Florida Police Chiefs Association Update: Week Ending September 6, 2013
Sep 12, 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 September 6, 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 State Representative Baxley says “stand your ground” law was misapplied
The sponsor of Florida’s “stand your ground” self-defense law said Wednesday that President Barack Obama and the Rev. Al Sharpton unfairly blurred images and injected racial politics into the national controversy over the slaying of Trayvon Martin to make the case a flash point for coming election campaigns.
Lakeland City Manager Won’t Investigate Police Chief
City Manager Doug Thomas said Tuesday he will not investigate allegations raised this week against Police Chief Lisa Womack in complaint forms filed anonymously, but reserves the right to change his mind.
The political implications of St. Petersburg Police Chief Chuck Harmon’s resignation
For those wondering what the next Big News might be following the anticlimactic St. Petersburg mayoral primary, that shoe dropped: St. Petersburg Police Chief Chuck Harmon announced his resignation. The Times headline may speak more volumes than any story or post ever could.
Miami-Dade mayor: Police union foe missed calling as actor, could play Tony Soprano
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez took an opportunity Sunday to poke at his political foe, Police Benevolent Association President John Rivera.
Bunnell officials look to fill open positions
The saying “When one door closes, another one opens” could apply to the county seat.
Police Chiefs and Civil Liberties Lawyers Tangle Over Florida’s Drug-Monitoring Database
Proposed changes to a state-run prescription drug database won’t do anything to protect patient privacy, civil rights lawyers argued on Tuesday.
Florida lawmakers vow swift action to shield public from sex predators
State legislators promise to overhaul sex offender laws in response to a Sun Sentinel investigation last week that found Florida has failed to stop hundreds of rapists and child molesters from attacking again
St. Pete Police Chief Charles “Chuck” Harmon retires after missing family event
The top cop in St. Petersburg is hanging up his uniform for good in January. Chief of Police, Charles “Chuck” Harmon, announced his plans to retire from the St. Petersburg Police Department Wednesday afternoon.
West Palm Beach police chief staying put
After thoughts of leaving for a job in Cincinnati, West Palm Beach Police Chief Vince Demasi will remain head of the department, said Mayor Jeri Muoio on Wednesday.
University of North Florida police chief to retire
The University of North Florida’s police chief said he plans to retire but hasn’t turned in his resignation letter yet, university officials said Thursday afternoon.
Okaloosa County airports police chief to resign
The first police chief for Okaloosa County’s airports has announced he is resigning after 18 months on the job.
Editorial: Speeding Miami cop wants job back? No way
He must be kidding. Or perhaps he is just trying to set the world record for chutzpah. Whatever. It is insulting to South Florida citizens and police officers to hear fired Miami police officer Fausto Lopez appear at an arbitration hearing and ask for his job back.
A Visitor’s Guide to Florida’s Most Notorious Law Enforcement Agencies
Florida criminals have a well-earned reputation as some of the strangest in the country, possibly the world. But as the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department demonstrated late last month, when it shot an unarmed man in his own driveway, it’s not just Florida perps who are out of line. A number of the state’s police and sheriff’s departments are every bit as notorious for employing weird, backwards, and even criminal Floridians.
Can Your Cell Phone Data Be Used Against You?
Your cell phone and the intimate information inside can be used against you. At issue is whether police can search mobile devices upon arrest without getting a warrant — and whether the data inside, from e-mail to the Internet, are fair game.
Esquire Magazine: Cruelties in the Sunshine State
Apparently, in Tallahassee, public-safety officers are unable to subdue drunk women without dribbling them off the pavement a few dozen times.
Meet Anthony Bentley, Boynton’s 3-year-old junior officer
Boynton Beach‘s newest police officer may not be able to protect and serve just yet, but he’s just as brave as any who do.
REPORTS
This report presents the results from an implementation study of 10 grantees awarded Second Chance Act (SCA) adult demonstration grants to improve reentry services for adult offenders. The grantees included state departments of corrections, county sheriff’s offices, county health agencies, and other public agencies. Each SCA project targeted medium to high-risk adult offenders and enrolled participants, variously, well before release, just before release, or just after release. Initial findings indicate that case management is a critical, value-added feature of each of the SCA projects, with case managers acting as advisors, coordinators of services, and sounding boards for participants. The eight projects that enrolled participants prior to release provided both pre- and post-release case management; the remaining two provided only post-release case management. Additional findings suggest that reentry success might be improved if there were more housing and mental-health service providers.
This report present the results of a simulation study that evaluates the design effects associated with subsampling household members on personal victimization rates based on the 2008 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which selected all persons 12 and older in a sampled household. The results of the simulations indicate that subsampling either one or two eligible persons from each multi-person household selected for the NCVS is likely to significantly increase the design effects of the victimization rates. Increased design effects would cause either increased costs associated with sampling more households to maintain the current precision of victimization rate estimates, or a loss in precision of victimization rate estimates.
One of the challenges of drug courts is effectively working with participants with co-occurring disorders. By definition, persons with the dual diagnosis of both substance use disorders and mental illnesses have co-occurring disorders. This fact sheet presents six keys to success to better serve persons with co-occurring disorders: 1) know who your participants are and what they need; 2) customize your court’s structure, processes, and treatment to modify behavior and achieve successful outcomes; 3) successful treatment of people with these co-occurring disorders requires expanding treatment options in order to fully address the serious mental illness and its interactions with drug or alcohol use; 4) target case management and community supervision to facilitate multiple team members sharing responsibilities and coordinating activities with and on behalf of participants; 5) collaboration is fundamental to team efforts to reduce criminal recidivism and foster individual recovery and pro-social integration into the community; and 6) education of the treatment court team is a cornerstone in the foundation for success.
Center for Court Innovation: From Drug Court to Classroom — Creating a Court to College Program
This manual describes the step-by-step process by which drug courts and state universities can partner to implement a court-to-college initiative modeled after the New York Drug Court Higher Education Initiative. The document is broken down into multiple sections. The “Identifying Participants” section focuses on steps the team can take to properly screen a candidate to determine if he is “initiative ready.” “The Drug Court Interns” section discusses setting up a drug court internship program to assist implementation of the initiative. The “Referring Participants to the Interns” section discusses how the interns can support the participant in the potentially overwhelming application process. The “Final Considerations” section discusses other factors to keep in mind when establishing this program.
REGULATORY ACTION
Notices of Proposed Rule
Florida Department of Corrections
Rule 33-602.230: Institution Visits and Tours and Inmate or Probationer Presentations and Programs for the Public
The purpose and effect of the proposed rule is to disallow people under the age of 18 from entering areas that are not common assembly areas during their tours and eliminating inmate presenters from the tours.
To view the Notice, click here.
If requested within 21 days of 9/3/2013, a public hearing will be scheduled and announced in the Florida Administrative Register.
Florida Department of Corrections
Rule 33-601.314: Rules of Prohibited Conduct and Penalties for Infractions
The purpose and effect of the proposed Rule is to comply with Section 817.535, Florida Statutes, which allows for inmates to be disciplined if they are found by the court to have filed or directed a filer to file, with the intent to defraud or harass another, any instrument containing a materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation that purports to affect an owner’s interest in the property described in the instrument.
To view the Notice, click here.
If requested in writing and deemed necessary by the agency head, a Rule Development Workshop will be noticed in the Florida Administrative Register.
Notice of Variances and Waivers
Florida DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT, Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission
11B-27.002: Certification, Employment or Appointment, Reactivation, and Terminating Employment or Appointment of Officers
On August 23, 2013, the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission received a petition for a temporary waiver of Rule 11B-27.002, F.A.C. by Scott Alan King. The petition was originally entitled “Petition for Emergency Waiver of Rule 11B-35.002(2).” The Petitioner, however, resubmitted his request without the designation “emergency,” with the request that it be heard at the next regularly scheduled Commission Business Agenda Meeting.
Rule 11B-27.002 requires candidates to become employed within four years of beginning a basic recruit training course. The Petitioner wishes to be granted enough time to attend and complete the next orientation training given by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in November. He has completed all other required steps in the hiring process for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. The Petitioner began basic recruit training on August 10, 2009, therefore his four years to become employed expired August 10, 2013. The Petitioner asserts that he in the final staged of employment screening with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and that the application of the rule to his situation would cause him an undue hardship and be violative of the principles of fairness.
A copy of the Petition for Variance or Waiver may be obtained by contacting Grace A. Jaye, Assistant General Counsel, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, P.O. Box 1489, Tallahassee, FL 32302, or by telephoning (850)410-7676.
UPCOMING EVENTS
September 16
Future Law Enforcement Executives Seminar The Florida Police Chiefs Association (FPCA), in cooperation with the Florida Criminal Justice Institute, has scheduled a Future Law Enforcement Executives Seminar. The seminar will be held September 16 – 20, 2013, at the Embassy Suites Lake Buena Vista, 8100 Lake Street, Orlando, Florida, and you are cordially invited to attend. This program continues to receive rave reviews from attendees and is a “must attend” for up and coming law enforcement executives! To make your reservations please contact the hotel directly at 407-239-1144, be sure to mention you are with the Florida Police Chiefs Association to secure your room rate of $89 per night. You must call before September 15, 2013 to guarantee receiving our special rate. Click here for driving directions.
September 19
Fall Board of Directors Meeting The 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.
November 12
Media Relations Training for Law Enforcement – 3 days in 1! The Florida Police Chiefs Association (FPCA), in cooperation with the Jupiter Police Department, the Orlando Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, are pleased to announce this exceptional media training opportunity! Regional sessions will be held November 12 (Jupiter), November 13 (Orlando) and November 14 (Tallahassee). Three days of basic, intermediate and advanced media relations training presented in a single day! This fast-paced class is jam-packed with the essential strategies and tactics, skills and techniques that will help you WIN WITH THE MEDIA! It is practical training, not theoretical: Take what you learn and put it to work for you on the street right away!
January 12, 2014
2014 Mid-Winter Training Conference & 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.