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Pasco Sheriff's Office

City manager recaps possible 911 dispatch merger

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During a recent breakfast meeting with the East Pasco Networking Group, Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe briefed those gathered on the city’s current consideration of combining its  911 police communications system with the Pasco County Department of Emergency Services in New Port Richey.

The looming decision “has nothing to do with finances,” Poe said.

Instead, he said, it is “all about officer safety, citizen safety.”

The City of Zephyrhills is in talks to combine its 911 police communications system with Pasco County operations. (File)

The move would essentially create a centrally located communications center for all emergency personnel and shared CAD/RMS (computer-aided dispatch systems and records management systems), to eliminate 911 calls being answered by dispatches from the Zephyrhills Police Department (ZPD) and Pasco Sheriff’s Office — and the need to transfer wireless callers between agencies.

A full dispatch consolidation model would mirror what’s now in place at the Dade City Police Department, which joined Pasco’s 911 system in 2015.

Under this setup, the county handles all 911 calls, prioritizing calls by importance and dispatching the closest city or county units accordingly, on the same radio frequency. At the same time, Dade City police employees answer all non-emergency calls.

Poe was city manager of Dade City when the systems were combined.

He underscored the benefits of the shift. It has improved communication channels between agencies and has provided access to important records to individuals or suspects crossing jurisdictional boundaries between the city and the county.

For instance, it allows the agencies to have background on someone’s previous encounters with law enforcement entities, such as knowing if there’s a documented history of fighting or resisting arrest with personnel from the Zephyrhills and Dade City police departments, or the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

It also has proven to be beneficial in terms of law enforcement response, he said.

He cited an incident involving the report of a gun at a Dade City area McDonald’s. Seven nearby  sheriff’s deputies and four on-duty Dade City police officers responded immediately to the scene without incident.

“I like to think it works well,” Poe surmised, regarding the merged communications system.

Meanwhile, the city manager dispelled any conjecture that a 911 system consolidation is a means to eventually disband Zephyrhills Police into sheriff’s office operations, similar to the merger that happened with the city’s fire department.

“There’s zero percent chance that the police department will merge with Pasco County,” said Poe.

The city manager said he has a great relationship with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, but noted they cannot offer the same level of service to residents of Zephyrhills as the local police department provides.

That’s because of the number and types of calls that the Sheriff’s Office must respond to, Poe explained.

“Consolidated dispatch, has nothing to do with the rest of the department. We are not looking to get rid of our police department. That is not the case at all. It is solely communications, and it is all about officer safety and citizen safety,” Poe said.

The Zephyrhills City Council, however, voted last September to consolidate its local fire department into Pasco County Fire Rescue — whereby the county assumed control of two stations on Sixth Avenue and Dean Dairy Road.

“That was not a fun thing to go through,” Poe said.

“I know council didn’t like it,” Poe said, referring to the decision to end the city’s independent fire department that had served the city for more than 100 years.

However, Poe said, in contracting out fire service responsibilities to Pasco County, both area stations now have an ambulance and increased staffing.

Response times were another consideration.

“It just made sense to have one responding agency, because they space it out, they know what they’re doing, they space them so they have minimal response times for each station, and so to be able to add two stations to the mix was huge for Pasco County…and I think the residents won,” Poe said.

The two former fire stations have been renamed, but the fire trucks retain some local flavor, with signage that indicates they are serving the City of Zephyrhills.

Poe said there also are plans to add another Pasco County Fire Rescue Station in Zephyrhills within the next few years, at the corner of Chancey Road and Yonkers Boulevard. When that comes online, Pasco County Fire Rescue Station 18 in Crystal Springs will be abandoned, he said.

That’s important because the city has never had three fire stations in the area, Poe said.

Published April 07, 2021

Afternoon picnic kicks off Spring Break

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The Pasco Sheriff’s Office PSO4KIDS kicked off Spring Break with an afternoon picnic that included a cookout, games, prizes, a train ride, bounce house, and K9s, at Elsie Logan Memorial Park in Spring Hill. Local kids and community members got to hang out with sheriff’s office staff, check out patrol vehicles, meet the Mounted Posse, get a bite to eat, see a flyover from the Aviation Unit, and take part in a game of kickball.

Pasco Sheriff Officer Friendly Cpl. Jaime Garcia plays football with a young member of the Spring Hill community. (Courtesy of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office)

 

Cpl. Arthur Madden covers a base during a kickball game at the PSO4KIDS picnic.

Crowd gets to see ‘Elvis,’ a ‘teen angel’ and classic cars

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Spectators at the “Grease is the Word” event at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park had a chance to listen to an Elvis impersonator, check out a musical rivalry between Pasco Fire Rescue and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, and to take a look at some classic cars. There were also games and other attractions at the event on March 13.

Billy ‘Elvis’ Lindsey ends his set draped in an American flag. ‘If you see any other Elvis impersonator do this, he got it from me,’ Lindsey said. (Fred Bellet)
This 1965 Buick Skylark, owned by David and Maria Aponte, of Wesley Chapel, was one of the standout vehicles on display.
Twelve-year-old Payton Garver gingerly places a Jenga block on top after taking it from the bottom of the tower that she and her mom, Marie Garver, were building in front of the Life Church tent.
Pasco firefighter Logan Mielke appeared as a teen angel, during the sing-along competition between Pasco Fire Rescue and the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. Mielke was assisted by the Bobbie Sox Dancers, and the songs were sung karaoke-style.
Donna and Don White of Land O’ Lakes are accompanied by the musically inclined Moxie, left, and Mia — two Pembroke Welsch Corgis, at ‘Grease is the Word.’
The “Grease is The Word” performances put a smile on Dottie Morgan’s face as the Tampa woman watches Billy “Elvis” Lindsey on the Heritage Park stage.
Classic car judge Dallas Stevens, of the Land O’ Lakes, peers into a car dubbed ‘Pink Panther’ during a car contest at the ‘Grease is the Word’ event, at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park. Howie and Barbara Mendick, of Lutz, own the 1950 Mercury.

 

This K9 is trained to help rescue people from disasters

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The Pasco Sheriff’s Office has added another police dog to its ever-growing K9 Unit — and this one brings a unique set of skills to the job.

K9 Maddie — a two-year-old black Labrador Retriever — is the agency’s first-ever “live-find” K9. That means the dog has been specially trained to find people missing in a natural or other disasters, such as a building collapse or the aftermath of a hurricane.

K9 Maddie, a 2-year-old black Labrador Retriever, is the Pasco Sheriff’s Office’s first ‘live-find’ K9, meaning it’s specially trained to find people that are missing in natural or other disasters, such as a building collapse or the aftermath of a hurricane. The law enforcement agency now has 31 K9 units. (Courtesy of Pasco Sheriff’s Office)

So-called live-find K9s like Maddie must be confident working at a distance from their handlers and sure-footed, with a keen sense of smell, sheriff’s office officials say.

Maddie came to the sheriff’s office last May from Maine-based Maranatha Farm Kennels, and began three months of training to pass state certification for search and rescue efforts.

Her handler, Deputy Robert Lewis, also has received intense training in rescue operations to best assist the canine when deployed, acquiring fire rescue certifications in ropes, rescue, trench and confined spaces operations.

Together, they have continued training almost daily on two of the agency’s FEMA-certified “rubble pile” training facilities, which simulate a variety of scenarios, such as a parking garage or house collapse.

Once the duo secures federal certification, the unit will be able to deploy to disasters outside of Florida, if necessary.

Lewis, a sheriff’s office employee since 2015, has previous experience as a field training officer.

When asked by agency leadership about partnering with a live-find K9, he jumped at the opportunity.

“It was very interesting to me,” Lewis said in a video media presentation produced by the sheriff’s office. “It’s a completely different task that no one’s done for the agency yet. Also, the fact that more than likely you’ll get to travel to respond to natural disasters, whether it be a hurricane somewhere else, or out of state.”

Lewis also noted: “I always wanted to be a K9 (deputy). I grew up around a lot of dogs for pet purposes and also hunting purposes.”

Ed and Angie Moore contributed funds for the Pasco Sheriff’s Office to acquire its first ‘live-find’ K9. The Moore family made the donation to honor their daughter, Madison, who suddenly passed away in 2017 at the age of 17 from a blood clot. Madison is remembered as an animal lover, who had aspirations of working in forensics. From left: Cpl. Jimmy Hall, Ed Moore, Angie Moore, Deputy Robert Lewis and Forensics Supervisor Sue Miller.

The advanced canine is named in honor of Madison “Maddie” Moore, a River Ridge High School student who passed away unexpectedly in 2017 at the age of 17, before her graduation. She died after a blood clot in her brain caused a massive stroke.

Her parents, Ed and Angie Moore, donated funds to the sheriff’s office to make the K9 purchase.

Inspired by television shows like Criminal Minds and CSI: Miami, Madison dreamed that she would earn a degree in forensics and become a crime scene investigator.

She showed miniature horses, competitively, and was known for her love of animals.

“Madison was a very outgoing kid,” Madison’s father said in the video. “We feel very fortunate…we were able to continue her legacy and put forth something that she was looking forward to in her life.

“It means a lot to us. It means even more that the dog was named after her and it will continue to carry her legacy.”

Including K9 Maddie, the sheriff’s office now has 31 K9s, which are funded through community donations and contributions.

In addition to live-find capabilities, the sheriff’s office operates K9s certified in narcotics detection, explosives detection, tracking, patrol work, human remains detection and animal assisted therapy. The agency also has K9s assigned to its highway interdiction and SWAT teams.

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco underscored the importance of the agency’s K9 Units, during the video series.

“It’s about saving people, protecting our citizens,” the sheriff said. “When somebody’s in need, a child goes missing, a person with Alzheimer’s is lost, we can go out there and search for them. You know, if we have to hunt down a bad person, we find that bad person, but at the same time…the vast majority of our calls for service is to find people, to save people, and that’s what our K9s are out there doing.”

On K9 Maddie joining the force, Nocco said: “We’re blessed to have K9 Maddie now. I’m happy to see who she’s going to find in the future.”

Published March 10, 2021

Drug overdoses increasing in Pasco County

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During the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, there’s another alarming issue surging in Pasco County  — rising fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses.

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office has reported 1,491 overdoses (and 268 deaths) from January 2020 to December 2020 — representing a 71% increase from 2019.

This includes a single-month high of 168 overdoses (39 fatal) in May, agency data shows.

Most recently, the month of December proved one of the most troublesome months in the past year — with 135 reported overdoses and two deaths. The trend continued in 2021, as the first weekend in January recorded 19 overdoses, with three deaths, according to the sheriff’s office.

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco says the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the county’s substance abuse and mental health problems because more people are dealing with job and financial losses, loneliness, homelessness and other personal struggles.

“We’re definitely seeing an extremely high spike since COVID hit with mental health and substance abuse, and especially the overdoses. There is an absolute correlation there,” Nocco recently told The Laker/Lutz News.

Overdose survivors have told deputies that “they feel like they’ve lost human connection with people,” Nocco said.

Instead of finding solace in faith, Nocco thinks many turn to substance abuse, and that, he said, is creating major issues.

During the midst of a pandemic, there are mental health issues occurring that won’t be healed with a vaccination, he said.

“People right now, they’re constantly on edge,” Nocco said.

These overdoses, Nocco said, are mostly related to heroin and other drugs laced with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic similar to morphine but believed to be 50 times to 100 times more potent.

Said Nocco: “Heroin and fentanyl are the main two killers. When you’re seeing overdoses, it’s fentanyl. It’s sad. When you have an overdose and people pass away, it’s probably more likely than not that it’s fentanyl.”

Nocco noted the agency has even witnessed instances of carfentanil — an analogue 100 times stronger than fentanyl and most commonly used as an elephant tranquilizer.

Aside from its users, fentanyl and carfentanil offshoots pose a threat to the public and to first responders, as they can be absorbed through the skin or through accidental inhalation of airborne powder.

These substances are coming in from overseas, with stronger and stronger variations being discovered on the streets, Nocco said, adding, “It’s a very dangerous situation we’re dealing with.”

The overdoses predominantly are occurring in the western part of Pasco County, along the U.S. 19 corridor, Nocco said, but there are also pockets of activity in Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills.

A nationwide problem
Rising drug overdoses are trending across the nation.

Over 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in the 12 months ending in May 2020. That’s the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period, according to recent provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While overdose deaths already were on the rise in the months preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest numbers suggest an acceleration of overdose deaths during the pandemic, the CDC reports.

This graphic shows fatal and non-fatal overdoses in Pasco County for each month in 2020. Absent is the month of December, which yielded 135 overdoses and two deaths. (Courtesy of Pasco Sheriff’s Office)

“The disruption to daily life due to the COVID-19 pandemic has hit those with substance use disorder hard,” CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield said, in a December news release. “As we continue the fight to end this pandemic, it’s important to not lose sight of different groups being affected in other ways. We need to take care of people suffering from unintended consequences.”

According to the CDC, synthetic opioids (primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl) appear to be the primary driver of the increases in overdose deaths, increasing 38.4% from the 12-month period leading up to June 2019 compared with the 12-month period leading up to May 2020. During this time period:

  • 37 of the 38 U.S. jurisdictions with available synthetic opioid data reported increases in synthetic opioid-involved overdose deaths
  • 18 of these jurisdictions reported increases greater than 50%
  • 10 western states reported over a 98% increase in synthetic opioid-involved deaths

More troubling trends
While overdose figures were substantially higher in 2020 compared to 2019 and some previous years in Pasco, the sheriff’s office’s intelligence-led policing unit likewise found a steady increase each year since 2017, which, of course, predates the pandemic.

This may result from lasting effects of Florida’s opioid prescription pill epidemic, Nocco said, with many users who initially got hooked on prescription pills turning to heroin, meth and other substances to get their fix.

“We’re still dealing with it. It’s not over,” the sheriff said of the statewide pill crisis. “You’re looking at individuals that would’ve never used hard drugs such as meth or heroin, but because they were prescribed Roxys (Roxicodone), Oxys (Oxycodone), Xanax for minor things like a minor surgery, a tooth issue, something like that, they then became addicts, and so those people with those addictions, they’re still suffering right now.”

Seeking solutions
To tackle these various substance abuse and related mental health issues, the local law enforcement agency is continuing to leverage its community-based health partners such as BayCare, Chrysallis Health and Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse and Prevention, and others.

The sheriff’s office has a rolodex of health care agencies that can provide help with a range of issues, including mental health, substance abuse, homelessness, youth and family services, autism, suicide, and veterans and post-traumatic stress. More details on resources can be found on PascoSheriff.com/MENTALHEALTH.html.

“We want to get to people before they get to that crisis stage,” Nocco said, adding, “and if people are starting to feel depressed, if they’re starting to feel issues and concerns, please reach out to those resources immediately.

“If those health care issues are dealt with very early on, they don’t turn into criminal justice issues,” he said.

The CDC also has made recommendations that can help curb drug overdose epidemic in local communities:

  • Expand distribution and use of naloxone and overdose prevention education
  • Increase awareness about and access to and availability of treatment for substance use disorders
  • Intervene early with individuals at highest risk for overdose
  • Improve detection of overdose outbreaks to facilitate more effective response

On a related note, the sheriff’s office is working to make positive lasting impressions on the younger people, to help get a grip of at-risk mental health and substance use issues.

The agency has partnered with the Pasco County Council Parent Teacher Association (PTA) on a mental health initiative titled, “You Matter,” which mainly focuses on suicide prevention among juveniles. Part of the effort involves distributing magnets with upbeat reminders that can be attached to cellphones and wallets, and other places.

The sheriff said his agency is trying to get this message out to teenagers and young adults: “You matter in life.”

The fact is that many of these kids are isolated, Nocco said.

“They’re on their phones and they don’t feel like they’re engaged with what’s going on.
“I understand a lot of people go on social media and walk away depressed thinking about what they read or if somebody put a negative comment on there,” he said.

He wants to spread the word, to help people realize their value.

“It doesn’t matter what somebody wrote about you, you matter to somebody else, and your life is important.

“We don’t want to see people harm themselves or get an addiction over a comment made on social media by somebody who could live a couple of thousand miles away,” Nocco said.

Published February 03, 2021

Input from law enforcement welcome in planning efforts

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Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore failed to find support from his colleagues when he suggested adding a seat on the county’s planning commission for a representative from the sheriff’s office.

Moore recommended the expansion of the planning commission during the county commission’s Jan. 12 meeting.

He said Sheriff Chris Nocco has asked for such involvement in the past, and Moore asked his colleagues to move forward with the request.

“It would definitely be an asset, with the growth of the county, when it comes to public safety, as well as the traffic concerns. They need to be represented on the planning commission.

“We do have a school board (representative) that’s on the planning commission. It would only benefit us to have the sheriff’s office to have a representative on the planning commission,” Moore said.

But, Pasco County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder noted: “the school board is on the planning commission only for the purposes of increase in residential density, and that’s by statute.”

He added: “I’m not sure you couldn’t put a representative of the sheriff’s office on it, but that would require a land development code amendment to change that composition.”

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey was not receptive to expanding the planning commission.

“It just seems kind of odd to me, to put the sheriff’s office on the planning commission,” Starkey said. “Is there any planning commission in the state that has law enforcement on it?”

Steinsnyder said he would have to research that question to find out.

Starkey then asked: “Is there anyone at the sheriff’s office with planning background?”

Moore responded that the sheriff does have someone in mind that he would like to appoint to that role.

Chase Daniels, assistant executive director for the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, said “to Commissioner Moore’s point, obviously any time there are new developments, there could be criminal elements to that.

“There are other concerns with CPTED, which is crime prevention through environmental design — guardhouses, gates, security cameras, lights.

“And then, to Commissioner Starkey’s point, as well, anytime you add more cars on the road, you obviously add more people that are speeding, people looking for through routes and trying to get off major thoroughfares.”

The sheriff’s intent is that “so many of those things that do come through the planning commission, we would appreciate the opportunity to have eyes on, as they go through, and make recommendations,” Daniels said.

Starkey said she’s fine with having a safety voice, but doesn’t think the planning commission is the best place for that.

“We take public comment, and certainly we hold the sheriff’s comments in high regard, and I would think that he should come to the meetings. However, being a voting member — I think that’s just not the right place for them,” Starkey said.

Commission Chairman Ron Oakley and Commissioner Jack Mariano agreed with Starkey that the sheriff’s office doesn’t need to have a representative on the planning commission.

Moore told his colleagues: “I guess I don’t understand the apprehension to have somebody appointed from the sheriff to be on the planning commission, when everything and anything approved does have some type of impact on law enforcement.

“They’re asking to be involved in those discussions,” Moore said, noting the sheriff’s office can add a “totally different insight.”

He also reminded board members of how important public safety is to the residents of Pasco County.

“We’ve seen time and time again, on our surveys, public safety always ranks No. 1,” Moore said.

Nectarios Pittos, the county’s planning and development director, said that having a sheriff’s office representative provide input on pre-application reviews could provide a chance for the law enforcement agency to weigh in at a much earlier stage of the project, than they would at the Planning Commission stage.

County attorney Steinsnyder also noted that the sheriff’s office might be able to be involved in another aspect of the county’s planning efforts, too.

“They may need a seat at the table at ordinance review, where we’re developing the land development code changes,” Steinsnyder said.

But Moore pressed on, noting he’d made a motion to take the necessary steps to add a representative from the sheriff’s office to the planning commission.

That motion was seconded by Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick, but it failed, with Oakley, Starkey and Mariano voting no.

After the vote, Moore asked County Administrator Dan Biles to be sure to reach out to the sheriff’s office to invite them to have a member attend pre-application meetings, which Biles said he would do.

Biles also noted that the county already shares some planning information with the sheriff’s office, but he will make sure that the information is getting to the right place.

Published January 20, 2021

City of Zephyrhills gives employee service awards

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The City of Zephyrhills recognized several employees with service awards at a regular city council meeting on Jan. 11.

Seventeen employees were presented plaques for achieving benchmarks of five, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years of service, respectively.

A service award ceremony is usually conducted at the city’s annual Christmas party, but the celebration was unable to occur because of COVID-19, according to Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe.

Zephyrhills Police patrol officer Ray Revell, right, is recognized for five years of service to the city. He is retiring in February having spent a combined 25 years in law enforcement, the bulk with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. Also pictured is Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe. (Kevin Weiss)

Of note was a presentation to Zephyrhills Police patrol officer Ray Revell, who reached five years of service with the city, but is retiring having a combined 25 years of law enforcement experience.

Revell previously spent 20 years with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, in various capacities. There, he is known for spearheading a veteran housing unit at the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center in 2014, which offers a range of services for military veterans in the way of counseling, rehabilitation, job placement, life skills and an outreach program. Revell came up with the idea upon hearing of a similar program during a leadership planning trip to FBI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia.

Revell’s last day patrolling the streets of Zephyrhills was Jan. 11. His last official day in uniform will be sometime in mid-February. He joined the local agency on June 21, 2015.

“We’ve been lucky enough to have him for the last five years,” Poe said of Revell.

Meanwhile, the longest-tenured city employees recognized were streets foreman Joseph Galloway and building official Bill Burgess — as both achieved the 30 years’ service plateau. Galloway started working for the city on Oct. 3, 1990. Burgess began Oct. 25, 1990.

“The secret to any successful business or city is the longevity of their great employees,” Zephyrhills Council President Charles Proctor said at the meeting. “I’ve always been a major supporter of our employees and it’s exciting to see people staying with us for so long, and I appreciate all of your service, whether you’ve been here for one year or 30 (years), we appreciate your service to this great city.”

Added Zephyrhills Mayor Gene Whitfield: “I just want to congratulate the city employees that achieved the different levels of work and attendance and patronage to the city, and all the city employees who do such a great job. We just thank you all for the work that you do.”

Five years of service
Rodney Corriveau – senior planner – June 2015
Emile Limoges – patrol officer – May 2015
Ray Revell – patrol officer – June 2015
Eugene Howard – patrol officer – September 2015
Jodi Stewart – telecommunications operator – October 2015
Gene Rains – building maintenance specialist II – November 2015
Amy Knoechelman – customer service representative – November 2015

15 years
Peggy Panak – assistant library director – June 2005
Russell Guynn – parks maintenance worker II – June 2005
Stephanie Nelson – telecommunications supervisor – June 2005
Marvin Johnson – utilities service worker II – July 2005
Deborah Lopez – senior circulation clerk – August 2005
Kalvin Switzer – senior code inspector – November 2005

20 years
Tammy McIntyre – utilities department executive assistant – May 2000

25 years
Eugene Brown – public safety inspector – October 1995

30 years
Joseph Galloway – streets foreman – October 1990

Bill Burgess – building official – October 1990

Published January 20, 2021

 

Pasco allocates funds for new central office design

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a task order with CPH Inc., for the design of a new central office and warehouse for its facilities management department.

The agreement, which calls for an amount not to exceed $339,920, is being made under a continuing professional services agreement with CPH, according to backup materials in the board’s Jan. 12 agenda packet.

The county’s facilities management department currently shares space inside Fire Station No. 22, on U.S. 41.

That fire station is scheduled to be replaced by a new facility on the Asbel Road extension, which is expected to be completed in August 2022.

The existing fire station will be demolished to allow future development of a Public Service Center for the Pasco Sheriff’s Office.

The new facilities management office and warehouse will be built on the existing central Public Safety Campus to house facilities management personnel that provide services in the central zone of the county.

In Wesley Chapel, meanwhile, construction has begun on the Overpass Road interchange.

“That interchange will be open to traffic in the Summer of ’22. So that’s just around the corner,” County Administrator Dan Biles told commissioners during their Jan. 12 meeting.

“It actually may be open to traffic before the Diverging Diamond,” Biles said.

By closing Overpass Road during construction, the project will be accelerated by six months to nine months, Biles said.

In connection with the Overpass Road project, commissioners also adopted a resolution authorizing the rerouting of Blair Drive. The Overpass Road/I-75 Interchange Project requires Overpass Road at Blair Drive to be limited access for the safety of the public traveling on Blair Drive and on Overpass Road through the new interchange. To accommodate this requirement, an extension of Blair Drive is being constructed to connect to Old Pasco Road.

Blair Drive at Overpass Road will be closed and reconstructed as a cul-de-sac.

In another action, commissioners approved a state-funded grant agreement between the Florida Department of Transportation and Pasco County, relating to Lacoochee Industrial Area right of way improvements.

The project is aimed at supporting the creation of new jobs in Lacoochee using $5,469,395 approved by the Florida Legislature last year.

The funds will be distributed on a reimbursable basis.

The scope of work for this project consists of:

  • Reconditioning Bower Road from Cummer Road to State Road 575 (approximately 3,200 feet) through the use of full depth reclamation
  • Milling and resurfacing of Cummer Road from U.S. 301 to Bower Road (approximately 4,700 feet)
  • Adding a new right-turn lane on Cummer Road at U.S. 301
  • Providing driveway aprons, as needed and new signing and pavement markings
  • A new right-turn lane on SR 575 at Bower Road, new signing and pavement markings, and preparation of maintained right of way maps, in coordination with FDOT, along Bower Road and SR 575.

To avoid construction delays, the design and permitting phase of the project was

expedited with local funds.

Funding, in the amount of $300,000, was approved through the Office of Economic Growth in the Spring of 2020, to start the design and permitting phase of the project.

The project scope was split into two segments for the purpose of design and permitting. Segment 1 affects county roads, while Segment 2 affects the state highway system.

The design of both segments is currently underway with design and permitting of

Segment 1 to be completed by January 2021, while Segment 2 will be completed by June 2021.

The agreement also notes that the design and permitting phase will not be reimbursed by FDOT because that work preceded the agreement, but the grant support services associated with the design — a separate task order — will be.

Published January 20, 2021

Bridging Freedom is charity of the month

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Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano has named Bridging Freedom, an organization dedicated to ending human trafficking and assisting survivors of that crime, as its charity for the month of January.

Bridging Freedom aims to combat sex-trafficking of minors by bringing restoration to those who have been rescued. And, the organization educates the community and works with partners to increase awareness of this “pervasive and often ‘invisible’ criminal operation,” according to a news release.

During the month of January, all tax collector office locations will be accepting donations to help Bridging Freedom in its mission to assist as many victims as possible, and to educate the public, local businesses and others about the importance of recognizing human trafficking for the crime it is.

“Children, both girls and boys, have their childhoods stolen from them by traffickers and buyers. Bridging Freedom, a safe campus, restores those stolen childhoods with a safe environment, therapy, life skills and a caring community,” Alan Wilkett, retired Pasco Sheriff’s law enforcement officer, said in the release.

For information about Bridging Freedom and its services, contact Wilkett at 813-474-4673.

For more about the tax collector’s charitable campaigns, call Assistant Tax Collector Greg Giordano at 727-847-8179.

Is this a new era of policing?

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Law enforcement agencies nationwide have come under scrutiny, amid calls for reform to police practices, and redirecting funds toward mental health programming and support.

Some area agencies — such as the Pasco Sheriff’s Office and the St. Petersburg Police Department —already incorporate social workers and specialized mental health units, in responding to nonviolent calls for service.

Those two programs were outlined during an Oct. 12  webinar panel discussion called, “The Evolving Movement to Engage and Protect Our Community.”

The discussion was hosted by Saint Leo University and FIRST, which stands for Florida’s Forensics Institute for Research Security & Tactics.

A look at Pasco’s BHIT program
The Pasco Sheriff’s Office’s Behavioral Health Intervention Team (BHIT), which began operating last June, seeks to match people who need services, with the services they need.

Phil Kapusta is the future operations bureau chief with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

The unit includes 12 detectives, two sergeants, a captain and a full-time civilian analyst (and two therapy dogs) working in partnership with local hospitals and mental health facilities, to conduct frequent visitations and welfare checks.

They help expedite referrals for behavioral health resources and criminal justice diversion programs for the county’s Baker Act repeats and other “high utilizers.”

Each BHIT detective has a caseload of 20 to 25 individuals they’re tasked to keep tabs on, and help with needed assistance and resources.

“We’ve literally given them the 250 most challenging people in Pasco County,” Pasco Sheriff’s Office Future Operations Bureau Chief Phil Kapusta said, referring to the program.

Before BHIT was implemented, one “high utilizer” had called the county’s 911 line 138 times in a single year.

The individual has since been assigned a BHIT detective, who is tasked with responding and speaking directly with that individual.

During the past year, that individual has made no calls to 911, Kapusta said. Instead, the person frequently calls the detective’s work number when he needs help.

“A lot of the times that were 911 calls, he just wanted somebody to talk to,” Kapusta said. Instead of responding to those 138 calls, the agency can respond to more urgent calls, he added.

Another BHIT responsibility is making contact with every nonfatal overdose victim within 24 hours of an incident.

Only about a third of those victims have expressed interest in rehabilitation services, Kapusta said, as most either refuse to speak to the unit or refuse to admit to having a drug problem.

But, 53 people, so far, have willingly gone into rehab as a result of BHIT’s intervention, Kapusta said.

“It’s a drop in the bucket to the overall drug epidemic,” he said, “but those are 53 people — it’s somebody’s mother, brother, sister, uncle— and when they come out of that and actually recovered, it’s like gaining that person back. Just that is worth the effort.”

That unit also works with the county’s homeless coalition and the St. Vincent De Paul Society to assist the homeless population. Often, besides lacking housing, they also have substance abuse or mental illness issues.

Anthony Holloway is the police chief in St. Petersburg.

The unit helps connect them with stable living environments and resources to work through other issues, with the goal of helping to “get them to where they’re contributing members of society,” said Kapusta.

Social workers respond to calls
In St. Petersburg, the St. Petersburg Police Department plans to integrate about 25 social workers into its agency by January, in an initiative it calls its Community Assistant Liaison (CAL) program.

St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway explained that social workers gradually will be phased into the department’s operations and 911 response.

The agency’s social workers initially will ride with a uniformed officer to nonviolent or non-criminal mental health calls, then eventually they will respond to those calls themselves, without police assistance.

Instances where social workers might be dispatched include drug overdoses, mental health crisis, unarmed suicide threats, disorderly or truant juveniles, panhandling, homeless complaints and so on. A police officer, however, always will be dispatched to a violent or life-threatening situation.

The CAL program also incorporates more law enforcement de-escalation police training organized by mental health professionals and regular follow-ups with those individuals facing a mental health or social crisis from the agency’s staffed social workers “to make sure that person is getting the care that they need,” Holloway said.

Holloway said the program has been long-needed, considering the agency isn’t really equipped to effectively handle every type of mental health crisis.

Underscoring the point: Of the agency’s 575 sworn officers, about 30% have fewer than five years’ experience on the force, he said.

“We feel like this will be very helpful for us and very beneficial to our officers,” Holloway said. “The law enforcement officers have been dealing with this for years and years, but it’s time for us to put professionals out there so we can deal with people that are going through a mental crisis, so we can be able to help them.”

Holloway said the agency received about 12,000 calls last year where it would’ve been deemed appropriate to send a social worker out to a scene, rather than a uniformed officer.

Jim Cowser is a licensed clinical social worker with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, a national addiction treatment and advocacy organization headquartered in Minnesota.

“A lot of calls we saw were a lot of people going through those mental issues, where really they didn’t need a police officer, they needed someone to help them navigate through a system, and that’s what CAL is really about,” Holloway sad. “There is nothing criminal about it, it’s just someone that needs help.”

Working together for better outcomes
Such collaboration models between social workers and police has garnered support from clinicians and academia alike.

“It’s really reassuring to hear so many wonderful initiatives going on in the state, and the progress that’s being made,” said Jim Cowser, a licensed clinical social worker with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, a national addiction treatment and advocacy organization headquartered in Minnesota.

Cowser reasoned, police ultimately see cost reductions via such initiatives, as they’re not forced to deploy expensive resources to a scene where it’s not warranted. Additionally, it also may reduce the need for arrests and reduce crime directly, by connecting a troubled individual with services, opposed to taking them into custody. He noted there’s “a significant relationship” between the motives or behaviors related to arrests and mental health and substance abuse issues.

By working together and cross-training with social workers, law enforcement agencies are “able to go out and more effectively handle a situation, and so all parties involved are better off,” he explained.

Dr. Lisa Rapp-McCall is a professor in Saint Leo’s Graduate Social Work Department and a research associate in the Maribeth Durst Applied Research Institute.

She likewise summarized the benefits on having police and social workers team under the same roof, in some form or fashion.

“We’re all on the same page with regards to wanting everyone to stay safe,” Rapp-McCall said. “We want to steer people with mental health problems into that system, as opposed to the criminal justice system, where it’s costly and not always as helpful to them.

Dr. Lisa Rapp-McCall is a professor in Saint Leo’s graduate social work department and a research associate in the Maribeth Durst Applied Research Institute.

“I think that social workers and police have already been working with the same individuals, just in different places, so why not harness our professional skillsets and work together to make this a little bit better system?”

Rapp-McCall detailed how law enforcement can use methods to involve social workers, in addition to co-responding and de-escalation training models.

Some agencies nationwide have called on social workers to accompany officers when they deliver death notifications. Others have leveraged them to attend court services with victims to provide comfort and support. Another opportunity is utilizing social workers for community outreach, whether it’s hosting public seminars on opioid use, human trafficking, parenting skills and so on.

Rapp-McCall’s shared findings from research and interviews on police departments incorporating social workers, too.

Results showed a decrease in injuries, involuntary hospitalization, detentions, arrests, and time on calls, which she said “all helped reduce costs of the entire criminal justice system, as well as the agency.”

Additionally, implemented police-social worker models led to an increased engagement in services for citizens involved, and an improved view of law enforcement by citizens. Also, Rapp-McCall noted law enforcement “overwhelmingly” found social workers to be helpful in agency operations.

Police consolidation on the way?
The United States has roughly 18,000 law enforcement agencies. About three quarters of those have less than 25 sworn officers.

The possible paradigm shift — with more social workers partnering law enforcements agencies — combined with more national standards and requirements, could result in smaller police departments consolidating with others, across the country.

And, that may not necessarily be a bad thing, said Phil Kapusta, future operations bureau chief with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. He explained that “smaller departments don’t necessarily have the same resources and can’t dedicate a certain percentage to behavioral health.”

“The U.S. has a long tradition against centralized police,” Kapusta added, “but going forward, we definitely think there’ll be a consolidation of those (smaller agencies).”

However it shakes out, he said he’s willing to see more law enforcement agencies utilize social workers, among other ways to tackle mental health issues in respective communities.

“Law enforcement, for better or worse, kind of in this country has become one of the mental health providers of last resort,” he said, “and we will be happy to pass a lot of those responsibilities on, but you need the system architecture, so that there are mental health professionals who will show up at 2 o’ clock on a Sunday morning and work with us, as long as it’s safe.”

Published November 04, 2020