Areas of Interest
Open Government
2010 FLORIDA PIO CONFERENCE IS HELD IN STUART By KEITH BLACKMAR Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office PIO, Crawfordville Nearly 40 Public Information Officers, representing Florida sheriff’s offices, police departments and other agencies, converged on Stuart on June 14 to take part in the annual Florida Law Enforcement Public Information Officer Association (FLEPIOA) conference. 
The events provided the PIOs with an opportunity to network and discuss cases and issues from other communities and learn how information officers helped their respective communities handle a crisis. The conference also gave the association an opportunity to recognize outstanding achievement by members of the association. Clay County Sheriff’s Office PIO Mary Justino was selected as the PIO of the Year for her handling of the tragic Somer Thompson case. Thompson, 7, was reported missing in October and her body was discovered three days later in the Folkston, Ga. landfill. Justino coordinated the flow of information through Sheriff Rick Beseler while the search was underway as well as after the body was discovered. During a two week period the community experienced seven deaths including fatal shootings and stabbings on top of the Thompson death. Justino is pictured below with Hillsborough PIO Debbie Carter, President of FLEPIOA. 
Other awards went to Stephanie Slater who won the Jack Espinosa FLEPIOA Award for her work as association webmaster and secretary. Slater works for the Boynton Beach Police Department. Sgt. Frank Sousa of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department received the Internal Crisis Award for his handling of the Scott Rothstein Ponzi investigation and several other internal incidents including the attempted shooting of the Chief of Police by his wife. The Community Crisis Award was given to Sgt. Scott Pascarella of the Jupiter Police Department for his handling of the 2009 Thanksgiving Day Massacre of four family members in a quadruple homicide that continued for weeks until it concluded with the arrest of the suspect. The Outreach Award winner was Officer Tom Nichols of the Port St. Lucie Police Department who shot a number of public service announcements to address public safety issues within his community. Martin County Sheriff Robert L. Crowder and his Honor Guard opened the conference with a welcoming address. High ranking law enforcement officials from St. Lucie County, Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, Stuart and Sewell’s Point were also introduced. Sgt. Frank Sousa of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department described what it was like to address a large media contingent regarding a Ponzi scheme investigation and internal arrests of several law enforcement officers. Sousa faced the media repeatedly during a three year span as the Fort Lauderdale P.D. had 13 officer shooting cases over the span and four years passed before all of the officers were cleared of any wrongdoing in the shootings. An open forum session allowed PIOs to share information with the 38 sheriff’s offices, police departments and other agencies represented in Stuart. NBC News correspondent Kerry Sanders discussed his Miami-based experiences as a member of the national media in South Florida. Sgt. Scott Pascarella of the Jupiter Police Department discussed the Paul Mehrige case and the Thanksgiving Day Massacre and how America’s Most Wanted television show was used to capture the suspect in the Florida Keys. President Steve Tuttle of Taser International discussed his product and how it has been used by law enforcement and perceived in the media. Jim Leljedal of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office discussed numerous arrests for deputies on charges ranging from sex abuse to extortion and the federal arrest of Sheriff Ken Jenne in 2007. Michele Nicholson of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office reviewed the experience of the arrest of Sheriff Charlie Morris and the deaths of two deputies a short time later. Two television and two newspaper media representatives discussed their jobs and how they relate to PIOs in their communities and how they work effectively with law enforcement. After a public records update by Howard Maltz, Deputy General Counsel for the City of Jacksonville, two breakout sessions were held by Kevin Doll of Pasco County and Carrie Hoeppner of the Department of Children and Families to discuss items for new PIOs and children and family issues. Stephanie Slater of the Boynton Beach P.D. shared her experiences with social media and how law enforcement can use the new media to get their message out to the public. Records
If you need a copy of any documents from the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office you may contact Captain Connie Porter at (850) 926-0810. The current cost is $.15 for each page or the cost allowable under Florida Statute 119.
Citizen Alerts
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The Public Information Office serves as liaison between the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office and the news media. It is the responsibility of the PIO to stay abreast of all notable events and criminal cases. The PIO is responsible for media releases and to insure that media requests are reviewed and handled appropriately. The Public Information Office is the lead spokesperson and main media contact for information on Sheriff's Office activities. The Public Information Unit is responsible for disseminating information to the media that may be of public interest.
Patrol Captains are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for response to media inquiries concerning the Sheriff's Office. The Public Information Officer may set up interviews with other members of the Sheriff's Office staff upon request, dependent on availability. The PIO can be reached at 850-745-7110.
