By Jeff Odom
Sheriff Chris Nocco has a new plan for law enforcement in Pasco County, and it starts with community involvement.
Nocco, 36, was sworn in Jan. 2 after handily defeating Democrat challenger Kim Bogart in November’s election to win his first full term as sheriff 18 months after being appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to replace the retiring Bob White.
Since taking over, the county has seen its crime rate drop across the board, according to statistics released by the sheriff’s office. For that, Nocco credits citizen involvement and a rejuvenated focus on criminal activity.
“What’s important has been our partnership with the community,” Nocco said. “We’re getting a lot more feedback from our citizens; they’re providing us with tips, and they are much more engaged with the sheriff’s office. The more we have that partnership between the sheriff’s office and the citizens, the safer we’ll be.”
One of the biggest tasks facing Nocco during the first few months on the job was widespread prescription drug abuse. In order to prevent that, the sheriff’s office implemented intelligence led policing, which led to the shutdown of multiple illegal clinics in the county.
“We’re still working, because drugs are a constant issue we have had in Pasco,” Nocco said. “Our detectives are still hitting on the prescription pills, and we’re getting into deeper investigation. I think that’s one of the areas, working with the (Drug Enforcement Agency), we’re never going to let that go.”
Aside from crime, Nocco has begun to re-organize the sheriff’s office to grant residents a part of the ownership in making the county safer.
He said they will be updating all technology during the next four years and will be opening a customer service department, along with a new smart phone application so people can get an answer directly instead of being transferred to different phones.
“We’re in a major overhaul of our computer system, and we’re working right now to create an app for the phones,” Nocco said. “We’re going to redo our website so that it’s more locally based. If someone lives in Land O’ Lakes, they’re going to know what’s going on in their community right then and there. We want to make that as good as possible so that the citizens have the most up-to-date information we can provide them.”
The smart phone app, titled One Solution, will be the first of its kind in the state, according to Nocco. It is aimed at convenience for deputies and the community.
“Everything in the agency will be on one computer system, so law enforcement records, detention records and personnel records will be right there,” Nocco said. “You won’t have to go through and switch to different programs. If somebody is arrested, the deputy will only have to write their name down one time, and if they’re brought in to booking, all of that information will already be there.”
Projects Nocco and the sheriff’s office have already accomplished include the creation of a unified SWAT team, school safety initiatives, expansion of the Pasco Police Athletic League (PPAL) football and cheerleading organization and the creation of Strategic Targeted Area of Response (STAR) units to track down prolific offenders and put them in jail.
Nocco also plans on raising physical fitness standards and educational requirements for deputies to continue building for the future.
“I joke with people, and I tell them we’re like Sparta,” Nocco said. “We have limited resources, but the resources we have are extremely effective, because we have a saying that we fight as one. If you’re a criminal and you’re coming to Pasco County, we’re going to be on you very quickly. … We are a very efficient agency and we continue every day to build a reputation that we don’t mess around, and we don’t apologize for being tough on crime.”
