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Sheriff's Report

General News

Bureau of Operations

Bureau of Corrections

Commendations and Awards

Support Services

What's Happening

Sheriff’s Report

Semi-Annual Crime Statistics have been released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and they show index crimes were down once again in Monroe County during the first half of this year. Index crimes include murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft. Our county has consistently seen our crime rate drop for the past 12 years, and I’m very happy to see that trend continue with a 3.5 percent decrease January – June 2002. We should all take great pride in these reduced numbers because they are a direct result of the hard work we do every day, coupled with the tremendous cooperation we have on a daily basis from the citizens of our county.

Here we are at holiday time again. I particularly enjoy this time because we have so many opportunities during the holiday season to get to know each other again, at office parties and various gatherings throughout the Keys. I hope you all take time out during this season to look at all the positive things we do in the Sheriff’s Office, and to reflect on all the good things about our agency. There are so many, and too often we get wrapped up in the negative and forget there is much here to be thankful for.

The Fraternal Order of Police Christmas party this year will be held on December 7th at the Banana Bay Resort in Marathon. Tickets are $33.00 and are available from  various members of the lodge. Rooms at the resort are available at a reduced rate so call now for a reservation if you would like to stay over night. There will be many other parties during the holiday season, and I want to remind you all to set an example for others by designating a sober driver if you plan to drink at any of the festivities. I hope to see you at the party.

Christmas at the Animal Farm on Stock Island is also coming up on December 15^th from 2-4 p.m. This event is always a lot of fun, with many kids coming to see Santa and all the animals.

All full time employees of the Sheriff’s Office will receive an extra 2 half days of Annual Leave (Vacation Time) for the holiday season in addition to the already scheduled Wednesday, December 25th and Wednesday, January 1st holidays. These hours will appear in your vacation totals listed on your paychecks December 20th. This leave may be taken any time with your supervisor’s approval. Record it as vacation time on your time sheets. Part time employees will be pro-rated

Have a Happy Thanksgiving Day, and a Happy Holiday Season.

General News

Changes to the Training Division

By Captain Rick Ramsay

There has been a change in the training division. It has shifted from the Administrative Division to the Operations Division.  Under the Operations Division, there will be a Training Steering Committee made up of all the Captains and Communications Director Anne Leonard. The Committee will set policy and direction for the Training division. 

The board will decide on training issues, policies, training courses as well as any other training concerns that arise.  The board is designed to ensure that you get the best level of service possible, but the board will need input from everyone as to what is working and what is not,  what you want and what you need and how we can make training enjoyable while you are there. 

The board has to ensure that we follow all of the standards outlined by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and that we keep up with the mandatory re-training, which seems to increase every year.  I am the Chairman of the Committee, which means that I will oversee training and will ensure that all the Committee’s decisions are followed.

We will be implementing the use of adjunct instructors during regular in-service training as well as during academy classes to aid the training division. This will also help to fine tune your teaching skills and hopefully improve moral by giving officers a chance to do something different. 

When the new aircraft hangar is completed in Marathon it will have two certified classrooms, which we will be using for most in-service training as well as some F.K.C.C. courses in an effort to make training available to all.  It will be very important for you all to communicate to your Captains about what you want from training as well as any problems that you see.

I want to emphasize that this is to be a positive change. I’m not interested in placing blame anywhere, or pointing fingers. We are starting fresh with this committee, and I want positive suggestions for how we can streamline and improve the training process. If you fail to communicate your thoughts and needs to your Captain or to the Board then do not criticize what you get or fail to get.  Please give this a chance and work with us. It is being done in your best interests and the members of the board will be giving a lot of their time to make sure that it works for all of us. 

Bureau of Operations

Lower Keys Report

By Captain Rick Ramsay

We recently had our station meeting/party on Nov. 16th at Gerald Adams school and it turned out to be a wonderful gathering.  The get together lasted most of the day and most everyone stayed throughout the day.  We had three tables of foods and deserts that were outstanding.  There were activities for all throughout the day and everyone was thankful for the day together.  These gatherings take a lot of time and effort to make them happen and I wanted to thank Lt. Simpson, Sheri Cuervo, Sgt. Wirth, Sgt. Hull and Sgt. Passarelli for making it what it was.  I would like to thank the Marathon deputies for covering during the party.  We re-paid Marathon this past week with patrol coverage for their gathering on the 23rd.  Sgt. Sommers, Deputies O'Malley, Lariz, Sparrow, Cuervo and I worked the road and enjoyed the change of the area.

 

Deputy Mark Long shows off the new Sheriff’s Office Dive Team Boat.

 

Report from Sectors 4 and 5

By Lt. Larry Kelley

It seems as if it has only been a few weeks since the last rap sheet.  There are many things happening here in the City of Marathon.  The City Council is searching for a new City Manager.  They are reviewing dozens of applications from all over the country and tonight will be cutting down the field to five finalists.  I wish them luck in their arduous task.

We just had our Sector 4 and 5 meeting and picnic this weekend with a great turnout.  Sector 1 was great and covered our Sectors for calls for service in return for our same efforts for their picnic a few weeks ago.  We will be covering PK for Captain Bell-Thomson’s Sector 7 meeting in a few weeks as well.

At our meeting, Sally-Ann Crawford gave the troops some words of wisdom in reference to Victim’s Advocate responsibilities and what she can do for them.  Thank you Sally for the information and I am sure they will help us in our duties to the victims out there.  We were pleased to have Jake Brady attend as well.  He is presently on a leave of absence but looking forward to coming back to work soon.  We are looking forward to having him back.  Detective Ron Sylvester was there representing the investigative branch of our little slice of heaven here in Marathon.  He also helped me draw names for the great door prizes we had.  Lucky Deputies walked away with numerous $50 gift certificates to local restaurants like Keys Fisheries, Don Pedro’s, Key Colony Inn, The Island, Shuckers, Village Cafe and Annette’s Steak and Lobster House.  There were also computer games from Office Depot and Olympic Police tee shirts and a hat from my travels to Atlanta and Salt Lake City.  We had a New York City Police Department official tee shirt that Captain Bob Peryam brought back from his recent visit to Ground-Zero and a British Police uniform pullover sweater I received from an officer I worked with in Bosnia.  We also had some gunlocks and other small items.  As for the door prizes, the restaurant certificates went like hot cakes, as you would expect, but Joel Slough had his eyes on something quite different-when Sergeant Sam Cassel’s name was drawn, he gave Joel his chance and Joel chose a military Special Forces computer game.  Then later when Joel’s name was drawn he gave his chance to Chuck Meier and Chuck chose a military Delta Force type computer game and gave it back to Joel.  With all this off-duty computer training we will be looking for great things from our own personal one-man SWAT team.

Speaking of military service, I presented an American Flag that we received from Emilio Rodriguez, who had to leave the agency last year and is now in Afghanistan flying security missions for dignitaries there.  He sent a full sized U.S. Flag that was flown over the hostile area there along with a certificate and letter dedicating the flag to the officers here in Marathon.  I am presently pricing frames for the flag and certificate to be “flown” in our lobby for all to honor and admire.

At the meeting we awarded plaques to Sergeant Susan Greenwood for her dedication as Supervisor of the FTO Program here.  Deputies Jeremy Davy, Lin Badman, Joel Slough, Joe Cortner, Chuck Kellenberger and Greg Korzen also received plaques attesting to their dedication to the program.  These Deputies were tasked with the awesome responsibility of teaching and evaluating 11 trainees through the program this year and 10 last year.  Their dedication to their duty, as well as their continued concentration to their job at hand casts great credit on them individually, their squads, the Marathon Station, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office as a whole.  These dedicated Deputies are the reason why we have the number of capable Deputies on the road that we have now.  

 

Deputies Lin Badman, Joe Cortner, Jeremy Davy, Chuck Kellenberger, Greg Korzen and Joel Slough were each awarded a plaque for their dedication to their duties as FTO trainers in Marathon by Sergeant Susan Greenwood and Lieutenant Larry Kelley. Although Marathon has more than just these six FTO's, these Deputies were recognized because they worked relentlessly throughout the year, never taking a break from their responsibilities as trainers.

    

   

  

Sergeant Susan Greenwood receives an award for her dedication
to her duties as Supervisor of the Marathon FTO Program from
Captain Bob Peryam and Lieutenant Larry Kelley

 

Transportation Deputy Steve Barney was our cook and he did a terrific job keeping our plates full and no one went home hungry.  I have to thank Steve for his efforts in this activity.  If you didn’t already know, Steve was involved in a serious crash the night before the picnic and I visited him in the hospital.  He told me he would not let anything get in the way of cooking for me and even after I told him to make that decision after he woke up and found all those sore muscles he didn’t even knew he had, he still made the trip from Key Largo to Marathon the next day and did a fabulous job.  Steve, you’re the best.  By the way--let me dispel any miss-information out there.  Steve’s crash was NOT his fault; it was the fault of another motorist.  Sergeant Tom Riley investigated the crash and I was on the scene when the statements were taken and measurements were made. 

On a sad note, Sergeant Suzanne Morgan’s mother passed away this week and we all send her our prayers and best wishes for her family whom she is with in Indiana.  We sent a living lily presentation from the men and women of the Marathon Station.  We look forward to Sue’s return to us after she has spent much needed time with her family and friends.

Sergeant Sam Cassel goes under the knife this morning at 7:30 AM for an operation on his knee.  He was injured while he was operating one of our wave-runners.  We wish him a quick and thorough recovery.  Sam, don’t try to push it and come back before you are ready.  Make sure you are 100% and we look forward to having you back.

Lin Badman is also under the weather.  She is on light duty for a few weeks and will be working in Communications.  Lin, we truly miss you with us although at least we get to work with you through our radios and computers.  Get back here as soon as you are better.

On a lighter note-Deputy Willy Guerra received a memo of appreciation from Sheriff Roth for a letter received from a citizen who witnessed an altercation he had with a violent subject at Dion’s in Marathon.  The subject had to be restrained by Willy, who had his expandable baton out and at the ready.  The witness wrote in his letter to the Sheriff, “The deputy at all times had his baton in his hand but not once did he threaten to use it.  If it had been me I would have knocked the guy all the way to the 7-Mile Bridge.”  Way to go Willy, I’m sure you had it well under control.

In the area of Zone Improvement, no Deputy can hold a candle to Linda Kohout for her energy and efforts to address community issues.  In October she performed numerous improvements, as usual, but the one that stood out was her efforts to get numerous cell phones collected and donated to our Victim's Advocate Office as well as to the Marathon Domestic Abuse Shelter.  Linda always seems to find those things that stand out.  Keep up the great work.

On to police stuff:

Reserve Sergeant Dave Campbell is finishing up the Disabled Parking Project he started last month.  So far he and his crew of reserves and trustees have painted over 45 parking spaces in town in that pretty “off limits” blue paint and erected 30 signs.  The businesses here are very pleased with the efforts and the city is very happy for the upgrade.  Those who would use poorly marked disabled spaces for their own convenience will now have to look somewhere other than Marathon for their rationalization.  Here, they will be ticketed, prosecuted and fined because there will be no excuse for their inconsideration. Thanks, Dave for your fantastic effort.

In October, in Marathon, we investigated 6 Batteries, 5 Pettit Thefts and 2 Burglaries.  In relation to this time last year this is a 74% decrease in Batteries, a 69% decrease in Pettit Thefts and an awesome 87% decrease in Burglaries.  Hats off to patrol for their constant pressure and high visibility out there.  Keep up the good work.

This week is the Buckle Up Florida enforcement wave and just like last time we are focusing on seat belt violations during this period.  No un-belted driver or passenger will be given verbal warnings.  We will be documenting every violation with either a citation or written warning.  I will let you know the results of the wave in next month’s rap sheet.

The month of December is National DUI awareness month.  In Marathon we will be targeting DUI and DUID drivers as well as all aggressive and reckless drivers.  I have requested numerous TRAP funded projects that I am waiting for a response on.  These will enhance our efforts to impact the number of DUIs on our roads during this period.  I am sure that Deputies Greg Korzen and Jeremy Davy will be head to head during December because they are neck and neck in their little personal battle to be the “DUI King”.  I think they are each somewhere in the area of 40 for the year.  So far this year Marathon Deputies have made 122 DUI arrests (through October 31).  I commend all of you for your efforts in this worthwhile venture.  If you have ever witnessed the pain and suffering at the scene of a tragic DUI crash or felt the heartache of a family member who has had a loved one stripped from them by a drunk driver, you know how important this effort is.  Keep up the good work and keep putting those dangerous drivers in jail.

In other enforcement efforts we continue to address the City Council’s mandate to rigidly enforce traffic laws on U.S. 1 throughout Marathon.  In October we arrested 8 DUIs, wrote 689 tickets and 325 warnings, made 10 felony arrests, 58 misdemeanor arrests and served 35 warrants.  All this in addition to 1326 building checks, 337 night-eye contacts, as well as all of our zone improvements, watch orders and directed patrols.

Captain Peryam and I, along with all of the men and women of the Marathon Station and Sectors 4 and 5, would like to wish all of you a very relaxing, safe and peaceful holiday season.  Our best wishes go out to all of your families and friends.

That’s all for now.  Be safe out there.

AND REMEMBER……..We don’t have a ticket quota in Marathon-you can write all you want-you don’t ever have to stop writing!!!

Special Investigations Division

By Captain Ross Thomson

Greetings to all !!

The non-sector group from law enforcement known as Special Operations has decided to join the Rap Sheet once again – sorry Becky : (  it just took me awhile to get back in the routine.

Its praise and more praise for the men and women of the sheriff’s office.  What a magnificent list of well performed tasks I have to list, like Larry O’Neill and his fast resolution of the Coral Shores sniper case.  

I have the unique position of getting to drive to Miami and Broward Counties on a regular basis for a series of meetings regarding HIDTA, homeland security or weapons of mass destruction.  Interacting with the numerous agencies that also attend these gatherings, I continue to be reassured that we have some of the finest people in law enforcement, corrections and administration.  Our sheriff is well respected and the actions of his agency continue to support that respect.

Our traffic unit is an example of good teamwork, although down a position, each and every request for service has been filled to the satisfaction of that person requesting us.  Those requests have ranged from speeding issues in neighborhoods, DUI enforcement to transporting of voter ballots to the Supervisor of Elections, serving as bailiffs, and presenting the American flag as part of the honor guard.  All this and good looks too!!

Some of our quiet personnel are our bailiffs. They stay under the radar and ensure the safety of the judge and all those who are present for the court.  They are also an excellent source of input for those who may want or need it.  If you need a few tips about testifying in court, talk to the bailiffs. They are there every day and they see what works and what doesn’t. If you want to know about a particular person who works in or around the court system, ask them. They know almost everyone. They also keep track of things like recent court decisions which may change or modify the way we do business.

The reserves are gearing up for COP training.  With this training, reserves will be able to check out the community service car in each sector and patrol various neighborhoods.  When working in conjunction with the duty sergeant, this becomes another viable set of eyes and ears to assist that shift for several hours.  Our Reserve Captain Ted Migala has been working very hard with his staff to get our reserve program back into the sectors and functioning in the cooperative team concept that we all need to be effective.  If you have any needs or desires for reserves, please e-mail Ted or your sector lieutenant.

The sector investigations have been very busy trying to get a grip on the rash of credit card information thefts and subsequent use of that stolen information.  It has been difficult because we are applying new technical crimes to old and often-antiquated laws, often the two don’t mesh well.  We have had a series of break throughs in Sectors 1, 4 and 7 resulting in two arrests, but more importantly, the acquisition of first hand information.  Much of that information is or will be available from the Intel site in our outlook.

Speaking of intelligence, Nancy Reidelbach continues to do a great job of balancing her various responsibilities.  Chad and I challenged her to reinvent the Intel position and make it friendly to the user.  Although she is not done yet, we feel that her start has been most noteworthy and with the acquisition of some software we anticipate only bigger and better from her. 

One quick note about intelligence / information – each of you possess some knowledge about crimes committed, crimes yet to be committed, who did it, when it occurred, etc.. You generally do not know any of this by means of a participant, but through the various sources of information that you gather in your day-to-day circle of friends or contacts.  No information is irrelevant or immaterial, please send any and all bits, pieces or scraps of information to Nancy – she catalogs it and when appropriate, draws from it and hopefully, yours will be there to help us deter a crime or resolve one.

Our narcotics team is all about resolving crimes – old blood meets new blood and the cycle perpetuates itself.  Good guys win and bad guys get the offer to give substantial cooperation or else, see the judge.  We know that we have pockets of people who have substance abuse problems and we often catch the users or street dealers.  But in those cases that offer the opportunity, we are working with the whole alphabet (KWPD, FDLE, SAO, DEA) to get the bigger picture, without losing sight of our quality of life issues here.  Again, if you have any information regarding possible dealers or users – tell Nancy or your local dope detective – other than Al and Laz, they are looking the part.

As I write this we are beginning another homicide case, but because of our renewed partnership with the Key West P.D., we are optimistic about our ability to quickly answer our questions and make an arrest.  Much like the body dumped on the 18 mile stretch, working with Homestead P.D. and Miami-Dade Homicide detectives, teamwork prevailed.

We welcome Dawn Laird to the crimes against persons unit, best known as CAWACU, but much more than that.  This group includes our advocates and I cannot think of a better-matched set of people to work together than those who investigate crimes against persons and the advocates who act as a liaison between victim, investigation, prosecution and recovery.

The small but effective Monroe HIDTA initiative continues to investigate those mind numbing cases that require a special breed to dig through boxes of documents to find the evidence which supports the allegation of money laundering.  Chuck and Don recently returned from a fact finding mission that allowed a foreign government to freeze $6.2 million dollars in assets of one suspected criminal, to date that case has seized, frozen or forfeited more than $130 million in cash or assets.  The sheriff has received over $30 million from that.  That’s just one case and we have more out there, we just need time and opportunity.

There are several other groups of Monroe County employees out in the world that most of us do not interact with.  These are the various groups of people who work in the different HIDTA areas.  First, there is South Florida HIDTA – Joel Widell is the deputy director of this and all the administrative support to the 30 plus task forces which operate in Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties comes from Monroe County employees. They interact closely with our finance and human resources divisions, but because of time and distance we rarely, if ever meet.  Part of SFLHIDTA is the South Florida Intelligence Center, where Kara Luna and Kirstan Adams have gone to work as analysts.  There are 28 similar Intel centers around the country and the national HIDTA director has offered the Intel centers to the Office of Homeland Security, since each of these centers has federal, state and local information and intelligence flowing in and out of it every day.

One of the task forces or initiatives in South Florida HIDTA is the South Florida Money Laundering Strike Force (SFMLSF).  Mitch Horn, Mark Terrill, Walt Allen and Tom Moran are investigators in this productive unit as well as six support personnel.  This unit has been responsible for many millions of dollars being seized from the streets of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.  Their success drove many money launderers to other cities around the country and off shore countries.  They are led by FDLE and work with DEA and 16 state and local agencies from Monroe, Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.

There is a special group of people known as the NHAC – the National HIDTA Assistance Center.  I was privileged to have the opportunity to work with these people for a year, while the new director – Bill Martin was selected.  The NHAC is a support group to the 28 different HIDTAs around the country.  They review all fiscal documentation for each initiative of every HIDTA several times each year, asking for additional documentation or rejecting inappropriate submissions.  There are more than 500 such initiatives in the national HIDTA group and $226 million in nationwide funding passes through this group.  Additionally, they have the responsibility to train all the participants in the initiatives, their supervisors and the bosses.  The NHAC supports each HIDTA, the national office and ONDCP with multi-media work, in the form of video, audio and numerous print messages.  They do all this with a team of 11 people – 11 really good hearted, hard working people.

I bet you are glad I don’t write more often.  I‘ll get into the various details of our accomplishments next time, because there will be some good ones – again.  I can brag about the SWAT, Dive, Bomb and Hostage teams we have for your use. Until next time, be good, stay safe and Happy Holidays.

Traffic Enforcement Division

By Joanie Green

The Traffic Unit is entering its busy season, tending to special details such as VIP visitors, Poker Runs, and of course the holiday season.  I would like to thank those of you who requested transfers to the Traffic Unit for our last vacancy.  Unfortunately the position has been frozen, but hopefully we will be able to fill it soon.  I encourage anyone who feels they would like to join our unit to apply when the position is re-posted.  With all of the special details and ancillary assignments we have been unable to conduct wolf packs.  Hopefully this condition too will soon pass.

Community Relations Division

School Resource Officers, Cadets have been busy

 

In November, Sgt. John Barber visited the Montessori School in Islamorada (left), and Judge Mark Jones spoke to Cadet/Explorer Post 904.

       

Sheriff’s Office Cadets performed a flag raising ceremony on a newly erected flag pole at the Big Pine Charter School in October.

Congratulations to Crime Watch Coordinator, Deputy Emil LaVache who recently joined the computer age! He is now checking his own email…..who knows, his next job might be computer programmer….right Emil?

Bureau of Corrections

Holiday Update

The Bureau of Corrections is participating in a special holiday program called the “Christmas Children” program. This program is organized by Diane Collins Ball who works at Poinciana Elementary School. This program ensures that needy children and their families receive gifts for Christmas anonymously.

Officers and support staff at the Corrections facility have participated in this program for the past three years. The participation is coordinated by Detention Deputy Michael Barron. This year, they are gathering gifts for four families, one of them with six children. The program provides a list of desired gifts, including the children’s sizes, ages and whether they are boys or girls. That way, the program makes sure that all the children not only get gifts for Christmas, but get something special for them.

The gifts are gathered, wrapped, labeled and numbered with the number assigned to the particular family. The gifts are then delivered to Poinciana Elementary School just before the Christmas break. Each family receives a card with the gifts letting them know they are “From all the officers and staff at the Monroe County Detention Center”.

This year, the lists for each family are on a bulletin board next to the muster room in the Administrative Section, and there is a large box to drop off gifts. Stop by if you get a chance, and participate in this terrific program. If you would like to become involved in the “Christmas Children” program on your own, you may contact Diane Collins Ball at the Poinciana School, 293-1630, ext. 341.

 Commendations and Awards

Last month, I included info about the Employees of the Quarter, but did not have pictures yet. Here is a picture of the Employees of the Quarter for the Third Quarter of this year:

Left to right: Cadet Lt. Yessenia Crespo, Det. Dep. Mark Haynes, Traffic Deputy Donald MacAllaster, Records Asst. Peggy Carey, Res. Sgt. John Housman and Sheriff Rick Roth.

Letters of Thanks, Commendations and Kudos

·        Jerry Bessemer, from the Johnson’s Insurance Agency in Marathon, wrote to Sheriff Roth about an incident he witnesses on November 18^th at Dion’s Quik Mart in Marathon. He says, in part, “The professionalism I observed from your deputy (Deputy Guerra) was a tribute to your training and discipline you demand from your staff….even though the aggression was not directed at the deputy, it was a very volatile situation. The deputy at all times had his baton in his hand but not once did he threaten to use it. If it had been me, I would have knocked this guy all the way to the 7 mile Bridge.”

·        Amanda Duffey writes about an incident on Grinnell Street in Key West where her husband and a friend were attacked by men with baseball bats. She says, in part, “…thanks to the hard work of your deputies, this incident has ended with the best possible outcome. I am certain that if it hadn’t been for Deputy Shultz’ swift action, we probably still wouldn’t even know the identity of the attackers….I truly appreciate the urgency and professionalism with which our case was handled.”

·        Harry Thomas, Branch Manager of Keys Federal Credit Union in Marathon wrote to Sheriff Roth expressing his gratitude to Marty (Martin Harbin) from dispatch and Deputy Guerra for their assistance. In early November, there was a problem at the bank. “Marty was brief, distinct, and very professional,” Thomas says. “I arrived at the branch ten minutes later to find Deputy Guerra on the premise, and taking the initiative to secure the ATM, and courteously awaiting my arrival…..The spirit of cooperation I’ve received from Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is beyond compare.”

·        Anita Brackett, Administrator of Catholic Charities in Monroe County wrote to Sheriff Roth about Deputy Emil LaVache’s daily visits to the Care Center on Flagler Avenue. She said, in part, “….Deputy Emil LaVache has been visiting the property daily and often in the evenings after hours just to be sure all is in order…It is extremely reassuring to me and to Catholic Charities that we have our own “guardian angel” looking after us on Flagler Avenue.”

·        Lisa Joyner wrote to Sheriff Roth to commend Deputy Sever Hustad for his help with a man who followed her home. She says, in part, “Deputy Sheriff Hustad was so kind and very professional about the situation, and he took time to talk to me and reassure me that I have a right to ask for assistance in a time like this or any time that I feel threatened or scared.”

Support Services

Human Resources Update

From the staff of Human Resources

Retirement Notes

From HR Director Donna Moore and Finance Director Tom Ravenel

12 month waiting period:  For the first 12 months after your effective retirement date, if you return to work for MCSO or any other agency participating in the Florida Retirement System (FRS), you must inform the Division of Retirement.  Your retirement benefits will be suspended for the months you are employed and receiving a salary during this 12-month period.  Should you receive any retirement benefits while working during the first 12 months after you retire, you must repay them before you can begin receiving monthly benefits.  The Florida Statute 122.16 states  “no person may receive both a salary from reemployment with any agency participating in the FRS and retirement benefits for a period of 12 months immediately subsequent to the date of retirement.”  This 12 month waiting period does not apply to reemployment with any private or public employer not participating in FRS.

DROP Participants:  If you are a DROP participant and decide that you do not want to retire, you still must terminate employment at your specified retirement date in order to receive your DROP lump sum payment.  After a calendar month, you are eligible to be reemployed with MCSO or any other agency participating in the Florida Retirement System (FRS), but you are subject to the 12 month waiting period outlined above.    

Due to substantial penalties, you will not be allowed to be re-hired during the first calendar month of your retirement.  To allow this would void your DROP participation and your retirement benefits would be recalculated at your appropriate retirement class.

Your retirement application would be void and all retirement benefits (including DROP lump sum or rolled over) received must be repaid.

Second-career Retirement:  After retiring from MCSO or any other agency participating in the Florida Retirement System (FRS), you decide to return to work and are re-hired at MCSO.   You are entitled to receive a “second-career retirement benefit.”  A second-career retirement benefit is defined by Florida statute as “benefits applicable to Regular Class membership.”  Even though you may be in a position that is classified as Special Risk, you will receive retirement benefits at the lower Regular Class rate.   

Example:  John Smith retires from MCSO after 25 years of service as a Detention Lieutenant.  Lt. Smith’s retirement benefit is based on benefits applicable to Special Risk membership.  After waiting for 12 months, John is reemployed with MCSO as a Transportation Officer, a Special Risk position.  However, Deputy Smith will be eligible for all benefits applicable to Regular Class membership, not the higher Special Risk.  

These notes do not address the disability retirement provisions.

If you have any questions, please call Human Resources at (305) 292-7044 or the Florida Retirement System at (850) 488-6491 option 3 or visit the website at www.myflorida.com/frs and click on the ONLINE SERVICES link.      

What’s Happening

Farm News:

• We say good-by to Sebastian the large white goose.  Although he was known for terrorizing the visitors to the farm, he will be missed.  He passed away quietly from old age Friday November the 4th.
• One of the goats that went to the Naval Facility recently has just had a kid.  It is being hand raised by Lt. Rioseco and his children as the mother rejected it.   As of now it is doing great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Islamorada note:

• This from Captain Joe Leiter: Who says Sergeants don't have a sense of humor?  Sgt Gene Williams responded to a call about a possum with rabies or poisoning.  The CAD remarks entered by Sgt Williams indicated that the possum "was still breathing, laying on the ground and can't walk, has watery eyes and SLURRED SPEECH!?

Thanks for the support

• From Tiffany O’Connell: My mother (Pat Silvers), my brother (Sgt. Silvers) and I would all like to thank everyone in the Department for showing our family such support when my father passed away.  It helps when you know that not only do you have the support of family, but also friends and co-workers. Thank you.

Book Fair to benefit the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches

• Beginning November 25^th and continuing until December 6^th, an Online Charity Book Fair will be taking place to benefit the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches. The Book Fair, organized by Partners in Reading & Expanding Horizons, Inc., allows participants to purchase books online for family members or friends, or a person may choose to purchase a book to be given to a child at one of the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches. In any case, 50% of the total sales of the book fare will be used to donate books to children at the ranches. To participate in the book fair, log on to http://www.readingwithrozie.homestead.com/ and click on the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches link.

For Sale’

• 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GS, 55,000 miles, Automatic with tan interior, power roof/power windows, new top of the line tires, AM/FM Radio, $12,500.00. Contact David or Angela Simons, 481-6301 or 872-0308.

Congratulations:

Congratulations to Annette and Danny Barrios, on their new baby, Daniel Jr., Born Friday, November 1^st.

Congratulations to Boyd and Cynthia Williams

on the birth of their son, Isaac September 11^th. He was a

 month and a half old in this photo.