LEE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

2013 Annual Report Mike Scott Sheriff

2013 LCSO Annual Report

Photo by LCSO Deputy and Pilot PAUL PIGNATARO

The Cape Coral Bridge is seen looking west toward the Gulf of Mexico and Cape Coral.

Lee County’s rebound will impact operations

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ee County is showing signs that its economic recovery is under way.  Since April 2010, Fort Myers has led the state in rate of growth for cities greater than 50,000, while Cape Coral is fifth for largest population gain, according to the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research.  Lee County added an additional 5,338 residents in 2013, according to the Bureau of Economic and Business Research.  The January 2014 unemployment rate declined to 6.0 percent in Lee after reaching a high of 13.3 percent in January 2010. LCSO personnel are prepared to meet the challenge of this renewed growth.

JOIN OUR TEAM

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he Lee County Sheriff's Office has exciting career opportunities in law enforcement and support roles. We offer excellent employment benefits, including life insurance, a generous retirement plan and paid health insurance for you and your family. There are stringent background requirements, including successfully completing our hiring process to include written testing, a polygraph test or equivalent, plus oral interview and psychological exam for certified positions. The application process and accompanying background investigation can take up to several months to complete. Go to www.sheriffleefl.org to see what positions are available and download the application prescreen. Contact Human Resources at (239) 477-1323 for more information. 2

2013 LCSO Annual Report MISSION To safeguard lives and property; respectfully enforce the laws of the land; and, work cooperatively to lessen the impact of crime on the lives of residents and visitors in Lee County.

VISION The Lee County Sheriff’s Office will work collaboratively with members of the community in order to improve and enhance the quality of life for everyone in Lee County. Our vision is consistent with the following principles: 

Respect for human rights;

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Economic well-being and high quality of life;

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Reduction of crime, disorder and the fear of crime;

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Community safety;

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High standards for excellence and continuous improvement; and

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Sound fiscal management to ensure accountability to the public.

MOTTO “Proud to serve.”

MESSAGE FROM THE SHERIFF

s I begin my 10th year of service as Sheriff, I remain humbled and thankful to the citizens of Lee County who have entrusted me to lead the largest law enforcement agency in Southwest Florida. This agency continues to evolve and grow, but one aspect remains constant: Our commitment to protect and serve. Since becoming Sheriff:  Lee County’s unincorporated crime rate declined 38 percent;  Total calls for service grew 40 percent to 520,008;  We added 241 employees, while Lee County added 122,114 residents; and,  The average daily population of inmates dropped to 1,640 from its peak of 2,218 in 2008. Lee County housed 1,448 in 2004. To better serve our residents, we have expanded our Public Services Division, which now oversees the 169-member-strong V.O.I.C.E. volunteer, Crime Prevention and Senior Services Units, the Gated Community Liaison and other outreach efforts. Through our partnership with the University of Illinois Center for Public Safety and Justice, we are developing national protocols for law enforcement and communities to protect people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias as well as offering training and outreach to care givers and law enforcement personnel. Other programs include Communities Against Senior Exploitation, which helps protect against elder fraud, and driver programs for both senior and teen drivers. As the economy continues to recover, we are working with the construction industry to crack down on unlicensed contractors and other construction issues. We also are making employee wellness and community outreach a priority. We have nearly 150 employees currently participating in two Florida Gulf Coast University fitness initiatives. Our Wellness Committee is developing incentive-based, voluntary fitness standards that complement existing health improvement programs. One third of the top 10 visits to our employee health clinic are preventive based. Our ultimate goal is to improve the health and wellness of our employees while ultimately reducing insurance costs. I am very pleased that the crime rate in unincorporated Lee County declined 6 percent last year and that our deputies remained safe despite being involved in five fatal gunfights with armed suspects in 2013. Still, 33 law enforcement officers nationally lost their lives to gunfire, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Keep their families in your prayers.

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— Mike Scott 3

2013 LCSO Annual Report

Sheriff Scott’s Command Staff

LEE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE CHIEF DEPUTY ALLEN

CORRECTIONS DOWNTOWN JAIL MAJOR BARRACO

CIVILIAN OPERATIONS EXEC. DIR. BERGQUIST

CORRECTIONS BUREAU COLONEL ELLEGOOD

CORRECTIONS ORTIZ MAJOR EBERHARDT

CRIMINAL INVEST. MAJOR KALSTROM

PUBLIC SERVICES COMMANDER BOWDEN 4

LEGAL SERVICES EXEC. DIRECTOR HOLLOWAY

PATROL MAJOR RAIRDEN

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS COMMANDER ESTEP

2013 LCSO Annual Report

Budget overview FY 2012-13

FY 2013-14

$137,697,982 $ 81,684,440 $ 48,109,671 $ 7,903,871

$141,587,468 $ 83,919,438 $ 49,325,793 $ 8,342,237

DID YOU KNOW... 

Total Law enforcement Corrections Courts

 That 169 volunteer members from the V.O.I.C.E. Unit worked 54,178 hours in 2013? Based on the national volunteer rate of $22.14 an hour, these volunteers saved this agency $1,199,501.  That this agency received 13 state and federal grants worth $955,398 to enhance operations?  That due to budget reductions, the average mileage for a marked patrol vehicle rose from 50,109 in 2009 to 78,821 in 2013?

Lower funding levels create hardships General revenue funding for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office is still more than $19 million below FY 08-09 levels, delaying capital improvements and other needed projects, including:  IT disaster recovery: Additional funding is needed to back up critical data, add storage capacity and improve data transfer speeds.  IT upgrades: Finance software required for payroll, purchasing and all fund accounting is nearing end of life.  Vehicles: There are 330 agency

vehicles with over 100,000 miles. Replacements are greatly needed to reduce repair costs and improve dependability.  Infrastructure: Reduced federal funding to house illegal aliens will force Corrections to use agency funds to replace aging kitchen and laundry equipment, and inmate transport vans.  Employees: Additional personnel are required to implement federal IT security rules, meet demand for senior services and minimum staffing levels for Corrections and Court Operations. 5

 That this agency is expanding its Star Care health care clinic to meet increased demand? The clinic sees more than 650 people a month. Of the top 10 diagnoses, 35 percent are prevention based.  That the cost of law enforcement service per resident in Lee County is only 60 cents a day?

2013 LCSO Annual Report

Crime clock for calendar year 2012 Lee County: One Murder every 21 days & 11 hours Florida: One every 8 hours & 42 minutes

Lee County: One Forcible Sex Offense every 2 days & 1 hour Florida: One every 52 minutes Lee County: One Robbery every 1 day & 2 hours Florida: One every 22 minutes

Lee County: One Burglary every 3 hours & 10 minutes Florida: One every 3 minutes Being the most aggregate representation of Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data, the Crime Clock is designed to convey the annual reported crime experience by showing the relative frequency of occurrence of the listed crimes. As such, the Crime Clock should be viewed with care. The mode of display should not be taken to imply a regularity of Index Crimes; rather, it represents the annual ratio of crime to time intervals. Crime Clock is based on Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s 2012 crime data. 2013 Florida crime data is not yet available. * Violent Crimes include Murder, Forced Sex Crimes, Robbery and Aggravated Assault. **Property Crimes include Burglary, Larceny and Motor Vehicle Theft.

Lee County: One Aggravated Assault every 12 hours & 23 minutes Florida: One every 9 minutes Lee County: One Motor Vehicle Theft every 14 hours & 34 minutes Florida: One every 14 minutes Lee County: One Larceny every 1 hour & 36 minutes Florida: One every 1 minute

Lee County: One Violent Crime* every 7 hours & 3 minutes Florida: One every 6 minutes

Lee County: One Property Crime** every 59 minutes Florida: One every 50 seconds 6

2013 LCSO Annual Report

Crime report highlights UCR Part 1 Crime Analysis, Unincorporated Lee County Crimes Against Persons Incident Type

5-year 2012 average 2013

% change % change, from 2012 5-year average

2008

2009

2010

2011

Murder

28

20

17

15

17

19

12

-29.41%

-38.14%

Forcible Sex Offenses

224

200

185

141

177

185

152

-14.12%

-18.02%

Robbery

450

407

387

373

340

391

351

3.24%

-10.32%

Agg. assault/stalking

963

771

758

669

707

774

708

0.14%

-8.48%

Total Violent Crimes

1,665

1,398

1,347

1,198

1,241

1,370

1,223

-1.45%

-10.72%

Crimes Against Property Burglary Residence Burglary NonResidence Theft Motor Vehicle Theft Total Property Crimes

3,563

3,487

2,828

3,232

2,454

3,113

2,250

-8.31%

-27.72%

611

375

390

361

317

411

277

-12.62%

-32.57%

7,394

5,931

5,540

6,064

5,482

6,082

5,344

-2.52%

-12.14%

900

756

600

477

601

667

490

-18.47%

-26.51%

12,468

10,549

9,358

-5.57%

-18.61%

10,134 8,854 10,273 8,361

Larceny-Theft Analysis 5-year 2012 average 2013

% Change % change, from 2012 5-year average

Incident Type

2008

2009

2010

2011

Pocket Picking

3

5

15

8

11

8

7

-36.36%

-16.67%

Purse Snatching

23

9

19

20

12

17

10

-16.67%

-39.76%

Shoplifting

1,381

1,380

1,134

1,139

1,239

1,255

1,157

-6.62%

-7.78%

From Motor Vehicle

1,739

1,505

1,097

1,299

1,280

1,384

1,153

-9.92%

-16.69%

Motor Vehicle Parts

598

526

418

491

458

498.2

537

17.25%

7.79%

Bicycles

256

193

202

302

256

242

294

14.84%

21.59%

1,024

985

945

956

1,008

984

965

-4.27%

-1.89%

21

23

13

30

26

23

7

-73.08%

-69.03%

From Building From Coin Machine

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2013 LCSO Annual Report

Patrol Districts Note: Patrol Districts names have changed to reflect their geographic locations

North District (formerly Alpha) 121 Pondella Road N. Fort Myers (239) 477-1810

South District (formerly Delta) 8951 Bonita Beach Road, Suite 565 Bonita Springs (239) 477-1840

East District (formerly Bravo) 1301 Homestead Road Lehigh Acres (239) 477-1820

Bonita Substations (South) 10520 Reynolds St. Bonita Springs (239) 477-1140

West District (formerly Charlie) 15650 Pine Ridge Road Fort Myers (239) 477-1830

Central District (formerly Echo) 14750 Six Mile Cypress Pkwy. Fort Myers (239) 477-1850 8

Gulf District 13921-4 Waterfront Drive Pineland (239) 282-5766

Boca Substation (Gulf) 360 E. Railroad Ave. Boca Grande (941) 964-2400

2013 LCSO Annual Report North District

South District

North District is primarily responsible for the northeast portion of the county, including North Fort Myers and Alva. It has 54 positions: 1 commander, 46 deputies and 7 civilian support members. The district recorded an 8 percent reduction in crime between 2012 and 2013. Capt. Chris Reeves is the North Capt. Reeves District commander.

South District is primarily responsible for areas south of Alico Road to Collier County, including Bonita Springs. It has 72 positions: 1 commander, 61 deputies and 10 civilian support members. The district recorded an 11 percent reduction in crime between 2012 and 2013. Capt. Shawn Ramsey is the Capt. Ramsey South District commander.

East District

Central District

East District is primarily responsible for Lehigh Acres Central District is primarily responsible for the Fort east to the Hendry County border Myers area east of Fowler and north to the Avenue, including Buckingham Caloosahatchee River. It has and the Gateway communities 67 positions: 1 commander, south of State Road 82. It has 62 58 deputies and 8 civilian positions: 1 commander, 54 support members. The district deputies and 7 civilian support recorded a 1 percent increase in members. The district recorded a crime between 2012 and 2013. 2 percent reduction in crime Capt. Garrison Capt. Crone Capt. Todd Garrison is the East between 2012 and 2013. Capt. District commander. Randy Crone is the Central District commander.

West District

Gulf District

West District is primarily responsible for the McGregor/Iona area of Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach and indirectly responsible for portions of Cape Coral. It has 54 positions: 1 commander, 46 deputies and 7 civilian support members. The district recorded an 8 percent reduction Capt. Powell in crime between 2012 and 2013. Capt. Matt Powell is the West District commander.

Gulf District is primarily responsible for Lee County’s barrier islands, including Pine Island, as well as northwest Cape Coral east to Santa Barbara Boulevard. It has 26 positions: 1 commander, 23 deputies and 2 civilian support members. The district recorded a 23 percent increase in crime between 2012 Capt. Dobson and 2013. Capt. Richard Dobson is the Gulf District commander.

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2013 LCSO Annual Report FACILITIES DOWNTOWN JAIL The Jail is a maximum security facility with 457 beds. It serves as the central intake/ booking facility for all people arrested within Lee County. CORE FACILITY

Corrections Bureau T

he Corrections Bureau offers a wide range of programs and services designed to prepare inmates for re-entry into the community, including the Cell Dog Program at right. Other programs include:

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Alcoholics, Cocaine & Narcotics Anonymous Anger Management Bible Study & Ministry Day Worker Program Domestic Violence Awareness Exceptional Student Education General Educational Development Program (GED)

2013 HIGHLIGHTS Inmates booked: 28,612 Inmates released: 28,588 101 Inmate GEDs earned: Inmate cost/day (FY 12-13): $80.37 Inmate medical costs: $8,670,890 Cost of food: $2,507,348 Inmate meals served: 2,114,694 Inmate transport miles: 179,049

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Juvenile Education Program  Life Skills Programs  New Directions  Residential Substance Abuse Program DAY WORK PROGRAM The Day Work Program was designed and implemented to provide a sentencing alternative for individuals who otherwise might be sentenced to serve weekends incarcerated in the Lee County Jail. Day labor inmates provided 69,048 hours of labor in 2013 and saved county taxpayers an estimated $537,883, based on the minimum wage rate of $7.79 an hour. 10

The Core Facility is a medium/maximum facility with 1,216 beds. This facility is also the primary housing facility for the female inmate population. The Core facility provides the main operating services such as food, medical and laundry for the Ortiz site. COMMUNITY PROGRAMS UNIT (CPU) The CPU is a minimum security facility with 336 beds. It offers a wide array of programs to assist inmates with reentry skills, and alcohol and drug treatment.

2013 LCSO Annual Report

Court Operations / JAC JAC AT A GLANCE The Juvenile Assessment Center received 3,336 arrested youth in 2013. This figure includes youth who were arrested more than one time as well as youth who were screened as eligible for secure detention from Charlotte, Glades and Hendry counties.

T Ninety-eight Court Operations personnel protect Lee’s courtrooms.

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he Court Operations Division is charged with the daily security of the Lee County Justice Center Complex. The division provides uniformed officers and civilian personnel to maintain the orderly operation of all court proceedings and ensures the safety, peace and dignity of the courts. It has 98 members. In the 1990s the staff number coincided with the 12 judges who were on the bench. But over the years as additional judge positions were created and incidents around the country involving attacks on judges and court participants increased, staffing increased to two court deputies per judge. Many cases eventually are settled out of court. Of the 1,892 probable jury trials in FY 12-13, only 231 resulted in actual trials.

BY THE NUMBERS Ninety-eight Court Operations personnel are responsible for the safety and control of the following: Circuit Court Judges: County Judges: Magistrates / Hearing Officers: Senior Judges: Inmates moves: Juvenile Cases: Civil Cases: Traffic/Cape Coral: Felony Cases: Misdemeanor Cases:

18 8 12 6 18,476 18,932 62,521 1,478 39,163 78,202

Note: Cases are from calendar year 2013

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he Juvenile Assessment Center of Lee County, also called the “JAC,” was founded in 2003 in downtown Fort Myers through a collaborative community planning process. The JAC co-locates various agencies, which serves to streamline the local juvenile justice system, promote timely case processing and reduce duplication of services. The JAC assists both “at risk” youth and arrested youth and their families. The JAC is operated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in partnership with the Lee County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) and the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. The physical facility and the JAC’s management is funded by the BoCC. The JAC receives no state funding, although it indirectly benefits from state resources through its co-located partners.

2013 LCSO Annual Report SRO ACTIVITY The Lee County Youth Services Division’s 48 certified School Resource Officers completed 2,603 elementary checks and handled 1,092 reported incidents during the FY 12-13 school year, including:  Baker Act: 240  K9 searches: 103  Possession of marijuana