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Pasco Sheriff's Office

Autism ID cards aim to help with policing

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The Pasco Sheriff’s Office has another tool, aimed at helping its deputies when responding to situations involving residents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The law enforcement agency has introduced an autism identification card program, otherwise being called Autism Assistance Cards.

The front of the cards has some general information to help deputies communicate with individuals with autism. For instance, deputies are advised to display calm body language and to allow for additional time for replies.

The back of the cards, meanwhile, offers space for an individual’s identifying information, such as name and address, and information on the person’s conditions, such as whether they are verbal vs. nonverbal.

The front of the Autism Assistance Cards has information to help deputies communicate with individuals on the autism spectrum. Suggestions include having officers display calm body language and provide additional time for replies. (Courtesy of Pasco Sheriff’s Office)

The roughly 4-inch x 6-inch cards were designed with the help of River Ridge High School’s graphic arts class.

The ID cards are being distributed to individuals with autism, so if there’s an encounter, the card can be handed to deputies to help them know how best to work with the individual.

Cards have been provided to caregivers to share them with a loved one who has autism. They’re also being sent to special education teachers in Pasco County Schools, who can pass them along to students’ families.

Pasco Sheriff’s officials suggest the autism ID cards may prove useful in incidents in which a person is lost or separated from their caregiver, and is unable to effectively communicate their disability, or when the individual is nonverbal or low functioning.

The cards would clearly and quickly identify the individual as being on the autism spectrum — eliminating potential miscommunication or misinterpretation regarding behaviors that are common among those on the autism spectrum.

“It’s all about improved communication and interaction,” said Pasco Sheriff’s Cpt. Toni Roach, who helped spearhead the program through the agency’s Behavioral Health Intervention Team.

In addition to standard personal information on the cards, Roach encourages caregivers to use the additional writing space to list as much information possible about the adult or child with autism.

That information could include listing various conversation starters, preferred nicknames, and various likes and dislikes. It also could identify what triggers the individual, what calms him or her, and other useful information.

As an example, Roach explained she knows of one particular child with autism who enjoys talking about the Nintendo Switch video game console, “so the deputies would be able to see that information and go, ‘Oh, OK, I can talk about a Nintendo Switch and I can redirect the child to calm down, and build that rapport and then be able to communicate and figure out how we can best resolve that situation, and why we got called out there to begin with.”

Roach offered another example of how it could be beneficial: “Like, if that person doesn’t like to be called by their first name but likes to be called, ‘Kiddo,’ then I can refer to them by that term and that will be less confrontational with them.”

Besides receiving the autism ID cards, caregivers also have the opportunity to register their loved one’s name into the agency’s computer database, which alerts deputies they’re dealing with someone with autism.

Program attracting attention
People outside Pasco County also have expressed interest in the cards.

Roach said the cards have been sent to residents in Pinellas and Hernando counties. An officer with the Philadelphia Police Department even requested a digital version of the ID cards so his agency could implement a similar program, Roach said.

“We don’t care what county you live in, as far as I’m concerned, if we can help law enforcement interaction, we’re going to send out the card,” she said.

The autism ID cards seemingly have been embraced by members of the autism community.

Port Richey resident Candace Smith recently obtained a card for her 15-year-old son who’s on the autism spectrum. She’s also passing out some to her network of friends and neighbors who have family members with autism.

“I’m in support of anything that’s going to keep an autistic person safe, and allow them to have the same rights as everyone else,” Smith said. “I do like the cards, because it’s just an automatic way to communicate quickly to let somebody know, ‘This person has autism,’ and it explains their behavior, so to me, it’s a step in the right direction.”

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office has introduced Autism Assistance Cards to better guide its deputies whenever they encounter an individual with autism spectrum disorder. The cards are being given to community members with autism. (File)

The parent said she often worries what an encounter with law enforcement would entail with her son, who may not immediately be able to respond to orders from police. Rather, she explained her son’s first instinct or “self-soothing” calming behavior is usually to walk away from a stressful or nerve-inducing situation.

Those fears are further exacerbated because her son is a black teenager, Smith said. “I just worry a little bit more, because of how things are; just being realistic,” she said.

The challenging part going forward, Smith said, is finding a way to have her son understand how to correctly show the autism ID card to a law enforcement officer in a particular situation.

She acknowledged it will likely take “a series of conversations” and maybe even an in-person meeting with a deputy to get her son comfortable with the scenario.

For the time being, the parent is considering laminating the card and putting it on a lanyard for her son if he’s on his own. She plans to keep another card on her person with her son’s information, too.

University of South Florida’s (USF) Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (CARD) is likewise in support of the law enforcement agency’s autism ID card program.

The center’s assistant program director, Christine Rover, said the initiative is “a really important element” to cultivate more positive interactions between law enforcement and individuals with autism, in addition to ongoing training, outreach and collaboration with various public safety agencies.

She commended the sheriff’s office for implementing the tool and taking progressive steps with the autism community.

“Pasco County Sheriff’s Office has really been a leader in their efforts to include residents with ASD for a long time, so it’s kind of no surprise that they’re adding to sort of the elements here, and we really appreciate that,” Rover said.

Rover explained the next step is the need to develop supporting education materials and a video tutorial for caregivers to show to their loved ones with autism on how to properly and effectively present the card to law enforcement. It’s something the state-funded resource center is actively brainstorming, she said.

Meanwhile, Rover stressed autism-related training for law enforcement officers beforehand is also critical, whether it’s a case of wandering, a traffic incident or even a criminal situation.

“The training component for the deputies is really important, because where this card might be helpful on a scene, if it’s a really crisis scene, then the deputies aren’t going to have the time to really read a card and say, ‘Oh, here’s some tips for interacting,’ Rover said.

“Autism is an invisible disability, so they’re not coming onto a scene or arriving at a home and saying, ‘Oh, I can see that individual has autism,’ so they have to be able to recognize that perhaps some of those behaviors could be interpreted as part of the autism spectrum disorder.”

For information on the program and to obtain autism ID cards, email .

Published July 22, 2020

CLARIFICATION 07/23/2020
A Port St. Lucie-based company, Debbaudt Legacy Productions LLC, has licensed autism on-scene response cards since 2005, and has produced and circulated over 250,000 of these cards in the past 15 years.

The Laker/Lutz News ran this story about an autism assistance card program that was recently introduced at the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, through its Behavioral Health Intervention Team. The text on these autism response cards uses language very similar to the text published on the autism on-scene response cards produced by Debbaudt Legacy Productions.

For more information about autism resources available through Debbaudt Legacy Productions, go to debbaudtlegacy.com and autismriskmanagement.com.

Summer camp offers ‘real-world’ look at forensics

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Some local high schoolers will get a chance to get an up-close look at the many components of forensic investigations — via a weeklong summer camp in Land O’ Lakes hosted by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office and FIRST (Florida’s Forensic Institute for Research, Security & Tactics).

The FIRST Forensic Summer Camp is scheduled for July 20 through July 24. Each camp day runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Lessons and demonstrations will take place outdoors, as well as inside training and read-off rooms at the Pasco Detention Center, 20101 Central Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

The camp is open to high schoolers ages 15 to 18. Enrollment is limited to 24 students. Students must ensure transportation to and from the camp each day.

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office/FIRST (Florida’s Forensic Institute for Research, Security & Tactics) will host a weeklong forensic summer camp for high schoolers from July 20 through July 24, in Land O’ Lakes. (File)

The camp ultimately will give students the chance to observe many aspects of the criminal justice system in action.

Students will receive hands-on learning and an opportunity to participate in an outdoor mock crime scene/field recovery.

Additionally, students will participate in forensic laboratory exercises to learn the science and techniques used by forensic investigators. The camp also includes demonstrations of K9s and unmanned aerial systems, or drones.

Some of the topics and activities covered throughout the week include:

  • Overview of the basic human anatomy and how to differentiate human from nonhuman bones
  • Introduction to drones, their ability to assist in mapping outdoor crime scenes, as well as a drone demonstration
  • Specific techniques used to recreate a crime scene and/or a suspected burial
  • Introduction to human remains detector dogs and how they can assist in located a buried body or surface remains
  • Basic crime scene investigation techniques
  • How to conduct a forensic archaeological dig in order to recover skeletonized remains, then presenting field recovery findings to fellow campers

Overseeing the camp is FIRST forensic science administrator Austin Polonitza, who holds a master’s degree from Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in science and forensics studies, with a focus on human identification and trauma analysis. He joined the sheriff’s office in 2019, after working as a graduate-level lab assistant at FGCU.

Polonitza said the camp will give teens “real-world experience” into forensic investigations, including the meticulous detail and group work needed complete a task, like finding or identifying a missing skeleton.

Unlike what’s often portrayed on television dramas, Polonitza explained forensic work and solving a case goes well beyond technology and 3D renderings, and it doesn’t come together as quickly as some people might think.

FIRST forensic science administrator Austin Polonitza is organizing a weeklong a forensic summer camp in Land O’ Lakes. (Courtesy of Pasco Sheriff’s Office)

“The CSI effect is real and definitely excites a lot of people about the job,” Polonitza said, “but unfortunately these things don’t get solved in 40 minutes.”

Other instructors leading campers throughout the week include Dr. Heather Walsh-Haney, associate professor and program leader for forensic studies at Florida Gulf Coast University; Pasco Sheriff forensic supervisor K9 handler Sue Miller; Pasco Sheriff head K9 forensic trainer Jimmy Hall; and, representatives from Quiet Professionals, a Tampa-based government and commercial defense contractor specializing in cutting-edge drone technology.

Polonitza said the opportunity for high schoolers to learn from various professionals and get hands-on experience in forensics and related disciplines “will undoubtedly give them some discovery and direction of what they would like to pursue in their future careers, or even academic degrees.”

Polonitza himself became interested in crime scene investigations as a youth growing up in the Fort Myers, noting he “always had a drive for puzzles, mystery, kind of uncovering things as you go along and follow the clues.”

He realized forensics was a viable professional path, when the Lee County Sheriff’s Office made a presentation at a high school career day.

“I kind of fell in love with forensic anthropology and the hands-on, practical side of things where I could look at a piece of bone, identify a landmark, and be able to tell which side of the body it came from and which bone it is. …It excites me about the field, and I want to share that to others who have interest in forensics, as well.”

Polonitza said the first-of-its-kind forensic summer camp will be held annually, with future demonstrations planned at the FIRST campus, as more buildings and infrastructure come online over the next couple years. There are also plans to develop outreach programs for kindergarten through 12th grade schools and collaborate with other local universities, he said.

The FIRST campus is part of the sheriff’s office enterprise fund. It is promoted as a forensics and training facility that strives to become a collaborative resource for universities, forensic scientists and law enforcement,  serving as a one-stop shop to improve crime scene operations and investigations in the realm of homicides, missing persons cases and so on.

For cost and enrollment information and for other details, email or visit floridafirsttraining.org/#/camp.

Published July 08, 2020

Pasco County faces lean budget year

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Pasco County’s revenues are falling short of projections — in the wake of a flattened economy due to the impacts of COVID-19.

Robert Goehig, budget director for Pasco County, presented an overview of the preliminary budget at the Pasco County Commission’s June 30 meeting.

In essence, the county can afford just 11 of 115 business plan initiatives brought forth by its department heads, Goehig said.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells is pushing for a 3% raise for county employees, instead of the 2% raise recommended by County Administrator Dan Biles. (File)

Among those initiatives is a 2% raise for county employees.

The size of the proposed raise received pushback from County Commissioner Mike Wells.

Wells told County Administrator Dan Biles: “You know the state is giving 3%. I believe almost all of the constitutionals (county constitutional officers) are doing 3%. There is nothing more important on this budget than taking care of our folks. We have to take care of our team. I would like to see that be 3%. I think that’s an extra half-million.”

Biles explained: “The reason we stayed at the 2% is because that basically matches the inflation rate, which was 2.1% last year. We also wanted to be mindful of what is going on in the rest of the community, as well.”

Commission Chairman Mike Moore and Jack Mariano said they’re willing to keep the issue open for further discussion.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, however, backed Biles’ approach.

Starkey said she appreciates the staff’s efforts, but she added: “I am OK with the 2% for this year, and if things get better next year, back up to 3%.”

Pasco’s decreasing revenues reflect what’s happening across the national economy, Goehig said. “When things are going well in the economy, nationwide, they are really going well in Pasco and in the state of Florida, as a whole. But, when things tank, they really tank in Florida.

Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles is recommending a 2% raise for county employees, based on the rate of inflation. (File)

“Our economy is so dependent on tourism,” Goehig said.

The county is expecting a decrease of 25% in its Tourism Development Tax Fund and is decreasing the budget in that category to reflect the reduced revenues, Goehig said.

The budget also reflects a 12% decrease in Fire Rescue.

“We had some plan initiatives that we implemented in fiscal year 2020, but because of the reductions in revenues, won’t be able to move forward with those,” Goehig said.

He also outlined changes in the budgets for the county’s constitutional officers.

The Sheriff’s Office will get about a 5% increase. The property appraiser’s budget is going down  because of savings it has achieved — through improved technologies.

The Clerk & Comptroller’s budget is about even, while the Supervisor of Elections’ is expected to increase by 1.2%.

Goehig noted that the Supervisor of Elections’ budget doesn’t reflect an additional $1.2 million from the CARES fund it will receive to provide for safe elections through social distancing, masks and those types of measures.

Commissioners are expected to sets the county’s Truth in Millage rate at the board’s July 14 meeting. This process lets county residents and businesses know the maximum ad valorem rate that could be adopted in September, when the board adopts its budget. The final rate that’s approved can be lower, but cannot be higher than the rate adopted in July.

Initiatives included in Pasco budget

  • Additional Attorney and Paralegal
  • Starkey Library Opening
  • Starkey District Park Contractual Obligations
  • Recreational Program at Dade City Armory
  • Central Facilities Building Design
  • Paramedic School (at PHSC) for Firefighter/EMTs
  • Prepare for the Opening of Fire Station 42 in fiscal year 2022
  • Pasco Economic Development Council
  • Employee Wage Raise (2%) to Keep Pace with Inflation
  • Procurement Management Software
  • Initiate Comprehensive Plan Update

Published July 08, 2020

This animal control officer helps pets, and people

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Michael Northrup, who works for Pasco County Animal Services, has been named Animal Control Officer of the Year by the Florida Animal Control Association.

A nomination submitted on Northrup’s behalf said, in part, that during 2019 Northrup displayed “compassion, dedication, expertise, awareness and incredible decision-making.”

The nomination noted that Northrup responded to more than 1,000 animal control calls that year.

Michael Northrup responded to more than 1,000 animal control calls in 2019, and he helped some people along the way. His professionalism earned him the Animal Control Officer of the Year award, from a statewide organization. (Courtesy of Pasco County Animal Services)

And, while he’s an animal control officer, he’s also provided help that goes beyond the call of duty, to Pasco residents.

For example, the nomination notes, that on Aug. 9, as Northrup was driving home from work on the Suncoast Parkway he noticed cars veering around another vehicle.

As he got closer, he realized the vehicle was on fire — and, as it pulled out onto the grass, the grass caught fire, too.

Northrup pulled over, radioed Pasco Fire Rescue and the Sheriff’s Office for assistance, then he used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire.

Less than a week later, Northrup and Animal Control Officer Stephanie Martin responded to a call about loose dogs.

While there, an elderly woman told Northrup that her caregiver had been physically harming her, had moved relatives into her home and had been letting her animals run loose.

While Officer Martin talked to the caregiver, Northrup called the Florida Abuse Hotline, Pasco Fire Rescue and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office.

As a result, the elderly woman’s family moved her into assisted living, where she can get the care she needs, the nomination says.

In another case, Northrup noticed a woman was running in a dangerous intersection, yelling for someone to hit her with their car.

Northrup called to get the woman help, then waited for it to arrive.

He also helped Animal Services’ return to owner rate by 25% in one year, by reuniting more than a dozen animals to their owners in the field, without the animals having to be impounded.

Winning the award was an honor, Northrup said, but he wasn’t especially enthused about being in the spotlight.

He likes keeping a low profile and doing his job.

To be honest, he said: “I don’t like awards. I don’t like interviews. I don’t like recognition.”

When he went to work as an animal control officer, he thought the vast majority of his work would involve interacting with animals.

As it turns out, though, much of the work involves helping to mediate disputes between people regarding animals.

Calls can range from a claim that a neighbor’s dog barks too much to a report of a pack of dogs mauling someone.

“People call in crazy stuff,” he said, noting he doesn’t take complaints at face value.

“A lot of the times I find it to be more of a people problem, than an animal problem.

“A lot of times, it’s an ongoing dispute, with either one of their neighbors and they want someone to intervene — to use some type of enforcement action to alter their behavior in some way, shape or form,” he said.

“I look at every call, if I were in their shoes, how would I want that to be handled?” he said.

Frequently  he finds himself telling people something they don’t want to hear.

“You may not like what the person is doing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re doing something wrong,” he said.

In other words, what seems objectionable to someone might not be a violation of a Florida Statute or a county ordinance.

“You have the right to call. We have the right to decide what we’re going to do,” he said.

“I’ve always treated everyone with firmness, fairness and dignity. Everyone deserves that,” he added.

He believes in using a straight-forward approach.

“Direct is my way of life. I usually don’t beat around the bush,” he said.

Published May 20, 2020

Serving up food — to sustain, comfort

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Concerns about the potential spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has flattened the economy, causing many to seek out help for the first time to put food on their tables.

Here is a look at some efforts, to help feed others, across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

Collecting food to feed the hungry
The woman pulls up and pops open her trunk, so volunteers could gather the bags of food that she had brought to donate.

Among those volunteering at a weekend food drive were Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles, Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning, Pasco School Board member Allen Altman and State Rep. Ardian Zika. They took their masks off for the photo, and kept socially distanced. (B.C. Manion)

As they unloaded her donations, she became emotional — thanking the volunteers for what they are doing to help people struggling through the pandemic.

She was obviously touched by the effort.

Pasco County leaders have held food drives for the past two weekends to collect donations. The first drive was in the parking lot of the former Super Target store, off State Road 54, west of the Suncoast Expressway, and the second at Sam’s Club of Wesley Chapel, off State Road 56, in Wesley Chapel.

State Rep. Ardian Zika carries a box of donations to tables, where they are sorted

High-ranking officials from Pasco County Schools, the Pasco Tax Collector’s Office, the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller’s Office, state legislators, and candidates for office, were there to help. Pasco Fire Rescue employees, Pasco Sheriff’s Office employees and others volunteered, too.

The community responded, bringing bags and boxes of food — loaded with pasta, peanut butter, jelly, crackers, soups, rice, canned goods and more.

Monetary donations are still welcome and can be made through the Pasco Education Foundation at PascoEducationFoundation.org. Checks can be made payable to Pasco Education Foundation and mailed to P.O. Box 1248, Land O’ Lakes, Florida, 34639.

Farm-Fresh Pop-ups
When Pasco County Schools receives donated fruits or vegetables, it holds Farm Fresh Pop-ups, and the free fresh produce goes fast.

At its first Pop-Up, the district gave away more than 30,000 ears of corn in about 2 hours.

It took less than 45 minutes to give away a truck filled with 10-pound variety boxes of vegetables, during a Farm Fresh Pop-up at the school district headquarters in Land O’ Lakes. (Courtesy of Stephen P. Hegarty)

At its second one, on May 8, it handed out 10-pound variety boxes of vegetables containing such veggies as cucumbers, potatoes, radishes, collards, broccoli, peppers, squash, and eggplant.

Those were gone in 45 minutes.

At the pop-ups, which are held in different locations, school district officials are practicing safe social distancing and wearing masks.

Those picking up the free foods are asked to stay in their vehicles and to pop their trunks, so the food can be placed in their trunks.

Feeding Florida and L&M donated the variety boxes.

The district also continues to provide five breakfasts and five lunches, once a week, to students 18 and under, at specific locations. As of May, it had served more than 820,000 meals.

To find out more about the district’s meal program, and to keep abreast of future Farm Fresh Pop-Ups, check the district’s website, Pasco.k12.fl.us.

Outdoor dining allowed to expand
Pasco County officials are providing more flexibility to restaurants to expand their outdoor dining space by allowing them to set up tables in parking areas and other outdoor areas — without a county permit.

The move was made to give restaurant operators more options, as they contend with decreased business due to COVID-19.

Leslie Gruber, of Land O’ Lakes, receives her meal from Savannah Walker, manager of The Box Kitchen Restaurant, at 6464 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. in Land O’ Lakes. The restaurant placed several tables in its parking lot to accommodate more diners, taking advantage of relaxed rules in Pasco County. (Randy Underhill)

Under phase one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ reopening plan, restaurants were allowed to operate indoor dining rooms at 25% capacity and to have dining outdoors, with the proviso that tables be kept 6 feet apart from each other.

To help expand restaurant capacity, Tampa officials have closed streets in some areas, so restaurants could set up tables there.

In Pasco, officials allowed restaurateurs to expand outdoor dining on their own properties.

The expanded seating may be used during the restaurant’s normal business hours, and the allowance will expire when full-capacity indoor dining returns, according to a county news release.

The Box Kitchen Restaurant in Land O’ Lakes appeared to be one of the few restaurants within The Laker/Lutz coverage area taking advantage of the county’s relaxed rules.

Providing hot meals in hard times
Three initiatives in Pasco County are aimed at providing hot meals, while supporting restaurants at the same time.

In the “Dining Out at Home” program, Pasco County has partnered with the Area Agency on Aging to have restaurant meals delivered to eligible senior citizens.

In “Operation Feed Pasco,” local restaurants are helping to supply meals at local food pantries and soup kitchens. The county is partnering with United Way of Pasco County on that effort.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey and State Rep. Ardian Zika were on hand when meals were delivered to workers at the Medical Center of Trinity. (Courtesy of Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey’s office)

Restaurants that would like to participate in Operation Feed Pasco should call United Way at (727) 359-7999, to see if there are any slots left.

In Pasco FLAG2020, meals are being purchased from local restaurants and then provided to people working on the front lines of the pandemic.

The program is being championed by Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, who was inspired after seeing coverage of two women in New Jersey who launched the national program.

So far, 64 meals have been delivered through that program to AdventHealth Dade City, 41 have been delivered to BayCare’s North Bay Hospital in New Port Richey and 106 meals to Medical Center of Trinity.

In addition to Starkey, other local elected leaders who have been involved in raising money, include Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley, Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning, Pasco County School Board member Allen Altman, former Pasco Clerk & Comptroller Paula O’Neil and State Rep. Ardian Zika.

To help, send donations to:

Venmo: @FLAG2020Pasco; PayPal: PayPal.me/FLAG2020Pasco

Published May 13, 2020

Pasco Sheriff’s employee earns statewide honor

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A longtime Pasco Sheriff’s Office civilian supervisor has earned a statewide honor from the Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA).

Gina Youmans has dedicated her career to helping crime victims and their loved ones, as a supervisor of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office Victim Advocates Unit.

The 28-year veteran of the law enforcement agency is being recognized for her work.

Youmans is the recipient of the inaugural FSA Civilian of the Year award. This award, sponsored by the Florida Sheriffs Risk Management Fund, “recognizes exemplary service above self by a civilian employed at a Florida sheriff’s office.”

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco, left, congratulates Pasco Sheriff’s Office Victim Advocates Unit supervisor Gina Youmans, right, for being the recipient of the inaugural Florida Sheriffs Association Civilian of the Year award. This award ‘recognizes exemplary service above self by a civilian employed at a Florida sheriff’s office.’ (Courtesy of Pasco Sheriff’s Office)

Youmans was officially named the 2019 Civilian of the Year at the FSA Summer Conference banquet in Tampa; she was nominated for the award by the sheriff’s office command staff.

Youmans said winning the award was “humbling,” adding it was also nice to see the agency’s victim advocates unit recognized as a whole.

“I’m just proud of the agency. It’s a big deal,” Youmans said.

“I can’t be happier. It’s a wonderful thing,” she said.

Youmans took a circuitous route into the criminal justice field and victim advocacy.

A native of Long Island, New York, Youmans followed her family to Florida shortly after graduating college.

She originally planned to work in banking or as a paralegal, but a friend told her the sheriff’s office was hiring civilian staff for the 1990 opening of the Land O’ Lakes jail.

“I was like, ‘All right,’ because I wasn’t able to find anything,” Youmans recalled.

Youmans was hired as a receptionist at the jail in 1991.

Within a year, Youmans was transferred to the agency’s fugitive warrants unit, where she worked for the next dozen or so years, handling the paperwork and logistics for extraditions, processing inmates and so on. “It was actually really cool,” Youmans said.

In 2005, Youmans transferred to the agency’s victim advocates unit at the behest of a co-worker, who put a request in for her for an open advocate position. Youmans worked her way up to unit supervisor in 2015.

Youmans admits she wasn’t really familiar with the unit beforehand. “I was like, I don’t even know what that is,” Youmans said of victim advocacy. “I read the description and was like, ‘Oh, that sounds interesting.’”

Helping people at difficult times
Youmans later learned she beat out 100 other applicants for the role.

To this day, she still recalls one question during the hour-and-a-half interview for the job that stuck out: “Could you hold a dead baby?”

It’s those types of difficult circumstances victim advocates must navigate regularly, Youmans said.

The victim advocates unit assists in major cases — homicide, suicide, sexual assault, domestic violence, robbery, burglary, and crimes against elderly, among others.

They’re on-call 24/7.

Generally, advocates offer victims information, emotional support, and help finding resources and filling out paperwork. Sometimes, advocates go to court with victims and speak on their behalf.

Pasco Sheriff’s Office Victim Advocates Unit supervisor Gina Youmans, right, and Pasco Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Sgt. Michael Rosa speak to a child as part of a crime investigation. Youmans is the recipient of the inaugural Florida Sheriffs Association Civilian of the Year award for her work in victim advocacy. She is a 28-year veteran of the law enforcement agency.

So, say there’s a homicide in the middle of the night, the unit responds “to be there” as liaisons for the decedent’s survivors, Youmans said.

“We form a rapport and help them, and let them know that if they need us — to reach out and we’re here,” Youmans said.

Advocates guide victims through the investigation process, too.

Youmans explained: “We’re there to explain why forensics is there, why the detectives are there, why the medical examiners are there, shield them from the media, but explain to them why the media is there, explain the entire process that is going on and accessing their needs the whole, entire time.”

Youmans said the toughest part of the job is death notifications — the delivery of the news of a death to another person, usually a family member or spouse.

Of the thousands of cases the unit responds to each year, suicides are the most common call out for the unit, Youmans said.

Youmans put it this way: “Like you see on television, you ring the doorbell, knock on the door, and you know as soon as they open the door, they’re going to know. People know when they open the door and they see a uniformed person and another sheriff’s office member there,” Youmans said.

“Anytime you deal with citizens and victims, they will guide you in the direction of where you go. There’s no certain way to deliver the message on death notifications or anything else, they guide you in the direction of where you go next,” she said.

Youmans supervises a six-member unit, which includes five other advocates and a victim services technician. She also oversees two unit volunteers and interns throughout the year.

Youmans said soft skills are a must for advocates, more so than formal education credentials.

“Approachability is so important. That’s what counts in the end,” she said.

She added, “It takes a unique person to do this position and I’ve always known that. A special kind of person has to do it, and I have six really special people that are truly passionate about it, and leaders in their own right, and hungry and want to learn.”

Through her own experience and early mistakes on the job, Youmans has a list of what she calls her ‘Do Not Says’ for her unit when they’re responding to victims and families of traumatic events.

They go like this:

  • Do not say, ‘Hi, how are you?’
  • Do not say, ‘I know how you feel.’
  • Do not say, ‘Time will heal.’
  • Do not say, ‘It’ll be OK.’

Instead, Youmans said, “It’s just reading situations and reading people. That comes from my experience of doing it. Some victims are good with the closure words. Some aren’t. It depends. Most aren’t. There’s no closure to them.”

The victim advocates unit supervisor acknowledged the job can be emotionally and physically taxing, at times.

But, a passion to help others keeps her going. That — and a Metallica heavy metal playlist has helped, too — she said, in jest.

“For myself, I’m just doing what I love,” she said. “I truly feel blessed to have been placed in this position.”

Her fellow advocates also keep morale up, when times get stressful.

“We are like family. I’m not trying to be cliché, but we’re truly there for each other. It’s an amazing thing to see,” Youmans said.

Published August 14, 2019

Pasco Sheriff’s Office gets forensics K-9

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The Pasco Sheriff’s Office has added another K-9 to its unit of about two dozen — but it’s not the traditional search and seizure police dog frequently utilized by law enforcement agencies.

Instead, this dog, a 3-year-old yellow Labrador named Phi, is paired with a forensics investigator and trained to detect decomposing human remains.

Pasco Sheriff’s Office forensics investigator Heidi Sievers and K-9 partner Phi. Phi is the agency’s new human remains detection dog, believed to be the first of its kind in the Tampa Bay area. (Kevin Weiss)

More commonly known as a human remains detection dog, K-9 Phi ignores live human scent and animal scent as to indicate odors on human remains, whether it be related to crime scenes, old missing persons cases, or natural or man-made disaster events.

Phi is believed to be the only human remains detection/forensics K-9 employed by a law enforcement agency in the Tampa Bay area. He was purchased and trained through donations from service organization Phi Delta Kappa in Odessa.

Pasco Sheriff Cpl. Jimmy Hall heads up the agency’s new forensic K-9 unit.

The unit is modeled after the FBI’s dog scent program, and Hall said it takes the concept of cadaver dogs to a new level in identifying and solving crime scenes.

That’s because Phi and similarly trained dogs don’t just search for bodies. They also identify the presence of trace amounts of human bones, bodily fluids and decomposing material — whether buried underground, underwater, smeared on a car or elsewhere.

“We’re bringing these dogs to search these trace amounts, which is really the difference that’s not being done out there,” Hall said.

Phi has received roughly 12 weeks of in-house operational training. He also gets weekly maintenance training.

In learning to train forensics dogs, Hall and sheriff’s office personnel visited the FBI’s training academy in Virginia.

In essence, forensics dogs like Phi are trained like bomb or drug-sniffing dogs, where they’re rewarded for being able to identify a particular targeted odor, Hall said.

“We saw what they had and how they use the dogs, and got some great ideas from them,” Hall said.

Hall noted during that trip, trained forensics dogs were able to indicate odor on a pre-Civil War gravesite. “I not necessarily would’ve believed that if I wasn’t there watching it myself,” Hall said.

The greatest benefit of a forensics K-9, Hall said, is helping investigators to conduct more thorough evidence gathering outside the realm of a primary crime scene, or where the crime actually occurred.

K-9 Officer Phi undergoes a regular training session with his handler. The K-9 is trained to detect human remains related to crime scenes, old missing persons cases, natural or man-made disasters and more. (Courtesy of Pasco Sheriff’s Office)

The law enforcement explained: “If we’ve got a crime scene at a house, we can deploy the dog starting a block out if we want to, and it’s possible to find evidence for that crime…that we would’ve never come across.

“If you’re going to put 15 to 20 detectives and forensic investigators out to comb an area, they’re limited by sight. We can put this dog down and the odor is going to be much more powerful, and we can cover a larger area with that.”

Phi’s handler, forensics investigator Heidi Sievers, echoed that significance.

“We have only the ability of our sight and also some other technological tools that we have,” said Sievers, who has been partnered with Phi since March. “This is just one more check and balance to make sure that we’re covering the entirety of the scene.”

So far, Phi has been deployed about 20 times by the sheriff’s office and other agencies needing assistance. He’s done three deployments with Sievers.

The dog has been the sheriff’s office for about a year. He previously worked in different capacities with other handlers.

Besides assisting the forensics unit, Phi has also become a welcome addition to the Sievers’ household.

The forensics investigator had never owned a dog before, but Phi quickly developed a bond within her household.

“I have a daughter so she loves him, so it’s been really nice,” Sievers said. “He’s easy, he’s great, low maintenance. He’s very friendly. He just lives to run and work.”

Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office will soon add another human detection K-9 to its unit, for investigator Sue Miller. A third dog of its type is being utilized by an agency volunteer, as well.

As well as assisting with crime solving, the agency believes the forensic K-9 unit will eventually help in another area.

“This is something we know will also add to our recruitment,” Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco said. “The fact that people want this opportunity to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to be able to have a canine,’ that is very unique.”

Published June 19, 2019

Fallen officer cherished for leadership, love, and laughter

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The countless who knew Capt. Charles “Bo” Harrison, say they’re better people because of it.

And, the superlatives flow freely when people describe what he was like.

Here are just a few of those descriptions: Hero. Christian. Father. Brother. Husband. Friend. Leader. Coach. Servant. Great Officer. Integrity. Honorable..

Capt. Charles “Bo” Harrison was the highest-ranking black officer for the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. Harrison was gunned down on June 1, 2003 — just two weeks before he was scheduled to retire from a 31-year law enforcement career. Prior to his law enforcement career, he served in Vietnam as a U.S. Army paratrooper.
(Courtesy of Pasco Sheriff’s Office)

He was “a servant-leader who made a difference to every man, woman and child who came in contact with him,” said Pastor Deundrick Reed of Living Waters United Church in Dade City.

Reed served as master of ceremonies for the Bo Harrison Memorial on June 1 at the Boys and Girls Club.

The event has been held each year since Harrison’s watch ended on June 1, 2003 — the day he was killed in the line of duty.

“He walked it, he talked it, and he lived it,” Reed said. “He motivated and inspired. He sacrificed himself for others, no matter what. He was a man who was an example how we all should live our lives today.”

Harrison, then a lieutenant, had served with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office for 31 years. It was just two weeks before he was scheduled to retire when he was shot and killed while on surveillance near a nightclub on U.S. Route 301 in Lacoochee around 2 a.m.

He was 57.

According to reports, several deputies who were across the street heard a gunshot and went to investigate. They located Harrison in his patrol car suffering from a gunshot wound to the back. He was transported to Dade City Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Harrison had been shot with a high-powered rifle by a sniper who was in the nearby woods. The shot went through the trunk of the car and struck him in the back.

A 19-year-old suspect turned himself in two days later and was charged in connection with Harrison’s murder. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison with no parole.

Harrison, the highest-ranking black officer in county history, was posthumously promoted to captain.

He left behind a wife and three children.

Before his law enforcement career, Harrison served in the Vietnam War as a U.S. Army paratrooper.

Dozens of law enforcement officers and officials from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Dade City Police Department and the Zephyrhills Police Department attended the memorial service.

Family, friends and members of the east Pasco community also attended, “honoring the memory of a man who answered the call to serve his country and community.”

The two-hour long gathering and reception also featured some of Harrison’s favorite gospel songs from his parish, St. John’s Missionary Church, in Dade City.

Harrison was mainly recognized for his impact to the community; serving as one of Pasco’s first black deputies; and for his life growing up in Dade City, where he was a sports star for the local black high school, Mickens High School.

Hazel Wells, 70, grew up with Harrison. She graduated high school with him in 1965 and remained friends long after.

In her words, Harrison was “a heroic, outstanding, God-fearing man.”

Last month, Wells wrote a proclamation to the Dade City Commission to forever make June 1 known as Capt. Charles “Bo” Harrison Day in Dade City.

Back in 2015, Wells successfully petitioned Dade City officials and neighbors to rename 11th Street as Charles “Bo” Harrison Street.

Wells also recalled Harrison for his upbeat, positive nature and athletic prowess.

“He was just a happy person,” Wells said, “and he loved sports.”

“I can still hear (people) on the Mickens ballfield yell, ‘Run Bo’ because he would run so fast. Any kind of sport, he excelled in,” Wells said.

Another lifelong friend, Willie Broner, 69, still cherishes fond moments with Harrison.

A crowd exceeding 100 people turned out for the annual Bo Harrison Memorial on June 1 at the Boys and Girls Club, in Lacoochee.
Dozens of law enforcement officers and officials from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Dade City Police Department and the Zephyrhills Police Department were among those attending.
Many family members and friends and members of the east Pasco community also attended, “honoring the memory of a man who answered the call to serve his country and community.”
(Courtesy of Richard Riley)

Both played on the same sports teams growing up and also served together in Vietnam. While serving in the war, Broner was caught in enemy territory when Harrison risked a 20-mile trek “all by himself” to help rescue his childhood friend.

Broner went on to become a longtime educator in Pasco County and a successful basketball coach at Pasco High School, where he recorded more than 300 career victories.

“I will always remember Bo,” Broner paused, “as long as I live.”

“He will always be remembered in my heart. …I will always remember a great man; a great, great, great friend,” Broner said.

Harrison, known as “BoBo” by those closest, was also reminisced for his radiant smile, his great sense of humor, and his distinguished, boisterous laugh.

Such a laugh would often echo through the hallways of the sheriff’s office, said Pasco Sheriff’s Det. Johnny Windsor, who worked under the fallen deputy early in his career.

“If you knew Bo,” Windsor said, smiling, “you knew the laugh that he had. …You always knew when Bo was in the building.”

Windsor, himself now set to retire after a 30-year law enforcement career, shared several stories and tales about working with Harrison.

One that still holds meaning: Harrison welcomed Windsor and family to his church and to share a meal as part of law enforcement appreciation week.

For Harrison, race was never an issue, said Windsor, who is white.

“It’s something for somebody to want to invite you to their church,” said Windsor, “when you’re not the same color as they are.”

Added Windsor: “He did not see color and it didn’t matter. This day and age that’s important. It should be important to all of us.”

Also oftentimes “the happiest guy on earth,” the veteran detective recalled Harrison as someone he could reach out to for help at anytime.

“He was a guy that was very approachable,” Windsor said. “You could walk up to him and have a conversation with him. You could talk about work issues. You could go to him about personal issues. At that time there were very few people in the agency that I would go to with personal issues, but I will tell you Bo Harrison was one of them. I was proud to know that man. I was proud to say he was my friend.”

Windsor also said Harrison was a major influence on his career.

Looking back in his early days as a deputy, Windsor remembers thinking Harrison as “the guy I want to be like.”

“I believe that Bo Harrison probably made me the deputy sheriff that I am today and I thank him for that,” he said.

Published June 6, 2018

Sex-trafficked girls will soon have a sanctuary

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The Tampa charity Bridging Freedom, which helps child victims of human trafficking, is developing a therapeutic safe house campus community at an undisclosed location in Pasco County.

It will begin to accept girls this spring, once its first safe house is completed.

Laura Hamilton is the president of Bridging Freedom. She founded the organization in 2011 after working for a time with the Clearwater/Tampa Bay Area Task Force on Human Trafficking. (Kevin Weiss)

The Bridging Freedom campus— situated on nearly 100 acres of donated land—will ultimately encompass seven homes, a lodge and a chapel. It will serve dozens of female victims under the age of 18 from Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, by providing long-term, comprehensive survivor care.

The concept marks the first of its kind serving female minors in the Tampa area.

Construction of infrastructure at the campus site began in 2016. Assistance for the project has come from state funding, corporations, local law enforcement and other stakeholders.

Two homes have since been sponsored and are currently being built.

The first therapeutic home—funded by Sykes Enterprises—will feature eight individual bedrooms and bathrooms, plus an educational room, counseling room, and a staff and nurse office.

A second four-bedroom home — funded by Lazydays R.V. Center Inc. — will serve as the intake home for girls rescued from sex trafficking.

Bridging Freedom is seeking sponsors to build the five remaining homes, either from corporate or philanthropic organizations.

Girls will be referred to the property mainly through rescues by law enforcement and the Florida Department of Children and Families, said Laura Hamilton, president of Bridging Freedom.

There’s no doubt about the need.

Florida reports as the third-largest state for human trafficking, with 329 reported cases in 2017, according to the Polaris Project and National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Locally, the Tampa FBI rescues approximately 50 or more child sex-trafficking victims per year; most of them are girls.

The nearly 100-acre Bridging Freedom campus will encompass seven homes, a lodge and a chapel. It will serve dozens of female victims under the age of 18 from Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, by providing long-term, comprehensive survivor care. (Courtesy of Bridging Freedom)

Few rehabilitative facilities are available to place them, however.

Rescued girls are either placed in runaway shelters, domestic violence shelters or foster care — with little to no rehabilitative treatment.

Hamilton founded Bridging Freedom in 2011 after working for a time with the Clearwater/Tampa Bay Area Task Force on Human Trafficking.

There she discovered when children and teens were rescued from the street, there were no places for them to go for treatment and counseling, to ease their transition to normal lives.

“I started doing research, and that’s when I realized (child sex trafficking) wasn’t in just India, Cambodia, Thailand, Russia. It was here in the United States, it was here in Florida and here in my own backyard,” Hamilton said.

“We thought we were just bringing awareness to the community; we never thought we’d be doing this,” she added.

Bridging Freedom will specifically address what’s called ‘traumatic bonding,’ where children have bonded with their trafficker or abuser.

Victim’s stays could last anywhere from six months to two years, as they get treatment one-on-one from professionally trained psychologists and social workers. Recurring funds already in place will be used to hire those direct service providers.

“It takes a whole program for these girls to find healing from the trauma they enforced,” Hamilton said.

“If she’s wanting to run, if she’s had a trigger, goes into some crisis mode, she gets scared or she becomes angry, we’re there, right there, one-on-one to track her. That’s what’s working in other parts of the country, and we need to bring that here to Florida.”

At the therapeutic safe home campus, survivors will also receive the following services:

  • Medical care from a clinical director, clinical therapists and licensed nurses
  • Alcohol and drug rehabilitation from licensed medical professionals
  • Therapeutic recreation, such as equine and art therapy, and gardening
  • Education from teachers board-certified through the Florida Department of Education
  • Life skills to help survivors adjust to life outside of the home
  • Career development and shadowing to prepare teen survivors to be independent adults
  • Transitional mentorship to provide support for survivors after they leave the home

Hamilton said Bridging Freedom’s safe house program is modeled after Wellspring Living, an Atlanta-based group founded in 2001. According to its website, Wellspring Living “provides trauma-informed care to survivors of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking in the service of physical, emotional and spiritual restoration.”

Details on the progress of Bridging Freedom and its sanctuary campus were revealed at a Nov. 16 joint press conference at the Pasco Sheriff’s Office in New Port Richey. Guest speakers, among others, included attorney general Pam Bondi, Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco, Pasco Sheriff Cpl. Alan Wilkett and Irene Sullivan, a retired Florida circuit court judge.

Each praised the organization and the need for more safe house campuses.

“The demand is great for these homes; the supply is scarce,” said Sullivan, who for 12 years handled delinquency, dependency and domestic violence cases until retiring in 2010.

She added: “It’s a wonderful, wonderful opportunity to take care of these girls. They need therapy, they need to talk to other girls, and they certainly need Bridging Freedom…”

Wilkett is the commander of the Pasco County Human Trafficking Task Force. He also serves as chairman of the Board of Directors for Bridging Freedom.

In October, Wilkett was recognized as the “Law Enforcement Official of the Year” at the 2017 Human Trafficking Summit, held in Orlando

For him, the safe house campus community “can’t come together fast enough.”

“We’ve got a lot of work to do, with this horrific crime of human trafficking,” Wilkett said.

“Whether they’re domestic minor sex trafficking victims or national sex trafficking victims, we have a responsibility…to restoring childhood opportunities, birthdays and freedoms to those that have had it stolen.”

Fighting human trafficking long-term starts with harsher prison sentences for its consumers, Wilkett said.

“The only way to impact this strategically and long-term is to take out the demand,” he said, “so we’ve got to enhance the penalties and go after the buyers.”

Experts say the Tampa Bay area’s tourism, adult entertainment, and international seaport and airport industries create a lucrative and highly accessible environment for sex-traffickers.

Minor victims of sex trafficking, meanwhile, are typically kidnapped or have run away from home.

Florida has approximately 30,000 to 40,000 teenage runaways and throwaways each year, some being abused by a family member or forced out of their homes. In the Tampa Bay area, 75 percent of trafficked children are runaways.

Solving that issue takes a community working together, unafraid to report suspicious activity, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said during the press conference.

“It has to be an all-hands on deck approach,” Bondi said. “We have to work together as a state, as a country, and transnationally as a world to stop this.”

For information, visit BridgingFreedom.org.

By the Numbers
300,000: On average, the number of children in the United States that are prostituted annually

12: The average age that a trafficked victim is first used for commercial sex

2,700: The number of child sex-trafficking victims rescued by the FBI in the U.S., the past 10 years

3: Florida’s rank for the number of calls received by the national human trafficking hotline

83 percent: The percentage of sex trafficking victims identified in the United States as U.S. citizens, according to a study of U.S. Department of Justice human trafficking task force cases

52: The approximate number of local child sex-trafficking victims rescued in 2015

Less than 250: How many shelter beds there are for commercially sexually exploited children in the U.S.

Source: Bridging Freedom

Published November 29, 2017