Chris Nocco

Pay hikes needed to retain staff, Nocco says

June 10, 2015 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco says he needs a $5.4 million increase in his annual budget to provide better pay and benefits — both to recruit new employees and to keep veterans from leaving for higher paying jobs.

“It’s a morale issue,” Nocco told Pasco County commissioners at a June 2 workshop in New Port Richey.

The sheriff’s office is on pace to set a record for 50 resignations this year, largely due to low compensation, Nocco said.

His 2016 budget request is about $104 million in total, about 6.7 percent higher than the budget approved by commissioners last year.

Other increases in Nocco’s budget include $475,000 for body cameras and $254,000 for aircraft maintenance.

The argument that Pasco is losing officers tired of low pay isn’t new. Nocco has issued the warning in past years.

He came to this year’s budget workshop armed with fresh data and a salary survey to back up his claims.

“We didn’t just cry wolf,” said Nocco. “The problem is growing.”

The salary of a Tampa police officer is more than $48,000 a year, and in Pinellas it is more than $45,000, based on information gleaned from agency websites as part of a salary survey done by Tallahassee-based Evergreen Solutions. Pasco deputies make just under $40,000 a year.

Some counties, including Pinellas, also use the incentive of a signing bonus to attract staff.

Evergreen Solutions reviewed salaries paid by 13 of 16 peer law enforcement agencies in the state. Pasco was at the bottom in salary compensation, and gives no signing bonuses.

At Nocco’s request, the survey focused on the local market area of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, and the cities of St. Petersburg and Tampa.

Evergreen Solutions is recommending a three-year phased in step pay plan to provide incremental increases linked to an employee’s job description. The requested $5.4 million would cover the first year’s cost of salaries and benefits.

Commissioners are in the midst of reviewing budget proposals from all county departments.

Data on revenues will be provided by the tax collector’s office on July 1. A final budget won’t be approved until September, with two budget hearings in the interim.

“We know we have challenges ahead of us,” said Chairman Ted Schrader.

Pasco doesn’t have the tax base to pay for everything it needs, he said.

While everyone supports public safety, Schrader was skeptical of the proposed pay plan and its impact on future budget requests. “Where does it stop?” he said.

The economic downturn in the economy that began in 2008 has strained Pasco’s coffers. Many departments, including libraries and parks, took hits in recent years.

Since 2013, the county has boosted the budget for the sheriff’s office by 12 percent, including an additional $7.2 million for fiscal 2015, according to county budget records. Those records also reveal that the sheriff’s office’s budget represents more than 40 percent of total ad valorem expenditures from the county’s general fund.

Nocco acknowledged the commission’s support for past requests. “We know if there was more money in the pot, our numbers would go up,” he said. “ I think a lot of people are seeing the need. The Tampa Bay market in law enforcement is very competitive. But, you have been supportive. There is no doubt about it.”

Commissioner Mike Moore appeared generally favorable toward Nocco’s request. Based on the sheriff’s data, he calculated that the county has spent close to $5 million in training costs for officers who later left for better paying jobs.

Better retention of employees would be cost efficient, he added.

“We’re growing by leaps and bounds,” Moore said. “It’s not just about big versus small (counties) anymore. It’s who’s growing the fastest.”

Preliminary numbers from the tax collector are looking good, said Commissioner Kathryn Starkey. “We’ll have an even better next year.”

But she said challenges remain.

“We are filling up with people who don’t have a lot of money to pay for everything we want to do,” Starkey said.

Published June 10, 2015

Sexual offenders have fewer places to live in Pasco

April 29, 2015 By Kathy Steele

The Pasco County Commission is making it harder for certain sexual offenders and predators to find places to live within the county.

A new ordinance approved by the commission targets people convicted of sex crimes against children younger than age 16. Those crimes include sexual battery, lewd and lascivious conduct, and selling or buying a minor for sexual depiction.

People convicted of those offenses are banned from living within 2,500 feet of schools, child care facilities, parks, playgrounds and other places where children typically gather. That’s 2.5 times the state’s restriction, which sets the minimum distance at 1,000 feet.

“We’re not talking about Romeos and Juliets,” said Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco. “These are the crimes that are the worst of the worst.”

County officials said 53 of the county’s 907 registered offenders are affected by the new ordinance.

Offenders who currently live within the new boundaries are grandfathered in, and don’t have to move.

However, if they move or if they violate any requirements they have as registered offenders, they must comply with the new restrictions.

Safety zones of 300 feet also have been established for locations including schools, school bus stops, YMCA and YWCA facilities, Boys & Girls Clubs, skate parks, public zoos, video arcades and fairs.

On Halloween, offenders must not have any contact with children or hand out candy. Outside lights at their residence must be turned off after 5 p.m., the time when children typically go out to trick-or-treat.

Public libraries were omitted from the safety zones.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey noted that data shows libraries are among the most used locations for job searches.

If libraries wish to adopt their own policies to deal with this issue, county officials said their legal staff could assist them.

Therapist Robert Drake challenged the soundness of the ordinance. He said he has treated sex offenders for about 15 years and has never seen “empirical” evidence that 2,500 feet is a safer buffer than 1,000 feet.

“Really, are we making our community, our society, safer by putting more and more restrictions on people coming out of prison trying to rehabilitate?” Drake asked. “Is this really achieving our goal? I think more study is needed.”

Commissioner Mike Moore, who introduced the ordinance, maintained that if only one child could be saved, the ordinance was worth it. “This is an instance where we can make the county safer,” he said.

Published April 29, 2015

Will body cameras become new standard?

April 22, 2015 By Kathy Steele

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office rolled out the use of body cameras as standard equipment for its deputies beginning in February.

The Tampa Police Department has adopted a pilot program, using 80 cameras in three police districts.

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco and Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor spoke recently at Saint Leo University about the use of body cameras. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University) — Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco and Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor spoke recently at Saint Leo University about the use of body cameras.
(Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

The leaders of both police agencies spoke about the use of body cameras at the debut of the Criminal Justice Speaker Showcase on April 16 at Saint Leo University.

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco and Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor addressed roughly two dozen faculty, students and media about the expanding use of body cameras.

Pasco’s deputies and investigators put on a body camera at the beginning of each shift.

Nocco made the decision to use the cameras after seeking opinions from other law enforcement agencies that were using the technology even before the tragic events in Ferguson, Missouri.

“One thing that was consistent when they were asked the question ‘Would you ever go back?’ They all said no,” Nocco said.

The Ferguson, Missouri incident involved a white police officer who shot and killed a 17-year-old black teenager.

The incident sparked riots in Ferguson and a national protest regarding charges of excessive police force and racism.

An investigation cleared the officer in Ferguson of any wrongdoing.

The use of body cameras will have a significant impact on policing, Nocco said.

“It’s going to change the way we do law enforcement,” Nocco said. “It’s an evidence-based business model.”

Police departments already using the cameras have reported fewer confrontations and reduced complaints from residents.

Nocco also said he expects the court system will benefit, because more suspects will plead out cases rather than go to trial.

“If we can reduce the backlog because of the evidence, think how much more efficient courts will be,” he said.

Videos taken by bystanders on camera cellphones have brought mixed results.

A grand jury declined to indict officers caught on tape using a banned chokehold while arresting Eric Garner on Staten Island for selling single cigarettes. Garner died at the scene.

But another bystander in North Charleston, South Carolina taped a police officer shooting Walter Scott in the back as he fled after a routine traffic stop for a broken tail light. The officer has been charged with murder.

Still, the objectivity of a video is what many hope will resolve disputes of fact and create more transparency when confrontations happen.

“Once it is ironed out, it will be a regular thing” said Jennifer Booker, a staff member at Saint Leo University. “I think it will become a piece of evidence like DNA was in the 80s. They shoot exactly what happens from beginning to start.”

Rickado St. Fleur, a criminal justice major, hopes to some day work for the federal Homeland Security agency. “It’s definitely going to take some time to get used to them,” he said. “But it definitely helps. It will help society regain the bond with law enforcement.”

The Pasco sheriff’s department issued more than 400 sets of Taser Axon cameras that are mounted usually onto glasses, hats, on shirt fronts or collars of deputies or investigators. Cameras are turned on to record interactions with the public. At the end of a shift, video is uploaded to a docking station.

Castor opted for a pilot program with 80 body cameras deployed to 18 officers in each of three districts, and six to officers on bicycle patrols.

“We need to have our side seen,” she said.

It’s a learning curve for everyone.

“It’s going to be an ongoing process to see how the public reacts, and the officers,” Castor said. So far, acceptance has been high, she said.

The cameras raise questions about privacy, search and seizure protections, and about how the video can be used. Currently public record requests for footage are reviewed in-house. Software can blur out certain information such as license tags or identities of minors.

Lawmakers are weighing in during the current legislative session. One bill would require agencies that use body cameras to set policies on their use and training requirements. A second bill would set exemptions to the state’s public records law that supporters say would protect the general public’s privacy. Critics say that could lead to less transparency and allow law enforcement to conceal misdeeds.

Castor said there should be some limitations. She noted that Tampa successfully barred the release of video showing the deaths of two Tampa police officers killed during a routine traffic stop.

“I don’t think that we’ll see the end of legislation for several years,” Nocco said.

But Nocco believes that body cameras are here to stay.

“As we move forward, it’s going to be constantly evolving, constantly changing,” Nocco said. “We’ll be much better off for it.”

Published April 22, 2015

Pasco 911 center needs improvement

April 1, 2015 By Kathy Steele

The merger of 911 operations between Pasco County and the sheriff’s office is a work-in-progress, and no one would say it has been without problems.

But County Administrator Michele Baker and Sheriff Chris Nocco say they will try to mend what Nocco describes as a “broken partnership.”

That could mean tweaking the nearly two-year-old agreement that brought the emergency call center under the county’s supervision.

“We’ll sit down immediately and go through the interlocal agreement and bring something back (to the commissioners),” said Baker in response to criticisms about the call center’s operations.

Nocco would like management hires for the center to be shared equally between his office and the county, with each having a veto. His immediate concern is hiring a director. The position has been vacant since the resignation of its first director in September.

Nocco also wants a lieutenant from his office to be named assistant director. Baker said she supports the request, calling it “brilliant.” She also assured Nocco he would be consulted on the director’s selection.

The sheriff brought his concerns about the call center to county commissioners at their March 24 meeting. First responders, including deputies and firefighters, filled the boardroom.

“That’s all we want is a partnership,” Nocco said. “The reason we are speaking up is because the partnership has failed.”

Among complaints were a lack of leadership, training, quality control and urgency in responding to 911 calls.

Nocco and some of his deputies cited troubling incidents.

They said a deputy was sent to the wrong address. A dispatcher delayed passing along a resident’s tip that might have led to the arrest of a murder suspect. A dispatcher advised a woman caller to step outside her house to see if a man armed with a knife was still present. A dispatcher ignored a deputy’s request for backup at a crime scene. And residents have complained about unanswered and dropped calls.

“Those are unfortunate situations, and our operators were wrong,” Baker said

But she defended the overall progress and operations of the call center.

It meets industry standards with more than 99 percent of calls answered within 20 seconds, she said.

“The staff who work in that communications center are great people,” Baker said. “They are feeling a little maligned right now because they are struggling.”

Prior to the merger, Baker as then-assistant county administrator participated in a study of other call centers that dealt with consolidation. Generally the process took three years to four years, Baker said.

Pasco opted to accelerate that time frame and is now a year-and-a-half into the merger, she added.

On March 31, eight new hires were scheduled to begin working at the call center. New dispatching software also is ready for use. And she said 100 percent of staff members are cross-trained in working with law enforcement, medical and fire rescue calls.

“Are they really experienced yet? Not so much,” Baker said. “But it takes time to become comfortable.”

Nocco said training for new hires is insufficient, and some basics, such as drug testing, are overlooked.

Commissioner Mike Wells Jr., said he found the hiring and training process for the call center “alarming. We need to relook at these things. We need the best of the best.”

Published April 1, 2015

Charter advisory panel all white, mostly male

March 23, 2015 By Kathy Steele

A 15-member charter advisory panel that will decide the future of Pasco County’s governing structure is in place. And Pasco commissioners approved a contract to pay a private Tallahassee consultant $60,000 to guide its efforts during the coming months.

But the panel’s all white, and nearly all-male make-up came under fire at the commissioners regular meeting in Dade City on March 10. Each Pasco County Commissioner appointed two members, plus an alternate to the panel. Pasco’s five state legislators also weighed in, with one appointment each.

Commissioner Mike Moore got some pushback for his selection of a county law enforcement officer supervised by Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco.

“I have concerns with a member of (Nocco’s) team being on the committee,” said Chairman Ted Schrader. “I think it would be appropriate to replace him with someone else.”

Moore defended Pasco Maj. Mel Eakley as the right choice based on Eakley’s credentials in law enforcement and his service as a military veteran.

“I kind of take offense to saying we don’t want anyone on the board who is an everyday average citizen,” he said.

Schrader said he wasn’t questioning Eakley’s qualifications.

Other commissioners and Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano also questioned Moore’s choice of Eakley.

“Perception is everything, ladies and gentlemen,” said Fasano in a public comment to the commission. He questioned the appointment of anyone “associated with constitutional officers.”

But no one made a formal challenge to Eakley’s appointment.

“I respect Mr. Moore,” Schrader said. “I’m really disappointed in his choice. I think it’s a conflict of interest, but it’s your choice.”

The lone woman on the panel will be banker Candace Glewen. She is a replacement for Commissioner Kathryn Starkey’s first choice of Pasco County School Board member Alison Crumbley. Crumbley declined the appointment upon the advice of the school board’s attorney who cited the potential for a conflict of interest.

Commissioner Jack Mariano appointed a woman, Cami Austin, as an alternate.

Former commissioner Pat Mulieri took the commissioners to task for not appointing a more balanced panel to represent the community. “It is ironic,” she said during public comment. “I was supposed to speak at a luncheon (today) celebrating women.”

The panel will tackle critical issues, such as whether Pasco County should have single-member voting districts, term limits and whether the county’s structure should be changed to have an elected administrator rather than one that’s appointed.

Mulieri wondered: ”Why did the board feel only men could make these decisions?”

She also questioned the $60,000 cost “for a consultant you don’t need. I’m standing here today to tell you it will go to $100,000.”

The cost for services from Kurt Spitzer & Associates potentially could exceed $60,000 if the panel requests additional work or travel beyond the flat fee of $5,000 a month, said County Administrator Michele Baker. The fixed rate includes travel for 12 months for approximately 22 to 24 meetings, she said.

Moore suggested panel members might not need a consultant beyond the early organizational meetings. “That’s a pretty large consulting fee in my mind,” he said. “I think you need to leave it up to the committee.”

Baker said the terms of the contract allow Spitzer to terminate his service with a 30-day notice. It also allows the panel to cancel his services immediately upon written notice.

Moore and Commissioner Jack Mariano floated a proposal to allow panel members to approve recommendations based on a simple majority, but Starkey, Schrader and Wells said the requirement of a super-majority vote was essential.

The panel must meet within the next 30 days.

Its recommendations are due to the commission by June 1, 2016. If the panel recommends a charter government, the matter would go to voters in a referendum on the November 2016 general election ballot.

Members of the Pasco County charter advisory panel
Commission Chairman Ted Schrader appointed Billy E. Brown and John J. Gallagher to the panel, with Cliff McDuffie, as alternate

Commissioner Mike Moore appointed Mel Eakley and Gary Bradford, with Joseph Poblick, as alternate

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey appointed Candace Glewen and Dewey Mitchell, with Dominic Scannavino, as alternate

Commissioner Mike Wells Jr., appointed Steve Booth and Tim Holladay, with Jim Driscoll, as alternate

Commissioner Jack Mariano appointed Chuck Grey and Bill Woodard, with Cami Austin, as alternate

Members of the Pasco County legislative delegation appointed Michael Cox, Robert Eckard, John Kinsman, Randy Maggard and Mike Ryan

Published March 18, 2015

Panelists identify gaps in mental health system

December 24, 2014 By B.C. Manion

Participants in a recent mental health panel at Rasmussen College in Land O’ Lakes didn’t have any easy solutions for problems plaguing the delivery of mental health care to the nation’s most vulnerable people.

A mental health care panel at Rasmussen College in Land O’ Lakes noted many issues that need to be addressed to improve the quality of mental health care in this country. (Courtesy of Gus Bilirakis)

But they did point out several areas where changes could be made to help improve the level of care for those with mental health conditions, and to improve support for their families and loved ones.

The panel, convened by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, focused on mental health and substance abuse issues. It featured U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, a clinical psychologist and author of H.B. 3717, otherwise known as the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act.

Bilirakis is among the co-signers on Murphy’s bill.

Too often people have thrown some money at the mental health care problem, added a program, and then walked away without making any real difference, Murphy told a crowd of about 100.

“We have to stop pretending that we can just wish this away,” Murphy said.

Like Murphy, Bilirakis said the time has come to find real solutions. The Palm Harbor Republican has learned from constituents that “we have a broken system with too many individuals falling through the cracks and not receiving the help that they need.

“We put a Band-Aid on it, but we don’t fix it,” Bilirakis said. “Enough is enough.”

Murphy said he’s heard from thousands of families across America, and their constant refrain is that there’s not enough help for people who are mentally ill. Under the current system, mentally ill people often can’t get help they need unless they go to jail.

“On any given day, half-a-million people in this nation are in jail with a mental illness,” Murphy said.

The problems of mental illness spill into other arenas, too, he added. The nation’s homeless population continues to swell, its suicide rates have increased, and many people with mental conditions have little or no prospect of work.

Panelists at the Dec. 16 session represented high-ranking officials from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, the Pinellas-Pasco Public Defender’s Office, Operation PAR, Baycare Behavioral Health, Medical Center of Trinity, the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention, the Pinellas chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Pasco County Schools, the Trinity Pain Center and an advocate representing veterans needing mental health care.

Themes that emerged during the discussion included the need for:

Better hand-offs between various providers to ensure a continuum of care for people with mental health conditions
Short-term residential treatment centers to provide greater support for the mentally ill
Additional crisis intervention team training to help police and first responders better assist people with mental conditions
Help teach school district employees how to identify symptoms that may indicate mental illness in its earliest stages
Less bureaucracy in the way programs are administered and funded, so that people can be receive treatment when and where they need it
Additional research to find effective ways to treat mental conditions
Increased support to help families coping with the challenges posed by a family member’s mental condition

Some panelists pointed out specific areas that need reform. Pasco County sheriff Chris Nocco, for example, believes changes are needed in the state’s Baker Act, which governs how long a person can be detained for a mental evaluation. The current maximum is 72 hours.

That, Nocco said, “is not long enough,” likening it to putting a bandage on a gushing wound.

Murphy agreed with that assessment.

“Who came up with 72 hours for mental illness?” he said, adding that the time limit “doesn’t make clinical sense.”

Medical Center of Trinity chief executive Leigh Massengill said she finds it shameful that, for many patients, the first introduction to the hospital’s behavioral care unit often is by virtue of the Baker Act.

One of the biggest frustrations is the lack of hand-offs in the community after these patients have been stabilized and released from the hospital’s behavioral care facility, Massengill said.

“That absolutely guarantees that they’re going to come back to us, or come back to somebody else, or wind up dead,” she said. “That’s unconscionable in my mind, in this day and time.”

Saybra Chapman, clinical coordinator for Pasco County Schools, noted that a primary issue that keeps surfacing is access to care and timely care.

“The problem for us is when students are waiting for care and not able to get ready services,” she said. “They are trying to function in the school setting, which is a challenge for everybody.”

While panelists discussed the gaps in services and funding issues, Roy Gifford reminded them hope remains for people with mental conditions. The 38-year-old has suffered from schizoaffective disorder for most of his life.

“I have been on almost every kind of medication possible since childhood,” Gifford said.

He’s lived in assisted living facilities, foster care homes, jails, and on the street.

“I often thought there was no hope for me,” Gifford said, acknowledging it was so bad at some points he tried to end his life.

He’s on a new medication now, and has accepted the fact he likely will be on medication the rest of his life.

“Remember, there is hope and recovery,” Gifford told those gathered. “I know it can be done. I am living proof.”

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Future is here: Body cameras coming to Pasco

December 18, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Many law enforcement agencies around the country continue to debate whether they should have patrol officers wear body cameras — but the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office isn’t waiting any longer.

More than 400 deputies and investigators will be equipped with body cameras in February, a movie Sheriff Chris Nocco said would make neighborhoods safer for deputies and the people who live in them.

Pasco County Sheriff’s deputy and field training officer Kristina Perez, right, demonstrates the new body camera that other deputies in Sheriff Chris Nocco’ department will be equipped with beginning in February. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

“This is not the panacea,” Nocco said during a news conference last week. “This is not going to be the cure-all for all the issues of our world. But it’s a tool, just like any other tool that we use in law enforcement.”

The sheriff’s office is in the process of ordering 415 sets of Taser Axon cameras, which can be mounted on glasses, hats, shirt fronts, collars, lapels and other locations on a deputy. They record up to four hours of video and audio, and have a battery that lasts 12 hours.

Deputies will turn it on whenever they get out of their patrol car to interact with the public or investigate a crime, Nocco said. At the end of each shift, deputies connect their camera to a docking station to upload each video. Once it’s in the system, they cannot be manipulated, and deputies will not be able to edit them.

It’s the kind of system that will not only provide transparency in how deputies interact with people inside Pasco County, but it also could streamline the court system significantly.

“The criminal justice system’s job is to get to the truth,” said Craig Laporte, an attorney with Proly Laporte & Mulligan in Port Richey, who represents one of the deputy unions. “If an individual has, in fact, committed a crime, this provides evidence of that. This could reduce the number of jury trials … because the state attorney will immediately have information they can use.”

Cameras also could significantly reduce the complaints filed against deputies, each one of which must be investigated. By having an unedited video and audio record of the encounter, internal investigations would not have to rely on witness accounts alone, discouraging people from making false claims against the officer.

It also could stop a deputy from crossing any lines, making some of the problems police are experiencing in New York City and Ferguson, Missouri, a lot less likely to happen.

While the use of body cameras is something some observers have suggested after the officer-involved deaths in those cities, Nocco said Pasco’s plan has been in motion for quite some time, with field testing beginning last October.

“This started months ago because citizens are constantly pulling their phones out and taping deputies,” Nocco said. Those deputies were “looking on their own to get body cameras, and they were talking about buying them on their own. But I said to wait, because we have to come up with a policy.”

That policy includes when deputies are expected to have the cameras on, and how long videos will be stored before they’re deleted. The policy also makes it clear that the cameras can’t be used as “Big Brother,” Nocco said, referring to the novel “1984,” where supervisors can’t pull up random video just for the sake of disciplining a deputy.

The entire program will cost $400,000 a year — far less than what other neighboring agencies like the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is considering, Nocco said. Initial funds will come from federal forfeiture dollars, but future years will require funding through tax dollars controlled by the Pasco County Commission.

The cameras bring their own controversies to the table, primarily when it comes to privacy rights, Fourth Amendment protections of search and seizure through the U.S. Constitution, and how footage is used, and what is made available to the public. Nocco says he hopes lawmakers in Tallahassee will address body cameras this coming year, but in the meantime, he’s moving forward.

So far for the upcoming legislative session, only one bill has been filed in Tallahassee regarding body cameras. State Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, filed H.B. 57 on Dec. 4 that, if passed, would require every uniformed law enforcement officer primarily assigned to patrol duties to be equipped with a body camera by Jan. 1, 2016.

“We’re not fearful of being a leader out there,” Nocco said. “There’s always going to be bumps in the road, and there is always going to be tweaks.”

Cameras like this already are in use in different parts of the United Kingdom, and those police departments provided a significant amount of data on how the cameras were used. For example, one town in Scotland found that 70 percent of cases that involved body cameras were less likely to go to trial. Closer to home in Rialto, California, complaints against law enforcement officers dropped from 24 to just three.

Published December 17, 2014

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In Print: (Police) lights, (body) cameras, action!

December 17, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Don’t ask Pasco County sheriff Chris Nocco to wait in doing something he believes in, even if it’s unclear how taking action would be received by the public.

That’s why Nocco isn’t waiting for court challenges or even the Florida Legislature before ordering more than 400 body cameras that will be equipped to deputies out on patrol. And while the $400,000 annual cost will be eaten by federal forfeiture funds this year, it’s something Nocco hopes the Pasco County Commission will write a check for in future years.

“We’re not fearful of being a leader out there,” Nocco told reporters during a press conference last week, as shared by reporter Michael Hinman. “There’s always going to be bumps in the road, and there is always going to be tweaks.”

The cameras, however, are not a result of police controversies in Ferguson, Missouri, or New York City, where law enforcement officers took the lives of two unarmed suspects, Nocco said.

“This started months ago because citizens are constantly pulling their phones out and taping deputies,” he said. That prompted those deputies to ask for cameras, and even offer to buy them on their own. But Nocco insisted the sheriff’s office draft a policy in place.

So what do others think about these cameras? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker, available on newsstands now, or right here with our free online e-edition.

Christmas is right around the corner, and it’s usually a time we think about family and spending time with them. But for many, it can be quite difficult instead — especially couples who have suffered through a recent miscarriage.

Reina Flores-Robinson is feeling the pain of losing a baby, and is sharing her experience with others to hopefully not only provide support to other women and couples, but to also build awareness of the emotional impact such a loss can have on families.

“At first, it was just hard to even understand, just the initial shock,” Flores-Robinson told reporter B.C. Manion. “I have an amazing doctor. He told me, ‘You’re going to recount every step you took because you’re going to try and figure out what you did wrong.’ He said, ‘I’m going to tell you there’s nothing you could have changed, and nothing you could have done differently. You’re never going to find an answer to it.'”

But how do families cope? Flores-Robinson shares her personal insight in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available now in driveways and newsstands, and also in our free online e-edition, which can be found by clicking here.

And finally, when we think of soccer powerhouses, we think of Sunlake High School. But apparently, the Seahawks are no longer the only (perfect) game in town.

Wiregrass Ranch High School also has an unbeaten boys soccer team, and there may be no slowing these footballers down.

“They’ll run the first 25 minutes of practice without me having to do anything,” Wiregrass Ranch coach David Wilson told reporter Michael Murillo. “I say one thing to them, and they’ll be gone. They go on their run, they come out and stretch, they do their preliminary practice stuff and their preparation stuff.

“There’s expectations that we’ve set, and these kids know what to do when they come in.”

But can Wiregrass Ranch make it all the way to the state finals? Get a peek inside the school’s soccer operation in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available all over the central and eastern parts of Pasco County, or through our free online e-edition by clicking here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.

Commissioners to decide next step on baseball park Tuesday

December 15, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Pasco County officials are set to do exactly what James Talton has wanted over the last few weeks: To terminate the agreement between the two for a massive recreational baseball complex in Wesley Chapel’s Wiregrass Ranch area.

County commissioners could do just that during its regular meeting in New Port Richey on Tuesday, after Talton’s Pasco Sports LLC failed to provide necessary paperwork to show he had $3 million available to help with the design stage of the project. Talton and retired Major League Baseball player Gary Sheffield wanted to build the complex on 100 acres of land not far from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, which they said could become a significant youth sports training destination.

Yet, finding private financing for what was at one time a $70 million project has been troublesome under the current agreement with the county, Talton has said, and the project could actually move forward without the county’s involvement, or its $11 million in tourist tax dollars.

“in our minds, this is just another step in the process, and we have every intention of getting this project completed,” Talton told The Laker/Lutz News last week. “The current agreement is being terminated. I literally cannot work based on the current financing environment. We will negotiate new terms and have financing in place upon execution so we can move forward immediately.”

How that would work is unclear. The county, at least based on what county administrator Michele Baker has said, is ready to move on with someone else. In a memo to commissioners, Baker said that by canceling the agreement, it will “bring closer to this matter” and “allow the county to pursue future options for the parcel in question.”

Baker also said she will with the county attorney to review the agreement struck with Pasco Sports to see any changes that might be required for the future, and prepare a list of recommendations for commissioners to consider at its Jan. 13 meeting.

The original agreement signed a year ago called for Pasco Sports to provide the county verification of $23 million in financing necessary to design and construct the park by last summer. However, that agreement was amended in July to give Talton and Sheffield a 90-day extension.

It was during that period that Pasco Sports provided a $3 million commitment letter from Hallmark Mergers & Acquisitions LLC, along with a letter from Florida EB-5 Regional Center LLC saying it was committed to raising $20 million in funds.

County officials, however, didn’t feel that was enough to meet the terms of the agreement, and the commission then gave Talton and Sheffield until Dec. 5 to at least show they had $3 million available for the project. That deadline passed, however, with a letter from Talton proposing a new plan that would eliminate the need for the $11 million county contribution — but also remove payouts to the county after it’s built — but nothing in terms of the $3 million.

That prompted Baker to recommend the entire deal be cancelled.

Talton told members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce last October that his project — consisting of 19 baseball fields, dormitories and other sports-related amenities — could create an estimated 8,000 jobs and a $318 million annual economic impact boost to the county.

Commissioners will have to decide what they’re going to do next at the meeting, which begins at 10 a.m. at the West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizens Drive in New Port Richey.

Also expected to be discussed is Commissioner Mike Moore’s proposed sexual predator ordinance, which would prohibit registered sexual predators and sexual offenders from living within 2,500 feet of schools, parks, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and bus stops. Moore unveiled the plan with Pasco County sheriff Chris Nocco last week in Wesley Chapel.

Police body cameras coming to Pasco County

December 11, 2014 By Michael Hinman

While many law enforcement agencies around the country continue to debate whether they should have patrol officers wear body cameras or not, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office isn’t waiting any longer.

Pasco County sheriff Chris Nocco introduces body cameras deputies in his department will wear beginning in February. (Michael Hinman/Staff photo)

More than 400 deputies and investigators will be equipped with body cameras beginning in February, a move Sheriff Chris Nocco says will make neighborhoods safer for deputies, and the people who live in them.

“This is not the panacea,” Nocco said during a news conference Thursday. “This is not going to be the cure-all for all the issues of our world. But it’s a tool, just like any other tool that we use in law enforcement.”

The sheriff’s office will use Taser Axon cameras, which can be mounted on glasses, hats, shirt fronts, collars, lapels and other locations. They will record both video and audio, with each unit able to hold four hours of video with a battery that lasts 12 hours.

At the end of each shift, deputies will connect their camera to a docking station, which will upload each video. And once they are in the system, they cannot be manipulated, and deputies will not be able to edit them.

The entire program is going to cost $400,000 a year — far less than what other neighboring agencies like the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is considering, Nocco said. Initial funds will come from federal forfeiture dollars, but future years will require funding through the Pasco County Commission using taxpayer dollars.

While the cost will increase for the sheriff’s office, Nocco says the cost benefits everywhere else will more than pay for it — especially when it comes to the judicial system.

“If used properly, this is going to save taxpayer dollars,” Nocco said. “This is going to alleviate an already overcrowded judicial system, and this is going to respect victims and ensure that people are brought to justice.”

Nocco cited studies in the United Kingdom where such technology has been used for the last few years, including one in Scotland where more than 70 percent of cases that involved body cameras were less likely to go to trial. A study two years ago in Rialto, California, saw complaints against law enforcement officers from 24 to just three. Also, cases that involved use of force also dropped from 61 to 25.

Because Nocco won’t need county money to fund the cameras, he won’t need to seek any approval from the county commission. However, he will need commissioners’ backing next fall when he works to add the $400,000 cost to his overall budget. Based on his requested budget amount from this past budget cycle, the cameras would represent less than a half percent of his total money request.

For more on the body cameras and what it means for Pasco County, be sure to read the Dec. 17 print edition of The Laker/Lutz News.

To see the body cameras in action during the recent test run by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, click here.