General News and Events, 2006 - Monroe County Sheriff`s Office

Transcription

Table of Contents
Letter from the Sheriff . ...................................................................................Page 4
Introduction to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office . .......................................Page 5
Sheriff’s Office Values and Mission Statement . .............................................Page 5
Jurisdictional Area and Sheriff’s Office Locations............................................Page 6
Sheriff’s Command Staff . ...............................................................................Page 8
Quarterly and yearly employee awards...........................................................Page 9
General News and Events, 2006 . ..................................................................Page 10
Performance Charts and Statistics..................................................................Page 20
Organizational Charts......................................................................................Page 24
Command Structure, Overview ......................................................................Page 27
Divisions and Departments, Accomplishments in 2006 . ................................Page 27
Legal and Civil Division ..................................................................................Page 27
Internal Affairs ................................................................................................Page 28
Bureau of Administration ................................................................................Page 29
Bureau of Operations .....................................................................................Page 33
South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area..........................................Page 51
Bureau of Corrections ....................................................................................Page 53
Annual Report Credits:
Cover photo:
Andy Newman, Monroe County Tourist Development Council
Publication edited by:
Public Information Officer and Web Designer Deputy Becky Herrin
Layout and Design by:
Public Information Officer and Web Designer Deputy Becky Herrin
Statistics and charts provided by:
Crime Analyst Bonnie Randolph
Human Resource Specialist DeShawn Jackson
Finance Director Amy Heavilin
The Monroe County Corrections Division
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Annual Report - 2006
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
After two years of frequent hurricanes, 2006 was, in a way, a restful year. We were
all able to spend some time recovering from those two difficult years. The Sheriff’s
Office spent a good part of the year undergoing construction at it’s headquarters building. Leaking windows and a leaking facade on the building had to be repaired and for
several months, our headquarters employees had to move in to trailers in the parking
lot while drywall was repaired, carpets replaced and windows repaired and sealed.
We were also able to replace a good portion of the 60 vehicles we lost in Hurricane Wilma, but our fleet still remains below what it was pre-storm.
During 2006, we acquired a new medical transport helicopter to replace our aging
Huey. The 40 year old Huey began costing more to maintain than it was worth and,
with the help of the County Commission, a Sikorsky helicopter configured for medical
transport was purchased to replace it. The office also applied for and received an FAA
Part 135 license which grants us the right to bill for the services of the helicopter. This should go a long way to
help pay for the program.
In 2006, our Intelligence Unit took on the task of Homeland Security liaison to the Region Seven Domestic
Security Task Force. The State of Florida is broken up into regions for the purpose of being able to more quickly
respond to all types of emergencies and our region, which includes Palm Beach County, Broward County, Miami
Dade County and Monroe County, meets regularly to discuss various issues relating to emergency response.
The State regional task forces are also charged with handling the expenditure of federal Homeland Security
funding. Our agency takes an active part in our region’s task force and, because of our efforts, we have been
successful in bringing some of that funding back home to our county.
In 2006, Homeland Security funds helped purchase new Bomb and SWAT trucks for the agency. Our SWAT
team will no longer have to worry about their vehicle breaking down en route to a call, and the Bomb truck easily
accommodates all the equipment necessary to respond to explosive device calls, including the robot which allows for remote examination of devices.
The other important aspect to our participation on the task force is our ability to call on outside agencies for
help in an emergency. Having the resources of Miami-Dade County, Broward County and Palm Beach County
available to us should we need them will be invaluable if and when a large event such as a catastrophic storm or
a terrorist related attack ever happens here.
Crime went up slightly in 2006, but reports available from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement show
that, despite the small uptick, we have seen a steady and dramatic decrease in crime over the years. To give
perspective, the total number of major index crimes per 100,000 people for 1989 was13,062 and in 2005, it was
4,604. Like this year, there have been several other years when our county has seen small increases but the
overall picture is certainly impressive and we expect the trend downward to continue in coming years.
There are many reasons for this long term decline in crime, not least of which is our hard working men
and women who are out on the streets every day making sure they are as safe as possible. The support of
the citizens of the County is also of paramount importance. Without the eyes and ears of the community, and
everyone’s commitment to maintaining the safety and security of our county, we would not be able to do our job
nearly as well.
Let’s continue our partnership now and in future years. Together we can make sure our families, our children
and our streets are safe.
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Introduction to the Monroe County
Sheriff’s Office
As Monroe County has grown in population, the need for expanded state of the art Law Enforcement services has grown proportionately.
The Sheriff’s Office provides Law Enforcement service to all of the Florida Keys, which include approximately
112 miles of islands branching off the southern tip of Florida. The main highway, U.S. One runs from Florida City
to Key West, and in that span, there are 45 bridges connecting the islands.
In order to provide progressive service, the Sheriff’s Office employs 617 people. 210 of those are road patrol
officers and detectives, 152 are Corrections Officers, 177 serve as support staff members and 78 people are
employed by the Sheriff’s Office-managed HIDTA Group (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area).
The Florida Keys is a popular vacation spot and over 2,000,000 tourists visit the Keys each year. In peak
season (January until April) the population of the county may reach as high as 150,000.
In order to serve the unique population of the Keys, the Sheriff’s Office has new, state of the art detention
facilities located in Stock Island, Marathon and Plantation Key. The main Sheriff’s Office Administration building
is also located on Stock Island, with patrol substations on Cudjoe Key, Marathon (Key Vaca) , Islamorada, and
Plantation Key.
The Sheriff’s Office has a fully equipped Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT), as well as a Dive
Team, Bomb Squad, Special Investigations Unit (specializing in drug investigations) and two K-9 teams.
Mission Statement
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to providing a safe and secure community through partnerships and by working to attain the highest level of professionalism and accountability.
Sheriff’s Office Values
In support of our mission, members of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office are committed to upholding the
following values.
WE VALUE upholding the laws in an ethical, impartial, courteous and professional manner while respecting
the rights and dignity of all persons.  We will be compassionate and provide assistance to victims and those in
need.
WE VALUE promoting a sense of trust and respect for all people, including those in our agency.
WE VALUE that the police and the community share in the responsibility for crime control and public safety,
and that the role of the police is defined by the community it serves.
WE VALUE and encourage problem solving, creative risk taking, initiative, and affecting change. We will
recognize and reward those who contribute to the development of more effective ways of providing police services and those who apply creative solutions to problems. We recognize that growth and learning are the positive
consequences of honest mistakes.
WE VALUE the reduction and prevention of crime through community partnerships and problem solving.
WE VALUE the team concept. Successful completion of the task is more important than who gets the credit
for the work.
WE VALUE and believe in high professionalism standards of integrity, ethics, and behavior, guided by the
letter and spirit of the law, and the law enforcement code of ethics. We take responsibility for our own actions.
We will act appropriately and responsibly and require the same of others.
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Jurisdictional Area
The Florida Keys are a chain of islands extending south and west from the southern tip of Florida. From
the Monroe County line at the 112 mile marker of Highway U.S. One to the island of Key West at the five mile
marker of the same highway, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is the primary law enforcement agency providing service to the citizens of the county. The agency also is charged with operating county detention facilities
an d serving civil papers in the entire county.
The Sheriff’s Office has it’s main Headquarters building, and it’s main Detention Center just outside of Key
West on Stock Island. The county is broken up into Sectors, including the Lower Keys (Sector One), the Middle
Keys (Sector’s Four and Five), Islamorada (Sector Six) and the Upper Keys (Sector Seven).
While the Sheriff’s Office is the primary law enforcement agency for Monroe County, other local, state and
federal agencies also operate in the Florida Keys. The Florida Highway Patrol investigates most accidents on
Keys roadways. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission takes care of most waterborne law enforcement
activities. The Naval Air Station, located in the lower Keys, has it’s own security force. The city of Key West has
it’s own police force, as does the city of Key Colony Beach. The Sheriff’s Office works closely with all law enforcement agencies in the Keys, and enjoys a good working relationship with all of them.
Sheriff’s Office Locations
Headquarters: Located at 5525 College Road on Stock Island, the Sheriff’s Headquarters building houses
all the main Administrative offices responsible for day to day operations, including the Finance Division, the
Human Resources Division, Records and Warrants Divisions, Internal Affairs, Information Systems, the Training Division, the Legal Division, the Community Relations Division, Professional Standards and Planning and
Research. Detectives working lower Keys cases also have an office in the Headquarters building. Housed
separately at the Courthouse complex in Key West at 500 Whitehead Street, is the Sheriff’s Civil Division and
the Property Division.
Department of Juvenile Justice :The DJJ building is built adjoining the Sheriff’s Main Detention Facility at 5503 College Road, Stock Island. The first floor is dedicated to a Juvenile Detention facility run by the
Department of Juvenile Justice. The second floor houses the Sheriff’s main supply office, Juvenile Programs
Office, Victim’s Advocates and an office for detectives with the Sheriff’s Crimes Against Women and Children’s
Unit, as well as a fully equipped gymnasium used by Sheriff’s employees.
Freeman Substation - Cudjoe Key: The Freeman Substation, at 20950 Overseas Highway, is at the 21
mile marker of Highway U.S. One, on Cudjoe Key. It is home to lower Keys Road Patrol and two detectives
who work lower Keys cases. Sector One runs from the city limits of Key West to the south end of the Seven
Mile Bridge.
Marathon Substation: The Marathon Substation, at 3103 Overseas Highway, mile marker 48.7 in the city
of Marathon, houses middle Keys Road Patrol, and detectives. There is a satellite Records Office and Property
Division, as well as a Civil deputy assigned to the substation. Sector Four includes the city of Marathon, from
the north end of the Seven mile bridge to Tom’s Harbor Cut Bridge at the 60.5 mile marker of Highway U.S.
One; and Sector Five runs from Tom’s Harbor Cut Bridge to the Islamorada city limits, at the 74 mile marker
of Highway U.S. One. The Sheriff’s Communications building is also in Marathon, housed separately, in the
Florida State building at 2796 Overseas Highway at the 47.5 mile marker.
Aviation Division Headquarters: The Aviation Hanger, home to the Sheriff’s Aviation Division, is on the
grounds of the Marathon Airport at 10100 Overseas Highway at the 52 mile marker. In addition to housing all
Sheriff’s Office aircraft, it also provides a home to the Sheriff’s Mobile Command Post and Firearm’s trailer. The
building has a fully functional and equipped training classroom, and a gymnasium used by Sheriff’s employees.
Special Operations Division and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area: This building, at the north end
of Marathon, houses detectives assigned to work specific types of crimes including narcotics, homicides and
Crimes Against Women and Children. Victim Advocates are housed here, as is the Sheriff’s Intelligence Officer.
The South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area group (HIDTA) also works out of this building, coordi6
nating long term money laundering, racketeering and other types of investigations involving the cooperative
involvement of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Islamorada Substation: Servicing the law enforcement needs of the Village of Islamorada, the Islamorada substation is at 87000 Overseas Highway, mile marker 87. Sector Six road patrol is housed here. Sector
Six runs from the 73 mile marker, at the south end of the Channel Two Bridge, to the 90.5 mile marker at the
Tavernier Creek Bridge.
The Roth Building - Plantation Key: The Roth Building, at 50 High Point Road in Tavernier services
Sheriff’s Office Sector Seven, which runs from the northernmost city limits of Islamorada at mile marker 90.2
(Tavernier Creek Bridge), to the county line at the 112 mile marker of Highway U.S. One, and includes Ocean
Reef and parts of Card Sound Road and State Road 905.
Main Detention Center: The Main Detention Center, at 5501 College Road, holds up top 596 inmates and
includes a professional grade kitchen, Sick bay and Medical offices, as well a Video First Appearance Room
and an officer’s dining room. Inmates from the lower Keys, as well as all inmates judged to be violent or high
profile are housed here. The Commander of the Detention Division has his office in the facility and the day to
day operations are overseen by two Captains, one Administrative and one in charge of Operations.
Marathon Detention Center: The Marathon Detention Center is a satellite facility that houses 20 inmates
judged to be “low risk”. Located at 3981 Overseas Highway at the 49 mile marker in Marathon, the facility is
run by a Lieutenant who reports to the Detention Commander.
Plantation Key Detention Center: The upper Keys Detention facility houses 40 inmates judged to be “low
risk” and is located at 53 High Point Road at the 89 mile marker of Highway U.S. One in Tavernier. The facility
is run by a Lieutenant who reports to the Detention Commander.
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Key Largo
Tavernier
Plantation
Islamorada
Layton
Islamorada Substation
1
Key Colony Beach
Marathon
Big Pine Key
Key West
Stock Island
Freeman Substation
Cudjoe Key
Marathon Substation
Marathon Detention Center
Aviation Division
Special Investigations/HIDTA
Headquarters and
Stock Island Detention Center
Department of Juvenile Justice
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Roth Building, Plantation Key
Plantation Key Detention Center
Sheriff’s Command Staff
In front, left to right:
Lieutenant Colonel Tim Wagner, HIDTA Group
Captain Ted Migala, Reserve Unit
Captain Joe Leiter, Sector Six - Islamorada
Captain Rick Remley, Bureau of Corrections - Operations
Captain Don Hiller, Sector Seven - Upper Keys
Bureau Chief Mike Rice, Administration
Rear, left to right:
Sheriff Richard D. Roth
Sheriff’s General Counsel Mark Willis
Major Tommy Taylor, Bureau of Corrections - Commander
Captain Bob Peryam, Sector Four and Five - City of Marathon and the Middle Keys
Captain Penny Phelps, Bureau of Corrections - Administration
Captain Chad Scibilia, Sector One - Lower Keys
Captain Ross Thomson - Special Operations and Monroe County HIDTA Group
HIDTA Captain Joe Mendez
Director Bill Martin, National HIDTA Assistance Center
Colonel Richard Ramsay - Undersheriff
Not pictured: HIDTA Major Joel Widell
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Quarterly and yearly employee awards
Employee of the year, 2006
Left to right: Lael Freeman, Andrew Marazzo-Ensminger, Andrea
Rainer, Raye Liu, David Bickford and Sheriff Rick Roth. Not
pictured: Andrew Paskiewicz.
Employees of the first quarter, left
to right: Deputy John Gabay, Airport
Security Technician Ronald Wheeler,
Cadet Alicia Peteck, Reserve Lt. Dave
Bickford and Sheriff Rick Roth. Not
pictured is Detention Deputy Timothy
Stevens.
Employee of the third quarter, left to right:
Detention Deputy Denise Martinez, Sgt.
Andrew Marazzo-Ensminger,, Cadet
Thomas Mirabella, Communications
Officer Carolina Diesen, Reserve Deputy
Juan Neyra, Detention Records Supervisor Lael Freeman.
Employees of the second quarter, left to
right: Sheriff Rick Roth, Cadet Alyssa Vartoumian, Records Assistant Rita Hinerman, Detention Deputy John Rodriguez,
Deputy Wilfredo Guerra and Reserve
Deputy John Marlowe.
Employees of the fourth quarter, left to
right, Det. Linda Mixon, Communications
Officer Raye Liu, Reserve Deputy (now
Deputy) Juan Llera, Programs Asst. Jeffrey Brown and Sgt. Andrew Paskiewicz.
Not pictured is Cadet Andrea Ranier.
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General News and Events, 2006
January 2006
Headquarters personnel move into trailers
Due to a number of Workman’s Compensation claims filed by employees siting mold exposure as the
cause of illness in the Sheriff’s Headquarters building, two trailers were set up in the parking lot as satellite
offices. Monroe County Public Works began tearing out walls and carpets in an effort to make sure the working
environment was a healthy and clean one.
Surprise 40th Anniversary party
The Sheriff was surprised when he walked in to the
Trumbo Palms Restaurant on the Navy Base in Key West
January 19th. He found a 40th anniversary party waiting for
him, along with 116 of his closest allies in law enforcement
and related fields waiting to thank him for all the years he’s
dedicated to Monroe County law enforcement.
February 2005
Reserves fingerprint 60
children in Key Largo
Sheriff Rick Roth and his wife, Sandi at his
40th Anniversary party.
On February 25th, Sheriff’s
Office Reserves in Key Largo took
photos and fingerprinted 60 children. They fingerprinted the children using special
Child Identification Kits from the Sheriff’s Office and employees of the Publix Supermarket took the photos. The kits and photos were then given to the children’s
parents for their files.
Suspect located in murder for hire plot
Reserve Deputy SallyAnn Crawford fingerprints
a child.
A Keys man, wanted for his part in a murder for hire plot, was arrested in
February. The man was arrested for conspiracy to commit murder. He was solicited to commit the offense while in jail. The man who hired him reportedly told him
he’d pay him $200 to kill his Big Pine Key neighbor. The plot was uncovered after
Detectives received information about their plans.Both men have been charged in
the plot.
Drug Sting nets ten
In February, Sheriff’s Special Investigations Detectives set up a drug sting near 5th Avenue on Stock
Island Friday night, arresting ten people who purchased crack cocaine. An undercover operative sold crack
cocaine and the purchasers were then arrested and all of them were charged with solicitation to purchase the
illegal substance and possession of it as well. Assisting in the operation was the Sheriff’s Special Weapons and
Tactics Team and the Key West Police Street Crimes Unit.
March 2006
Special Escort for Iraq War vets
On March 5th, the Sheriff’s Office and other emergency service groups provided a special escort for a
group of six veterans wounded in Iraq as they traveled from the county line to Islamorada. Citizens lined the
highway waving flags and cheering the group. The escort was organized by Deputy Luis Blasco at the request
of Frank Hawkins, CEO of Hawk Associates. Hawkins set up the much needed vacation for the group, getting
donations from area businesses for a hotel, food, charter fishing trips and more.
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Ceremony at Fallen Deputy’s grave site
On March 10th, the Sheriff’s Office held a special ceremony at the newly discovered grave site of fallen
officer Deputy Frank Adams. Adams was killed in the line of duty October 7, 1901. His grave site, lost for
decades, was found by Sheriff Rick Roth, with the help of
Russell Brittain, the Sexton of the Key West Cemetary, and
Historian Tom Hambright. Money was raised and a special
headstone was purchased to mark the grave.
Explorer takes First in shooting
At an Explorer Delegate Conference held March 10
- 12 in Orlando, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Explorer
Brian Backhus took first place in a shooting competition.
Backhus, a member of the Sheriff’s Explorer Pistol Team,
came in first place out of 15 shooters firing a .38 caliber
revolver.
Long time deputy and native Key Wester
dies
Colonel Rick Ramsay (left) and Major Tommy
On March 14th the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office lost a Taylor place a wreath at the gave marker of Deputy
dedicated law enforcement officer and Key West lost a native Frank Adams, killed in the line of duty in October
son with the death of 45 year old James Williams. Deputy
1901.
Williams was found dead at his home in Key West. A funeral
with full honors was held to honor his service to the community.
Sheriff’s School Crossing Guard dies
On March 14th the Sheriff’s Office lost a long-time school crossing guard with the death of Richard “Buck”
Sawyer. Sawyer died of natural causes at his home in Key West. For six years, the dedicated crossing guard
helped children as they crossed Kennedy Drive on their way to school at Poincianna Elementary School.
April 2006
Law officers run torch for Special Olympics
On April 14th, the Sheriff’s Office participated in the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run. The
run started in Key West, with stops at area
schools, followed by a run in Marathon later in
the day.
Officers attend boating class
A law enforcement boating class was held
in April to support the effort of area law enforcement agencies to become more active in
area waters. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office participated, along with Key Colony Beach
Police and the U.S. Coast Guard. The purpose
of the class was to train students in the safe
law enforcement operation of small vessels
such as those the Sheriff’s Office operates.
Law Enforcement boating class held in April.
Head and partial spine found
Fishermen visiting the Keys in April recovered a human head and part of a spine in the waters off of
Islamorada Sunday afternoon. Three men fishing off shore saw something floating in the water near Alligator
Reef. They discovered it was a human head with a small portion of the spine still attached. The body could not
be readily identified, and there was no obvious sign of the cause of death.
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Sheriff’s Detective receives high honor
A detective with the Sheriff’s Internal Affairs Division received the State of Florida’s “Top Criminal Justice Officer of
the Year” award for 2006. Detective Janine Gedmin traveled
to Tallahassee to accept the award from Governor Jeb Bush
and Attorney General Charlie Crist during a ceremony marking
National Crime Victim’s Rights Week. Prior to transferring to
her current job, she served in the Crimes Against Women and
Children’s Unit for a number of years, investigating primarily
sexual abuse related crimes against adults and children.
Four people charged after cocaine found in
Stock Island residence
Detective Janine Gedmin is congratulated by
Sheriff Rick Roth on receiving “Top Criminal
Justice Officer of the Year.
Four Stock Island residents were arrested after a search warrant was served at their home. The search turned up seven crack
cocaine “cookies” weighing a total of 106 grams with an approximate street value of $10,000.00; two plastic bags of powdered cocaine in two separate bedrooms; marijuana,
Xanax and other unidentified pills
May 2006
Perisho murder case closed; attributed to Carl Brandt
The 1989 murder of Sherry Perisho in the waters off of Big Pine Key has been closed by Homicide Investigators with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. The killing was attributed to Carl Brandt, the man responsible
for killing his wife, his wife’s niece and then himself in Seminole County in September of 2004.
“Brandt lived in the area at the time. We have information from a witness that Brandt’s wife, Terri, saw him
wet, with blood on him at the time of the murder. That, coupled with the similarities to the murders in Seminole
County, the fact that Brandt shot and killed his mother when he was young, and all the other aspects of our
investigation lead us to believe that Carl Brandt was the killer of Sherry Perisho,” said Detective Sgt. Patricia
Dally.
“We are satisfied that Carl Brandt was the murderer of Sherry Perisho,” said Sheriff Rick Roth. “Our
investigators have worked long and hard on this case and I am proud that they’ve been able to close it and,
perhaps, bring some closure to relatives of Sherry who want to know what happened to her,” he said.
Hospitality Expo in Islamorada sees large law enforcement presence
One of the largest water-bourne law enforcement deployments in the Keys took place May 15-17 in Whale
Harbor Channel. Overflow from the Hospitality Expo held at Holiday Isle Resort into Whale Harbor Channel,
and onto the sandbar off shore required the large marine law enforcement presence.
Plane from Cuba causes stir at Key
West airport
A small aircraft caused a stir at the Key West
Airport when it landed. Monroe County Sheriff’s
Office Airport Security Director Jerome Fain received
a call from U.S. Customs in Riverside, California who
said the aircraft was en route to the Key West Airport
from Cuba. They asked that the plane be detained
when it landed. The plane, and the two pilots seen
pushing it in the attached photos, were turned over to
U.S. Customs officers.
This Plane, traveling from Cuba, caused quite a stir at the
Key West Airport.
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Sheriff opens satellite office on Stock Island
In May, the Sheriff’s Office opened a new satellite office on Stock Island thanks to the Lincoln Property
Company, which manages the Stock Island Apartments at 5501 Third Avenue.
The management company donated an office at the apartment building to the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies
on patrol in the area will be able to stop in and do paperwork at the
location, still remaining close enough to respond to calls in the area
quickly.
Plane crash in Marathon
Rescuers pulled two people out of a
plane that crashed into a Marathon
canal.
A plane crashed into a Marathon canal, injuring the two people on
board. The plane hit two utility poles near 109th Street and 5th Avenue, snapping the tops off, then crashed nose down into a canal off of
5th Avenue. Neighbors jumped into the water, pulling the two people
out of the plane. Both men were taken to Fishermen’s Hospital, then
air lifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.
Police Memorial Day
The Sheriff’s Office took part in Police Memorial Day ceremony held
in Key West to honor those officers killed in the line of duty.
June 2006
Teen Court program holds awards ceremony
The Teen Court program held an awards ceremony and end
of year party in June. Program volunteers attended the gathering,
and three were honored for the hours they donated during the
past year. Volunteers Julie Russell, Kayla Lyons and Thuy Van all
received $50 savings bonds for donating the most hours to Teen
Court. Each of them donated an impressive 25 hours of their time
to the program. Sele Gordon, a graduating Senior, also received
a savings bond for working with Teen Court as a volunteer for the
past four years.
Deputies take part in helicopter off-shore
rescue training
In June, Islamorada Marine Deputy Nelson Sanchez and
Lower Keys Marine Deputy Tom Peteck participated in a joint
training operation with US Coast Guard Station Islamorada and
US Coast Guard Air Operations in Miami on air marine rescues.
Officers learned how to lift an injured person off a vessel using a
rescue basket deployed from a USCG helicopter.
Key West Police Chief Bill Mauldin (left)
and Sheriff Rick Roth salute a wreath laid
in honor of fallen officers at Police Memorial
Day.
Employees take medals in Law Enforcement games
The annual Florida Law Enforcement and Firefighter Games were held in June in Jacksonville; Sheriff’s
Office competitors took home a total of 12 medals in the games competing in bowling and in shooting events.
July 2006
Sheriff’s Office sees significant reduction in major crimes
In July, the Sheriff’s Office announced that crime was once again down significantly in Monroe County.
County wide, excluding the cities of Key West and Key Colony Beach, major crimes are down by 11.9 percent.
Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office cleared 24 percent of those crimes, a number above the state average of 22.6
percent.
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DUI Checkpoint in Islamorada
DUI checkpoint in Islamorada the night of July 1st
showed results with four people arrested for driving under
the influence of alcohol. Other results included 487 vehicles
stopped, 38 non-criminal traffic citations issued, 12 criminal
citations issued, 41 warnings issued and nine miscellaneous
arrests.
New TraumaStar arrives in Monroe County
The new TraumaStar helicopter flew into Monroe County
July 4th, touching down at the Marathon airport, where it
will be housed at the Sheriff’s Aviation Hanger. The 1982
Sikorsky S-76A++ was purchased by the Board of County
Commissioners from Geisinger Medical Center in Danville,
Pennsylvania for $3.7 million dollars. It has twin Jet turbine
engines and will travel at 175 miles per hour. It is configured to
carry up to two pilots, two patients and four caregivers.
Keys Kids Classic Fishing Tournament
The new Trauma Star made it’s first public
appearance in Monroe County in July. There
to greet the new craft was, left to right, Former
County Commissioner David Rice, Sheriff Rick
Roth, Marathon City Commissioner Margie
Mearns, County Fire Chief Clark Martin and
Marathon City Manager Mike Puto.
With 4 -5 foot seas the 2006 Florida Keys Kids Classic
Fishing Tournament was held in July. All kids who participated
received a gift bag filled with fishing items. The award ceremony and pizza party was held at Founders Park in Islamorada. The proceeds from this tournament went to local
charities and kids events.
Two day sport lobster season wrap up
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office was busy over the two day sport
lobster season throughout the Keys.
In the lower Keys, two boats and one personal watercraft made 90 boating contacts the first day and 40 contacts the second day. A small number of
warnings were issued for minor safety violations. A 66 year old woman died
while getting ready to dive at Contents Key, off of Big Pine Key and a couple
died while diving off of Big Pine Key.
In the middle Keys, one boat and two personal watercraft worked offshore, between the Seven Mile Bridge and the Long Key Bridge. They made
303 boat contacts, issuing one notice to appear in court for short lobster, one
for possession of egg bearing lobster and nine warnings for undersized lobster.
Two boats assigned to the Islamorada Sector stopped a total of 87 vessels,
issued four notices to appear for fisheries violations, gave two verbal
Marine Deputy William Guerra
warnings, responded to two suspicious boat calls, assisted the Coast Guard
checks a lobster to see if it is
on one call and responded to three medical calls on the water, as well as one
legal during the two day Sport
dive related fatality - a 36 year old man diving with a buddy on Davis Reef off
of Plantation Key.
In Sector Seven, two boats and one personal water craft worked offshore, making 98 contacts, and issuing
two notices to appear in court for possessing short lobster, along with nine citations and eight written warnings.
Deputy collapses at fourth of July parade
A Sheriff’s deputy collapsed while working at a parade Tuesday morning in the upper Keys.
Deputy Steve Kalogeras was working at the Fourth of July parade in Key Largo when he suddenly collapsed. Deputy Sean Heffron and Deputy Nick Pham rushed to his side but he was not breathing and showed
no signs of life. They performed CPR until Fire/Rescue units arrived. Deputy Kalogeras was rushed to Mariner’s Hospital where he ultimately recovered.
At the time of his collapse, Deputy Kalogeras worked in the upper Keys as a Civil Deputy. He was hired by
14
the Sheriff’s Office in December of 1987 as a road patrol deputy. He was shot while responding to a burglary
call in 1989. After recovering from the shooting, he was transferred to the Civil Division in October of 1991
where he has worked since then.
Five million in cocaine found off shore in a week
The cocaine was packaged in three bundles of 30 kilos each.
One was found by a dive captain off of Key Largo. The second
package was found by two Key Largo men fishing off shore of Pennekamp State park. The third turned up off shore of Marathon, found
by a fisherman.
The uncut value was approximately $2.5 million. Street value
of the drugs, once the drugs are diluted with “cut” and packaged for
sale would be about $5 million.
Nevada man arrested for Ebay fraud
Sheriff’s detectives caught a Nevada man engaged in defraudCrime Scene Detective Jason Madnick
stands with some of the kilos of cocaine
ing people on Ebay.
recovered off of the upper Keys.
With the assistance of law enforcement officers in Henderson,
Nevada, detectives say a warrant has been served charging the man
with Communications Fraud and Grand Theft. The victim told Captain Chad Scibilia he’d purchased computer equipment on Ebay, using PayPal, but never received the equipment.
The person selling the computer equipment was traced to Henderson, Nevada. A warrant was issued
and he was arrested there for Communications Fraud and Grand Theft. Detectives say they believe he may
have defrauded as many as 12 other people in the United States and Canada.
August 2006
National Night Out
Sector Six and Seven Sheriff’s Sectors participated
in the nationwide National Night Out event on August first.
There was live entertainment, food and other refreshments
as well as many games and prizes for kids. The purpose of
the National Night Out is to get community members together
with local law enforcement officers so they can get to know
one another. National Night out is a yearly event which takes
place all over the country on the first Tuesday of August.
Upper Keys deputies are given two new
bikes for patrol
Key Largo property owner Roger Allen, and his son
Eric Deland, donated a new bicycle in August to be used in
Dive Team member Detective Terry Smith
shows youngsters the gear worn by the team at
law enforcement patrols in the upper Keys in Sector Seven.
Allen also joined together with Mark Wheaton from Wheaton’s the Key Largo National Night Out event.
Service Station, Linda Perloff of GMAC Realty and Richard
Donnelly of Coconuts Lounge to purchase a second patrol bike
for the Sector. This effort to obtain donated patrol bicycles was spearheaded by Deputy E.B. Askins.
DUI, traffic violations targeted in Islamorada
Over the weekend of August 19 - 20, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Islamorada Sector along with
Sheriff’s Office Traffic Enforcement deputies and the Florida Highway Patrol teamed up to combat drunk
driving and other traffic related offenses occurring with The Village limits. The targeted effort was coordinated
by Sgt. Tom Kiffney.
A total of five arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol were made; 14 traffic citations were
15
issued for running the red light at the 90 MM; six warnings were issued and one person was arrested for
driving with license suspended. In addition to these traffic related cases, three drug arrests where made in
Islamorada as well.
September 2006
Long time Sheriff’s Office Captain dies
Harry Sawyer, Sr., long time employee of the Sheriff’s
Office, died in September. He received full law enforcement
honors at his funeral, held at the Big Coppitt Cemetary. Captain Sawyer retired in 1985 after 16 years with the department.
Long time Crossing Guard dies
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said goodbye September 4th to long time School Crossing Guard Raymond
Greene. Greene has worked for the Sheriff’s Office for the
past 10 years, since April of 1996. Greene died at Baptist
Hospital in Miami. Greene spent many mornings and afternoons making sure Monroe County school children crossed
the road safely, most lately working in the school zone at
Poinciana School in the city of Key West.
Training Sgt. John McGee passes a folded
flag to Sheriff Rick Roth during a funeral for
Harry L. Sawyer Sr.
New Farmer at the Animal Farm
Farmer Jeanne Selander started work at the Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm in September. She was hired
after Farmer Elaine moved on to the greener pastures of a horse farm in South Carolina. Selander hails from
Charleston, South Carolina. She moved to the Keys in 1998 to take the job of Assistant Curator at the Key
West Aquarium. She has a B.A. in Biology from the College of Charleston.
Sex Offender apprehended in New York City
A man wanted for a sexual offense committed in Monroe County was apprehended by the U.S. Marshal’s Service in New York City. The man is accused of fondling and biting a six year old girl while fishing
near the Shark Channel Bridge with her family. Detectives with the New York - New Jersey Regional Fugitive
Task Force located him, arresting him in New York City on charges of Battery and Lewd and Lascivious Acts.
Investigation into possible cat deaths
The Sheriff’s Office investigated the possible deaths of up to 16 cats after the fumigation of businesses
at the Fishing Village at Ocean Reef. Investigations revealed the incident took place on August 8th, when the
businesses were scheduled to be tented and fumigated. According to witnesses, a Miami company called
Termite and Fumigation went ahead with the fumigation without removing the cats that lived underneath the
building. Witnesses described seeing the cats attempting to escape from the tents, pawing at the tent walls,
“screaming and meowing to get out as they were being gassed.”
Bale of marijuana found on Long Key
A woman mowing her grass found a bale of marijuana washed up on shore. The woman, who lives at
the 66 mile marker of the highway, called the Sheriff’s Office immediately. The tightly wrapped 25 pound
package was near the water line when she found it. The drugs were reportedly soaking wet with sea water.
October 2006
Key West man charged with marijuana possession
Detectives arrested a Key West man for possessing a large amount of Marijuana. A search warrant
served at the Key West address turned up 237 grams of marijuana contained in two plastic bags in the
bedroom closet. The resident was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell.
16
Islamorada man arrested on drug charges
A search warrant, served at an Islamorada motel, led to the arrest of an Islamorada man for trafficking
in cocaine. Detectives served the warrant, finding a total of 84 grams of cocaine, 42 grams of marijuana, 57
miscellaneous unidentified pills, drug paraphernalia and $2,943.00 cash.The Islamorada man was charged
with trafficking in cocaine, possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug
paraphernalia.
Anonymous tip leads to large cocaine seizure
An anonymous tip about drug dealing led to the arrest of a Big Coppitt Key man for dealing and possessing cocaine. Detectives with the Sheriff’s Special Investigations Division, Key West Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement
investigated reports a man was dealing drugs on Pinder Lane in Key West. They searched his van finding
cocaine hidden in the driver’s door, the driver’s visor and in his wallet. They subsequently searched his residence on Big Coppitt Key finding 200 grams
of cocaine hidden in a bag inside ductwork
under the trailer. The man was charged with
trafficking in cocaine.
November 2006
New addition to Animal Farm
The Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm welcomed a new arrival in November: a baby
Patagonian Cavy, born September 7th, 2006
to two of the adult Cavies that have been with
the farm for several years now. The Animal
farm has a total of four adult Cavies and now,
one baby.
Trauma Star began flying again
Patagonian Cavys at the Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm.
The new Trauma Star began flying trauma patients in November. The Sheriff’s trauma flight operation
received final approval from the FAA and was granted a Part 135 license allowing the operation commercial
status. This allows the Sheriff’s Office to bill for Trauma Star’s services. The helicopter also became available
for inter-facility transports as needed.
Since the 1982 Sikorsky S-76A++ arrived in Monroe County in July, four Sheriff’s Office pilots have been
training to operate the new craft. They attended a special school to learn how to operate this particular model,
then conducted many training flights in the county to become comfortable flying it. They also had to learn the
locations of the various landing zones throughout the Keys where they will land to pick up trauma patients, and
had to practice landing at each location.
Sheriff’s Office participates in Toys for Tots
In November, the Sheriff’s Office once again announced it would participate in the Toys for Tots program
for the Christmas season. Donations of cash and new toys are dropped off each Christmas at all Sheriff’s
Office facilities. Numerous events were held to raise money for the program, including a Bowl-a-thon in Islamorada, Members of the Sheriff’s Office also help with the purchase of toys, and with wrapping them and distributing them to needy families.
Tequesta, Florida man injured while skydiving
A Tequesta, Florida man in the Florida Keys skydiving was severely burned when he hit power lines near
the Marathon Airport. As the man approached the ground he became entangled with power lines near the
airport. He and the power lines fell to the ground. He suffered severe burns over an estimated 15 to 20 percent
of his body. He was airlifted from Fishermen’s Hospital in Marathon to the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami.
17
Neighbor complaints lead to drug arrests
After neighbors complained about lots of traffic at a home on Ryan Lane in Key Largo, detectives served a
search warrant, arresting two men for a large amount of illegal narcotics. Detectives seized over $18,000 worth
of ecstasy, cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. They also found equipment to manufacture fake identification cards. The equipment has been turned over to federal authorities for possible prosecution. They also
found a book called “How to make driver’s licenses on your home computer”, along with a Gateway computer
loaded with special software for making identification, cards and a specialized printer for printing the IDs. Two
men were arrested.
Elf break in at Sugarloaf School
Sugarloaf School students learned the basics
of crime scene investigation after an “Elf break in”
was staged in their classroom. Deputies used crime
scene tape to rope off the area, and the kids followed
elf footprints to see how the miscreants got inside.
They also learned about fingerprints, and how they
identify people.
Warrant sweep nets 10 arrests, clears
28 outstanding warrants
Sheriff’s detectives arrested 10 people during
a warrants sweep Thursday night, clearing 28 outstanding warrants. The sweep took place in Marathon and was the culmination of an operation lasting
Sugarloaf School students learn about crime scene
several months called “Operation Crack Down”
investigation after an “Elf break in” at the school.
meant to target the sale of cocaine in the vicinity of
public housing in the Marathon area. A number of those
arrested were selling the drug near the public housing complex at 240 Sombrero Road and a number of them
also lived in the complex or had family living there.
December 2006
Spurred Tortoises come to Animal Farm from crack
house in Colorado
The Sheriff’s Office Children’s Animal Park welcomed three new
additions to it’s menagerie in December. Three African Spurred Tortoises joined the animal ranks. Two of the tortoises came from Colorado
where they were found inside a home raided in a drug operation. Veterinarian Doug Mader heard about the reptiles and suggested they be
sent to the Keys to the Animal Farm. The farm already had one African
Spurred Tortoise - a 100 pound specimen named Albert. The third new
tortoise, named Melanie, came from a woman on Sugarloaf Key.
Homestead man charged with Marathon bank
robbery
African spurred tortoises join the menagerie at the Sheriff’s Office animal
farm.
A Homestead man admitted to robbing the Orion Bank in Marathon
in December. Detectives say the man rode the JGT bus to Marathon on
December 7th, bringing his bike with him. He randomly selected Orion
Bank and robbed it, rode his bike back to the bus stop, and caught the
JGT bus back to Homestead. A photo of him, taken from surveillance
video in the bank, helped identify him. During questioning he admitted to
robbing Orion Bank. He was charged with Bank Robbery.
18
A Successful 2006 for Crime Stoppers
Tips leading to the arrests of a bank robber and a sexual predator were among the criminal cases Crime
Stoppers of the Florida Keys helped law enforcement agencies solve during 2006. Tips from the 24-hour Crime
Stopper hotline resulted in 19 arrests, the clearing of 21 criminal cases and the recovery or seizure of more
than twelve thousand dollars worth of drugs, cash and stolen property. Also, 293 tips received via phone and
the Internet.
Since starting operations in 1991, Crime Stopper tips have assisted local law enforcement with 319 arrests and with the recovery or seizure of over 324 thousand dollars worth of cash, drugs and stolen property.
1-800-346-TIPS
19
Crime Statistics
2500
2000
Murder
1500
Forcible Rape
Robbery
Aggravated Assault
1000
Burglary
Larceny
Motor Vehicle Theft
500
0
2002
2003
2004
Type of Crime
2005
2006
Law enforcement agencies statewide are required to report specific crime statistics to the Florida
Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). That agency, in turn, issues yearly summaries and detailed
reports on crime, with comparisons county by county, city by city and statewide. Here is a five year
comparison table of the Major Index Crimes for Monroe County (excluding the city of Key West), as
reported by FDLE and based on information provided by the Sheriff’s Office Crime Analysis Unit.
Total Crimes
Total Crimes
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
2002
2003
2004
20
2005
2006
Calls for Service
140,000
107,065
120,000
117,246
121,746
120,132
112,720
86,030
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Major Index Crimes - Clearance Rate
30.00%
25.00%
Percentage Cleared
20.00%
15.00%
*Monroe County Sheriff
10.00%
Miami-Dade County
State of Florida
5.00%
0.00%
2002
2003
2004
Year
2005
2006
*Note: Numbers f or Monroe County excluding the city of Key West.
Miami Dade County and State of Florida f igures not available f or 2006.
Calls for Service Breakdown
120,000
108,138
102,580
112,272
116,586
115,438
82,216
100,000
80,000
60,000
50,873
40,000
20,000
0
513
00
20
371
01
20
329
3,485
411
4,074
02
20
LAW ENFORCEMENT CALLS
21
472
03
20
4,110
04
20
FIRE CALLS
541
4,433
682
4,478
05
20
MEDICAL CALLS
06
20
514
4,180
10,000
Detention Center Bookings
8,845
9,000
7,971
7,906
7,782
9,229
8,068
8,000
7,116
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Monroe County Sheriff's Office Five Year Budget Comparison
30,000,000
25,000,000
20,000,000
Budget by Function 15,000,000
10,000,000
5,000,000
-
19,743,414
14,070,572
Corrections
9/30/2003
19,743,414
14,070,572
963,295
9/30/2004
20,538,350
14,578,169
1,036,443
9/30/2005
22,603,869
15,477,658
1,153,159
9/30/2006
24,417,750
16,524,411
1,248,916
9/30/2007
26,153,871
17,176,602
1,281,898
Fiscal Year Ending
Monroe County Sheriff's Office Forfeiture Receipts
7,000,000
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
Receipts by Fund
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
-
963,295
Law Enforcement
Federal
State
9/30/2002
6,442,418
754,766
9/30/2003
163,574
604,610
9/30/2004
182,127
260,221
9/30/2005
1,358,728
734,964
9/30/2006
324,233
111,802
22
Court Security
Income from Contract Inmates
$2,267,464
$2,500,000
$2,076,240
$2,000,000
$1,510,276
$1,642,706
$1,570,874
$1,442,790
$1,500,000
$1,000,000
$500,000
$0
FY 2000/2001
FY 2001/2002
FY 2002/2003
FY 2003/2004
Budgeted Position Allocation by Class 2006
500
FY 2004/2005
2005/2006
473
450
400
350
300
250
201
184
142
200
120
150
66
100
50
Deputies
Corrections
Support Staff
HIDTA
Managers
Non-Managers
Personnel Turnover
35
33.9
30
28
27.12
25
20
18.18
17.24
15
15.66
14.94
17.11
16.1
14.76
13.21
11.11
10.55
10
5
7.06
5.13
14.47
12.38
11.27
5.63
2.78
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24
Director
Aviation
Commander Criminal
Investigations
Director Community
Relations
Lieutenant Professional
Standards
Director –
Communications
Services & Programs
Director Property &
Evidence
Executive Director
Human Resources
Commander Support
Services
The Training Unit is under the direction of the Chairman of the
Training Board who is a Law Enforcement Commander
Director
Programs
Site Commander
Plantation Key
Inspector General
Site Commander
Key Vaca
Major
Bureau of Corrections
Site Commander
Key West
General Counsel
Director
Communications
Sector
Commander
Sector
Commander
Director
Court Services
Grants Administration
Sector
Commander
Sector
Commander
Director
Information Management
Bureau of Operations
Undersheriff
Civil Division
Executive Director
Finance
Chief
Bureau of Administration
Sheriff's Aide
Sheriff
Organizational Chart
Colonel/
Undersheriff
Law Enforcement
Services
Director
Communications
Administrative
Captain
Criminal Investigations
& Special Operations
Captain/Commander
Sector One
Captain/Commander
Sector Four/Five
Captain/Commander
Sector Six
Administrative
Administrative
Administrative
Administrative
Administrative
Administrative
Patrol
Patrol
Criminal
Investigations
Security
Patrol
Patrol
Captain/Commander
Sector Seven
Director
KW Airport Security
Dispatch
Director
Aviation
Administrative
Law Enforcement
Support
Prisoner Transport
Director
Community Relations
Public Information/
Web Site Development
Crime Watch
School Resource Unit
Cadets Monroe County
School Crossing
Guards
Crime Scene Unit
KW School Crossing
Guard Supervisor
Vice/Drugs/
Organized Crime
KW School
Crossing Guards
Monroe County
HIDTA
Crimes
Against Persons
Juvenile Programs
Traffic
Homeland Security/
Intelligence
Chief
Bureau of
Administration
Executive
Assistant
Workers Comp
Executive Director
Finance &
Accounting
Executive Director
Human Resources
Bonds
Purchasing
Administrative
Payroll
Fleet/Inventory
Background
Supply
Accounting
Sheriff's Office
Director
Information
Management
Director
Court
Services
Computer Systems
Personnel
Lieutenant
Professional
Standards
Central Property
and Evidence
Accreditation
Warrants
Satellite
Property and
Evidence
Staff Inspections
Court Security
25
Director
Property,
Evidence
Records
Expungment
HIDTA Grant
Grants
Administration
Risk Manager
Polygraphs
Major
Captain Key West
Lieutenant
Plantation Key
Lieutenant Key Vaca
Security
Security
Captain
Support Services
Administration/
Corrections
Accreditation
Security
Director
Transportation
Administrative
Fiscal Control
Supervisor
Maintenance
Identification
Medical Services
Food Services
Director
Programs
Sergeant
Inmate Services
Laundry
Classification
Inmate Property
Work Release
Main Control
Commissary
Animal Farm/
Landscaping
Inmate
Substance Abuse
Inmate
Education
Receptionist
Court Security
Colonel/
Undersheriff
Chief
Director
Court Services
Sergeant
Plantation Key
Sergeant
Marathon
26
Sergeant
Key West
Sheriff’s Office Command Structure
Office of Sheriff
Sheriff Richard D. Roth
Sheriff Richard D. Roth is ultimately responsible for every division and
department in the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. He is in touch, day to day, with
the activities of the Sheriff’s Office through his chain of command. Most divisions
and departments report to him through his second in command, Colonel Richard
Ramsay. His Aide, Val Marinello, and General Counsel Mark Willis report directly
to the Sheriff.
Sheriff Roth maintains an open door policy for employees of the Sheriff’s
Office as well as for members of the public. Anyone may make an appointment
with him through his Aide. She can be reached at 305-292-7001 or by e-mail at
vmarinello@keysso.net. Sheriff Roth can be reached directly by e-mail at
rickroth@keysso.net.
Undersheriff
Colonel Richard Ramsay
The Undersheriff reports directly to Sheriff Roth, and is responsible for
the day to day actions of Sheriff’s Office personnel and for the enforcement of
General Orders and policy within the Sheriff’s Office. He also handles the disposition of disciplinary action when members of the department violate policies and
procedures.
While his main office is at the Headquarters building on Stock Island, his
duties necessitate he spend considerable time traveling throughout the Keys.
This enables him to keep close track of what is taking place in the Sheriff’s Office
at all times.
Divisions and Departments
Legal Division
The Legal Division provides counsel to the Sheriff and the agency’s many
divisions as well as overseeing the Civil Division. The Legal Division is headed
by Mark L. Willis, General Counsel, and includes Jonathan G. Ellsworth, Deputy
General Counsel.
Civil Division
The Civil Division falls under the Legal Division and acts as the executive arm
of the court system. Using deputies stationed throughout the County, the Civil
Division receives, processes, and executes legal process including summonses,
General Counsel
Mark Willis
subpoenas, writs of executions, writs of possession, writs of attachment, writs of
bodily attachment, injunctions and levies. The Division also handles the appointment of Private Process Servers, individuals that serve papers privately but are appointed by the Sheriff to
serve process.
The Division is supervised by long-time Sheriff’s Office employee Rachelle Gates and staffed by Yvette
Valdez and Roxanne Rahming. There are five deputies assigned to the Division: Dep. Chris Scott working from
Stock Island to Big Pine, Dep. Charlie Cobb working in Key West, Dep. Tony Pabon in Marathon and Deputies
Dave Drennan and Steve Kalogeras in the upper Keys.
The Division is looking forward to an update in the Sheriff’s Office computer system enabling them to place
information online providing the public with more and quicker access. Currently, the Division makes a considerable amount of civil information available through the Sheriff’s web site, www.keysso.net, including a pamphlet
27
on evictions in English and Spanish and a schedule of civil process fees required per Fla. Statue 30.231. You
can contact the office at 305-295-3675 if you have any questions.
Office of Internal Affairs
Lt. Cindy Peryam directs the Office of Internal Affairs (IA), which is staffed by
two investigators and an Executive Assistant. Inspector Jon Ellsworth and Inspector Janine Gedmin are assigned to Corrections and Law Enforcement/Patrol investigations. Inspector Ellsworth also handles forfeiture cases for the County. Inspector Gedmin is Co-chair of the Poinciana Advocacy Center, Vice-chair of the Monroe
Community Shared Services Alliance, the Board of Directors of the Care Center for
Mental Health and is also on the Pandemic Planning Committee (better known as
Lt. Cindy Peryam
the Bird Flu Board). Janine was chosen by the Florida Office of the Attorney General
as the Criminal Justice Officer of the Year for her work with Victims’ Rights. The
Executive Assistant is Ms. Jo DeCamp who joined us in February 2006.
The primary function of IA is to investigate complaints against Law Enforcement and Corrections Officers.
Additionally, IA accepts and tracks commendations from the public and from supervisors citing employees for
exemplary performance. IA reviews grievances, lawsuits naming police employees, and employee and citizen complaints
resulting from police action, and use of force.
To emphasize quality, IA also identifies policy and procedural concerns regarding the Sheriff’s Office service to the
citizens of Monroe County. IA conducts periodic reviews to
find and correct deficiencies. In this way, the Sheriff’s Office
continually seeks to improve the quality of its service to the
people of the Florida Keys.
IA conducts classes and offers in-service training to officers about internal investigations which helps them to better
understand and respond to concerns voiced by citizens.
During 2006, IA tracked 84 issues. Of that number, eight
were Internal Affairs Investigations arising from complaints
against deputies or Sheriff’s Office employees, four were
The Internal Affairs crew: Inspectors Janine
Investigative Reviews of lawsuits, and eight were AdministraGedmin, Jon Ellsworth, Lt. Cindy Peryam,
tive Inquiries. A list of all IA activity is available on our web site Executive Asst. Jo DeCamp.
at www.keysso.net.
There were 64 allegations of policy violations by supervisory personnel. Internal Affairs treats such violations the same as citizen complaints. Internal Affairs also received 279 commendations for officer performance
this year.
Where to File a Complaint
For a complaint involving a law enforcement officer:
• In the upper Keys, at the Plantation Key Sub-Station 305-853-3211
• In the middle Keys, at the Marathon Sub-Station 305-289-2430
• In the lower Keys, at the Cudjoe Sub-Station 305-745-3184
For complaints involving our Office of Special Investigations, including detectives in the Drug Enforcement
Unit, the Traffic Enforcement Division, Crimes Against Persons Unit and other major crimes, call 305-289-2410.
For a complaint involving a corrections officer:
• In the upper Keys, at the Plantation Key Detention Center 305-853-3266
• In the middle Keys, at the Marathon Detention Center 305-289-2420
• In the lower Keys, at the Key West Detention Center 305-292-7006
Complaints may also be lodged, against any employee of the Sheriff’s Office at the following office:
Office of Professional Standards / Internal Affairs, located on Stock Island, 305-292-7042 or toll free 1-800273-COPS.
When you call, ask to speak to a supervisor or Lieutenant. When you call Internal Affairs ask for Lieutenant
Cindy Peryam. Any type of complaint may be directed to the Internal Affairs Unit where it will be logged and
forwarded to the proper person for investigation.
28
You may also file a complaint by E-mail to  internalaffairs@keysso.net, or by conventional mail to: Monroe
County Sheriff’s Office, 5525 College Road, Key West, Florida 33040
Information needed for a complaint
Have dates, times, names and descriptions available for the investigator at the time of complaint. Provide
as much detail as possible. Also provide information about where you may be contacted during the investigation.
What to expect during the investigation
After making the complaint, either by phone, mail or in person, the supervisor or inspector will tell you who
specifically will be conducting the investigation and what case number it has been assigned. The investigator
will also explain to you how to keep in touch with them during the investigation. You may feel free to contact the
investigator at any time to inquire about the investigation.
When the investigation is concluded
Complainants will receive a written notice with the findings of the investigation. A copy of the entire investigation may be obtained upon request with no cost to the complainant.
Complainant Obligations
While the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office can and will accept anonymous complaints, we will ask at times
for sworn, recorded testimony. This is not done to discourage complaints, but rather to protect the complainant
and ensure that the complaint is investigated to the fullest. We also request complainants do not discuss the
complaint or any information provided by the investigating officer during the investigation stage of the complaint. This of course does not apply to discussions between attorneys and their clients.
The complainant should always be aware that filing a false complaint could result in perjury charges being
filed against them.
The Sheriff’s Office Administration Division is responsible for all support
services within the Sheriff’s Office, including the Finance Division, Information
Systems, the Records and Warrants Divisions, Professional Standards, the
Property Division, Planning and Research Division, Human Resources as well as
all insurance and workman’s compensation claims. The Division is headed up by
Administrative Bureau Chief Mike Rice.
Finance
The Sheriff’s Office Finance Division is made up of a team of 15 people who
prepare the monthly financial statements, prepare the annual budget and insure
Bureau Chief Mike Rice
the money received from grants and federal agencies are spent in accordance
with their specific requirements. The Division is also responsible for maintaining
records for one general operating budget and sixteen Special Revenue Funds.
Other functions include calculating and disbursing checks to our employees
for payroll, as well as disbursing checks to vendors for supplies and services. All
expenditures are reviewed monthly for compliance with the appropriate budget.
Transactions processed during this fiscal year totaled over $90.7 million in fiscal
year ending 2006. The Division has obtained three consecutive perfect audits
since 2003 and is working toward receiving it’s fourth.
New faces in Finance include Michelle Quad, Finance Assistant. Michelle
came
back to the department after a two year absence. She replaced Yeny RoFinance Director Amy
driguez who was promoted earlier in the year to the payroll position. Laura LumHeavilin, CPA
mis joined the team as the Finance Coordinator/Payroll Manager. Mike Griffin is
Purchasing Assistant and Alix Pierre is the Supply Officer.
Other milestones for the Division include Lisa Knowles, Assistant Finance Director, who completed her
Bachelor’s in Accounting and Finance and Johnnie Yongue who is working toward becoming a Certified Public
Manager (CPM) through Florida State University.
Some items acquired via Special Revenue Funds (non-taxpayer funded) during the fiscal year include the
29
Trauma Star Helicopter, SWAT Van, Bomb Squad Truck, four new marine patrol boats, several F-250 pickups,
bulletproof vests, intoxilyzers, radar units, in-car computers/video equipment, dive equipment, Night Vision and
Viking Radio Equipment. The Division was also able to replace the majority of assets destroyed by Hurricane
Wilma with grant reimbursements during the year.
Information Systems
Information Systems is charged with taking care of all the computer and information technology needs of the Sheriff’s Office, including office computers, in car
computers, system printers and all system related software. With a staff of eight,
the team is kept busy maintaining and servicing computers and systems from Key
Largo to Key West.
Change pretty sums up the year 2006 in the Information Systems Division.
Bonnie Randolph moved out of the Division to become the new Crime Analyst.
She promises to continue helping us keep our users going as well as bringing
Director Jim Painter
a new dimension to the analyst position with her keen computer skills. She was
replaced by Drew Moyer who spent a brief period in dispatch, but comes with
years of experience in the information systems field. In the upper Keys, we are very fortunate to have Captain
Ted Migala at our beck and call to assist us with the in-car computer systems updates/upgrades and vehicle
citation printer installations.
In our Key West office, Sandy Bartlett was promoted to the Senior Tech Administrator position and continues to supervise our technicians on the many projects we have before us. Replacing her in a slightly different
capacity is Steve Heitman who paid some dues in jail records before moving across the street. Steve has had
his head in coding a project - a work order type system where we can track and report progress on virtually
all purchasing requests as well as having a self-help knowledge base program on our internal web site mcso.
net. Amy Arevelo left the Division in 2006 to tend to her baby Emma. Amy did an outstanding job for us, but we
found an excellent replacement in Joey Finch who came to us from Human Resources. The Sheriff’s practice
of promoting from within has proven advantageous to us during the year.
Despite the staff shuffle, we managed to accomplish many of our goals and then some. We put GPS units
in the road patrol vehicles allowing for real time tracking of the deputies which gives us their exact locations
on a map, available both in the cars and in dispatch. We more than doubled the speed of our wireless lap tops
by switching over to the latest Verizon air cards. We replaced many of our old lap tops with the newer models,
which means officers with the new equipment have begun using our electronic citation systems. Writing a ticket
and being able to send it in electronically alleviates the time it takes for a clerk to type them into our system
manually.
We installed new 64 bit servers making our applications much faster. Mike Grattan rewrote the most
popular portions of our web site: the arrests, webcad, warrants and the calls for service pages. Lee Johnston
still manages the trouble desk, answering user questions, fixing printers, giving user support, wiring, ordering
hardware and then setting up the hardware when it comes in.
We contacted our cell phone provider and helped them to identify problems with their service in our county.
Working hand in hand with their engineers we regained our high level of service helping not only the Sheriff’s
Office, but all subscribers in Monroe County.
Our accomplishments are far too many to mention, but we strive daily to keep our agency at the forefront
of technology.
Judicial Services / Central Records
This division provides information and security for the court system and is
charged with maintaining accurate records for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Court Services
In 2006, Court Services has focused on moving into the new courthouse. The
deputies are working on generating emergency plans and creating changes in
procedures. Sgt. Leird and Sgt. Torres worked on developing a FTO program and
will be tested in 2007.
Director Sharon Harrold
Warrant Division
The Warrant Division has worked on training the new employees. We now have
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Key West Court Security
Marathon Court Security
Plantation Key Court Security
a great staff. The goal for 2006 was to scan the injunctions into the
Fortis System to reduce paper storage. The staff worked hard to complete this task and it has saved us from purchasing additional storage
cabinets.
Jail Records
Records Manager Jamie Denton and her staff have done an excellent job keeping up with inmate files. Jail Records makes sure inmate
records are correct and complete. Jail Records is now scanning all
released inmate files into the Fortis System reducing paper storage.
Jail Records Division
Central Records
Central Records worked on scanning case files into the Fortis System.
Records Supervisor Tiffany O’Connell has taken on a huge project in her
department trying to become 100% paperless. The records conversion was
completed in 2006, which was a major task.
Professional Standards
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office holds
professional accreditation from state and nationCentral Records Division
al accrediting bodies for law enforcement and
corrections. The Division of Professional Standards manages the accreditation process, including making sure agency policies
and procedures are in compliance with accreditation standards and the agency is
following established policy.
In 2006 preparations were completed for an inspection by the Florida Commission
for Law Enforcement Accreditation, which took place in April. The inspecLt. Bruce Winegarden
tion team consisted of
Chief Allen Morrow of
Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and Lori Collins,
Accreditation Manager for the Pasco County Sheriff’s
Office. The inspection team recommended the Monroe
County Sheriff’s Office be reaccredited. Re-accreditation was awarded at the Fall commission meeting in
Coco Beach.
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., CALEA, recently updated it’s
standards and issued Edition 5 Standards Manual.
The Sheriff’s Office decided to convert from Edition
4 to Edition 5 before the next on-site inspection by
CALEA. The conversion is on-going. We were able to
The Sheriff’s Office receives re-accreditation from
combine several standards, eliminate a few and there
CALEA in 2006.
were several new ones as well primarily addressing
technological changes within law enforcement.
Preparations are being made for an on-site inspection by a CALEA assessment team sometime in late
November or early December of 2007.
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Human Resources Division
The Human Resources Division is responsible for ensuring that the Monroe
County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) is in compliance with all Federal and State laws:
Equal Employment Opportunity, American with Disability Act of 1990, Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, Equal Pay Act of 1963, Pregnancy Discrimination Act of
1978, and many other applicable laws.
The Human Resources Division is also responsible for recruitment, selection,
and background investigation of applicants wishing a career with the MCSO. In
2006
the Human Resources Division received and processed the following preExecutive Director Donna
applications
and applications for employment:
Allen-Moore
• Pre-Applications – 914
• Full Applications (sent) – 198
• Full Applications (received) – 112
• New Hires – 111
• Deputy Sheriff – 19
• Deputy Sheriff Trainees - 10
• Certified Detention Deputies – 13
• Auxiliary Detention Deputies – 10
• Non-Sworn
Support Staff – 23
Communications Officers – 9
Communications Officers-Part-time – 2
Records Assistant – 15
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (H.I.D.T.A.) – 5
The Human Resources Division maintains the agency’s personnel and medical files. The MCSO employs
a total of 612 employees which include:
• Deputy Sheriff – 204
• Detention Deputy – 154
• Support Staff – 182
• High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (H.I.D.T.A.) – 72
The Human Resources Division is responsible for coordinating the agency’s promotional process, managing the agency’s random drug testing, annual physicals, Florida Department Law Enforcement (FDLE) registrations and resignations, personnel and payroll changes, and administering the following optional/supplemental
benefits programs to all members:
• Sick Leave Pool
• Weight Loss Program
• Compensatory time off bank
• Retirement, resignations and leave of absences
• Supplemental insurances (life, disability and cancer)
• Anti-smoking incentive program
• Deferred Compensation programs
• Financial Hardship program
• Hurricane Exemption program
• Domestic Partner Resolution
The Human Resources Division assists the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in the following:
• Helping the agency achieve its goals and objectives.
• Communicating Human Resources policies to all employees.
• Provide employees with a formal process for grievance resolution.
• Promote and support recruiting strategies and collaborate with Commanders, Directors and Supervisors to create a high performing diverse workforce.
• Develop staff excellence through training and consultation for employees that encourage growth and
opportunity and foster good, open communication and an overall positive work environment for all employees.
The Human Resources Division assumes a pro-active role in the community and participates in various
32
community programs that enhance children educational and occupational awareness; School to Work Program, Take Stock In Children and the Mentoring Program. The Human Resources Division is committed to
working with the diverse population in Monroe County by identifying and responding to its changing needs.
Planning and Research Division
Planning and Research Division duties were redistributed in 2006 when Director Patricia Almeda retired in June. The Crime Analysis position, responsible for
much of the data collection as well as for identifying trends in criminal activities
was reassigned to the Intelligence Division under Lt. Nancy Alvarez. A new Grants
Administrator and Risk Management position was created under the Bureau of
Administration. This person also handles quarterly, annual and multi-year planning
and reporting as well as assuring goals and objectives are set and met by agency
personnel. The person responsible for auditing offense reports and for UCR reDirector Patricia Almeda
porting - required by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation - was assigned to the Central Records Division. These
changes resulted in considerable savings for the agency, while still assuring the essential duties of the office are
being accomplished.
Property and Evidence Division
This year was very busy for us in Property and Evidence. We had to terminate one employee and we were lucky to fill the position 3 months later. Candace
Busald transferred from the Planning and Research Division. Kelby Thomas is the
Property and Evidence Clerk. He runs the Key West office. Candi is the Property &
Evidence Assistant. She receives all the property and evidence that arrives in the
Key West Office.
We have two more offices in the Marathon and Plantation Key substations.
These two offices are run by Property and Evidence Assistant Angie Glover. She is
Director Diana O’Dell
in Marathon on Tuesday and Thursday and in Plantation Key on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We do weekly trips up and down the Keys transporting any and all
property and evidence that needs to come to Key West.
This year we were very busy working on an inventory of the vaults. We inventory a year at a time. The
first thing we do is search for a disposition. If we locate a disposition we dispose of the case. If the case is still
pending we relocate it. In each year we inventoried, we condensed the boxes and reorganized them because
we don’t have any additional shelving in any of the vaults. It seems like our major task in this division is always
making room. Even though were able to destroy quite a number of items, we have just as much coming in the
door. We fill up the shelves as soon as we empty them.
We are still holding a few years worth of cases up the Keys. In Marathon we have 2005 and 2006 property
and evidence. As dispositions on the cases arrive we bring them to Key West for disposal. In Plantation Key
we have 2004, 2005 and 2006 property and evidence but we are starting to bring 2004 to Key West to make
room for 2007 cases.
We set a record this year for destructions, increasing to 3600 items for the year.
Road Patrol
The Sheriff’s Office is committed to providing a safe environment for the citizens of Monroe County. We
are also committed to community-oriented policing and to ensuring that the quality of life and the livability factor
are at the highest levels possible. Through community-oriented policing, we actively promote community safety,
protect life and property, regulate safe and efficient motor vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic and assist in
environmental and marine law enforcement.
Deputies act in close collaboration with groups representing the needs of the residential and business com33
munities of the city and county. We actively participate in Neighborhood Crime Watch Programs in our efforts
to enlist citizen cooperation in anti-crime efforts and increase police visibility. Deputies regularly meet with each
neighborhood group and partner with local citizens for the enhancement of common public safety and quality of
life issues.
The Sheriff’s philosophy is clear. To work with the community in partnership to address public needs and
address the important issues of the citizens of Monroe County. Community Oriented Policing (COP) is an organizational philosophy with a decentralized approach aimed at reducing crime and improving the quality of life within
a community. The entire community is responsible for public safety - not just the police. Community policing
recognizes a shared responsibility and connection between the police and the community.
Many of our deputies work a flexible schedule in order to meet the needs of the community based upon
meetings (neighborhood association, crime watch, etc.), events and problem-solving initiatives. These flexible
schedules also facilitate more effective problem solving. Deputies may work in uniform and drive marked police
patrol cars, patrol on a police mountain bike, or if the situation calls for it, operate a wave runner, a four-wheel
drive ATV on the beach, work in plain clothes or whatever is necessary to accomplish the task at hand. The flexibility of their work schedule, coupled with creative and innovative problem-solving efforts, allows them to resolve
problems beyond traditional police responses.
Many of our deputies are active members of community organizations and their governing boards such
as Rotary, ZONTA, United Way, Salvation Army, Masons, Shriners, Domestic Abuse Advisory Board and other
organizations that focus on community, children and the elderly. Not only do they participate in these organizations but also many have taken leadership positions in them to better develop that problem solving partnership
so necessary in affecting positive change.
As in all other law enforcement agencies around the country, in 2006 we continued to operate under a
heightened state of awareness. Security of our many important facilities such as utilities, bridges, government offices, hospitals, schools and other high profile locations were constantly checked and documented for security.
Sector One - Lower Keys
Sector One is located between mile marker 47 south to and including the city
of Key West. This sector is commanded by Captain Chad Scibilia, with Lt. Mitch
Snider as Station Commander. The sector is staffed with two support staff, six
sergeants, two Civil deputies, two Marine Enforcement deputies, one Community
Policing Deputy, and 23 patrol officers, for a total of 38 employees.
The Marine Enforcement officers are a new addition to the Sector adding a new
dimension to our abilities to serve the citizens of our area. The Unit is equipped
with a 19 foot Coastal Bay vessel purchased from forfeiture funds and it will be
Captain Chad Scibilia
operating in the shallower waters of the lower Keys. The second vessel is a 29 foot
Donzi purchased with federal money through a grant provided by Homeland Security. Neither boat was funded by any taxpayer dollars. The Marine deputies’ primary directive will be enforcement of safe boating practices and public education.
The men and women assigned to Sector One continue to provide the finest law enforcement services to
be found anywhere. These law enforcement professionals who
patrol the lower Florida Keys take a heartfelt sense of personal
ownership in what happens in the community we all share. Our
deputies do not stop at simply responding to calls for service and
criminal activity. They look for issues concerning all of us and,
using a partnership and teamwork approach, find ways to resolve
them before they escalate to a bigger problem. This approach to
policing is reinforced with a zone concept. Sector One is divided
into two zones, north and south. Each zone is assigned a sergeant as the Zone Commander. The Zone Commander takes on
the responsibility to completely oversee any and all crime or quality of life issue in that zone. They work towards bringing together
law enforcement and all other public and private resources to
resolve the community concern or issue.
Sgt. Sommers and his wife, Gwendolyn.
The south Zone Commander, who covers from the city of Key
34
West to the 21 mile marker, was Sergeant
Vaughn Sommers. He retired this year after 20 years of service and his dedication
and knowledge will be greatly missed. We
wish him and his wife Gwendolyn the best
of luck and a happy retirement.
Sergeant Sommers was replaced
by Sgt. Davy who is now the south Zone
Commander. Sgt. Davy has been with
this agency for six years and comes to
us with a extensive experience with the
United States Coast Guard.
Sector One Road Patrol
Sergeant Ronald Roberts is a 26
year veteran with Monroe County and is
assigned as the north Zone Commander, covering the 21 mile marker to the 47 mile marker.
In addition to their Zone Commander duties, these sergeants work a regular patrol shift and handle the
day-to-day supervision of a patrol squad. This Zone Commander concept is the essence of community based
policing: looking beyond just criminal acts that have already occurred, and focusing on order maintenance
issues and concerns of the community or problems that may not be specifically of a criminal nature but are
shared by everyone. With a Zone Commander in place, there is an individual who works towards bringing
resources together so the problem can be resolved, making our community a truly nice and safe place to be.
Sector Four and Five - Middle Keys
Captain Bob Peryam
Our Motto is: doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason, always!
Sectors Four [Marathon] and Five are staffed with 29 sworn Deputies. We
have responsibility for the City of Marathon’s contract for law enforcement services
as well as County regional support services from the southern limits of the Village
of Islamorada (mile marker 72) to the Seven-Mile bridge (mile marker 47) including
the City of Layton, Long Key State Park, Conch Key, Duck Key, Pigeon Key, and
Boot Key Harbor. We also support the City of Key Colony Beach Police Department with regional support services
and emergency back-up law en-
forcement assistance.
This year was a good year in respect to hurricanes. Unlike
the previous two years, where we had suffered from a number
of direct hits from storms, this year we were spared. This break
allowed our community to recover and to have life return back
to normal.
We continue to be committed to providing a safe environment for our citizens to live and work in. We are also committed to community-oriented policing, to ensure the quality of life,
and the livability factor, stay at their highest possible levels.
Here are just some of the projects our deputies have been
involved in this past year:
• Sombrero Beach 4th of July Fireworks celebration
• Offshore Fisherman’s Foundation (OFF) Seafood Festival
• Seven Mile Bridge Run
• Habitat for Humanity’s Annual Christmas Gala
• Pigeon Key Art Festival
• Two day Mini lobster season
• Three day Big Band concert’s held in the city park
• Halloween celebration held behind the airport
• Toys for Tots Motorcycle Rally
35
New 26 foot Donzi.
• Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Parade
• Over 500 hours of bicycle patrol in the community
• Over 300 vessels stopped during the two day mini lobster
season
• 1000 hours of water patrol conducted by our Marine Unit
• 480 hours of security for the Super Boat Races held in Marathon
• 80 hours of security for Fourth of July
• Marathon Night out
• Marathon High School homecoming parade
• D.U.I. check point held during two day Mini Lobster season
• D.U.I. check point during Christmas holidays
Sector 4/5 held a National Night Out
• Attendance at all Crime Watch meetings in Sectors Four and
event in August inviting the public to
Five
come out, get to know the Sheriff’s Of• Car Seat Clinic
fice and learn about crime prevention.
• Duck Key Security Meetings
• Paws for a Cause
• Halloween Patrol Detail
• Safety Day at Home Depot
Our deputies also participate in the community through the many Civic Groups they are members of,
including:
• Rotary
• Masons
• Nights of Columbus
• Salvation Army
• Veterans of Foreign Wars
• Zonta
• Shriner’s Club
• Leadership Monroe
Our Marine Unit has been very busy working to remove over 300 derelict vessels from our near shore
waters. This year the City received a new 26 foot Donzi. The vessel was purchased with the use of Forfeiture
Funds and will help us provide even better police services here in our Sectors.
Our station is located in the heart of the Florida Keys, in the city of Marathon. This makes it easy for our
residents to stop in for any assistance they might need. This past year our staff assisted over 3,242 citizens
who came to our office, fingerprinted 114 citizen for professional licensing or employment and issued 344 hurricane re-entry stickers.
We look forward to serving our community in the up coming year. We are eager to continue our philosophy of Community policing and forming partnerships with our citizens to prevent crime and to improve the
quality of life in our community.
Sector Six - Islamorada
The Islamorada Sector runs from
the 72 mile marker to the 90.2 mile
marker in the city of Islamorada.This
was the sixth year the Monroe County
Sheriff’s Office has provided contract
municipal police services to the Village
of Islamorada. This has been a very
successful partnership and the contract
Captain Joe Leiter
was renewed in October for another
three years. A total of 18 deputies were
assigned to the Islamorada Sector in 2006; 16 contract deputies
and two regional deputies, including two full time Marine Deputies.
The amount of the contract was $1.4 million.
36
Islamorada Marine Deputies at work.
Activity:
•
•
•
•
•
Total Calls for Service: 16,654
Arrests: 480
Citations Issued 1,462
DUI Arrests 49
Other traffic arrests 105
Personnel Changes:
• Deputy Todd Pitts left MCSO for Seminole County
Florida Sheriff’s Office.
• Deputy Bill Grove transferred to Special Investigations.
• Deputy Ann Latham left the agency and moved to north
Florida.
• Deputies Kenneth Brand and Yunier Galvez joined
Islamorada after graduating from the Law Enforcement
Academy.
• Deputy Sheila Seago transferred to Islamorada from
Marathon.
Islamorada’s National Night out event attracted many members of the public to Founder’s
Park where they got to know their deputies,
played games and ate great food.
Events:
• Perhaps the last Bartender’s/Hospitality Expo was held at Holiday Isle in May. The annual event draws
thousands to the waters and sandbar off Holiday Isle and resulted in the largest water-bourne law enforcement operation in Monroe County.
• Lobster Mini Season was held in July with the Marine Unit stopping 87 vessels for violations or safety
checks during the event.
• Islamorada Marine Deputy Nelson Sanchez and Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
held a Small Boat Handling course in Marathon for law enforcement officers.
• Sergeant Dennis Coleman and Deputy Sheila Seago organized a Toys for Tots bowl-a-thon in November, at the Fishbowl in Islamorada, assisted by Lt. Tom Brazil.
• A Sheriff’s escort, for the annual Santa Ride sponsored by Islamorada Fire Rescue, was provided by
Captain Joe Leiter.
• Two very successful DUI Checkpoint operations were conducted by Sgt Kiffney’s squad on Plantation
Key.
Sector Seven - Upper Keys
The fabulous Florida Keys and Monroe County start in Sector Seven. Jurisdiction for us begins at the Dade County/Monroe County line, at the 112 mile marker,
and ends at the Tavernier Creek Bridge, mile marker 90.2. Sector Seven also
includes Ocean Reef and parts of Card Sound Road and State Road 905.
The upper Keys headquarters is the Roth Building at the
88.7 mile marker of the highway.
It is a brand new, state of the
Captain Don Hiller
art facility purchased through
federal forfeited drug proceeds
that opened in March of 2005. It was named after Sheriff
Richard D. Roth who was responsible for its purchase and
renovation.
The Sector Seven Upper Keys Commander is Captain
Don Hiller and the Station Commander is Lieutenant Donnie
Fanelli. Lt Mitch Horn oversees patrol responsibilities for
Ocean Reef. Together, they command 33 dedicated patrol
deputies and office personnel who make Sector Seven a
Lt. Donald Fanelli gives Roger Allen a certificate
special place to work and live. It is because of their committhanking him for his assistance acquiring two
ment and dedication we have been so successful.
new patrol bikes for Sector 7 neighborhood
Sector Seven embraces the community based policing
patrols.
concept. Besides responding to normal calls for service, these
37
deputies are constantly looking for ways to deter crime and prevent
citizens from becoming victims. Programs and ideas have been
implemented that have been an immediate difference in the quality of
life in the upper Keys.
Deputies work with 27 Citizen Crime Watch groups and two
Advisory Boards. Through this constant interaction with the community, we are able to stay apprized of their needs as well as give
them input and suggestions. One of the programs begun through this
interactive process is a Trespass Prevention Program implemented
first in Sector Seven. Because of its success in the upper Keys, the
program is now county wide .
National Night Out was an event in August used to bring over
In Key Largo’s National Night out, kids
300 citizens together with deputies to promote a unified front against
got to learn about the Sheriff’s dive team,
crime in the upper Keys. The night was a great success with a
got their faces painted and learned about
barbecue, events for the kids, and even a live band. Toys for Tots is
safety.
a program to assist needy families during the holiday season. This
Christmas, over 120 kids received new toys and bikes through this
program, assisted by volunteers from the Sheriff’s Office. These are the type of dedicated people we have on
our staff. They are why these programs work.
Sector Seven also has a successful Marine Unit. Two full time deputies have been issued top of the line
boats and equipment to help patrol the consistently increasing marine activities in the upper Keys. They assist
current Sheriff’s Office Marine assets in other sectors as well as state and federal agencies. Patrol areas are
from the County line to the 72 mile marker.
On behalf of the men and women of Sector Seven, we look forward to serving the citizens and taking on
the challenges that await us in the upcoming year.
Special Investigations Division
Captain Ross Thomson
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division is made up
of investigators specializing in criminal investigations requiring special skills and
training to perform. These detectives operate county-wide and many of their investigations are long-term and sensitive in nature. Captain Ross Thomson oversees
the Division, which is led by Lieutenant Corey Bryan.
The Units under his command are:
•Criminal Investigations Units in the upper, middle and lower Keys
• Narcotics Unit
• Homicide Unit
• Crimes Against Women and Children
Victim Advocates
Dive Team
Bomb Team
Hostage Negotiators
Special Weapons and Tactics Team
Traffic Enforcement
Reserve Officers
Criminal Investigative Units
When a road patrol deputy takes a criminal incident report needing further investigation, or if a case needs
a trained investigator to pursue difficult or complex issues, detectives with the Criminal Investigations Unit are
generally the ones who are assigned. The investigators in this unit are experienced law enforcement officers
who have worked a number of years on road patrol, and many of them have been specially trained in criminal
investigations. They work directly with Sector Commanders and road patrol officers, but they are under the
direction and control of the Special Investigation Division Commander. One investigator is on call at all times
and does respond to a crime scene, if necessary, at any hours of the day or night.
The most common crimes assigned to this unit include crimes against persons, such as aggravated
battery and robbery; crimes against property, including burglary and theft cases; and financial and computer
38
crimes, including credit card fraud, forgery, embezzlement, and internet fraud cases. Investigators also conduct
warrant sweeps, perform surveillance on known violators, and work special details in areas experiencing a
particular crime problem.
Sector One (lower Keys): The Sector One Criminal Investigations Unit is located at the Sheriff’s Office
Headquarters on Stock Island, and at the Cudjoe Key Substation. The Unit is led by Detective Sgt. Bobby Randolph who oversees Detectives Donnie Catala, Henry Hamilton, Jeremy Davy, Paul Shultz, Diane Mimosa, and
Crime Scene Detective Gary McCullogh. The Administrative Assistant is Peggy Carey. This unit is responsible
for investigations from Seven Mile Bridge south to Stock Island.
Sector Four and Five (middle Keys): The Sector Four and Five Criminal Investigations Unit is located
in the Marathon Substation. The Unit consists of Detectives Rick Martin, Ron Sylvester, Amanda Coleman,
Crime Scene Detective Rosa Digiovanni, Administrative Assistant Deborah Simpson, and Detective Sgt. James
Norman. The detectives are a diverse and enthusiastic team of investigators that work extremely well together.
The Unit is very proud they have developed a close working relationship with the Sector Four and Five Deputies, Supervisors, and Sector Commanders. This Unit is responsible for investigations from the north end of the
Seven Mile Bridge to the 72 mile marker of Highway U.S. One.
Sector Six and Seven (upper Keys): The Sector Six and Seven Criminal Investigations Unit is stationed
at the Roth Building on Plantation Key. The Unit is led by Detective Sgt. Gene Thompson. The Detectives
in this unit are: Mike Wilkinson, Greg Larochelle, Don Dalton, Ken Baker, Michael DiGiovanni, Crime Scene
Detective Jason Madnick, and Administrative Assistant Haydee Martinez. The Unit investigates all felonies and
serious misdemeanors and works pro actively to reduce crime in the area. The area consists of incorporated
and unincorporated territory from the 72 mile marker to the Dade County line including The Ocean Reef Club.
Vice and Narcotics
The Vice/Narcotics Unit is a specialized investigative
group consisting of six detectives and a detective sergeant. The detectives are paired up in the lower, middle,
and upper Keys to provide coverage throughout the Keys.
The types of crimes Vice/Narcotic Unit investigates
are primarily drug related crimes. The Unit investigates all
Crime Stoppers Tips and any other drug related tips. The
Unit conducts other investigations on crimes such as, but
not limited to, gun violations, prostitution, illegal gambling,
and any other specialized crime that needs investigation.
The Unit assists other members of the agency with
specialized equipment, surveillance requests, or any
additional manpower request. The Unit works closely with
other law enforcement agencies within the County such as,
but not limited to, the Key West Police Department, The
Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Drug Enforcement The Sheriff’s Office Vice / Narcotics Unit during a
search warrant served on Stock Island.
Administration, and Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco.
Crimes Against Women and Children:
Crimes Against Women and Children consists of three detectives located throughout the County. They
handle all child abuse, sex crimes, missing juvenile cases, child pornography, and child victims of prostitution. They also maintain records and do regular checks on registered sex offenders in the County and, during
2006, conducted several Child ID projects around the County, taking children’s fingerprints and photographs.
One detective is on call weekends and after hours. Investigators have worked a number of cases with the Law
Enforcement Against Child Harm (LEACH) task force and with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
In 2006, the Unit investigated 204 cases making 21 arrests including the arrest of a man for Sexual Battery
on two sisters. This case led to the discovery of other victims in other jurisdictions. The case officer, Detective
Linda Mixon, received the Officer of the Quarter Award for her work on the case. The Unit is led by Detective
Sgt. Trish Dally and the Detectives are: Linda Mixon, Natalie Mashburn, and Manny Cuervo. The Administrative Assistant is Desjuen Hill.
Homicide
Homicide is made up of two detectives who handle all homicides, missing adults, and suspicious death
cases in the County. They are also charged with reviewing and investigating all cold cases involving a homicide
39
or unidentified death. One investigator is on call
at all times.
In 2006, the Unit handled 132 cases including one child death resulting in the arrest of the
child’s mother. They also routinely assist other
jurisdictions when a homicide in another location calls for some type of follow up in the Keys.
This unit is led by Detective Sgt. Trish Dally. The
two detectives in this unit are Mark Coleman
and Terry Smith.
Victim Advocates
There are five Victim Advocates in Monroe
County who work for the Sheriff’s Office. There
is one stationed at each Sheriff’s sub-station
(Plantation Key, Islamorada, Marathon, Cudjoe
Members of the Homicide Unit, Crimes Against Women and
Key) and one assigned to the Key West Police
Children and Victim Advocates.
Department. Victim Advocates assist crime victims - particularly victims of violent crimes - and
two are on call in the County at all times. The Advocates are funded by a grant from the Office of the Attorney
General and for the past year they assisted 914 people. The Victim Advocates are supervised by Detective
Sgt. Trish Dally. The Victim Advocates in the Keys are: Sally Ann Crawford, Debbie Shepherd, Carol AlburyJohnson, Josh Peters, and Elaine Woodson.
Homeland Security / Intelligence Unit
The Homeland Security Division coordinates with the applicable Regional Domestic Task Force for the
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. This division assists in the coordination of the applicable Regional Strategic
Plan as outlined in the State of Florida Domestic Task Force.
Lt. Nancy Alvarez works as a liaison with various local, state and federal agencies on areas of Homeland
Security specific to the Regional Domestic Security Task Force. Her work involves ensuring Florida residents
and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office employees receive clear and accurate messages regarding the mission,
activities and accomplishments of the agency. This unit is a liaison with various local, state and federal agencies on areas of domestic security and natural disasters.
The Unit maintains a working relationship with elected officials, municipal, state and federal governmental
agencies and business officials and other provider entities to assure the on-going development, improvement,
and readiness of the various preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery plans for situations in Monroe
County that deal with the Regional Domestic Security Task Force. The Unit participates, conducts and/or
attends various intra and interdepartmental meetings, including agency administrative meetings and meetings
involving the general public and maintains current knowledge of trends and developments in the field of public
safety and homeland security.
The Intelligence Unit is responsible for gathering, analyzing, and disseminating information concerning
known or suspected criminal activity including Organized Crime, Gang Members, Terrorists, Extremists, any
Dignitary related activity, Homeland Security, Convicted Felons, and Narcotic trends.
Intelligence information about narcotics, memos of information received (MOIR), Crime Stoppers Tips, and
general intelligence is all maintained in one database. The collection of intelligence information is gathered
from informants, prisoner debriefing, and roll call briefings. It is important every member share intelligence, as
the more information gathered and entered, the more valuable it is to all members who have access.
The Intelligence Unit maintains membership in state and regional intelligence groups to include the Florida
Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Law Enforcement Intelligence Unit (LEIU), and the Regional Organized Crime
Information Center (ROCIC).
The Intelligence Unit works closely with the Crime Analysis Unit to provide timely officer safety information, criminal trends, and MO’s for patrol as well as other agencies located in Monroe County. Intelligence
Bulletins are produced and provided to members of the Sheriff’s Office, including Intelligence flyers and officer
safety information. emails are distributed to members with intelligence pertinent to their sectors.
Dive Team
The Dive Team leader is Detective Mark Coleman. The following members serve on a part time basis:
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Detective Henry Hamilton, Sergeant Daryl Hull, Sgt. Jim Wirth, Deputy Win Higgins, Deputy John Whortenbury,
Deputy Ray Jodlowski, Reserve Lieutenant Bob Smith and Reserve Lieutenant Bob Jason, Reserve Deputy
Bob Guhl, and Reserve Deputy C.J. Behrens. New members include Detective Terry Smith, and Deputies
Nelson Sanchez, and Dan Chu.
The goal of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Underwater Search and Recovery Team is to rapidly
respond to any water-related operations and to safely affect any type of waterborne recovery or rescue operations. The dive team’s primary responsibility is underwater search and recovery of persons and/or evidence.
The team consists of Deputy Sheriffs who are specially trained and equipped to conduct such operations.
The Sheriff’s Office Dive Team responds to calls in Monroe County including the areas surrounding the
City of Key West, City of Marathon, Key Colony Beach, The Village of Islamorada, and Ocean Reef. The Dive
Team is available and has been called upon to assist agencies in other areas of the state as well.
The Dive Team assists the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, United States Coast Guard, U.S.
Customs, Key West Police, and Key Colony Beach Police.
The members of the Dive Team are volunteers that work in
addition to their regularly assigned duties.
The standards for the Dive Team are high and require
extensive training. The Dive Team conducts underwater
crime scene investigations, evidence recovery, body recoveries, and recoveries of vehicles from the water, hull
searches of vessels, underwater photography, and videography. The Dive Team trains in various areas of Monroe
County including channels, bridges, canals, and offshore
shipwrecks; however, the team’s primary training location
is the Florida Keys Community College Aquatic Training
Facility and the Roth Marine Public Safety Annex building
where skills in the fields of underwater search and recovery
and investigations are continuously updated.
The Dive Team has become more involved in port secu- A Member of the Sheriff’s Office dive team in training on the wreck Spiegal Grove off of Key Largo.
rity operations that include advanced techniques in searching
for and identifying destructive or parasitic devices below the
waterline around ship hulls, docks, piers, and bridges. The Dive Team often trains with specialized equipment
consisting of full-face masks, underwater communication systems, tethers, side-scan sonar, remote operations
cameras, and magnetometers.
Highlights of 2006 :
• Jan. 4: Recovered stolen property off Stock Island shrimp docks.
• Jan. 20: Investigated sunken sailboats off Key West.
• Jan. 30: Investigated suspicious object at bottom of canal in Key Largo.
• Mar. 3: Nitrox/deep dive/air management training at Spiegel Grove site.
• Apr. 6: Recovered stolen car from Tom’s Harbor Channel.
• May 8: Assisted National Transportation Safety Board by inspecting and photographing crashed aircraft
in canal in Marathon.
• June 22: Recovered drowning victim from rock quarry near Key West.
• July 10: Stress course training in Florida Keys Community College (FKCC) lagoon.
• July 27: Searched for missing diver off Big Pine Key.
• Aug. 21: Recovered gun from Boca Chica Channel.
• Oct. 11: Inspected and photographed crashed helicopter off Ocean Reef.
• Nov. 13: Diver rescue training in ocean off Islamorada, and navigation practice at Channel Two.
• Dec. 8 & 15: Worked with US Army Corps of Engineers divers in training scenarios at FKCC lagoon.
• Dec. 18: Assisted Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) with search of area
around capsized boat in Whale Harbor Channel.
Hostage Negotiation Team
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Crisis Negotiation Team is a unit of specially trained persons who are
tasked to respond to crisis incidents. These incidents include but are not limited to: suicide attempts, hostage
situations, sniper attacks and barricaded armed subjects, with or without hostages or other victims.
41
The difference in a hostage and non-hostage incident is subtle but important. A hostage is held for some
substantive gain by the taker. A non-hostage incident involves a person who is being held and their status is
that of a victim as may occur in a domestic dispute, burglary, or robbery.
A member of the Unit must receive special training in crisis intervention, negotiation techniques, recognition of patterns and clusters of behaviors and advanced active communication skills. These skills are used with
the goal of a safer more controlled resolution to a volatile incident which poses high risk to the members of the
Sheriff’s Office, persons in crisis and general public at large.
The Unit responds with a minimum of two trained negotiators and at least one other member assigned
for additional documentation. Members of the Unit actively maintain their skills and knowledge with additional
training with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which offers guidance as needed and with the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators.
Monroe County is in Region Six of the State of Florida, as outlined by the Florida Association of Hostage
Negotiators (FAHN). FAHN Members train quarterly with SWAT and the Bomb Disposal Unit in scenario situations and spend an occasional training day at the range.
The response begins with the gathering of information to build a database on the subjects involved and the
current situation. Intelligence is critical to access all the possible factors and driving forces having an impact on
the individual and/or the group dynamics. The situation must be contained with an outer and inner perimeter.
Communications and access to the hostage taker and hostages must be limited and carefully controlled. Slowing down and controlling the situation allows the team to have influence and thus lead the subject to a peaceful
resolution: the ultimate goal of hostage negotiation.
Intelligence is gathered by various methods and is shared with SWAT to improve the overall response and
resolution. The final phase of a negotiators task is to be the liaison between the subject and SWAT so there are
no surprises for anyone as he or she surrenders and is taken into custody.
The Monroe County Crisis Negotiation Unit currently has five negotiators in the Keys including one bilingual member (Spanish) and one female member: Team Leader Detective Don Dalton, Deputy Luis Blasco,
Deputy Lee Cowart, Lt. Tom Brazil, Sgt. Bobby Randolph, Reserve Officer David Stark, and Reserve Officer
Anngee Quinones. They are available day or night, at any time. Most of these members have over twenty
years experience as Law Enforcement Officers and offer that experience for the safety of the community and
fellow members of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Bomb Squad
The Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad is the only fully equipped
explosives handling team in the Florida Keys. The Squad is made up
of two certified bomb technicians, Detective Sgt. Bobby Randolph and
Deputy Butch Albury, and Detective Jason Madnick, who is not yet
certified as a bomb technician. Bomb Squad members respond to any
calls involving found explosives, bomb threats, or suspicious packages. All members of the Squad also hold other working positions in
the Sheriff’s Office and do not receive additional compensation for
their presence on the Squad.
The Bomb Squad also handles the destruction of explosive
The Sheriff’s Bomb Squad at a training
devices, old
session.
outdated ammunition, flares, and other dangerous items. Citizens
who have such items to dispose of should contact
Sgt. Bobby Randolph at 305-292-7060 to discuss safe
handling and disposal.
The Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad has state of the
art equipment to handle dangerous situations and has,
in the past, been called upon to dismantle home made
explosive devices, destroy old dynamite, clear buildings of dangerous explosives, and search buildings,
boats, and other locations for possible explosives. This
year the Bomb Squad has sent new Bomb Tech Jason
New Bomb Squad truck, acquired in 2006 with Homeland Madnick to the F. B. I. Bomb School for six weeks, and
Security funds.
42
assisted in seven hazardous waste burns saving approximately $ 50,000.00 in cost to the taxpayers.
Special Weapons and Tactics:
The Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team is
primarily used to serve high-risk search warrants where
occupants are suspected of being armed and/or dangerous. They also respond, when required, to other situations such as barricaded subjects, wanted suspects who
might be armed and dangerous, and any other time they
are needed.
The team is comprised of Deputy Sheriff’s and Detectives who have agreed to serve the citizens of Monroe
County in this high risk, high liability position at no extra
cost to taxpayers. They do not receive any compensation
over and above their normal salaries to perform the duties
The Special Weapons and Tactics Team participates
of a SWAT team member.
in hostage training.
SWAT team members have all completed at least one
two week SWAT course, and they train together on a regular
basis to maintain those skills and to ensure they can all work smoothly together. They are periodically required
to participate in a timed military obstacle course to remain on the team, and must frequently qualify with a
variety of weapons. To date, no Sheriff’s Office SWAT team member has been seriously injured or killed during
the performance of their duties.
The Sheriff’s SWAT team is a county wide unit answering to the Sheriff’s Special Operations Division.
They frequently work with many other agencies, local, state, and federal.
HIGHLIGHTS OF 2006 :
The Special Weapons and Tactics Team responded to 21 calls for service for the year 2006. The 21
incidents included the execution of search and arrest warrants,
buy bust operations, reverse sting operations, high profile
prisoner escorts including courthouse security and barricaded
subjects.
In January, the team was involved in three search warrants executions. Two were in the lower Keys, and one was
in the middle Keys. The warrants yielded numerous felony
arrests and drug seizures.
In February, March, and September the team participated
in reverse drug operations in the lower Keys, specifically in the
area known as “La Cuerva”. The reversal operations yielded
numerous felony arrests along with drug and vehicle seizures
In March, the team participated in a buy bust operation at
Gilberts Marina at mile marker 107. The team was deployed
and staged in a covert area awaiting the signal to initiate a
The Special Weapons and Tactics team acquired
take down of the suspect and his vehicle. The suspect vehicle
a new truck in 2006 purchased using Homeland
arrived and a take down was initiated on the vehicle. Two
Security funds.
suspects were taken into custody without incident.
In March, the entire SWAT. team participated in a mock
airplane hijacking at NAS Boca Chica airfield. The training exercise involved the FBI SWAT team from Miami,
the Miami-Dade Special Response Team, NAS CRT. Team and the FBI. Hostage Rescue Team from Quantico,
Va. The exercise was geared to having a multi jurisdictional response to a critical incident. The exercise lasted
for approximately 17 hours.
In May and August, the team responded to barricaded subject calls. On both occasions the suspects surrendered without incident.
In October, the team responded to an armed, mentally ill and hearing impaired person threatening to kill
herself at Bernstein Park on Stock Island. After about an hour of negotiations, she surrendered without incident.
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Also in October, several team members participated in a buy bust operations on Stock Island at the Burger
King parking lot. The suspect arrived and delivered a large amount of narcotics to an undercover officer. The
suspect was taken into custody.
In January, March, April, June, August, September and October the team participated in high profile prisoner escorts of a suspect who had allegedly planned to escape while being transported to court. The team
handled the escorts from the Detention Facility to the Courthouse. Once the suspect was in the Courthouse,
the team provided security in and around the Courthouse.
In December, the team responded to a barricaded subject in Marathon at Herbie’s Restaurant. The
suspect was wanted on Domestic Battery charges and had barricaded himself in the restaurant. The suspect
was armed with two handguns. After several hours of negotiations, the suspect attempted to break out of the
perimeter the SWAT team had established. The suspect was apprehended as he tried to exit from a wooded
area. The suspect was confronted by several SWAT members and was given orders to drop his weapons. The
suspect complied and was taken into custody without incident.
Traffic Enforcement Unit
2006 was a been a busy and successful year for the Unit.
To start with, during our approximately 260 working days, 90 of those days were devoted to other projects
that detoured us from our Traffic duties. We’re not complaining since this is part of our job function, only that
when your wondering where a
Traffic deputy is, that’s more
than likely the answer.
It’s been a great year for
the Unit and the County with
another lower than average year
in traffic fatalities throughout the
Keys. I believe the heavy traffic
enforcement activity from the
Unit and many in the SO specifically targeting traffic violators
has helped reduce this figure - it
makes a difference.
The Traffic Unit has been
The Traffic Enforcement Unit
awarded several thousand dollars in equipment from the State
in 2006. We have participated in many campaigns from “Click it and Ticket” to DUI enforcement” with several
others in between. Hand-Held radars, night vision goggles and soon tint meters are a few of the items awarded
and all we have to do is our job - priceless...
The “motor heads” have all received their new BMW 1200 PT-P motor units. They all have had a few
months of riding these bikes and they are a pleasure to ride. No more blisters on the thighs from motor heat,
they stay dry in the rain (they have a retractable windshield). They are 200 pounds lighter, so there is less
physical exertion during the day and so on. Just the ABS brakes alone have already saved a couple of officers
from the inevitable (bike riders know what that means).
For a good part of the year, Deputy Adam Rabinowitz was tied-up with administrative duties relating to
DUIs, Agency Inspections, depositions, court etc. Fulfilling these requirements now takes-up about 80% of one
traffic deputy’s time. As of December 2006 Dep. Luis Blasco was assigned to the position of Agency Inspector,
taking over the duties from Adam. Blasco has an extensive medical background and has been recently certified
as a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).
You may have seen the Traffic Unit at the Marathon Hanger for training in December. They all successfully
completed the painstaking, mind boggling, mentally exhausting (many bottles of aspirin killed and calculators
smoldering) Traffic Homicide Investigator class. Excellent job by all with a 92% average for the class.
Kudos to Traffic secretary Joni Green for maintaining all her normal duties and the ever relentless DUI
tapes that keep growing and growing. Her job has increased tremendously with the pro-active detective cases
and DUI enforcement.
Speaking of DUI enforcement, what a fantastic job Dep. Edgar Piniero (Jr) has done this year. After
finally being able to dedicate a year (not counting all that time away from his duties as mentioned in the first
44
paragraph) he arrested over 100 DUIs in 2006. Looking at records, this is the first time a Traffic member has
accomplished this feat. He will be going to Tallahassee in 2007 for the “100 Club” awards along with acknowledgment for his dedication in this field.
With Traffic deputies writing 300 to 400 citations a month, the advancement of the in-car printer has helped
tremendously from getting writers cramp.
Some have also been moved into the 21st century with the new in-car DVD cameras.
Congratulations to Dep. Nick Pham who received a Sheriff’s Ribbon for his quick response on July 4th
when he and Dep. Sean Heffron saved the life of Dep. Steve Kalogeras who collapsed and suffered a heart
attack.
Reserve Unit
The Reserve Unit is very active and participates in a wide range of law enforcement related activities. Reserves are a completely volunteer workforce.
Reserves must be able to pass the same application process established for
regular Deputies. They also cannot work in occupations or professions that are
likely to have conflicts of interest.
The mission of the Reserve Program is to support the operations of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Sworn
Reserve Deputies work road
Res. Captain Ted Migala
patrol both supplementing and
covering shortages; they contribute to the operation of the Aviation Division; assist and serve on the SWAT Team; work in the
Traffic Unit, Court Security, the Records Division, schools, the
Aviation Division, the Victim Advocates Unit and CIU/Special
Ops. In all of these instances, they provide support for the
tasks performed by the paid members of the Sheriff’s Office.
Reserves have undertaken the task of contacting businesses and gathering the information needed to update the
Business Emergency Contact Information database and
updating gate codes. Reserves support almost all the special
functions that take place throughout the year.
Reserve Deputy Dave Bickford inspects a car
Total hours volunteered by Reserves in 2006 = 16,254
seat to make sure it is installed properly.
In 2006, Reserves worked the following hours:
Reserve Members exceeding 1000 hours of volunteered
time:
• Chaplin Judith Remley 2400 hours
• John Marlowe 2450 hours
• Reserve Capt. Ted Migala 1835 hours
• Reserve Lt. David Bickford 1213 hours
Reserve members exceeding 500 hours of volunteer time
• Juan Llera 682 hours
• Robert Jason 590 hours
• Mary Jo Migala 720 hours
• Bobby Daniel 754 hours
The Reserves are committed to being available when and where we are
needed as a functional part of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Aviation Unit
Director Jack Robillard
The past year was a transitional one for the Aviation Unit. The old helicopter
was taken out of service due its deteriorating condition and a group of community
leaders formed a feasibility study to upgrade the helicopter and the entire program. On the recommendation of this committee, and with approval of the Monroe
County Commission, the Unit was outfitted with a new, upgraded medical helicopter. It’s pilots have undergone much training to operate it as has the mechanical
45
staff and medical flight crew.
The new aircraft is a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter with a medical package configuration. The County Commission purchased the aircraft from a Pennsylvania hospital group. To help offset the expenses of the operation,
the Sheriff’s Office applied for an FAA Part 135 Operational Certificate which will allow for the collection of
fees for services provided. This license requires compliance with extensive regulations and more frequent and
intensive inspections. Rules also outline specific training required for all pilots, mechanics and medical flight
crew.
The new operation is a successful merger of three primary groups – the Monroe County Commission and
County Administrator, Monroe County Fire / Rescue and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. The leadership,
vision, direction and commitment of the leaders of these organizations has made it possible for the citizens and
guests of Monroe County to benefit from this service. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office considers it an honor
to operate and maintain the helicopter and to work with the outstanding men and
women from Fire / Rescue and the hospitals of Monroe County.
Community Relations Division 
The goal of the Community Relations Division is to prevent crime and enhance
safety in the Florida Keys, which is accomplished through the Division’s various
programs and through education of the public.
The Community Relations Division is comprised of:
•The Public Information Officer, who keeps the public informed about criminal
activity, safety measures and events happening at the Sheriff’s Office.
Director Greg Artman
•School Resource Officers, who are assigned to area schools to not only enforce
the law but to teach students to avoid criminal behavior and drug abuse.
• The Crime Watch Coordinator, who organizes and guides neighborhood crime watch groups to be the
“eyes and ears” of law enforcement and instructs them on how to avoid being victims of crime.
• The Crime Stoppers program, which helps law enforcement by offering rewards for information about
crime. An anonymous hot line forwards tips to local law enforcement.
• The Juvenile Programs Division, which focuses on youthful offenders to prevent them from becoming
adult offenders through education and hands on guidance. The School Crossing Guards program, which
helps keep children safe when they arrive and leave their schools, either on foot or in vehicles.  
Teen Court
The Sheriff’s Teen Court program successfully closed 135 cases in 2006, which is almost a ninety percent
rate of success for teens entering this nationally acclaimed diversion program. Teen Court is designed to divert
less serious offenders away from juvenile court so that these first or second time offenders don’t get a criminal
record, yet still face consequences for their actions. Just one
criminal offense on the record could hinder a youth from college
admission, military service, or a career path.
Youth are referred to the program in several ways, including
the issuance of juvenile citations by law enforcement officers or
referrals from the State Attorney’s Office or from the Department
of Juvenile Justice. If the youthful offender is eligible for the
program, he or she must admit guilt and accept responsibility
in order to be accepted. Teen Court only decides on the consequences of the offense, which could include community service,
serving as a juror on other student’s cases, essays, jail tours,
apologies to their victims and /or their parents, counseling, drug
screening, and, restitution. Teen Court is based on the premise
The Sheriff’s Juvenile Programs Division
that youthful offenders will more readily accept responsibility for
handles IDDS and Teen Court.
their actions when judged by their peers. The youthful offenders
who successfully complete all of the sanctions handed down by
their peers usually have thirty to ninety days to complete them. If the youth successfully completed the program, charges are dropped. If the youth fails to complete the sanctions, the case is referred back to the court
system for prosecution.
Many teens volunteer to work with the program. Teen Court allows volunteer youth the opportunity to
46
receive training and act as defense and prosecuting attorneys, bailiffs, clerks and judges. During 2006, 56 student volunteers donated 451 hours of service to the Teen Court program. Teen court recognized Julie Russell,
Eveling Darce, Amanda Meehan, Uriel Galvez, Jace Thompson and Angelica Valdez as outstanding volunteers
in Key West and Mileidys Aguila, Andrew Van Sickle, Jack, Amos, Bonnie Casey and Anelis Cherubini as
outstanding volunteers in Plantation Key.
The Sheriff’s Office took over the Teen Court program in 2001 and it is operated Keys wide with teen
courts meeting in Plantation Key, Marathon and Key West. Teen Court case managers, Tamara Stanley and
Karol Cotton, supervise all aspects of the program. Teen Court also relies on local attorneys who volunteer
their time to serve as Judges and other adult volunteers who serve the program in various capacities.
For more information, contact Teen Court at 292-7031 or the Sheriff’s Community Relations Division at
292-7116.
IDDS
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Intensive Delinquency Diversion Services (IDDS) had a valued member of
our team leave the Keys to northern pastures. Nancy Cardinal left and for a good part of 2005 the program was
short staffed. It created great stress, but the whole team pulled together. Amy Beeler is about to complete her
last term, with a perfect grade point, from Nova Southeastern University, her Masters Degree in Mental Health
Counseling.
The IDDS program in this year has served 100 Monroe County Youth and these youth have been accountable for performing 1,257 hours of Community Service paying back the community for their transgressions.
Similarly they made whole those victims against whom they
have transgressed monetarily to the tune of $7,783.40. We
have hopes of bringing a fully trained and highly credentialed
person into the fold shortly to help with our case load.
School Resource Officers 
The SRO unit experienced a transitional year in 2006.
Veteran SRO deputies Tammy Jenson, Sonja Morgan and
Tom Peteck transferred to other units while Deputy Will
Schlegelmilch resigned and went to work for Miami Dade
County. Deputy Vicente Lopez returned from retirement and
took the SRO post at Stanley Switlik School in Marathon.
The SRO unit was able to meet four out of six goals for
the year 2006, impressive numbers considering the staffing
level of the Unit. Efforts to prepare schools and law enforcement response to emergency situations within the schools
Sheriff’s Cadets learn rappelling techniques
have been implemented. Five training sessions for Rapid Acfrom Sheriff’s SWAT Leader Donnie Catala.
tion Tactics were conducted within local schools during 2006.
Numerous members of the SWAT team, SRO unit and Sector
entities have attended the training. Coordination with the school district is underway to provide for a uniform
response county wide should an emergency situation arise.
In addition to emergency response preparation, the SRO unit implemented a feedback program whereby
the schools and school administrators can provide feedback to Community Relations. The feedback from the
schools has been overwhelmingly positive and there have been numerous suggestions taken under consideration. SRO’s continued to perform law enforcement functions within the schools as activity levels were up 187
percent compared to the previous year.
During 2006, the SRO’s taught the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program to hundreds of
fifth graders throughout the County. DARE is aimed at helping children resist peer pressure to experiment with
drugs, tobacco and alcohol.
The SRO’s also continued to lead the three Explorer/Cadet posts in the County during 2006. Explorers
attended several statewide conferences, competitions and boot camps. At boot camps Explorers learn teamwork, confidence and self esteem building skills. At competitions, the Explorers participated in law enforcement
related areas such as felony traffic stops and building searches. Explorers also went on a trip to Universal
Studios were Senior Explorers were put in charge of the Junior Explorers and Cadets (with adult supervision)
and were given a budget for their meals and other needs. All three posts participated in charity drives to help
the local community, as well as conducting fund raisers to help support the Explorer/Cadet program.
47
Citizen’s Crime Watch 
Citizen’s Crime Watch is a nationally recognized crime prevention program that brings neighbors and
law enforcement together in an effort to prevent crime. The neighborhood crime watch acts as the volunteer
“eyes and ears” of the Sheriff’s Office. The Crime Watch Coordinator is charged with helping set up new crime
watches, coordinating meetings and communicating crime trends and other helpful information to the existing
crime watches, and with conducting free home and business security surveys. The program, comprised of over
80 crime watch neighborhoods county wide has proven to be successful in Monroe County.
In 2006, the Crime Watch Coordinator:
• Conducted 83 Crime Watch meetings
• Reactivated four dormant neighborhood Crime Watches.
• Participated in 32 crime prevention related events, both adult and juvenile.
• Organized four new Crime Watches.
• Conducted 12 residential and business security surveys.
During 2006, the Crime Watch Chairperson of the year was awarded to Glenn Passage of Royal Palms
Trailer Park on Big Pine Key. This award is given annually to a Crime Watch Chairperson based on dedication
and leadership ability. Many Chairpersons publish their own neighborhood Crime WSatch newsletters and are
continually in touch with the MCSO Crime Watch Coordinator.
Citizen Response Cards
The Community Relations Division conducts an ongoing survey of Keys citizens to help determine how
well deputies are performing when they respond to calls for service from citizens.
On a weekly basis, postcards are sent out to people who have found it necessary to call for assistance
from the Sheriff’s Office. Those postcards have a series of questions designed to elicit the customer’s opinion
of how they were treated by the Sheriff’s Office employee they came in contact with. Questions include how
dispatchers handled the call; if the deputy was professional and able to handle the problem and if the citizen
was satisfied overall with the services of the Sheriff’s Office. In
2006,1,493 postcards were sent to residents and businesses
where deputies were dispatched, 509 citizens responded and the
vast majority expressed overall satisfaction with the services of
the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
School Crossing Guards
The Sheriff’s Office is responsible for all the School Crossing
Guards working at schools in Monroe County, including the city
of Key West. The crossing guards in the City are supervised by
Deputy Vincent Catala while the crossing guards in the unincorporated areas are supervised by School Resource Sgt. Glenn
Test.
All crossing guards receive state mandated training from
A Sheriff’s Office School Crossing Guard
Deputy Catala who is a certified School Crossing Guard Instructor. Training consists of classroom lectures, practical training in the helps kids cross busy Flagler Avenue in Key
West.
field and testing. The guards are also evaluated annually. Deputy
Catala also ensures that the School Zones in the city of Key West
are properly marked and that all lights and signs are working correctly.
Overall, there are 16 crossing guard positions in Key West and three in the unincorporated areas.
Public Information / Web Site Manager
The Office of Public Information is charged with handling media requests, issuing press releases, creating
and distributing internal newsletters and other internal communications, and with creating, maintaining and
updating the Sheriff’s Office web site at www.keysso.net.
These tasks are not mutually exclusive - indeed they are integral. The web site contains a large amount
of static information which serves to let the public know how the Sheriff’s Office works, and how to contact the
various Divisions and Sectors within the Sheriff’s Office. It also contains information that is constantly in flux,
such as information about special events, current arrest data, job openings, current budgets, offenses and calls
for service, and much more.
The web site also serves as the place where employees can go for employee related forms, general
orders and to view the internal news and announcements on the Employee Section of the web site.
48
The Sheriff’s Office internal newsletter - the Rap Sheet - is put out quarterly and addresses larger issues
and events that take place during that quarter. A weekly e-mail based news bulletin is sent out every Friday
with quick announcements, classified ads and other communications. This is also posted on the web site in
pdf format. Through these newsletters, employees are kept up to date about policy changes, new employee
programs, general order updates, changes in benefits and other law enforcement related news and events.
Virtually all information communicated to the media, the public, and to Sheriff’s Office employees is distributed either from the web site, or by e-mail. The benefit of using the internet and e-mail as informational tools is
the information can be easily and quickly distributed to a large number of people, and can be easily and quickly
changed to reflect the immediate needs of the Sheriff’s Office, and the needs of the public.
It is the duty of the Web Site Manager (who is also the Public Information Officer) to work with members of
the agency to help them communicate via the web. Digital cameras issued to many road patrol deputies and
detectives have also added an immediacy in the photo gallery portion of the site, and has allowed the Sheriff’s
Office to offer the media and the public a more intimate glimpse into the actions of our officers. Deputies and
detectives are encouraged to take photos at crime and accident scenes and send them to the Public Information Officer, so they can be shared with the media through e-mail, and with the public by quick posting on the
web site.
In short, the electronic age continues to advance, and the office of Public Information advances with it,
incorporating new technologies and new equipment to keep everyone up to date as events unfold with the
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Communications Division
The Communications Division is located in Marathon, where all of the 911 calls
for the County are answered, excluding the city of Key West. The Division dispatches Sheriff’s Deputies, Emergency Medical Services and Fire personnel.
Dispatchers routinely enter approximately 340 calls for service in the Computer
Aided Dispatch (CAD) system
in a 24 hour period. Most calls
for service entered in CAD
represent
a law enforcement,
Director Anne Leonard
emergency services unit, or
fire unit sent to a location in the
County in answer a request for help from a citizen. The
Division has 22 staff members, including one Director, four
Shift Supervisors and 17 Communications Officers. There is
a supervisor on duty 24 hours per day 365 days a year.
You should only call 911 in an emergency. Otherwise
call one of our three non-emergency phone numbers. You
should NOT call dispatch with questions about the weather,
or about traffic conditions. For that information, please listen
to local radio and television stations.
Non- Emergency
In non-emergency situations, a squad car may be dispatched as soon as an officer is free or you may be asked
to wait until the officer who is familiar with your neighborhood or the particular matter is available. The County is
divided into sectors and zones there are officers assigned
to each area and handle calls in those assigned sectors
and zones. Callers should be directed to call the appropriate
station for service in their area.
• (305)296-2424 Headquarters
• (305)745-3184 Cudjoe
• (305)289-2430 Marathon
• (305)853-7021 Islamorada
• (305)853-3211 Plantation Key / Key Largo
49
The many faces of Sheriff’s Office Communications
911 Emergency
Emergency assistance is available to you every day of the year, 24 hours a day. Dial 911 if you
need the immediate assistance of a police officer, firefighter or paramedic. If you are dialing from a pay
phone, you do not need to deposit coins. To help the dispatcher send appropriate help, try to remain
calm so you can describe the problem. (If you are unable to speak and calling from a conventional phone
- not a cell phone - your address is displayed in the 911 center so dispatchers will be able to send help.)
Call 911 if you witness or find yourself in an emergency situation such as:
• Accident
• Injury or medical emergency
• Fire
• Strong gas smell inside a building
• Intruder
• Suspicious person or activity
• Crime in progress
• Violent / potentially violent individual or group
If you aren't sure whether the situation constitutes an emergency, don't hesitate to call 911. The 911 dispatcher will determine what assistance is appropriate.
To cancel a 911 call - Call 911
If you - or your child - dial 911 by mistake, don’t hang up. Instead, stay on the line and tell the dispatcher you
made a mistake. Even if you hang up quickly, your phone number and address are displayed on the Emergency
Communications Center’s computer screen. If you don’t cancel the call, a squad car may be dispatched to your
address.
Training Division
A welcome to our newest member of the Training Division, Deputy John
Whortenbury. John replaces Sergeant Lopez who decided it was time for new and
better things. John comes to us with graduate degrees and extensive background in
the field of emergency medical operations
The Training Division of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office works closely with
the Florida Keys Community College to provide instructors for ongoing academies.
Corrections Academies are
offered continuously throughLieutenant Roger Allen
out the year. Two Basic Law
Enforcement Academies are
also held during the year and at least one Cross-Over
Corrections to Law Enforcement Academy is presented.
Instructors from the Sheriff’s Office are also provided to
the College for advanced courses such as Line Supervision, Field Training Officer, Intoxilyzer Operator, Radar
Operator, Middle Management, and Instructor Techniques
Workshops.
In-service courses are presented to personnel each
month in order to maintain deputies’ certification requirements set by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement
and other regulatory bodies. These courses include such
Training Sgt. John Whortenberry explains new
diverse offerings as Combat Pistol Courses, Weapons
techniques for Cardio Pulmonary Resusitation
Retention, Firearms Training Simulator, Blood Borne
(CPR) at an Annual Retraining class.
Pathogens, Hazardous Materials, Defensive Tactics Refresher, Pepper Spray, Use of Force, Legal Updates, Impact
Weapon, In-custody Death Syndrome, Emergency Vehicle Operator’s Courses, Verbal Judo (Tactical Communications), First Responder to Medical Emergencies, Domestic Violence, Juvenile and Sex Crimes, Suicide
Prevention, and Drug and Alcohol Recognition.
Support courses are also provided to all personnel in the Sheriff’s Office and include Cardio Pulmonary
50
Resuscitation (CPR), Women’s Self Defense, and Computer Courses. The Training Division is also a Community Training Center for the American Heart Association and provides training in CPR frequently to community
service groups. The records portion of the Division maintains all of the individual training records of the deputies as well as salary incentive and tuition information to provide required documentation for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in their annual audits.
The Firearms Training Simulator continues to be a center of attraction drawing inquiries from many areas
of the United States. Some modifications and changes have been made to make it even more efficient and
useful in the area of Firearms Training. This equipment now provides even better discretionary firearms training
and conducted with live fire simulation. Monroe County Deputies continue to receive the most realistic firearms
training available.
Airport Security Division
The Airport Security Division provides security at the Key West International
Airport and is in the planning stages for providing the same services at the Marathon Airport when commercial air service begins
there in 2007.
The Unit has 27
Officers and Deputies to
cover 252 hours of air
Director Jerome Fain
carrier operations per
week. In 2006, the Unit
responded to an average of 48 alarm calls every 24
hours, totaling 1500 security alarm investigations per
month and 18,000 alarm investigations per year. The
Members of Airport Security at the Key West InternaUnit made over 30 weapons arrests and conducted over tional Airport.
14 traffic crash investigations.
They conducted electronic fingerprinting for over 300 people holding security related jobs at the airport.
The Unit monitors and controls the access of over 700 people working and using the airport.
For commercial operations in 2006, the airport processed 563,947 persons and handled 12,727 landings.
When you factor in family and friends, rental car operations and other visitors to the airport the total number of
people the Airport Security Unit must be concerned with each year is approximately 1.5 million individuals on
and off airport property.
South Florida High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area
Lt. Colonel Tim Wagner
Major Joel Widell
Captain Joe Mendez
Director Bill Martin,
National HIDTA
Assistance Center
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) is a major
participant in the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program (SFLHIDTA), which comprises operations
and intelligence efforts in Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward,
and Palm Beach Counties.
The mission of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
(HIDTA) Program is to disrupt the market for illegal drugs in
the United States by assisting federal, state, and local law
enforcement entities participating in the HIDTA program to
dismantle and disrupt drug trafficking organizations, with
particular emphasis on drug trafficking regions that have
harmful effects on other parts of the United States.
There were five areas designated as HIDTAs in 1990 South Florida (including Monroe County), New York, Houston,
Los Angeles, and the Southwest Border. The program has
51
since expanded into 28 HIDTAs around the country.
MCSO received one of the first HIDTA grants in 1991, using those funds to create the Monroe Task Force,
which investigates narcotics related money laundering organizations on an international scale. That unit is still
in existence, having seized over $65 millions dollars in illicit narcotics-derived financial proceeds. That unit
brought in over $25 million in asset sharing to the MCSO in just one case.
In 1994, the MCSO elected to further assist in the HIDTA effort by serving as a fiscal agent (fiduciary) in
the South Florida HIDTA and the Puerto Rico-Virgin Islands HIDTA. The MCSO handles over $20 million in
grant funds for those two projects, and for the National HIDTA Assistance Center, also located in Miami.
South Florida HIDTA facilitates cooperation between the 291 state and local agencies and the 12 federal
agencies that provide 372 full time collocated personnel that make up the HIDTA Task Forces, Intelligence
Center and initiatives. Participating agencies provide personnel, equipment, expertise and jurisdiction to HIDTA
initiatives. They agree to cooperate and share intelligence. They agree to de-conflict investigative subjects and
events through the HIDTA Intelligence Center, and to develop and execute a coordinated, joint counter-drug
strategy in concert with the rest of the state and local and federal law enforcement community that comprises
South Florida HIDTA. They are willing to agree to these requirements because they recognize each agency is
far more effective when combined with the resources brought to the table by the other participating agencies
and HIDTA. They trust HIDTA to perform as an honest broker in this process.
There are three main HIDTA facilities: one in Plantation (Broward County), the Miami Task Force, and the
HIDTA Intelligence Center in Miramar, Florida.
The SFLHIDTA added two new Task Forces in 2006, one which focuses on marijuana grow houses, the
other on violent gang activities with narcotics ties.
The positive impact these initiatives have made on the safety of South Florida and beyond is extraordinary.
• SFLHIDTA was responsible for a total of 2,783 prosecutions in 2006.
• Twenty-two OCDETF investigations were initiated by HIDTA Task Forces in 2006.
• Two hundred and five investigations targeting international organizations, and 56 targeting multi-state
organizations were initiated in 2006 and 68 local investigations.
• HIDTA Task Forces seized 41,033 kilos of cocaine, 193 kilos of heroin, 20,700 kilos of commercial
grade marijuana and 5,220 hydroponics marijuana plants. They also seized 178,789 dosage units of MDMA
and 7,433 of Oxycontin (oxycodone HCl).
• Our law enforcement initiatives returned $58.43 for each HIDTA dollar invested in CY 2005. This has
resulted in $540,211,001 in drugs and assets being removed from the marketplace in 2005.
• The Cali Cartel was totally dismantled in late 2006 after 16 years of support to numerous investigations
being supported by the South Florida HIDTA. The following is an excerpt from a press release from the U.S.
Attorney’s Office:
DEA, September 26, 2006: ...”The hard work and perseverance of the federal prosecutors and agents
of Operation Cornerstone has led to the unparalleled conviction of more than 100 defendants, the forfeiture
of over $2 billion and the seizure of nearly 50,000 kilos of cocaine being smuggled into the United States.
Today, their work, and the work of their colleagues at the Office of Foreign Assets Control, resulted in the guilty
pleas of the Rodriguez-Orejuela brothers. Infamous as the leaders of the Cali Drug Cartel, the 30-year prison
sentence of the Rodriguez-Orejuela brothers ends the Cali chapter of the war on drugs,” said U.S. Attorney R.
Alexander Acosta of the Southern District of Florida.
“The Rodriguez-Orejuela brothers masterminded a narcotics-trafficking business that generated an illicit
billion-dollar fortune – a business they propagated throughout the Americas by repeatedly reorganizing their
corporations to conceal their interest,” stated Michael J. Garcia, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New
York. “This case is a testament to our strong partnership with Colombian law enforcement. The powerhouse
once known as the Cali Cartel has been effectively bankrupted, and the vast amounts of illegal money derived
from their drug trade can now be recouped. We’re committed to identifying and exposing the money laundering networks of the world’s largest narcotics-trafficking organizations and bringing them to justice in the United
States.”
The cases were investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Department
of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Assistance in the investigation was
provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force,
the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Colombian Police and the Colombian Fiscalia (the
Office of the Prosecutor General).
52
Another major SFLHIDTA case brought to resolution was the “Battle” case, in which MCSO personnel
were active participants.
Below is an excerpt from the U.S. Attorney’s Office press release:
July 26, 2006
MEMBERS OF THE CORPORATION CONVICTED OF RACKETEERING;
$1.4 BILLION FORFEITURE VERDICT AFTER SIX MONTH TRIAL
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Brian J. Wimpling,
Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, Miami Field Office, announced that, following a six month trial, a Miami jury convicted defendants Manuel Marquez, Jose Miguel
Battle, Jr., and Julio Acuna, members of one of the largest organized crime syndicates called “The Corporation,” on various racketeering charges. At sentencing, defendant Acuna faces a statutory maximum penalty of
life imprisonment; defendants Marquez and Battle, Jr., each face a statutory maximum penalty of twenty years’
(20) imprisonment. Sentencing has been scheduled for September 29, 2006, at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District
Court Judge Alan S. Gold.
According to the evidence presented at trial, these defendants were involved in a racketeering conspiracy
that began in 1964 and continued through 2004. The evidence established that the Corporation conducted
extensive illegal gambling operations, which it conducted through the use of violence and intimidation, including the commission of multiple murders. Indeed, the jury specifically found the defendants guilty of, among
other things, eight murders and seven arsons resulting in deaths. These murders included the death of a 3
year-old child who was killed in a fire, the death of a former “Corporation” hit man who was gunned down in
the 1970’s after turning against the “Corporation,” and a “Corporation” rival who was killed in a hospital by an
assassin disguised as a nurse. These murders were authorized and committed by members of the Corporation
in furtherance of their racketeering conspiracy.
In addition to the guilty verdict against the defendants, the jury also returned a forfeiture verdict of $1.4
billion. The United States has already seized in excess of $20 million in currency and other assets.
Mr. Acosta commended the Internal Revenue Service, the Office of the District Attorney for Kings County,
New York, the Broward and Monroe County Sheriffs Offices, the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security
Service, and the Miami Dade Police Department, for their work in this Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement
Task Force (OCDETF) case. The trial, which lasted over six months, was handled by Assistant United States
Attorneys Tony Gonzalez and David Haimes of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, Alicia Shick
of the Narcotics Section, Alison Lehr of the Asset Forfeiture Section, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys
Patricia McNeill and Dennis Ring, of the Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney’s Office.
The Bureau of Corrections is comprised of three jail facilities: Key West Detention Center which houses approximately 561 inmates daily; Marathon Detention
Center houses approximately 45 inmates daily, and the Plantation Key Detention
Center houses approximately 41 inmates daily.
In 2006 the Bureau of Corrections received it third consecutive State of Florida
Corrections Accreditation Certificate from Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission, Inc. This achievement is not an easy process. It takes total commitment
Major Tommy Taylor
from the agency, teamwork, dedication, and attention to detail to accomplish the
highest level of jail operations.
The overall mission of Corrections Services is to provide for care, custody, control, and treatment of incarcerated inmates through enforcement of policy and procedures as well as through management of programs
designed to insure the safety of staff, public, and inmates and to reintegrate offenders into society. In addition,
we provide an environment which enables positive behavior change by providing educational and rehabilitative
opportunities within the facilities for inmates who demonstrate a desire to change and the motivation to participate in such programs.
Our focus in the Corrections Bureau is to provide inmate programs to reduce the inmate population and
reduce recidivism through programs such as: substance abuse treatment, literacy education and faith-based
53
programs just to mention a few. Studies have shown
programs such as these do reduce recidivism in jails and
prisons. We are committed to making a positive difference
in inmate lives and to return them to the community as
productive citizens.
The Corrections Bureau provides processing and detention services for all law enforcement agencies in Monroe
County. In 2006, 9,229 arrestees were booked through the
three jail facilities. The average daily inmate population for
Operations Captain
Administrative Captain
all three facilities was 647 and the average cost per day to
Rick Remley
Penny Phelps
house an inmate was $65.54.
Processing an inmate involves Intake booking, Medical Screening, Fingerprinting, Photographing and Classification of the individual. Technology plays a key role
particularly through video-imaging photos and electronic
identification or inkless fingerprinting.
Our automated fingerprinting identification system was
upgraded this year and allows the Booking Officer to take
writer prints and palm prints. The system is much faster
and accurate. It offers real time positive identification on all
Programs Director
Transportation Director
arrestees. It is not a free ride for the arrestees; all arrestees
Keena Allen
Tony Campana
are assessed an initial $10 booking fee. This year the fee
generated over $41,745.27 for the County’s General Fund.
Arrestees who can’t pay the $10 fee at the time of booking, will carry the outstanding debt until it is paid.
In a continued effort to save the taxpayers money, the Sheriff’s Office leases unused inmate beds to
Federal Agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Marshals and U.S. Border Patrol at a
cost of $82.00 per day per inmate. In 2006, inmate contract beds netted approximately $1,642.706. The money
received from these contracted beds goes into the Monroe County General Fund to off set operating the three
Detention Facilities.
Direct Supervision is a style of management used by our Corrections Deputies who work directly with inmates in their living areas - units and dorms housing from 54 to 72 inmates. Each unit and dorm is supervised
by one Corrections Deputy.
The absence of barriers such as bars, steel doors and cat walks typically found in a traditional jail allows
our deputies to have more visibility of the inmates and better control of the areas in the jail including passage
ways and secure rooms. With the implementation of Direct Supervision, inmates activities and behavior are
under the direct control of our Corrections Deputies.
Transportation
Four thousand thirty four inmates were transported to and from court in 2006 and 4,548 were
transported to and from the Marathon Jail and
Plantation Key Jail. Total movement of inmates
for the calendar year was 10,429.
Inmate Programs and Services
Daily needs of inmates are handled by the
inmates Programs and Services Division. Mail,
laundry, accounting, commissary, religious and
educational programs are among the program
services provided.
• Jail Drug Intervention Program:
In 2006 91 male inmates entered the
JIP program and only 5 returned to jail
in the same year. Twenty-eight female
inmates entered the JIP program only 2
returned to jail in 2006. Over 70% of the
Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division was re-accredited in
2006.
54
inmates housed in the Monroe County
Detention Facility have charges related
to substance abuse. In addition to the
drug treatment these inmates need
help with anger management, domestic
abuse, parenting skills, job and housing placement, education and literacy,
mental health counseling, pharmacological assessment, and aftercare. The JIP
program is proving that providing these
services works. Inmates who enter into
Plantation Key Detention Center Command Staff
the program have a lower recidivism rate
than inmates who are not enrolled in the
program.
• Trusty Work Program
Jail Programs saved taxpayers money by assigning trusty work details to County Public Works
Departments and various municipalities throughout Monroe County. The inmate trusty work programs saved taxpayers over $452,706.24 in labor costs by performing work that would otherwise be
contracted out to private business or would be performed by county employees.
• Classification
The Classification Unit determines the custody and housing assignment for all inmates. It also
processes court information and custody release documentation. One of the biggest improvements
in Classification this year is the ability to do all court minutes and release dates with the capabilities
of the SmartCop system . The old Q&A System has been retired and the SmartCop system has the
advantage of showing past incarceration dates on the opening screen. This is a big factor in computing the total credit for time served without having to go to several different screens.
Classification has been proactive in evaluating the increased inmate population especially the female
population. The inmates are moved when needed to ensure units and dorms are not overcrowded so
we can continue to meet all Florida Model Jail Standards.
Inmate workers are screened based on needs, medical restriction, security level and their abilities
are taken under consideration for work assignments.
Automation and special attention is also required to identify high-profile inmates in need of special housing
and our Smart Cop Jail Management System allows us the ability to take action. With the Smart Cop System,
sexual predators and others are identified and required to submit DNA samples and the jail forwards these
samples to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to be enter into a master data based for future reference.
• Inmate Medical Care
Inmate Medical Care is provided by a contract with Prison Health Services under the supervision of
a Health Administrator. Medical, dental, and psychiatric services are provided as well. Inmates are
charged a fee for services to offset cost to the taxpayer however, no inmate is denied medical attention due to the inability to pay.
• Food Services
Food Services is under contract with Trinity Food Services Group and provides three meals a day to
inmates in the three jail facilities totaling 789,715 meals served in 2006.
• Animal Farm
The Sheriff’s Children Animal Farm continues to be a big hit with community children and families,
various local schools, The Boys and Girls Club, D.A.R.E. Program, the YMCA and local church
groups who visit the farm on a daily basis. Farmer Elaine resigned in August; Lt. Clark, volunteered
to take over until September when our newly hired farmer, Jeanne Selander, came aboard. Farmer
Selander is doing an outstanding job. She hit the ground running. She has been a guest on WGMX
94.3 Morning Mix Radio Show, and has been featured in a number of publications, sharing information and letting the public know what type of various animals we have on the farm and what special
activities we have scheduled for children.
55
Important Numbers:
In an Emergency, Dial 911
To report a non-emergency incident call Sheriff’s Office Communications:
(305)296-2424
(305)289-2430
(305)853-3211
To Contact the Sheriff’s Office:
Sheriff’s Administrative Headquarters...........................................................................................(305) 296-2424, 292-7000
Central Records Division ..............................................................................................................(305) 292-7050
Community Relations Division ......................................................................................................(305) 292-7116
Human Resources Division...........................................................................................................(305) 292-7044
Crime Stoppers of the Florida Keys. ............................................................................................1-800-346-TIPS (8477)
Patrol Divisions:
Freeman Substation, Cudjoe Key ................................................................................................(305) 745-3184
Marathon Substation ....................................................................................................................(305) 289-2430
Islamorada Substation...................................................................................................................(305) 853-7021
The Roth Building, Plantation Key . ..............................................................................................(305) 853-3211
Special Operations........................................................................................................................(305)289-2410
Detention Centers
Main Detention Facility, Stock Island.............................................................................................(305) 293-7300
Marathon Detention Center...........................................................................................................(305) 289-2420
Plantation Key Detention Center...................................................................................................(305) 853-3266
ww.keysso.net

General News and Events, 2006 - Monroe County Sheriff`s Office

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