YEARBOOK EDITION Contents VOLUME NO. 1 MARCH-APRIL, 1974 18, Sheriffs Association Officers and Directors Directory of County Officials 40 Editor, Carl Stauffer Executive Director, Florida Sheriffs Association Florida's Government Directory of State Agencies 16 Associate Editor, Al Hammock Executive Branch 10 Judicial Branch 30 Art Director, Frank J.Jones Legislative Branch 19 State Government Chart 8 Production Assistant, Dianne B. Spear Florida's Men In Washington 35 THE SHERIFF'S STAR is published monthly during January, February, May, June, September and October, and bi-monthly Public Service Commission 15 during March and April, July and August, November and De- cember, by the Florida Sheriffs Association, a non-profit cor- Sheriff's Telephone Numbers poration, P. O. Box 1487, Tallahassee, Florida 32302 (street and Address Inside Back Cover address, 330 South Adams). The subscription rate is $2.50 per year. Second class postage paid at Tallahassee, Florida and additional mailing offices. Presidents Messa e "The Criminal Justice System Is Failing To Adequately Fulfill Its Obligation" The Criminal Justice System, composed of Law Enforce- ment, Courts and Corrections, exists for the sole purpose of pro- tecting the lives and the civil and property rights of our people. Law Enforcement's primary role in this system is to detect and apprehend those committing criminal acts. The Court's primary function is to assure all accused individuals a fair and impartial trial and to give appropriate sentences to those found guilty. Correction's primary role is to take charge of those sen- tenced and to keep them in prison or under supervision until such time as they are eligible to reenter society. And, it's the responsibility of the Legislative bodies, which must be consid- ered salient members of the Criminal Justice System, to ade- quately fund and responsively influence the philosophy of the system. ii *r Despite its well intended purposes, the Criminal Justice Sys- tem is failing to adequately fulfill its obligation. This is evidenced by many things, but most notably, the ever increasing rate of violent crimes against the individual. ttn I am sure there are a number of reasons why the Criminal Justice System is failing to achieve its goals; reasons that are not as clearly defined as auto theft statistics, or as clearly reportable as the number of persons committed to the Florida Penal Sys- tem. They are intangible reasons that are difficult to recognize and even harder to define. I'm referring to what appears to be change for the pure sake of change and an increasing lack of responsiveness to the public by many of our elected and appointed officials. I realize that change is the law of life and change must come if we are to survive, but change for the sake of change is often disastrous and almost always grossly expensive. To better explain, let me cite a few examples of this "change for the sake of change. "There is a bill prefiled in the legislature that would change the name of the Florida Highway Patrol to the Florida State Troopers and place a major portion of all Sheriff Raymond Hamlin, President (continued on next page) MARCH —APRIL 1974 John Whitehead Sam Joyce Joe Crevasse Monroe Brennan John A. Madigan Cari Stauffer Vice President .t N 1 Florida Sheriffs Association Qfflcers For 1974 the officers of the Florida Sheriffs Association are: Leon County Sheriff Raymond Hamlin, Jr., President; Union County Sheriff John Whitehead, Vice President; Indian River County Sheriff Sam Joyce, Immediate Past President; Alachua County Sheriff Joe Crevasse, Secretary-Treasurer; and Polk County Sheriff Monroe Brannen, Chairman of the Board of Direc- tors. John A. Madigan, Jr. is employed as the Association's Attorney and Carl Stauffer as the Association's Executive Director. Sheriff Raymond Hamlin, President President% Message to be the subject of a pre-trial investigation by a state agency to determine whether or not an arrested individual should even be (continued) brought to trial. The prosecution of an accused person has always been and should remain the prerogative of Law Enforcement and locally elected State Attorneys. There also is a bill pending that state law enforcement under its jurisdiction. This bill, which is would make low interest loans available to inmates released from not sponsored by the Florida Highway Patrol, would strike at the corrections system. Theoretically, this bill might have merit, the very heart of local law enforcement. but I fail to see placing additional burdens on the taxpayer to As another example, there is a popular movement underway subsidize loans for convicted felons, and not for every Floridian— to remove control of the jails from the Sheriffs and place them especially victims of crime. under the jurisdiction of the state in the form of "Regional Change for the sake of change is a dangerous thing, but per- Correctional Facilities. "No Sheriff will disagree with the fact haps something even more dangerous is the ever increasing lack that the jail is probably the greatest source of aggravation, agi- of responsiveness to the public by many elected and appointed tation and criticism, yet it is his r'esponsibility to maintain the officials. jail and keep it under the control of locally elected officials. The American system of government is built upon the prin- The average period of confinement in a jail is relatively short, ciple of elected officials being responsive to the people, the but it is a time of great stress and trauma for the prisoner. He average man on the street, the silent, stable majority. But ap- needs to be housed locally, under the direct supervision of parently the lines of communication between many of our someone who is concerned about his emotional welfare, under- officials and the public are either often crossed or non-existent. stands that he must be allowed communication with his family, Once in office, many officials turn a deaf ear to the public, pre- his employer and others to make the decisions that only he can ferring to listen to the many lobbyists, impractical theoreticians, make. and special interest groups. If we allow the implementation of these regional correctional The average Floridian doesn't want an usurpation by the state facilities, it will be only a matter of time before a man is arrested of what is currently governed by locally elected officials. Leon in one jurisdiction and then immediately transported to a region- County, which has a representative cross section of people, re- al jail in another jurisdiction miles away. This theory of correc- cently voted five to one to retain an elected chief of law enforce- tions would impose undue hardship on many arrested persons ment as opposed to an appointed official under a proposed con- and their families who are often poor and without suitable trans- solidated government. portation. Despite this grass roots mandate, some of our state legislators If money is to be spent on corrections, then why not spend continually sponsor bills that would place the state in charge of it where it will do the most good. A recent survey of the 158 local law enforcement. inmates in the Leon County Jail revealed that only 12, or less This lack of responsiveness is evident in other areas. The than eight per cent, were in jail for the first time in their lives. Police Standards Act of 1967 was originally created to provide Despite statistics such as this, and the numerous reports of over- uniform and adequate training for law enforcement officers in crowded conditions, beatings and racial unrest inside the prison Florida. This goal has been accomplished and it has done much walls, it appears that unknowing legislators would prefer to toward upgrading law enforcement. But, because of an unrespon- spend millions on regional jails rather than attempt to solve the sive attitude by some of our officials, Police Standards is being real problems that exist at the state level in the area of correc- allowed to grow into a bureaucratic giant that threatens to take tions. over many responsibilities in the area of administration, person- Another example of needless change is a movement in the nel and finances that are currently the responsibility of the legislature that would make it mandatory for all arrested persons Chief of Police or Sheriff. THE SHERIFF'S STAR Jack Taylor W. R. Taff James Scott Monroe Brannen Ernest P. Murphy Pat Hartley District 1 District 3 Sheriffs serving as directors from this district are: Jack Taylor, Sheriffs serving as directors from this district are: Monroe Brannen, Franklin County; W. R. Taff, Wakulla County; and James Scott, Jeffer- Polk County; Ernest P. Murphy, Osceola County; and Pat Hartley, Levy son County. Other counties in this district are: Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, County. Other counties in this district are: Brevard, Citrus, Flagler, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Hernando, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Marion, Orange, Pasco, Walton and Washington. Pinellas, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia. Board of Directors Maurice I inton Walt Pell leer Jennings Murrhee Jack Bent R. L. Brown O. L. Raulerson District 2 District 4 Sheriffs serving as directors from this district are: Maurice Linton, Sheriffs serving as directors from this district are: Jack Bent, Char- Taylor County; Walt Pellicer, Putnam County; and Jennings Murrhee, lotte County; R. L. Brown, Monroe County; and O. L. Raulerson, High- Clay County. Other counties in this district are: Alachua, Baker, Brad- lands County. Other counties in this district are: Broward, Collier, Dade, ford, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Okeechobee, Nassau, St. Johns, Suwannee and Union. Palm Beach, St. Lucie and Sarasota.