The Laker/Lutz News

Florida Forensic Institute for Research Security and Tactics

Joining forces in the fight against human trafficking

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Saint Leo University and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office Florida Forensic Institute for Research, Security and Tactics (F1RST) have joined forces to fight human trafficking in Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties, a university new release says.

The two organizations have helped to form the Mel Greene Institute to Combat Human Trafficking, named for the late Spring Hill resident and philanthropist Melvin T. “Mel” Greene.

Greene passed away in 2020 at the age of 92, after “a life spent helping others in his adopted state of Florida, and beyond,” the release notes.

“Human trafficking has continued to be a horrible crime that is present within Florida, as well as within national and international borders,” said Saint Leo assistant professor Karin May, in the release.

May worked in law enforcement for the protection of children and the elderly from abuse prior to joining academia.

“But those of us in criminal justice and public safety administration have seen that concentrated attention does help raise awareness of the dangers involved and the means that criminals use to trap children and adults,” said May.

For several years, Florida has emerged as the third-ranked state in the nation for human trafficking activities, according to national statistics.

Saint Leo and FIRST have collaborated in the past to offer seminars on such topics as leadership development, and natural disaster and emergency management and response to professionals from a number of agencies and communities.

For anyone who needs help or suspects human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, text 233733, or use the TTY number of 711.

Community members also can use the chat function at HumanTraffickingHotline.org/chat.

Published January 12, 2022

Pasco Sheriff named to Homeland Security advisory role

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Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco has added another leadership responsibility to his plate —an advisory role with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The Pasco Sheriff is one of seven new members named to the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) by acting secretary Chad Wolf. The announcement came from the federal agency last month.

The HSAC is a Department of Homeland Security federal advisory committee that provides the secretary with independent, informed recommendations, and advice on a variety of homeland security issues. It’s comprised of national policy makers, representatives from state, local, and tribal governments, emergency, and first responder communities, academia, and the private sector. The 35-member council is chaired by former CIA and FBI Director Judge William Webster.

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco was recently appointed to the Homeland Security Advisory Council. The role provides the acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with independent, informed recommendations, and advice on a variety of homeland security issues. (File)

With the appointment, Nocco becomes the only elected official from Florida to serve on the council.

In an interview with The Laker/Lutz News, Nocco called the selection “a humbling honor,” that will give the area “a seat at the table” when it comes to providing and receiving input on homeland security-related matters — such as a hurricane, cyberattack, power grid shutdown and so on.

“For the whole Tampa Bay region and the state of Florida, I’m very fortunate to be in this position to help out and have our voices heard,” said Nocco, noting the role goes beyond law enforcement issues. “With Homeland Security, it is a very large and very broad organization. When you dig down into it, you realize, from transportation, to communications, to energy, this is a very large organization.”

Nocco added it’s likewise beneficial to now have a direct line to “the highest levels” of Homeland Security if a crisis arises regionally or statewide. “It’s not like I call the secretary of Homeland Security every night, but at the same time, there is that openness of if I need to get a message across, we’re able to connect through staff to the secretary very quickly,” he said.

In addition to participating in full HSAC committee meetings, Nocco is serving on an HSAC subcommittee that focuses on countering violent extremism groups, particularly in exposure to American youth. Some examples include white supremacy groups, terrorist organizations, cults “or any other ideology that promotes hate and disconnect,” said Nocco.

The subcommittee, meeting roughly every two or three weeks, is “basically going all the way upstream to prevent these kids form getting involved in these groups,” Nocco said.

One way to do that, the sheriff said, is ensuring parents and guardians warn their children about what is on the Internet and on social media. He indicated the issue is more important now, as kids are out of school for the summer and possibly stuck at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also, Nocco  acknowledged the recent HSAC appointment ties in well with forthcoming developments at the forensics research and training center project in Land O’ Lakes known as FIRST, Florida’s Forensic Institute for Research, Security and Tactics.

With that project, the sheriff explained there’s an opportunity for more partnerships with Homeland Security in the way of innovation, technology and instructional programs. “I think it’s just going to strengthen what we’re doing here in Pasco County,” he said.

Nocco has been Pasco Sheriff since 2011, when he was appointed by then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott. Nocco was elected to the position in 2012 and re-elected in 2016. He just won another term.

Previously, he served with the Philadelphia Public School Police, the Fairfax County Police Department, and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Additionally, he was a first responder to the attacks of 9/11 and the Washington D.C. sniper incident.

Other HSAC appointed members include James Carafano, vice president of The Heritage Foundation’s Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy; James Fuller, executive vice president of Hill + Knowlton Strategies; Hans Miller, CEO and co-founder of Airside; Cynthia Renaud, chief of police for the city of Santa Monica; Mark Weatherford, founding partner at Aspen Chartered; and Brian White, global security practice head for DBO Partners.

Published June 24, 2020

Pasco Sheriff beefs up mental health services

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Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco is ramping up efforts to address mental health issues, in his agency’s daily work.

The sheriff explained his team’s approach to those attending the September breakfast meeting of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

Nocco said mental health issues are expanding in a way that affects public safety, during remarks to dozens of chamber members at the Golden Corral in Zephyrhills.

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco was the featured guest speaker at The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce September breakfast meeting at the Golden Corral in Zephyrhills. (Kevin Weiss)

About 11 percent of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office’s calls for service last year were mental-health related, which equates to approximately 19,000 calls.

But, Nocco estimates the figure is even higher because the agency data doesn’t take into account calls that are related to overdoses, runaways, domestic violence linked to addiction and substance abuse, and other incidents possibly rooted in mental illness.

“I can tell you,” Nocco said, “roughly 20 percent of our calls for service are mental-health related.

“The meat of what we deal with is mental health and substance abuse issues,” Nocco said, “so what we’re doing is identifying the highest usage of individuals that have mental health issues and are consistently calling us.”

In an attempt “to get ahead of the curve,” the sheriff’s office has implemented some new approaches, Nocco said.

Foremost among them is the agency’s new Mental Health and Threat Assessment Team (MHTAT), he said. The unit consists of 15 sworn personnel and Baycare Behavioral Health case managers, aimed to better serve the needs of people facing significant mental health issues.

The team’s primary task is to keep tabs on individuals who have been held involuntarily in a mental health treatment facility for up to 72 hours, through a state law known as the Baker Act. They focus on approximately 500 people who are Baker Act repeats.

The team uses a proactive approach that includes frequent visitations, welfare checks, expedited behavioral health resources and criminal justice diversion programs.

By getting to the “root issues” of problems and offering resources, the unit will help reduce the number of calls to 911 — thereby enabling patrol deputies to respond more quickly to urgent or violent calls, Nocco said.

Another unit component includes threat assessments and interventions for troubled students in the school system  —  as a measure to prevent school violence acts, or school shootings.

The county’s most at-risk kids are identified with assistance from school resource officers and the agency’s Child Protective Investigations Divisions, the sheriff said.

The at-risk kids typically include runaways, students with frequent school changes, those with prior run-ins with law enforcement or those with parents under child welfare investigations, he said.

The idea is to provide early intervention to help prevent future problems, Nocco said.

“I’m not saying we’re going to be perfect. There’s always that lone wolf, that one individual that just decides to do something, but, for the majority of people, if we can be smart about how we operate, we’re going to be way more successful.”

In Nocco’s opinion, the general rise of mental illness is tied to the proliferation of the digital age and the rise of social media. He displayed his own smartphone and said: “These are destroying us.”

The sheriff also noted that his agency is working to reduce the recidivism rate for inmates at the Land O’ Lakes detention center.

To that end, the jail has various inmate labor programs and vocational programs, including a welding program that allows inmates to get certified skills, with the aim of equipping them for jobs upon their release.

Said Nocco: “There are people that have addictions or people that have gone through problems  that made bad decisions, but now this is the first time in the jail that they actually get up at 4 o’clock in the morning, they’re actually doing work, they’re actually going, ‘Huh, if I do this I can succeed.’”

The sheriff also shared some other information about his department, including:

  • A memorandum of understanding his agency has with the City of Zephyrhills to operate a portion of the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport in emergencies and natural disasters, such as hurricanes. The agency will use the location to distribute various resources (food, water, first aid supplies, etc.) throughout the county.
  • The K9 Tactical Center/Florida’s Forensic Institute for Research, Security and Tactics (F.I.R.S.T.) is expected to have some of its first operations up and running by next spring. Construction on Land O’ Lakes-based forensics research and training center campus began in September 2018. The $4.3 million state-funded project is designed to provide “a holistic approach” to crime scene operations and investigations, as a collaborative resource for universities, forensic scientists and law enforcement.

Published September 11, 2019