Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (Florida)
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency for Hillsborough County, Florida and is responsible for law enforcement services for the of unincorporated areas of the county as well as operation of the two jail facilities and a work release center, and provides courthouse security for the 13th Judicial Circuit. Each of the three incorporated cities has its own police agency. Tampa International Airport and the University of South Florida also have independent police agencies.
The sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of the county. The current sheriff is Chad Chronister. Sheriff Chronister was appointed by Florida Governor Rick Scott on September 30, 2017, to fill the position after the retirement of David Gee.
The office has one of the lowest officer-to-citizen ratios in the state with 1.4 deputies per 1000 citizens. The national average is 2.3 per 1000. The population of Hillsborough County in 2006 was 1,157,738.
History
The HCSO was formed in 1845.In 1986, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies accredited the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office was the first sheriff's office in Florida to be nationally accredited and the 1st in the nation to be re-accredited.
Uniforms
Deputies wear dark green trousers with a black stripe on the sides. The shirt is a white poly-cotton button-down with chest pockets, epaulettes, and shoulder patches. Deputies wear silver 5-point star badges. Officers above the rank of corporal wear gold badges. A black tie is worn with the dress uniform and the command staff wear black dress jackets. Black shoes or boots are also worn with the uniform. Hats are typically not worn by deputies but they are plain green straw cowboy type.Deputies
Law enforcement deputies must be 21 years old have an associate degree, or 3 years experience as a law enforcement officer, HCSO reserve deputy, HCSO detention deputy or have a military background. Training lasts approximately 7 months followed by module training and field training. Salary range is $49,467.60 - $80,633.28 per year.Detention deputies must be 19 years old and have possession of a high school diploma or a GED Certificate. They are responsible for the supervision of inmates in the county jails. They also transport inmates to and from court, prison and other counties. Detention deputies are also in charge of protection of the county courthouse and its judges. Salary range is $49,467.60 - $80,633.28 per year.
Rank structure
Patrol services
The Department of Patrol Services consists of four district offices serving different geographical areas of unincorporated Hillsborough County. Each District office is commanded by a major and a captain. Patrol squads, traffic enforcement squads, property detectives, and street level narcotic squads operate from each district.Patrol service the following unincorporated census-designated places.
| District 1 North | District 2 East | District 3 West | District 4 South |
Cheval Lake Magdalene Lutz Northdale Pebble Creek University | Bloomingdale Brandon Dover East Lake-Orient Park Mango Seffner Thonotosassa Valrico | Carrollwood Citrus Park Egypt Lake-Leto Keystone Town 'n' Country Westchase | Apollo Beach FishHawk Gibsonton Palm River-Clair Mel Progress Village Riverview Ruskin Sun City Center Wimauma |
Reserve II Program
The Reserve II Deputy Program is a uniformed Sheriff's Office support organization open to all persons age 21 and older, on an equal-opportunity basis. Reserve II deputies work with regular deputies in various assignments. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office takes great pride in the reserve II deputies civic spirit and willingness to serve.The Reserve Program currently consists of over 110 volunteers. Each reserve II deputy must serve a minimum of 20 volunteer hours each month on assigned duties.
Communications Bureau
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Communications Bureau is the first point-of-contact for citizens living in unincorporated areas of the county that are seeking emergency or law enforcement services. This is one of the busiest Public Safety Answering Points in the Tampa Bay area, handling 1.5 million emergency and non-emergency calls for service in 2014. The Communications Bureau is the largest component of non-law enforcement officers in the Sheriff's Office; it is composed of over 140 personnel, who work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.In July 2004, the facility was completely remodeled with state-of-the-art ergonomic workstations and new computers with flat panel LCD monitors. A new Versaterm/Versadex Computer Aided Dispatch and Records Management System was installed on February 2005. This new systems have significantly expanded the capabilities of both the dispatcher and patrol deputy by allowing them to rapidly share information, efficiently coordinate resources using full-color dynamic displays, and improve officer safety. In addition to the new CAD system, the Bureau utilizes the Plant Vesta E9-1-1 phone system. The E9-1-1 system automatically displays a map that shows the location of each call.
Detention services
The Department of Detention Services is composed of two major facilities and a work release center.Orient Road Jail
The Orient Road Jail has three command areas within the facility with a rated capacity of 1,711. North and South Commands are under the direction of one captain and consists of primarily six housing units. Each direct supervision housing unit contains four pods that are designed to house 72 inmates. Another captain oversees Central Command, which is the receiving area for new admissions and includes Intake Housing and the Central Breath Testing Unit. The Orient Road Jail processes all arrested individuals in Hillsborough County regardless of the arresting agency. Approximately 74,000 people per year are processed through the booking section. Each inmate completes property intake, medical screening, fingerprinting, photographing, and classification interview during the booking process.Falkenburg Road Jail
The Falkenburg Road Jail opened in 1998 with 768 beds. An expansion of the facility in 2003 added 1,536 more beds to its present rated capacity of 2,304. Falkenburg's dormitories are constructed of pre-cast concrete tilt-up walls. Deputies manage 72 inmates in a direct supervision environment. The daily operational cost is $74.04 per inmate. The Falkenburg Road Jail uses video court and video visitation. Prisoners and visitors are not permitted to talk directly to each other.Work Release Center
Directly across from the Orient Road Jail, the Work Release Center houses reduced-custody inmates. These inmates may either work at an outside job every day, returning to the facility at the end of the day or they can work as a trustee in various areas of the Sheriff's Office. Trustee labor includes maintaining the facility grounds, food preparation, washing county cars, and sanitation. In 2006, the county saved an estimated $13 million by using trustee labor. The House Arrest Program is for individuals who are court ordered to remain in their homes during non-working hours. They wear an electronic anklet and are subject to random visits by the house arrest deputy. These individuals must meet strict guidelines and undergo extensive background checks before being placed into the program. Day Reporting is a program usually dealing with people who have been sentences for minor offenses. This program requires the individual to check in each day with a community service officer allowing better tracking and ensuring that these individuals appear for scheduled court dates.School security
HCSO deputies provide security at Hillsborough County Public Schools. In accordance with Florida law, at least one deputy is stationed at every public middle and high school in Hillsborough County. These deputies are known as school resource officers and work to become familiar with the students at their school.1967 riots
In 1967 a black burglary suspect was shot and killed by a white policeman. Long simmering rage ignited the city that was fueled by other problems. Within hours, storefronts were ablaze, and teenagers pelted police cruisers with rocks and bottles. Snipers held police and firefighters at bay. Fearing the violence would turn into another riot situation similar to that of Watts, California, Sheriff Beard asked Governor Claude Kirk to call out the National Guard. The guardsmen exchanged gunfire with rioters but never attacked. Beard was convinced by black leaders to allow groups of their own to quell the rioters, and within two days, Beard declared the riots were over.Misconduct
In 2006, sheriff's deputies, along with other law enforcement agencies arrested 52 members of the Caribbean American Club on racketeering charges. Two years later, the court threw out 23 of the cases on the grounds of entrapment. In 2013, the department agreed to pay $260,000 to ten of those arrested as compensation.In 2007, Deputy Roosevelt Givens began a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl. In 2012 the deputy was allowed to resign. The victim, refused to cooperate with the investigation making prosecution difficult.
On 29 January 2008 Quadriplegic Brian Sterner was dumped from his wheelchair as he was being booked for an alleged traffic violation at the Hillsborough County, Florida Sheriff's Office jail facility. Surveillance video showed Sterner tumbling to the floor and officers searching his clothing as he lay prone. The video raised concerns about police treatment of the disabled after being widely circulated on news channels and YouTube. The deputy later resigned and was charged with felony abuse on a disabled person after the video was publicized. Charges were dropped when she agreed to a plea deal which she agrees to never work in law enforcement again and does 100 hours of community service with the disabled. Several other deputies were suspended without pay and one supervisor was fired for not reporting the incident.
On 11 September 2008, a mentally ill man was hog-tied by three sheriff's deputies and subjected to a number of electrical shocks. The local medical examiner said that Roney Wilson died as a result of "delirium with agitation due to schizoaffective disorder." The death was the subject of a civil lawsuit.
In 2008, sheriff's deputies and officers from the Temple Terrace Police Department lied on official documents regarding a routine arrest for driving under the influence. Deputy James Glover falsely attested the correct procedures had been followed. When the defense attorney asked for the video of the incident, he discovered the tapes had been altered by officials.
Sheriffs
- 1845-1847 John Parker
- 1847-1849 John I. Hooker
- 1850-1854 B.J. Hagler
- 1854-1855 E.T. Kendrick
- 1855-1857 Henry Parker
- 1857-1858 Dr. William A. Lively
- 1858-1865 William S. Spencer
- 1865-1867 John T. Lesley
- 1874-1875 I.R. Hay
- 1877-1885 D. Isaac Craft
- 1885-1893 James P. Martin
- 1893-1901 Thomas K. Spencer
- 1901-1905 Robert Woodburn
- 1912-1913 Robert Jackson
- 1913-1917 William C. Spencer
- 1917-1921 Alonzo J. White
- 1921-1925 William C. Spencer
- 1925-1929 Luther M. Hiers
- 1929-1929 Luther Hatton
- 1929-1933 R.T. Joughin
- 1933-1935 William C. Spencer
- 1935-1941 Jerry McLeod
- 1941-1952 Hugh Culbreath
- 1952-1953 Elbert Moore
- 1953-1965 Ed Blackburn
- 1965-1978 Malcolm Beard
- 1978-1992 Walter C. Heinrich
- 1992-2004 Cal Henderson
- 2004–2017 David Gee
- 2017–Present Chad Chronister
Line of duty deaths
| Name | Date | Cause of death | Years of service |
| Deputy Richard Roach | 1874 | Gunfire | |
| Deputy William E. Whitehurst | July 4, 1893 | Gunfire | |
| Deputy Ed Aulick | January 24, 1932 | Gunfire | |
| Deputy Robert Max Suarez | September 3, 1944 | Gunfire | |
| Sergeant Ben P. Wilder, Jr. | July 22, 1962 | Gunfire | 8 years |
| Sergeant Donald C. Williams | June 12, 1967 | Heart attack | 6 years |
| Sergeant James Strachinsky | September 4, 1969 | Heart attack | 13 years |
| Aux. Sgt. Lee A. Hutchinson | July 25, 1970 | Automobile accident | 4 years |
| Deputy James A. Allen | May 21, 1974 | Heart attack | 9 years |
| Corporal Lemon Harvey | December 15, 1981 | Gunfire | 8 years |
| Deputy Frederick T. Clark | May 7, 1987 | Automobile accident | 7 years |
| Deputy Donna M. Miller | May 8, 1987 | Automobile accident | 8 years |
| Deputy David A. Abella | April 21, 2004 | Automobile accident | 10 months |
| Sergeant Ronald Harrison | August 15, 2007 | Gunfire | 29 years : 27 with HCSO |
| Deputy Mark Longway | September 21, 2010 | Automobile accident | 6 years |
| Deputy John Robert Kotfila | March 12, 2016 | Automobile accident - Wrong way driver | 6 years |