund, Shears was persuaded by a couple of entrepreneurial subordinates to give bristles a chance.

Here’s how the plan, cobbled together by Capt. Derek Brewer and Sgt. Nathan Gardner at the urging of patrol officers, works:

In exchange for $10 a month, Zephyrhills police are allowed to grow and keep modest, well-tended beards, no longer than 3/8ths of an inch in length. Civilian staff, who are not facial-hair restricted, can buy a full week of wearing jeans each month for that same $10.

Because in his family the beard makes the man, the day the fundraiser policy became official, Rice dropped $40 on his sergeant’s desk, announcing himself good to go through New Year’s Day.

In all, about two-thirds of the sworn staff is participating, including all the overnight shift — which somehow seems appropriate — as well as Brewer, a first-time beard grower.

“There have been times on vacation when I didn’t shave for a couple of weeks,” he explains, “but, that’s just ‘not shaving.’ It’s not the same as actually growing a beard.” Every man knows the truth of that.

At home, the reviews are mixed. While his wife loves it, he says his 9-year-old daughter “looks at me sideways.” Explaining the situation, and also that Mommy has blessed his dashing new look, the following exchange occurred:

Daughter: “Do you always do what Mommy likes?”

Dad: “I always try to.”

Daughter: “You’re going to regret that someday.”

Gardner, who, as a sergeant directly responsible for his troops, played the linchpin role of guaranteeing order despite this break from tradition, personifies irony. His cheeks sprout only fuzz.
“The only beard I can grow is a neck beard,” he says, “and nobody wants that.” So Gardner, 32, shaves and donates, donates and shaves, because, “It’s been great for morale.”

Heaven knows cops patrolling beats, even in little, relatively peaceful towns like Zephyrhills, can use some spiritual pick-me-up. Truth be told, Gardner says, interactions with Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies during the early weeks of beard-growing season have produced clucks of envy.

“I expect,” says mustachioed Sgt. Billy Adams, a Dennis Quaid double who plans to keep applying the blade until hunting season, “our recruitment pool numbers will skyrocket.”

Rice, for one, couldn’t be more pleased.

While readily declaring, “I’ve never loved doing anything more than I love this job,” Rice concedes giving up the beard he’d had since he was 15 was “a sacrifice.”

With his face once more ear-to-ear whiskers, he says, “When my three-day weekend is over, I say, ‘I’m ready. Let’s go.’ ”

This sort of happy talk is a rhapsody to those who endured and survived the department’s dark days in 2014 — well before the nation’s current unrest over policing began — and ended only after Shears and City Manager Steve Spina tackled the department’s shortcomings exposed by an external review.

And Shears, who’s still getting accustomed to the idea of patrolmen looking a little like Serpico-meets-Hans Gruber, concedes that cops wearing beards helps achieve one key law enforcement goal. “It makes us look more like the people we interact with,” Shears says. “It makes us look more like individuals, like people.”

See that? Everybody wins.

Tom Jackson, a resident of New Tampa, is interested in your ideas. To reach him, email .

Published September 28, 2016