December 2006 - Monroe County Sheriff`s Office

Newsletter published by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Community Relations Division
for Monroe County Sheriff’s Office employees
December 2006
Sheriff’s Report
A year ago many
of us were thinking
more about recovery from Hurricane
Wilma than from the
holiday season. This
December, I hope
we are all in a better
position to enjoy the
season.
I want to wish you all Happy
Holidays. I am awarding everyone an
extra eight hours of annual leave in
Colonel’s Notes
Recently the
Sheriff’s Office
promotional exams
were administered
by Human Resources in Marathon. It was very
impressive to see
the large number
of officers who came out to take the
exam. The sergeants exam had 75
people take it, by far the most that
have ever come out to take this test.
This is probably double what it has
ever been, which is a great thing!
The Lt.’s exam was very large as well
considering past exams. I hope that
you found the exam to be relevant
and fair. Human Resources and I
addition to the Christmas and New
Year’s holidays. You may take the
leave when you wish, with supervisor’s
approval. Record the time as vacation time, please. Part time and hourly
employees will be pro-rated based on
the hours they work.
Thank you for all your hard work
this past year. Thank goodness we
had a hurricane free year at last. We
should all be thankful that we continue
to see crime decrease in the Florida
Keys, thanks in no small part to all of
your hard work and determination.
Most of all, I am thankful for the
way we all work so well together. Our
teamwork and professionalism make
us an agency we can all be proud to
work for.
May we all have a happy, productive and safe year in 2007.
have been working on this exam
to ensure that it was a good exam,
taking into consideration input from
officers based upon prior exams. As
always, the promotional list is posted
in outlook.
Special Operations has been going through some changes between a
new supervisor and several new detectives over the past several months.
These changes have been good and
have started to really produce positive results within our community.
The unit supervisor Det. Sgt.
Al Ramirez has stepped up to the
plate and has shown true leadership
abilities. Sgt. Ramirez, and his unit
have been busy County wide as you
have probably seen and heard. The
unit has been working on long term
narcotics investigations in Marathon
and Stock Island recently, where
they served approximately 70 arrest
warrants for sale of cocaine charges.
The unit has also conducted reverse
stings, served search warrants and
has made cases around the County.
As always, your help, information and intelligence is appreciated
and goes a long way to make cases.
Many of the recent cases have been
the result of information passed from
patrol to narcotics and in most cases
the deputy is able to come out with
the unit to serve the search warrant
and/or arrest warrant so they can see
how much of an impact they really
have. This passing of information
and working together can only help to
build overall working relations, which
as you know is a must for successful
law enforcement.
Recently I had the pleasure of attending the Sector Seven inspection,
meeting and luncheon. I must say
everyone looked outstanding as did
all the vehicles. While I have seen
other station’s inspections and they
too looked wonderful, I have to say
this was the sharpest inspection that
I have seen. You could eat off of any
of the vehicles inside or out as well
as under the engine compartment.
Continued on page 5
December 2006
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office - Rap Sheet
Sector Four/Five Report
By Capt. Peryam and Lt. Caputo
Things are going good here in
sector four and five. We have been
very busy with a number of projects
and the “snowbirds’ aren’t even here
yet! We would like to welcome Deputies Goodwin and Smith to our team.
We are glad to have you.
Congratulations are in order to
Rita Hinnerman for support person of
the third quarter, and Deputy Willie
Has Lt. Caputo lost weight
recently,? No....his troops were
just having fun with him at Halloween.
Guerra for Law Enforcement Officer
of the Third Quarter. We are proud of
both of you. Keep up the good work!
We want to thank Sgt. Morgan and
all the officers that helped out with the
D.U.I. check point that was held here
in the city. “Good job” also goes out to
all the officers that worked Halloween
night.
Our Marine Officer,
Willie Guerra has been
like a kid in the candy
store with our new 26
foot Donzi. [We think he
might be sleeping in it]
Remember Willie you do
have a family, and you
have to go home at night.
Willie has been busy the
last few months working on having 51 derelict
vessels removed from
the waters of Marathon.
A big thanks goes
out to Special OperaMerry Christmas and Happy Holidays from
tions, for their hard work
Sector Four and Five!
in making a number of
arrests in the city. We know
haven’t forgotten Toys for Tots. We’ve
this is going to have a positive effect
received lots of new, unwrapped gifts
on our community.
at the Plantation Key, Marathon, and
On October 3rd the Sheriffs ofCudjoe Key Substations which will go
fice hosted Leadership Monroe at the
a long way to make this Christmas a
training center here in Marathon. We
terrific one for lots of needy youngwould like to thank Lt. Roger Allen
sters out there. Here’s thanks for your
and his staff for helping us make this
help in this worthwhile endeavor. With
a success. The feedback from all who
your help we hope this will be the
participated was great.
most successful year to date.
We want to thank all of our ofAll of us here in Marathon wish
ficers, and support staff for working so
all of you and your families a Happy
hard this past year. It is through your
Holiday Season.
efforts, that our community has a safe
environment to live, work and play in.
Again thanks for your commitment
As we gear up for Christmas, we
The Christmas Spirit came early
this year in Islamorada
By Sgt. Dennis Coleman
This years Toys for Tots Bowlathon was held in islamorada at
the Fish Bowl on November fourth. Thanks to all who participated,
we were able to raise over $1,000.00 and collect numerous boxes
of toys for the children in our own community.
Top donations were received from Pelican Cove Resort, The
Fish Bowl, Tom Baker the Cabinet Maker, Linda Brooks and The
Florida Keys Kids Classic.
Special thanks go out to Sheila Seago who assisted in the
organization of this fund raiser / community event. Corey & Peggy
Bryan, Tom Brazil, Leann Dalton, Amanda Coleman, Tim Link, Kirk
Salvatore and all the others who participated.
Records Supervisor Peggy Bryan gracefully
shows off her bowling moves at the Toys for
Tots Bowlathon in November.
December 2006
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office - Rap Sheet
Sheriff names Employees of the 3rd Quarter
At a recent ceremony, held at the
Marathon Government Center, the
Sheriff’s Office honored employees of
the third quarter, 2006. The following
employees received the awards:
SWORN: Sergeant Deputy Andrew
Marazzo-Ensminger began his career
with the MCSO in December 1997.
Recently Sergeant Ensminger was the
subject of a recent newspaper article
in the Keynoter. According to the Keynoter this year alone, Ensminger has
accumulated 87 DUI arrests. He said
he’s never heard of anyone getting
more than 80 for an entire year. “In
the past I’ve had about 50 or 60 each
year, and I’ve always stuck out with
the most,” he said. “My father always
told me, if you are good at something,
be great at it and making a living at it.”
Ensminger has more than made
a living; he’s developed an impressive
reputation. “For an average officer that
does one or two DUIs a month, it may
take them two hours to do one case,”
Captain Scibilia said. “But Andrew
has it down to such a science, he is
in and out in a half-hour.” Ensminger
admitted it took him eight hours to
book his first DUI offender, but now,
he said he can look at a suspected
drunk driver and discern exactly what
blood-alcohol level he or she will read
in a Breathalyzer. “I’m scared to see
how many DUIs I’m going to get this
year,” Ensminger said. “I mean, we still
have our busiest season yet to go.”
Ensminger has had many other close
calls, all while on the force. It’s these
experiences, he said, that caused him
to devote his career to making Keys
streets safer for drivers who choose to
obey the law.
“If you were a victim of something,
something that kills thousands of
people, and you had the ability to help
stop it, would you?” Ensminger asked.
“I’ve felt bad taking in some people
because I know it’s going to possibly
ruin their lives. People say, ‘You have
discretion.’ But they take away that
discretion when they combine drinking
and driving
CORRECTIONS: Detention
Deputy Denise Martinez began her
career with the MCSO in August 2000.
On August 26, 2006 the Plantation
Key Jail received a very thorough
inspection by the FCAC inspection
team. During an inspection, the staff
on the front lines can be the difference
between passing and excelling during
an inspection. Detention Deputy Martinez was given the opportunity to shine
when she was placed in the dorm
during the accreditation inspection and
she didn’t let us down.
Detention Deputy Martinez met
each inspector at the door and introduced herself. She then showed the
inspectors how our inmates present themselves for inspection. Each
inmate was quietly standing at attention next to a well-made bunk, ready
for inspection. As they departed, one
of the inspectors commented that the
control we had over our inmates is
usually only seen in special program
type dorms such as a boot camp.
In addition to her outstanding
performance during the inspection,
Detention Deputy Martinez had adjusted her schedule four times during
this quarter and alternated between
day and night shifts to cover ten open
shifts and to provide coverage when
needed. These accommodations
have saved the County approximately
$5,000 in overtime expenses.
COMMUNICATIONS: Communi-
cations Officer Carolina Diesen began
her career with the MCSO in July
2003. On July 7 Carolina attempted
life saving protocols on a drowning victim. She spent more than ten
minutes with the caller. The caller was
on a vessel, the EMD protocols were
being relayed to a third party and part
way through they stated it was not a
drowning but now appeared to be a
heart attack. Carolina quickly changed
protocols and began working the call
as a heart attack. Throughout the
ordeal she maintained a professional
demeanor, patient and calm, continued to give instructions until USCG
arrived and had patient contact.
Carolina is a conscientious employee, consistently trying to better
herself personally and professionally.
She recently obtained a personal goal
of becoming an American citizen, and
she hopes to further her career in Law
Enforcement.
Carolina Diesen is dedicated to
the agency, the division and her community.
EXPLORER: Cadet Thomas Mirabella has been with Post 905 for two
years. Cadet Mirabella is very eager to
learn and to lend a helping hand
Continued on page 8
December 2006
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office - Rap Sheet
Sector Seven Report
By Captain Don Hiller
Greetings from Sector Seven.
Many comings and goings have
been happening in the North end of
the County. First I want to welcome
some of our newest Deputies: Lance
Hernandez, Vaughn O’Keefe, and Ian
Barnett. Deputy Darnell
Durham also comes to us
from Sector One. All have
hit the ground running and
are doing a great job.
Our 2 newest sergeants, Todd Wyatt and
Lyle Agins, are also doing
an outstanding job for the
Sector. Lt. Bill Moran was
promoted last month to
Captain due to his retirement this month. Best
wishes to Bill and his wife
for a happy retirement. We
all envy him.
Lt. Mitch Horn was
promoted and filled the spot
vacated by Capt. Moran at
Ocean Reef. CongratulaCongratulations to Lt. Mitch Horn,
tions on your promotion
and
Lt. Fanelli and myself look
promoted in October to take the place
forward
to working with you in
of retiring Lt. (now Captain in his rethe Sector.
tirement) Bill Moran.
We are losing a few from
Longevity Awards,
Third Quarter 2006
Five Year Awards:
•
•
•
•
•
•
SALLY CRAWFORD
LIISA THIBIDEAU
ELAINE WOODSON
MARTIN HARBIN
CAROL PETERSON
PHYLLIS SMITH-JOHNSON
•
•
•
•
•
VALENE MARINELLO
SONJA FLEITA
ANNE SWEENEY
KEVIN MIMOSA
STEVEN KATZ
•
•
•
•
DAVID CAREY
LIONEL VARGAS
SEAN HEFFRON
WILLIAM SHERIFF
•
•
COREY BRYAN
MARGARET SMITH
Ten Year Awards:
Fifteen Year Wards:
Twenty Year Awards:
our family but they are not going
too far: Dep. Greg LaRochelle was
promoted to detective and Dep. Laura
Migala was given the SRO position
at Key Largo School. Congratulations
and fortunately for us, you both will
remain in Sector Seven.
Our sector recently completed our
annual inspection for the entire Sector.
All passed with flying colors as their
vehicles and uniforms were perfect.
Congratulations and good job to you
all.
At last months award ceremony,
Dep. Sean Heffron and Dep. Nick
Pham were both awarded the Sheriffs
ribbon for their actions in saving the
life of Dep. Steve Kalogeras after he
suffered a heart attack.
On that note I will close and wish
you and your families a very happy
and safe holiday season. I am blessed
and honored to be able to work with
the professional men and woman of
Sector Seven and look forward to the
challenges that await us in 2007.
Long time Crossing Guard dies
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office will sorely miss 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 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.
“We will really miss having Ray
as a part of our crossing guard
team,” said School Crossing Guard
Supervisor Deputy Vincent Catala.
“He was with us a long time, was
always a reliable and skillful member
of
our team and he will be hard to replace,” he added.
“We would all like to extend our
sympathies to Ray’s wife, Jean,” said
Sheriff Rick Roth. “Ray was a valued
employee and we will miss him.”
Greene died September 4th at
Baptist Hospital in Miami.
December 2006
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office - Rap Sheet
An International Perspective
By Larry Kelley
In October I dropped in for a week
to spend time with my wife, Sue, who
is back at the Turtle Hospital after
constant pleas from Ritchie Moretti for
her to return. I also had a chance to
spend some quality time with my Best
Boss Bob and his wife Cindy. Sue and
I also had a great dinner at James and
Rhonda Norman’s house after catching some dolphin in Ritchie’s new boat
(yeah right—boat—triple 275s is just
a bit too ostentatious for me to call a
mere boat—but it sure does “get ‘er
duuuun”). We only got checked by
one FWC helicopter, a USCG Dolphin
and a USCG Cruiser on our day trip.
I guess a radar target northbound
from the Gulf Stream in the Florida
Straights at 70 MPH would tend to
draw some attention. Anyway, James
makes a heck of a killer martini, I have
to say. I can’t wait to get back down
there for another, dude. We also
spent some time with our friends, Greg
and Cheryl Sullivan as well as Dave
and Kim Dupree and their beautiful
daughter Sophia. I even got a chance
to talk to Cal Sutphin on his morning
radio show.
We dropped in on Dennis and Carol Cain’s yard sale and caught up on
old times and I got the opportunity to
have a wonderful “boyz night out” with
Don, Gene, Chad and Rick. Oh by the
way—speaking of Don, I checked by
the new (well new to me) Plantation
Key Sub-station. Donnie Fanelli gave
me the low-down and I have to tell
you, WOW what a great work station,
and overall environment, the men and
women in the upper Keys have. I’m
in Fredericksburg now for a couple of
weeks, sitting on the selection board
for the next group of officers going to
Afghanistan. I’m here because I have
recently been offered the job of State
Department Senior Police Advisor at
the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. That is
the same job as I am doing at the U.S.
Office in Pristina. The biggest difference is I manage just over 200 officers
in Kosovo and closer to 600 in Afghanistan. It is quite a promotion and an
offer I could not pass up. I am looking
forward to taking the posting and will
be there the first part of December. I
will be traveling back to Kosovo next
week to tie up loose ends and prepare
to turn over my present portfolio to the
person taking over.
Things in Kosovo have been exciting lately. The status of the province is
set to be determined before the end of
the year. If Kosovo is given the status
of an independent country then the
Serbian community will not be happy.
If they are denied, the Albanians will
be the group maligned. Either way,
there will be trouble and “who ya
gonna call?” Yup, the Po Po. So the
United Nations Civilian Police units
(there are about 1600 International
Officers here now), The NATO troops
(OPSEC negates disclosing that
number) as well as the Kosovo Police
Service (almost 8000 including the
border police), are making all necessary arrangements to address any
number of problems that may arise.
The number of US officers will
probably remain stable until next summer at which time the European Union
will more than likely take over the lead
of the mission and they seem to be
leaning to downsizing. The EU keeps
their plan secret but, knowing the
individual members of the EU planning
team, my well informed guess would
put the US contingent numbers at
about 90 to 100. So we will still have
a substantial program here for at least
the next few years. So the job is still
interesting and exciting.
Afghanistan better be as stimulating and intriguing, or I will be upset
that I left Kosovo at such a volatile
time. I am told that there is no comparison, and that Afghanistan will be
much more challenging. I will be more
restricted in my movement, though,
and will have to take an air movement
or armored assets and a close protection unit assigned for every trip outside
the Embassy compound. That will be
quite a change from the freedom of
movement we enjoy in Kosovo, but
I’m sure I will adapt. The Diplomatic
Security (DSS) convoy personnel are
highly trained and motivated (high
speed/low drag kinda’ guys). I look
forward to the challenge will keep you
upto date.
I’m looking out the window of my
hotel, just south of DC, and seeing
something I miss. It is the changing
of the seasons. The leaves are all
changing colors and are beautiful.
There are so many colors - it looks like
the landscape is on fire. It is also
darn cold, but I am used to that after
enduring a Kosovo winter. When the
first snow in Kosovo falls the city of
Pristina becomes a scene right out of
“It’s A Wonderful Life” but then it gets
brown and starts to remind you of a
muddy river. I guess that is the case
everywhere. But there you have to be
sure what has been covered up by the
snow—who knows what you may trip
over if you are not paying attention.
Well I will end this here. I will write
again and give you a first hand view of
Kabul, Afghanistan.
Oh, yeah, I am jealous of those of
you who went to Fantasy Fest. I miss
that weekend. Especially those great
nights down there on the motor with
the Traffic Unit.
I enjoyed hearing from those of
you who have written me. My e-mail
address is [email protected] and
will stay the same even after I change
embassies.
Colonel’s Notes,
Continued
These men and women took pride
in this and each squad tried to be
the best. I’m here to say they were
all the best. My hat goes off to you
all for such an outstanding effort and
job, thank you very much. After the
inspection we had the meeting and it
was a nice time with the state of the
union address from Capt. Hiller, Lt.
Fanelli, Lt. Horn and myself. We got
into some war stories and how it was
in the old days. Later we went to the
office had a nice lunch together. I
thank you all for the time together and
as well for the hard work that you do
every day.
Merry Christmas to everyone and
may the next year be the best yet.
December 2006
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office - Rap Sheet
Governor Bush Announces Results of the 2006 Florida Youth
Substance Abuse Survey
Press Release issued by the Governor’s Office
TALLAHASSEE - Governor Jeb
Bush today announced the results
of the 2006 Florida Youth Substance
Abuse Survey. The survey was
conducted among 6th through 12th
graders throughout the state for the
seventh consecutive year. Since 2000,
Florida has seen declines in the use of
heroin, ecstasy and LSD, as well as in
the use of cigarettes and alcohol. This
year, 12 of the 21 categories measured current use below two percent.
“In the last eight years, we have
worked to strengthen substance abuse
prevention, and we have seen significant progress in the cause,” said Governor Bush. “Today’s results confirm
that progress is being made, but the
work is not done.”
Conducted annually, the Florida
Youth Substance Abuse Survey is the
most extensive survey of its kind in the
nation. The survey assesses lifetime
drug usage and current usage. Findings from this year’s survey include:
•Heroin use declined 50 percent
since 2000. Current use rate is just 0.4
percent.
•Ecstasy use declined 57 percent
since it was first measured in 2001.
Current use rate is 1.2 percent.
•LSD/PCP use declined 73 percent
since 2000. Current use rate is 0.8
percent.
•Crack cocaine use declined 25
percent since 2000. Current use rate
is 0.6 percent.
•Cigarette smoking declined 42
percent since 2000. Current use rate
is 10.6 percent.
•Marijuana use declined 21 percent since 2000. Current use rate is
11.4 percent.
•Alcohol use declined 7 percent
since 2000. Current use rate is 32
percent. Alcohol is the most common
and most resistant substance of abuse
among youth.
“The 2000-2006 Florida Youth
Substance Abuse Surveys reflect the
intense emphasis on youth substance
abuse prevention during this administration,” said Director Janes. “During
the past few years, there has been
a significant reduction in drug abuse
among our middle and high school
students.”
The Florida Youth Substance
Abuse Survey, conducted annually
since 2000, measures youth substance abuse across the state. This
year, the survey included more than
57,000 valid returns from 6th through
12th graders.
Governor Bush was joined for
today’s announcement by First Lady
Columba Bush, Lt. Governor Toni Jennings, Director of the Florida Office of
Drug Control Bill Janes, state agency
heads, law enforcement officials and
substance abuse prevention specialists – key partners in reducing substance abuse throughout the state.
Governor Bush established the
Florida Office of Drug Control in 1999
to reduce substance abuse through
increased prevention, treatment and
law enforcement. During the last
seven years, Florida has expanded
community-based substance abuse
prevention coalitions to every county,
supporting neighborhood organizations in the fight against drugs.
To view the complete results of the
2006 Florida Youth Substance Abuse
Survey, please visit http://www.dcf.
state.fl.us/mentalhealth/publications/
fysas/. For more information on the
Florida Office of Drug Control, please
visit http://www.flgov.com/drug_control/.
Anola Mira recently retired from the Stock Island Detention
Center. We’ll all miss you, Anola!
December 2006
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office - Rap Sheet
Lots of new stuff in Special Ops
By Lt. Corey Bryan
A big howdy to Jeff Parker who
comes to SID/ Narcotics to replace
Superman Al Ramirez!!! Good luck
to newly promoted Sgt Todd Wyatt
who leaves the unit to work in Sector
Seven. Congratulations to E.B Askins
who joins the Narcotics team from
Sector Seven Road Patrol. Both Jeff
and E.B. have some big shoes to fill
but I know they are up to the challenge
and will do great things.
A sad goodbye to Angela Jones
our SID Secretary who has worked
with us for a year but has decided to
follow her husband to new job opportunities in Central Florida. On that
note this goes out to the rest of the
detective secretaries, you can’t leave
us anymore for any reason as the services you provide the agency and the
hard work you all do for our investigators is priceless !
Thanks a million!!!!!!
A big howdy to our new Secretary
in SID for Narcotics/ Homicide Dejeun
Hill. Dejuen comes to us from working in the canteen of the Key West
Jail, where I hear she is already very
missed. Sorry Director Allen, but thank
you very much for the quick transfer to
SID. De is doing great and is fitting in
excellently. Congrats are also in order
for De regarding her new marriage.
Our super sleuth Al Ramirez noticed
De beaming one Monday morning and
learned that she had gotten married
over the weekend. He is a lucky guy
De and I’m sure you are both going to
be very happy.
All of the units in SID have been
really busy, and we appreciate the
help patrol gives us with accurate
reports, standing by at crime scenes,
and contacting the detective units with
follow up information.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Active Shooter Training
and a special thanks to David Lariz,
Luis Rivera and Will Schlegilmilch
who did the training and put the whole
presentation together.
Congratulations to all the guys
who made the SWAT team…… special
thanks to Jeremy Davy, Assistant
Team Leader (you trained him good
Donnie Catala) who organized the
successfully able to convince her to
tryouts which were both physical and
release her weapon and allow people
had some mental challenges involved. to help her.
Juan Llera, Ken Fricke Darnell DurJason Madnick is now a certified
ham, Henry Amole, Jack Syzmanski,
Bomb Technician for the agency and
and Dave Chavka are the new memI hear he is talking about moving to a
bers and all did an excellent job maksmall cabin in the woods somewhere
ing the team.
to practice his trade ….. That sounds
P.S. I ‘m very happy and thank
vaguely familiar...but seriously ,conJeremy , Donnie and John for getting
grats Jas as I know that it is a tough
my SWAT coin after having to wait
course. !!!
20 years and being on the very first
Narcotics Unit has been jammin’
SWAT team the sheriff’s office ever
on it as usual, but have exceeded
had ( and no it wasn’t before the first
themselves with making the usual
ice age) but Don Hiller, Mitch Horn,
street cases but also running major
Mitch Snider, Darryl Hull, Roger Aloperations for the Marathon area and
len and Larry O’Neill can remember
the La Curva area on Stock Island.
those days of old !!! Anywhooooooooo
Great job guys !!!!!!!
thanks a million guys for taking care
Hope every one had a very happy
of me.
Thanksgiving and got to spend time
Congratulations are in order for
with family and friends. Speaking of
Sgt Charlene Sprinkle-Huff for her
holidays …..Great job by Captain
promotion from detective in marathon
Ross Thomson on his coordination
to patrol sgt in Sector One. Good job
efforts for the Special Ops Christmas
Charlene. Excellent work by Detective
luncheon which was a great success,
Jeremy Davy in his promotion to road
good turkeys by Capt Hiller, and to all
patrol sgt to Sector One.
the Special Ops people who particiWay to go to Det Lyle Agins in
pated with food, time and goodies to
P.K. on his promotion to patrol sgt
make it the success it was.
in Sector Seven. Congratulations to
That’s it for now from Special Ops
Rosa Perez for her transfer into Crime
(which is probably more than enough)
Scene in Sector Four and Five and
so keep up the great work and be
congrats to Amanda Barger who is
careful.
now Amanda Coleman, and is now a
detective in Sector
Four and Five and
has had a baby girl
.That’s a lot of good
news in a short
time frame Amanda
.Good luck to you
all !!!!! ( And may
the SPOPS force be
with you).
Excellent work
by Detective Sgt
Randolph on his negotiation skills with
a suicidal subject
at Bernstien Park.
Bobby was able to
communicate with Congratulations to Amanda and Dennis Coleman
the female who he on the birth of their little girl, Dakota Rose Colediscovered was a man. She was born November 21st.
deaf mute, and was
December 2006
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office - Rap Sheet
Quarterly Awards, Continued
whenever necessary. Cadet
Mirabella always displays a cheerful
disposition and friendly personality.
He readily assists other post members
when needed.
During a recent summer trip to
Orlando, Florida Cadet Mirabella accompanied other members of Post
904 and 906. While on this trip Cadet
Mirabella shared a room with other
post members and took responsibility
to ensure the room rules were adhered to.
Cadet Mirabella displays the highest standards for Explorer/Cadet Post
members and is an example for others
to follow.
RESERVE: Reserve Deputy Juan
Neyra (better known as Johnny) began
his career with the MCSO in January
of 2006. Reserve Deputy Juan Neyra
is also an Airport Security Techni-
cian at the Key West Airport. Around
June 2006 Reserve Neyra spotted a
BOLO vehicle with subjects wanted
by the US Marshall for prison escape
in another state. Reserve Deputy
Neyra made contact with Deputies and
relayed vital information as to location
and number of occupants that were inside the vehicle. R/S Neyra continued
to follow at a safe distance until Deputies could intervene to ensure that the
vehicle wouldn’t get away. The traffic
stop led to an arrest of one of the two
wanted persons who later gave up the
location of the other subject.
Reserve Deputy Juan Neyra has
become very instrumental and a true
asset to Sector I and to the agency.
SUPPORT: Detention Records
Supervisor Lael Freeman began her
career with the MCSO in March 2002.
Lael Freeman is the type of employee
that never complains about the work-
load. No matter how much work is
placed on her or her shift she gets it
done making sure the records are accurate and complete.
For the last few months Lael has
been the only jail records supervisor.
She has been supervising all three
shifts due to the loss of one supervisor and one on FMLA. Lael also
helps cover Records Manager Jamie
Denton’s job when Jamie is out.
Lael has never complained about
being short handed or working long
hours. Lael never asks for time off
and is always there for her co-workers. She has stepped up to the plate
when taking responsibility for training
new clerks and supervising all three
shifts. She is very hard working and
dedicated.
THE TEN DEADLY ERRORS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
1. LACK OF CONCENTRATION:
If you fail to keep your mind on the job
while on patrol or bring problems from
home into the field, you start to make
errors. It can cost you and your fellow
officers/agents their lives.
2. TOMBSTONE COURAGE: Just
what it says, if time allows, wait for
backup. There are very few instances
where you should try and make a dangerous apprehension unaided.
3. NOT ENOUGH REST: To do
your job you must be alert. Lack of
sleep or being sleepy can endanger
yourself, the community, and fellow
officers/agents.
4. TAKING A BAD POSITION:
Never let anyone you are questioning
or about to stop get in a better position
than you are. THERE IS NO SUCH
ANIMAL AS A ROUTINE STOP!!!
5. NOT HEEDING DANGER
SIGNS: As a law enforcement officer you will get to recognize “danger
signs”. Movements, sounds, strange
cars, are warnings that should alert
you to watch your step and approach
with caution. Know your area and
watch for what is out of place.
6. FAILURE TO WATCH THE
HANDS OF A SUSPECT: Is he or she
reaching for a weapon or getting ready
to assault you? WHERE ELSE CAN A
KILLER STRIKE FROM, BUT FROM
THEIR HANDS!!!
7. RELAXING TOO SOON: Yes,
the rut of false alarms/activations can
become tiresome. Still, observe the
area and activity around you. NEVER
take any call as routine or just another
false alarm. It could be your life on the
line.
8. IMPROPER HANDCUFFING:
Once you have made the arrest, handcuff the prisoner CORRECTLY! See
that the hands that can kill you are
safely secured.
9. NO SEARCH OR POOR
SEARCH: There are too many
places to hide a weapon that
if you fail to search you are
guilty of committing a crime
against other officers/agents
that will have contact with
your prisoner. Many people
carry weapons and are able
and ready to use them on
you. Never assume that the
next officer/agent to come in
contact with your prisoner will
do a “GOOD” search.
10. DIRTY OR INOP
ERATIVE WEAPON: Is your sidearm
clean? How about the magazines?
Have you cleaned your weapon since
the last time you were at the range?
Are you confident that you can draw
your weapon quickly and safely, or do
you need more practice? Can you hit
your target in a combat situation? You
must practice faithfully and religiously.
***Remember to practice safe gun
handling at all times when cleaning
or drawing for practice. A WEAPON
IS ALWAYS CONSIDERED LOADED
UNTIL YOU HAVE PHYSICALLY AND
VISUALLY CONFIRMED THAT IT IS
NOT.
December 2006
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office - Rap Sheet
Letters of Appreciation and Commendation
Sgt. James Orebaugh with Homestead Police wrote to commend the
deputies who helped with the Nextel
Cup race at the Homestead-Miami
Speedway the weekend of November
16th. Special thanks goes to Lt. Corey
Bryan who helped coordinate the
department’s involvement.
J.F. Damien Lamb, of Pensacola,
Florida wrote to commend Lt. Don
Fanelli, three of his support staff and
Correction’s Officers William Sheriff
and Cynthia Markey for their professionalism and assistance after his
arrest on an out of county warrant.
David Kesar of Key West wrote to
Sheriff Roth to commend Sgt. Daryl
Hull for his assistance with an incident
at the Key West Airport. He says, in
part, “Thank goodness for Sgt. Hull.
He was summoned and...had a very
commanding and calming effect on the
entire situation.”
The Key Largo School Parent
Teacher Association wrote to thank Lt.
Corey Bryan for his help with Family
Safety Night, where he spoke about
stranger danger.
Hal Sparks of Marathon wrote to
commend Deputy Jerry Jagoda for
his professional response to a civil
disturbance at a local marina. Sparks
also thanks Deputy Jagoda for his
subsequent appearance in court to
help settle the matter.
Robert Miller, Director of Public
Safety at Furman University wrote to
commend a number of officers for their
help locating a missing student. He
says our officers were instrumental in
locating the student, thus reassuring
frantic relatives that he was safe. His
thanks go to Deputy Trisha Milliken,
Det. Sgt. James Norman, Detectives
Terry Smith and Mark Coleman and
Deputy Winfred Higgins.
Henry McCann, manager of Ben
Franklin Crafts in Key West, called
the Sheriff to commend Sgt. William
Gordon for helping him to reach home
safely after having a problem with his
vehicle.
Derrick Taylor, Director of Education with AIDS Help, wrote to thank
the Sheriff’s Office for their help with
National Latino AIDS Awareness Day.
In particular, Deputy Maretta McNichol
assisted with an event held at Bernstein Park.
Attorney Richard Giuffreda wrote
to commend Captain Penny Phelps
for helping him with his defense of a
lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Office.
Angela McClain, Director of St.
Mary’s Soup Kitchen wrote to the
Sheriff commending Deputy Emil
LaVache. Deputy LaVache stops every
day to make sure everything is okay
and everyone there is safe.
Robert Blake, owner of the Second Street Cafe, wrote to commend
Deputy Charles Bon for his help. He
says Deputy Bon helped resolve a
problem he was having with a group
of homeless people in the area of his
business. “Where other law enforcement officers made short term solutions destined for repetition, Deputy
Bon offered AND DELIVERED
resolution.”
David Morris, President of Morris
and McDaniel Management Consultants wrote to commend Lt. Tim Age
who assisted with a Performance
Based Assessment Exercise for the
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department.
HIDTA Deputy Director Joel
Widell wrote to commend Legal
Assistant Milly Perez. She was
instrumental to the success of the six
month long “Battle” trial which ended
in convictions on all counts. According
to the commendation letter, the Battles
were running a criminal organization
that operated for decades, earning an
estimated $1.4 billion from criminal
activity.
Congresswoman Ileanna RosLehtinen wrote to commend pilot Gary
Baginski for his help on a recent trip to
the Keys.
Sheriff’s Medal
Deputies Nick Pham and Sean
Heffron received the Sheriff’s Medal
for saving the life of Deputy Steve
Kalogeras. Deputy Kalogeras collapsed while working the annual
Fourth of July Parade in the upper
Keys. He was not breathing when
the deputies reached him. They
called for assistance and, without
a moments hesitation, began CPR,
continuing until relieved by paramedics.
Deputy Kalogeras was rushed to
the hospital where he was revived by
doctors. The emergency room doctor
who treated him told Captain Don
Hiller the immediate life saving efforts by Deputies Pham and Heffron
are what saved Deputy Kalogeras’
life.
Thanks for your help
By Detective Donnie Catala
In May, I severely injured my arm
during S.W.A.T. training. I underwent
surgery and was out of work for three
months. The members of my squad,
Sector One Criminal Investigative Unit,
had to share my case load, and cover
my weeks on call as the duty detective.
Detectives are assigned cases to
follow up that are often detailed and
time consuming. My squad did the
extra work as true professionals and
as friends. They made personal sacrifices and juggled their own schedules
without complaint.
I searched the MCSO Smart Cop
database and found some amazing
statistics. As of mid December 2006,
they investigated 760 cases. Here’s a
breakdown:
Det. Henry Hamilton - 159 Cases
Sgt. Jeremy Davy - 161 Cases
Det. Diane Mimosa - 143 Cases
Det. Paul Shultz - 176 Cases
Of the 760 total cases, 341 were
classified as “good closures” meaning
closed as exceptional, with an arrest,
or closed as unfounded. That is almost
a 45% closure rate, which is amazing.
They are to be congratulated on that
accomplishment.
My sincere thanks to Sgt. Bobby
Randolph, Det. Henry Hamilton, Det.
Paul Shultz, Det. Diane Mimosa, Sgt.
Jeremy Davy and Sec. Peggy Carey.
You are all a pleasure to work with.
December 2006
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office - Rap Sheet
Holiday scenes from around the Sheriff’s Office....
10
December 2006
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office - Rap Sheet
Francisco “Paco” Rodriguez won the
Sheriff’s Office “Name the Cavey Contest”.
His suggestion for naming the new baby
Cavey at the Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm:
Primo.
Rodriguez said he suggested the name
because it means “the first, the best, primary, the most important, and it means the
same in : English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Latin and more.”
“The Word “Primo” is used by Spanish speakers as slang for “Buddy” or “Bro”
(Brother)....it’s a word that brings us all
together.,” he said.
Rodriguez and his wife, Stacy, are
animal lovers who have four birds and two
Guinea Pigs at home. They are residents
of Key West.
Thank you Paco!
11
December 2006
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office - Rap Sheet
New additions to the Animal Farm
African Spurred Tortoises come from crack house in Colorado
Stock Island - The Sheriff’s Office
Children’s Animal Park welcomed
three new additions to it’s menagerie
recently. Three African Spurred Tortoises joined the animal ranks, bringing the total count of the tortoises at
the farm to four.
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, located at the Stock
Island Detention Center, already had
one African Spurred Tortoise - a 100
pound specimen named Albert who
is a familiar resident of the farm who
has free roam and loves to follow visitors around the compound. The two
Colorado tortoises have been named
Sherman (for the World War Two tank
he resembles) and Colonel because
he took an immediate liking to Colonel
Rick Ramsay when he first arrived in
the Keys. The third new tortoise to arrive came from a woman on Sugarloaf
Key. Her name is Melanie.
Farmer Selander is also a new
addition to the farm. She was hired in
September after Farmer Elaine moved and is in the process of building new
on to the greener pastures of a horse
fencing to create a grazing area for the
farm in South Carolina. Selander hails
larger animals.
from Charleston, South Carolina. She
“There is so much to do. There’s
moved to the Keys in 1998 to take
just not enough time,” said Selander.
the job of Assistant Curator at the Key
‘I just love working with the animals,”
West Aquarium. She has a B.A. in Bishe added.
ology from the College of Charleston.
She says she
came here for
the job - and the
weather. She is
a dive instructor and loves to
dive the waters
of the Keys in
her spare time.
She has
many plans for
the Animal Farm
and has already
made her mark,
organizing,
cleaning and
straightening;
she has begun
making eduSheriff Rick Roth and Farmer Jeanne Selander with
cational signs
for each of the
two new African Spurred Tortoises. The reptiles
animal’s habitats were rescued from a crack house in Colorado.
Letter of Thanks from Farmer Selander
I want to thank everyone for
your help and contributions of time,
money, and support in preparation and
execution of Christmas on the Farm.
Since I am new to the Farm, I had no
idea what I was getting myself into!!
Despite the rain, we had a wonderful
turnout, and I am thankful that it’s over
until next year.
Thanks to Programs Director
Keena Allen for the many shopping
trips to purchase gifts and decorations,
and for her tireless help in organizing,
decorating and coordinating - she kept
me sane!
Thanks to Sharon Fain for typing
and editing donation letters for all the
local businesses.
Thanks to Becky Herrin for helping
me get the word out and publicizing
the date and time for the big event!
Thanks to Ofc. Allen for providing
clean uniforms for the trusties.
Thanks to Stephanie, Stacey,
Jackie, Joyce, and Shelly for being
Santa’s helpers (and my helpers too!)
Thanks to Ofc. Dehring for reading
Christmas stories in the bunny corral,
and for his donation of gifts for the
kids.
Thanks to the entire maintenance
crew - Jim, Pedro, David, Nestor, and
Stephen - for all the help with the
pony cart (last minute emergencies
included), new paper towel dispensers, tables, chairs, extension cords,
and the NEW SINK. And thank you
most of all for the immediate and “no
questions asked” response when I
called on the radio for a blow torch!!
I couldn’t believe the whole crew
showed up to assist me!
Thanks to Sheriff Roth, Val Marinello, and Emil LaVache for helping
me get together some last minute gifts
for Santa’s gift bags.
12
Thanks also to the Sheriff and
Val for helping haul away some of the
growing manure pile which they used
as fertilizer.
Thanks to Emil for delivering flyers
to all of the local schools.
Thanks to Lt. Tammy Clark for providing the pony cart, the pony (Mandy), and her time to actually give the
pony cart rides, which were a big hit!
Thanks to Tony Campana for his
help, and for bravely riding in on the
pony cart!!
Thanks to Mike in supply for helping me get together last minute items
for the farm.
Thanks to Capt. Phelps for your
donation toward the pony cart.
Thanks to Jason for helping Lt.
Clark with the pony cart rides.
Thanks also to Robert for welding
the pony cart, and to Bill in property
for sewing the pony harness at the