Florida Police Chiefs Association Update: Week Ending August 2, 2013

Aug 5, 2013

 

 

The following is an informational update on law enforcement news, events, legislative developments and meetings relating to the Florida Police Chiefs Association community for the week ending August 2, 2013. 

Click on the hyperlinks in bold type to access all information.

Should you have any questions or comments, please contact Florida Police Chiefs Association lobbyists, Colodny Fass& Webb.

 

 

NEWS

 

Florida Will Hold Hearings On Stand Your Ground This Fall

Will Weatherford, the Republican speaker of Florida’s House of Representatives, revealed on Friday that the state’s legislature will hold hearings on its infamous “Stand Your Ground” laws sometime this fall.

 

Longtime South Florida law officer nominated as Miami’s U.S. marshal

Amos Rojas Jr., a former longtime law enforcement officer who works as an investigator for the Miami-Dade state attorney’s office, has been nominated to serve as the U.S. marshal in South Florida.

 

Florida Communities Ready To Unite In Night Out Against Crime

Residents across South Florida plan to take over the streets Tuesday night for the 29th Annual National Night Out.

 

Hialeah police chief details tense moments of hostage rescue

With six people already shot dead and crazed gunman Pedro Alberto Vargas holding two hostages in a bullet-riddled Hialeah apartment building, Police Chief Sergio Velazquez made the decision every top cop dreads.

 

Looking for synthetic pot and bath salts?  They’re harder to find

Experts say sales have gone underground, with some stores hiding it behind counters

Alarmed by reports of kids and adults getting sick on synthetic drugs, South Florida declared war on the manmade weed and psychoactive bath salts being sold openly at local stores.

 

Florida Carry sues Citrus County police over gun owner’s arrest

Florida Carry filed a federal complaint Friday against the Citrus County police stemming from an incident in 2009 in which a gun owner was arrested for a non-criminal traffic code violation after exposing a gun in his back pocket.

 

Broward Police Union Loses Appeal in Financial Urgency Case

A three-judge panel of Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeal has denied the appeal of the Broward Police Benevolent Association from a decision by the state Public Employees Relations Commission, upholding the right of the city of Hollywood to declare a state of “financial urgency” more than once during a fiscal year.

 

Palm Bay goes wireless to solve crimes quicker

The Palm Bay Police Department, thanks to a partnership with the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team and Gladiator Forensics, now has new wireless sensory technology that the agency says will help investigate crimes more efficiently.

 

Online tool kit aimed at preventing domestic violence in Florida law-enforcement community

Florida law-enforcement officers often respond to calls involving feuding couples, violent relatives and other acts of aggression in the home.  But sometimes, officers are the ones involved in domestic disputes.

 

Boynton Beach Police Department asks for residents’ input during accreditation process

The Boynton Beach Police Department will participate in the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation on-site assessment Aug. 6 to 8.

 

Port St. Lucie Police takes second during Florida’s Click It or Ticket Challenge

The Port St. Lucie Police Department was awarded second place at the Florida’s Click It or Ticket Challenge ceremony which was held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida.

 

Midway Police Places 3rd In Florida Law Enforcement Challenge

The Midway Police Department placed 3rd in the state’s Law Enforcement Challenge developed by the Florida Law Enforcement Liaison program.

 

Florida Department of Law Enforcement Statewide Officer Certification Exam

FDLE is piloting computer based test (CBT) versions of several Florida Department of Law Enforcement certification exams with Pearson VUE.

 

Analysis shows ankle braclets not a foolproof system

Three decades after they were introduced as a crime-fighting tool, electronic ankle bracelets used to track an offender’s whereabouts have proliferated so much that officials are struggling to handle an avalanche of monitoring alerts that are often nothing more sinister than a dead battery, lost satellite contact or someone arriving home late from work.

 

 

REPORTS

 

Results of the July 23, 2013 Florida Legislature’s Criminal Justice Estimating Conference

 

U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics:  Prisoners in 2012–Advance Counts

This report presents advance counts of prisoners under the jurisdiction of state and federal correctional authorities on December 31, 2012, collected in the National Prisoner Statistics Program.  The U.S. prison population declined for the third consecutive year in 2012, from a high of 1,615,487 inmates in 2009 to 1,571,013 at yearend 2012.  The U.S. imprisoned 27,770 fewer prisoners (down 1.7%) in 2012 than in 2011.  The federal prison population increased by 1,453 prisoners in 2012 (up 0.7%), while the state prison population declined by 29,223 prisoners (down 2.1%).

 

Urban Institute:  Statewide Evaluation of New York’s Adult Drug Courts

The study compared recidivism and sentencing outcomes between statistically matched samples drawn from 86 drug courts and conventional courts in the same jurisdictions in the state of New York.  The one-year retention rate for drug courts statewide was 66%, while the four-year retention rate was 53%.  Retention rates varied widely across the state – from a low of 23% to a high of 85% at four years across the 86 drug court sites.  New York drug courts significantly reduced the incidence and prevalence of re-arrest.  However, the impact was relatively modest (below nationwide averages) and diminished over time.  New York drug courts also reduced re-conviction rates and the use of prison on the initial case (4% vs. 8%). The drug court impact varied greatly across sites. Some sites produced substantial reductions in re-arrest, others had no impact, and still others increased re-arrest.

 

Vera Institute of Justice:  The Potential of Community Corrections to Improve Safety and Reduce Incarceration

As the size and cost of jails and prisons have grown, so too has the awareness that public investment in incarceration has not yielded the expected return on public safety.  An alternative to incarceration is community-based corrections, which encompasses probation, parole, and pretrial supervision.  This report provides an overview of the state of community corrections, the transformational practices emerging in the field, and recommendations to policymakers on realizing the full value of community supervision to taxpayers and communities.

 

 

Meetings

 

August 6

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission announces public meetings on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 8:30 a.m.

  • Training Center Director Board Meeting, Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 1:00 p.m.
  • Training Center Director Basic Recruit Committee Meeting, Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 2:00 p.m.
  • Training Center Director Officer Wellness Committee Meeting, Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 2:00 p.m.
  • Training Center Director Advanced Training Committee Meeting, Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 3:00 p.m.
  • Training Center Director Rules Committee Meeting, Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 3:00 p.m.
  • Training Center Director Technology Committee Meeting, Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 3:00 p.m.
  • Training Center Director Open Forum, Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 4:00 p.m.
  • Training Center Directors Association Business Meeting, Wednesday, August 7, 2013, 8:30 a.m.
  • Probable Cause Determination Hearings, Wednesday, August 7, 2013, 10:00 a.m.
  • Workshop: Introduction of the 2014 Law Enforcement Basic Recruit Training Program, Wednesday, August 7, 2013, 10:00 a.m.
  • Regional Criminal Justice Selection Center Directors Association, Wednesday, August 7, 2013, 1:00 p.m.
  • Commission Workshop: Review of Trust Fund Revenue Initiatives, Wednesday, August 7, 2013, 2:30 p.m.
  • Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Business Meeting, Thursday, August 8, 2013, 8:00 a.m.
  • Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Officer Discipline Hearings, Thursday, August 8, 2013, 9:30 a.m.

PLACE: Sawgrass Marriott, 1000 PGA Tour Boulevard, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 32082  (for reservation information, click here)

GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED: The above meetings are held to discuss issues relating to standards, training, examinations, certification, de-certification, record management for law enforcement, correctional, and correctional probation officers, Commission rules, officer discipline penalty guidelines, and certification and recertification of criminal justice training schools.  The Commission packet will be posted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Web site by July 23, 2013.

A copy of the agenda may be obtained by contacting: Donna Hunt at (850)410-8615 or email at donnahunt@fdle.state.fl.us if you have questions about the above meetings. If you have questions about the Officer Discipline Agenda, please contact Lori Morea at (850)410-8625 or e-mail at lorimorea@fdle.state.fl.us. If you have questions about hotel accommodations, please contact Cheryl Taylor at (850)410-8657 or email at cheryltaylor@fdle.state.fl.us. The Commission packet can be viewed or downloaded after July 23, 2013, at: http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/getdoc/91a75023-5a74-40ef-814d-8e7e5b622d4d/CJSTC-Home-Page.aspx.

 

August 19-23

The Florida Police Chiefs Association, in cooperation with the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute, has scheduled an Advanced Future Law Enforcement Executives Seminar from August 19 – 23, 2013, at the Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista in Orlando, Florida.  This training is structured as a sequel course for graduates of the FPCA/FCJEI’s Future LE Executives Seminar or for those who have been in a command position for three or more years.  For more information, click here.  

 

August 22

The Region XII Training Council announces a public meeting on Florida Department of Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission updates:  Palm Beach State College/Criminal Justice Institute Assessment Center Updates; Region XII budget approval and any other business.

DATE AND TIME: August 22, 2013, 8:45 a.m.

PLACE: Clayton Hutchison Agricultural Center, Exhibit Hall “A,” 559 Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL

A copy of the agenda may be obtained by contacting: Sue Voccola at (561) 868-3403.


September 16-20

The Florida Police Chiefs Association, in cooperation with the Florida Criminal Justice Institute, has scheduled a Future Law Enforcement Executives Seminar from September 16 – 20, 2013 at the Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista, 8100 Lake Street in Orlando, Florida.  For more information, click here.

 

September 19

Florida Police Chiefs Association Fall 2013 Board of Directors Meeting  The FPCA Fall Board of Directors meeting will be held on Thursday, September 19, 2013 during the 2013 Future Law Enforcement Executives Seminar being held at the Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista, 8100 Lake Street, Orlando, FL 32836.  The meeting will begin at 10:00am, and be held in the Seminole Room.  Lunch will be provided with the Future LE Executive Seminar attendees.  For hotel reservations please contact the Embassy Suites directly at 1-407-239-1144.  Please mention that you are with the Florida Police Chiefs Association and call by August 15, 2013 to guarantee your special room rate of $89 per night, which includes a cooked-to-order breakfast each morning.

 

January 2014

Florida Police Chiefs Association 2014 Mid-Winter Training Conference and Exposition  The Florida Police Chiefs Association’s 2014 Mid-Winter Training Conference and Exposition will be held January 12 – 14, 2014 at the Rosen Centre Hotel, 9840 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819 and you are cordially invited to attend. Please make your plans now to join us for this outstanding event!To make your reservations please contact the hotel directly at (800) 204-7234, be sure to mention you are with the Florida Police Chiefs Association to secure your special rate which includes self-parking at the hotel.  Click here for driving directions.

 


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