Sheriff Wants To Mix High-Tech With Small Town
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has grown into one of the largest suburban law enforcement agencies in the country. The agency employs 3,400 people and has a yearly budget of $285 million.
New Sheriff David Gee hopes to increase the number of volunteers and civilians working for the department to allow more law enforcement personnel to patrol the community. Gee’s agenda includes a more pro-active approach to arresting drunk and aggressive drivers and assigning SWAT Team members to important cases. He has also launched a research and development division to focus on analyzing crime patterns. Tools Gee has outlined include a Breathalyzer vehicle and unmarked cars to aid efforts to catch intoxicated and reckless drivers.
In addition, every Sheriff’s Office district will assign one detective to monitor recidivist offenders and help build a case for tougher state prosecution.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the St. Petersburg Times (FL) (01/11/05) P. 1B; Colavecchio-Van Sickler, Shannon .
