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Pasco Safety Town

Pasco Sheriff’s Office hone crisis intervention skills

May 8, 2019 By Kevin Weiss

Pasco County Sheriff’s Office deputies recently spent a week learning how to use the power of words to de-escalate situations that have the potential to turn dangerous.

In one role-play scenario, Pasco Sheriff’s Office deputies Breanna Chandler and Lindsay Steward intermediated between a mother and her teenage daughter with oppositional defiant disorder.

In another scene, deputies Ricardo Ortiz and Jose Vazquez-Trujillo sought to calm a schizophrenic man who had paranoia and homicidal ideations about a next-door neighbor.

In one mock scenario, Pasco Sheriff’s Office deputies Ricardo Ortiz, left, and Jose Vazquez-Trujillo are tasked with calming a schizophrenic man who had paranoia and homicidal ideations about a next-door neighbor. The practice exercise was part of the agency’s crisis intervention training to better equip law enforcement officers with verbal de-escalation techniques in dealing with citizens in various mental states. Crisis intervention instructor Tom Kelley plays the role of the man with schizophrenia disorder. (Kevin Weiss)

Other mock scenarios had deputies and corrections officers encounter inmates or juveniles with suicidal thoughts, or, deal with someone with severe substance abuse. There was even a situation that exposed deputies to someone with low-functioning autism.

There weren’t any takedowns, hands-on combat nor use of nonlethal force.

Rather, this type of police training simply required conversations to resolve problems.

For each participating law enforcement officer, the objective was to have a better understanding of mental health in crisis and to learn how to better respond to de-escalate a situation during a call for service.

It was all part of the agency’s recent Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training program at Pasco Safety Town in Shady Hills.

The weeklong, 40-hour CIT program is a collaborative effort between the sheriff’s office and many local behavioral and mental health community partners. It is held four times per year within the agency.

Throughout the week, deputies received instruction on various subjects, such as signs and symptoms of mental illness, co-occurring disorders, addiction, dementia, trauma informed care, and juvenile and veteran response.

De-escalation techniques centered on maintaining positive body language and tone of voice, along with active listening skills to appropriately reflect upon a subject’s feelings.

Deputies then put those techniques to the test with role-play scenes, which were written out by a licensed mental health counselor in collaboration with a law enforcement officer. Volunteer actors played the various roles of persons in crisis.

The mock exercises required deputies to determine whether or not to detain a subject for an involuntary mental health evaluation, otherwise known as the Baker Act; provide a referral to various behavioral health services and resources; or, simply offer someone a shoulder to lean on and to listen to a subject’s personal problems.

One of the instructors and role play actors was Tom Kelley, a former law enforcement and military officer, who operates a consulting firm specializing in crisis intervention and crime prevention.

In traditional law enforcement academies, trainees are taught to enter situations with authority in voice and action.

In the crisis intervention program, however, Kelley instructed deputies to find a softer, more inviting tone when dealing with people undergoing a mental crisis.

Kelley put it this way to a classroom full of deputies: “Let them know that you’re there and you care. At that moment, they need to feel like you’re the most caring person in the world, because they are at their worst.”

In this role-play exercise, Pasco Sheriff’s Office deputies Breanna Chandler, left, and Lindsay Steward try to calm a with teenage daughter with oppositional defiant disorder. It was part of the law enforcement agency’s recent weeklong Crisis Intervention Team training program. Volunteer Brittany Graniero, a licensed mental health counselor, plays the role of the defiant teen.

Pasco Sheriff’s Lt. Toni Roach has been the agency’s CIT coordinator since 2016.

She said the objective of crisis intervention is twofold.

First, it’s to reduce potential injury to citizens and responding deputies.

Second, it’s utilized to help divert people with “potentially criminal behavior or disruptive behavior” away from the jail system and into a mental health system where they can get proper diagnosis and treatment.

Roach explained: “The idea is to use your words and de-escalate rather than quickly resorting to force when the people you’re interacting with become nervous or scared, and are apprehensive to do what the deputy asks them to do.”

The training is vital for law enforcement personnel, the lieutenant said.

Roach put it this way: “We want to make sure that we can serve our public and provide them with good resources, and then hopefully we interact with them in a positive manner, so that, especially people with mental illness who have a fear of law enforcement, we can reduce that level of fear and have a good relationship with our community.”

Twenty-nine sheriff’s office personnel graduated from the recent spring class.

Upon graduation, each deputy received a pin for their uniform indicating they’ve had advanced training in crisis intervention.

Roach said about 50 percent of patrol deputies are CIT certified, also noting the public is able to request a CIT trained officer in a call for service. The agency is striving to have all of its deputies CIT certified in the future, she said.

In addition to the sheriff’s office, organizations that assisted in facilitating the CIT program were the National Alliance on Mental Illness, HCA Florida Hospitals, Rogers Behavioral Health, North Tampa Behavioral Health, BayCare Health System, Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services, and Veteran’s Affairs clinics.

Published May 08, 2019

Filed Under: Health, Local News Tagged With: Baker Act, BayCare Health System, Breanna Chandler, Gulf COast Jewish Family and Community Services, HCA Florida Hospitals, Jose Vazquez-Trujillo, Lindsay Steward, National Alliance on Mental Illness, North Tampa Behavioral Health, Pasco County Sheriff's Office, Pasco Safety Town, Ricardo Ortiz, Rogers Behavioral Health, Tom Kelley, Toni Roach, Veterans Affairs

Pasco Sheriff’s Office expands youth Explorer program

January 17, 2018 By Kevin Weiss

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Explorer program, which teaches local youth different aspects of law enforcement, is expanding its reach to include middle-schoolers between the ages of 11 to 13.

The Junior Explorer Unit— referred to as Explorer Post 915—builds on the agency’s original Explorer Post 916. Chartered by the Boy Scouts of America, these original Explorers are young adults, ages 14 to 21, who are possibly interested in law enforcement careers.

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco speaks about the Explorer program during a Jan. 9 interest meeting. The program teaches local youth different aspects of law enforcement. (Kevin Weiss)

The junior program, announced in September, is now accepting boys and girls who are either enrolled in a Pasco County middle school or home-schooled.

“We’re trying to expand the whole opportunities within the Sheriff’s Office, and we’re trying to build up the next generation of leaders in the county,” Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco said during an Explorer interest meeting on Jan. 9.

The Explorer program exposes youth to fundamental principles of law enforcement.

Training includes everything from classroom instruction, scenario reenactments, traffic stops, state statutes, radio procedures, report-writing techniques and more.

Explorers also are exposed to forensics and crime prevention efforts, as well as introductions to some of the agency’s specialty units such as K-9, the Special Incident Response Team and underwater recovery.

The junior unit will cover many of the same topics, but at a less intense level.

It marks the first of its kind in the Tampa Bay area and just the second statewide to accommodate middle-schoolers; the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has a similar program.

Besides teaching interested youth about law enforcement, the Explorer program also strives to improve relations between the community and the Sheriff’s Office.

“It’s kind of bridging the gap between people who know a lot about law enforcement — because they’ve experienced it — and people that maybe don’t,” said Cpl. Justin Smith, a senior advisor to Explorer Post 916.

“You know a lot of people say, ‘Oh, you’re just here to arrest my dad.’ We want to show these kids…that we are so much more than that,” said Chase Daniels, assistant executive director at the Sheriff’s Office.

One of the state’s best programs
The Pasco Sheriff’s Office Explorers has about 35 active members. It has been recognized by the Florida Association of Police Explorers as one of the state’s best.

It finished fourth out of 28 posts in 2017 state competition, receiving high marks for mastery of active shooter, search and arrest, and crime scene scenarios. It also finished 3rd in 2016 and 2nd in 2015 at the state competition.

Jeremy Hixson spent five years as an Explorer and now serves as a citizen advisor to the program.

Besides learning the ins and outs of law enforcement, Hixson said he improved his communication skills, and his organizational and time management skills. He also learned about the importance of teamwork, accountability and responsibility.

The 22-year-old Wesley Chapel resident plans to enter the law enforcement ranks after he graduates from the University of South Florida; he’s already applied for a police academy sponsorship through the Pasco Sheriff’s Office.

Pasco Explorers from left, Conor Ryan, Alex Acevedo, Ben Udden and John Jaufmann wear protective headgear for an exercise using simulation weapons in a mock active shooter call for service. (Courtesy of Pasco Sheriff’s Office)

“One thing that I really like about the Explorers is (the Sheriff’s Office) teaches you their guidelines — how to write a report, their general orders and everything—so that by the time you get hired you’re already well-focused on what their equipment is; it’s just great exposure to agency norms,” he said.

One of Hixson’s favorite memories as a young Explorer was participating in the ride-along program as a passenger observer. Explorers who are 15 and older can become eligible for ride-alongs.

“I’ll say it’s definitely cool going through red lights with lights and sirens,” Hixson said, with a chuckle. “It’s definitely a thrill, and I’m sure other Explorers will attest to that.”

Besides learning, Explorers volunteer in various areas of the Sheriff’s Office and help at many community and agency events.

They support parking efforts made at various races, such as the Savage Race at Little Everglades Ranch, and the Longleaf Triathlon at Starkey Park.

They also assist other festivals and special events, such as the Tampa Bay Sporting Clays, manning traps for shooters.

They’ve even been approved to help Sheriff’s Office members during natural disasters such as hurricanes — assisting deputies to work at approved hurricane shelters.

“I think it’s just a great opportunity for children that want to see what law enforcement does, and it gives them a little bit of a reality; but, it’s also about serving back in the community,” Nocco said.

Several former Explorers have developed into some of the agency’s most effective deputies, including Capt. Justin Ross, who went through the Explorer program as a teenager.

The program helped Ross land a civilian position as a forensic technician in the Sheriff’s Office after he graduated Mitchell High School in 2006.

“It definitely opened the door; it presented an opportunity for me at age 18,” Ross said.

He later made the transition to a sheriff’s deputy and earned a promotion to detective in less than two years.

Because of the Explorer program, Ross said he was a step ahead of other deputy hopefuls in the Sheriff’s Office field training program.

Ross noted he was well familiar with several aspects of the job “that a lot of people struggle with coming into law enforcement with no experience or any involvement prior.”

“You can stand out amongst all the rookies on the job, and it just really sets you up for a successful career,” Ross said of the Explorers.

Tyler Boogades hopes that’s the case for himself someday.

The 14-year-old Land O’ Lakes resident joined Explorer Post 916 about six months ago after finding out about it on Facebook

He’s interested in law enforcement, so Boogades figured “it was a good thing to try out.”

Learning about different topics — such as room-clearing tactics and state laws — has kept him intrigued at each Explorer meeting so far.

“I find the details really fascinating,” he said.

For more information about the program, visit PascoExplorers.com.

Explorer meetings will be every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Pasco Safety Town, 15362 Alric Pottberg Road in Shady Hills.

Published January 17, 2018

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Alric Pottberg Road, Boy Scouts of America, Chris Nocco, Explorer Post 915, Explorer Post 916, Florida Association of Police Explorers, Jeremy Hixson, Justin Ross, Justin Smith, Little Everglades Ranch, Mitchell High School, Pasco County Sheriff, Pasco Safety Town, Spring Hill, Starkey Park, Tampa Bay Sporting Clays, Tyler Boogades

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‘Aladdin jr.’

Live Oak Theatre is now selling tickets for its Acorn Theatre production of “Aladdin jr.” Performances will be March 18 through March 28, at the Carol and Frank Morsani Center for the Arts, 21030 Cortez Blvd., in Brooksville. Seats are $15 for adults and $8 for children ages 13 and younger, when accompanied by an adult. For show times and tickets, visit LiveOakTheatre.square.site, email , or call 352-593-0027. … [Read More...] about ‘Aladdin jr.’

03/05/2021 – Apple Pie Bombs

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will offer “Foodie Feast: Apple Pie Bombs” on March 5. Participants can learn how to make tasty, apple pie bombs. Watch the prerecorded video between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., online at Facebook.com/hughembrylibrary or Facebook.com/newriverlibrary. For information, call 352-567-3576, or email Danielle Lee at . … [Read More...] about 03/05/2021 – Apple Pie Bombs

03/06/2021 – Bridal Trunk Show

The Gulfside Hospice New Port Richey Thrift Shoppe, 6117 State Road 54, will host a Bridal Trunk Show on March 6 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. There will be more than 250 dresses to choose from, starting at $29.99 and many brand new. Admission is free, but limited spots are available to allow for social distancing. Brides must register online in advance, by March 3, at bit.ly/NPR-Bridal-Trunk-Show. All proceeds from the shop go to help hospice patients in Pasco County. For questions, contact Jeremi Sliger at , or call 727-842-7262. … [Read More...] about 03/06/2021 – Bridal Trunk Show

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03/13/2021 – Exhibitors needed

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