Florida Police Chiefs Association Update: Week Ending September 7, 2012
Sep 7, 2012
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 7, 2012. 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.
NEWS
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater Appoints Jay Etheridge as Deputy CFO Over Law Enforcement
Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today announced the appointment of veteran law enforcement officer and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Chief of Investigations Jay Etheridge as Deputy CFO over Law Enforcement.
Orange Sheriff’s Captain Lee Massie named Kissimmee police chief
Orange County Sheriff’s Capt. Jefferson “Lee” Massie will be the next chief of police in Kissimmee, City Manager Mark Steigerwald announced today.
State of Florida to push for pension revision
Public employees successfully challenged a 2011 state law requiring them to contribute 3 percent of their pay to the state pension plan. The offices of Gov. Rick Scott, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Attorney General Pam Bondi will appeal this morning, arguing that the state’s ability to revise pension commitments is necessary and legal.
Florida drug summit to bring together many organizations, law enforcement
In what is being touted as the first of its kind, a drug summit next month will bring together federal, state and local officials with private organizations to discuss the ongoing drug abuse problem
Hallandale Beach Review Shows Increased Red Light Cameras Accidents
Analysis suggests Hallandale Beach, Florida red light cameras have failed to reduce accidents
A review of the accident history at red light camera intersections in Hallandale Beach, Florida suggests automated ticketing machines have failed to yield an overall safety benefit since Arizona-based American Traffic Solutions began paying for the right to issue tickets and collect fines at a pair of intersections more than two years ago.
Florida’s AMBER Alert Plan, which gets the word out statewide when a child is abducted, celebrates its 12th anniversary.
Florida Missing Children’s Day ceremony to be held Monday at 10 a.m.
Law Enforcement Awards to be Given
On Monday, Sept. 10, 2012 the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse Advisory Board will host the 14th annual Florida Missing Children’s Day in Tallahassee.
Florida Cop Makes Assassination Comment About Obama on Facebook
Like most of us watching President Obama’s DNC speech last night, Sarah Coursey, a Tavares City policewoman, took to the Interwebs and hit up her favorite social media site to talk about it.
Palm Beach County law enforcement pose for photos with naked woman
Some members of Palm Beach County law enforcement are being shown in several compromising photographs. The officers, though, are not facing any disciplinary action.
Tampa Police Department showing off key post-RNC gear
Police will show off a “revolutionary crime fighting tool” Friday morning, one of many now in their arsenal thanks to the Republican National Convention.
Digital Strategy at the U.S. Department of Justice
Feedback Requested on What Types Of Digital Information Should Be Accessible
On May 23, 2012, the White House released the Federal Digital Strategy that outlined the use of “modern tools and technologies to seize the digital opportunity and fundamentally change how the Federal Government serves both its internal and external customers-building a 21st century platform to better serve the American People.”
What happened on Sept. 11, 2001 changed everyone. It ended lives and left gaping holes in three buildings, a field in Pennsylvania and thousands of families.
REPORTS
This study of 191 individuals registered as sexual offenders in North Carolina found that while they were at high risk for recidivism for an extended period, the greatest risk was during the first several years of tracking. Recidivism, defined as new convictions, was 28.5%. This is within the range of 20% to 40% recidivism found in many other studies. Age was negatively associated with recidivism, but previous convictions had a positive association with recidivism. In terms of registration failures, the rate of 21.5% doubled those found in other studies and increased the likelihood of recidivism by 64%. However, most sexual offenders comply with registration requirements and do not have recidivism or registration failures.
This annotated bibliography provides reviews of current research and resources regarding offender reentry services and the related issues of health and housing, education and employment, family, faith, and community well-being. Many federal agencies are focusing on the reentry population with initiatives that aim to improve outcomes and reduce high recidivism rates. Two-thirds of state prisoners rearrested within 3 years of their release and half reincarcerated. These high rates of recidivism mean more crime, more victims, and higher costs, with the United States now spending more than $68 billion on federal, state and local corrections
Substance abuse treatment offers one of the best strategies for interrupting the intertwined cycles of substance abuse and criminal involvement. While the relationship between crime and substance abuse is well accepted, substance abuse is strongly related to female offender recidivism in particular. This report uses 2009 data from the Treatment Episode Data Set to explore characteristics of female substance abuse treatment admissions referred to treatment by the criminal justice system and compares these admissions with female admissions who were referred to treatment by other sources. Of the 625,235 female admissions to substance abuse treatment in 2009 aged 12 or older, 29.5% (or 184,747 admissions) were referred to treatment by the criminal justice system. When compared with other female admissions, female criminal justice admissions reported more primary abuse of alcohol (39.5% vs. 33.1%), marijuana (19.8% vs. 12.8%), or stimulants (i.e., methamphetamine or amphetamines; 13.2% vs. 6.6%).
The major components of the Departments of Homeland Security, Defense, Justice, and Health and Human Services have taken a variety of actions to improve management of their Freedom of Information Act programs. To reduce their backlogs of outstanding requests, agencies have taken actions that include regularly reporting to management, mobilizing extra resources, and streamlining procedures for responding to requests.
MEETINGS
September 14
The Florida Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys will meet on a systematic study of the conditions affecting black men and boys, including, but not limited to, homicide rates, arrest and incarceration rate, poverty, violence, drug abuse, death rates, disparate annual income levels, school performance in all grade levels including postsecondary levels, and health issues. The Council will meet in Tallahassee on September 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and via teleconference on September 14. To access the September 14 call, dial 888-670-3525 and enter participant code 5652593223.
September 11
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission public meeting to determine whether or not probable cause exists to pursue disciplinary action against the certification of sworn correctional, law enforcement or correctional probation officers. 10:00 a.m. Valencia Community College, Criminal Justice Institute, Auditorium, 8600 Valencia College Lane, Orlando, Florida. To view the complete meeting notice, click here.
September 12
Florida Violent Crime and Drug Control Council teleconference from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (EST); the Victim/Witness Protection (VWP) Review Committee will hold a “CLOSED” conference call meeting of its members to discuss pending VWP funding requests. To view the meeting notice, click here.
September 20-21
Florida Model Jail Standards Review Subcommittee to discuss proposed changes, issues and concerns involving the minimum standards and operations of Florida’s county and municipal jails. The meeting, which runs from 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., will be held at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Jail’s Information and Visitation Center at NW 10th Street in Ocala, Florida.
September 25
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Region XIV Trust Fund Advisory Council public meeting on Region XIV reports and other Region XIV business matters; 10:00 a.m. Miami-Dade College, North Campus, Room 9118, Miami, Florida.
Additional law enforcement meetings and contact information from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement
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September 16-21, 2012 |
Future Law Enforcement Executives Seminar |
Orlando, FL |
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September 25-27, 2012 |
Miami, FL |
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October 1-2, 2012 |
Tallahassee, FL |
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October 16-18, 2012 |
Cape Coral, FL |
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October 29-November 1, 2012 |
Sarasota, FL |
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October 30-31, 2012 |
Sarasota, FL |
REGULATORY UPDATE
Notice Of Change
The Florida Department of Legal Affairs’ Division of Victim Services and Criminal Justice Programs has made the following revision to proposed Rule 2A-5.011: Enforcement (relating to convenience business security):
(3) Upon a showing that the owner or principal operator of a convenience business has a good faith intention to correct a violation and there is no evidence of unnecessary delay, the Office of the Attorney General shall may grant a 90 30-day extension of time for correcting violations. However, if a violation is not timely corrected, civil fines shall may be imposed in the following amounts:
To access the complete notice, click here.