Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly Thursday evening presented his state of policing address, the annual ritual at the Hilton Garden Inn (but for the pandemic), giving Staly to boast of a crime index 53 percent lower than when he took office in 2017, to summarize the past year in policing, explain current initiatives and project some of what’s ahead, including the big-ticket items–a new, $400,000 mobile command center and the opening of the Sheriff’s Operations Center later this year–and another big ask from the County Commission.
This time it won’t be as hefty in deputies as it was ahead of 2021, when Staly asked Palm Coast and the county to add 25 deputies in what proved to be the largest expansion, proportionately and in net dollars, in the agency’s history. That’s without including the $23 million operations center. This time it’ll be about raises for the ranks. Staly knows: neither the county commission nor Palm Coast government have shown themselves willing or able to refuse him most of what he asks for.
Staly said the point of preparation for what’s ahead is to “not lose the game,” because once it’s lost, he said, it cannot be gotten back. He gave county commissioners–two of whom were in the audience–fair warning on coming salary raises for deputies: “We’re working on adjusting that so we can be competitive. So that’s fair warning to the county commissioners that are in the back,” he said. “It’ll be in my budget. You’re going to have it pretty soon because I’ve got to remain competitive.” Staly saved that warning for the end of the presentation.
Much of the 75 minutes that had preceded, dubbed “Addressing Crime Together,” was a recap of that game, starting with the drop in crime. “And I want to commend the men and women in the sheriff’s office for delivering that for community.” But calls for service are up. By year’s end the number is expected to reach 117,000 calls.
That is in part a reflection of the county’s growth–now third-fastest in the state. According to figures released by the Census Bureau at the end of March, St. Johns County grew by 5.62 percent, Walton grew by 5.55 percent, and Flagler grew by 4.28 percent. Polk County was the fastest-growing by population, adding 24,000 people year-over-year. By population, Flagler grew by 5,000 people, to 121,000. county in Florida, and the seventh-fastest in the nation (the fastest is Maricopa County in Arizona, with a current population of 4.5 million).
Traffic remains one of the most common quality of life the Sheriff’s Office receives from residential areas. Crashes are up (“the trend of people not knowing how to drive in Flagler County continues,” the sheriff said). So he’s increasing the traffic unit by three deputies, for a total of 13 deputies. There were 17 traffic fatalities in 2021, down from 27 the previous year. There were fewer people on the road that year, but people were “flying” on the emptier roads. The trend this year is on the increase, locally and across the country. There’s been seven fatalities so far this year on Flagler roads.
Discussing traffic issues, Staly took the opportunity to note that while law enforcement is always urging drivers to pay attention and not drive with distractions, it is true that deputies and other law enforcement officers will be seen typing on or looking at their computer in their patrol cars even as they drive to a scene: the distracted-driving law does not apply to them, and there are times, Staly said, when deputies have to divide their attention while addressing a call.
Property crime was down 52 percent, domestic violence was up 1.8 percent in 2021, with a rate of crimes cleared, or solved, at 34.1 percent, a relatively robust proportion. Property crimes were down 2.1 percent (commercial and residential burglaries, car burglaries and car thefts). Residents continue to leave their cars unlocked and their keys in their cars, which unnecessarily adds to the crime numbers. “So you can help us a lot,” Staly said, citing the numbers: “About 42 percent of the cars that are stolen, the keys were left in the car.”
Robberies were up 12 percent and aggravated assaults were down 8 percent. PACE or the Problem Area Crime Enforcement team, consists of detectives who go into neighborhoods under cover, whenever a crime spike is detected in a neighborhood, blend in and analyze what they see. The vehicles are unmarked but one of them is a van with a baby car seat in the back, Staly said.
License plate readers are scattered throughout the community, reading all plates that cross their paths. The agency’s real time crime center now links up with Palm Coast’s network of over 200 cameras at traffic intersections and public spaces, including the interiors of public buildings. If a crash or a crime occurs, the agency has the ability quickly to review the footage.
He addressed certain crimes in a class by themselves. “One of the things that has shocked me in this community is the number of sex crimes that a family member has committed on a child, a sister, a brother. It would shock you if you knew how many of those crimes occur,” Staly said. (The overwhelming majority of such crimes are committed by family members or people familiar with the victim.) “We take those cases seriously and we will put them in prison for the rest of their life if we can do.” In fact, sentences vary greatly. There are life sentences, especially in particularly heinous instances. But there are also lenient sentences. The differences are not readily explicable, except in cases where the prosecution, trying to spare victims the trauma of trial, succeeds in plea deals that, in exchange, provide for lesser sentences. It helps defendants to have private lawyers, too.
Inmates released from the state prison system who settle in Flagler are “welcomed” by deputies, who knock on their doors. “We knock on the door and say, welcome to Flagler County. How can we help you be successful so that you don’t go back to a state prison facility?” Staly said. “And I will assure you that if they’re willing for some help, we’ll help them but also psychologically, we know the crime that they went to prison for and what their criminal history is, and we’re making sure that they know that we know that they are back in our community.”
At the jail, numerous programs are in place, from an HVAC technical education program to vinyl graphics certification and restaurant certification program (“we’ve got a great partnership with Flagler Technical College,” the sheriff said), to anger management, narcotics anonymous, voluntary prayer groups, and so on. An inmate crew does lawn maintenance around public properties in the county (never on private property). There’s also a program called Inside Out Dad, a parenting skill program that reminds inmates in jail that “they need to learn how to be a better dad” when they still have children in the community.
There is no juvenile detention in Flagler. But juveniles flirting with trouble have their own programs–the agency checks on juveniles on probation, or some may be either referred to the Sheriff’s Work Ethics and Training program, or signed up for it by parents or guardians. It’s a day-long program that gives juveniles a look inside the jail, a taste of jail food, a lecture from a former inmate about what they may be in for if they stray, and some community service, like beach cleaning.
What’s ahead? “We should be in our new building by October-November of this year,” the sheriff said of the 57,000 square foot facility (including a 6,000 square foot separeate building) going up on Commerce Boulevard. It’ll end a five-year stint of homelessness for the agency. The building will be equipped with a so-called Faraday Room (named after the technology’s inventor, Michael Faraday, long predating computers), a sort of electromagnetic cage that shields computer equipment within from being remotely tampered with. Detectives recently had experienced the loss of data on a defendant’s iPad. The defendant had accessed the iPad remotely to erase data. That will theoretically be no longer possible as long as the item is in that room. “We’re the only agency in the four counties that has a Faraday room,” Staly said.
Other developments ahead may include a swing shift later this year, the development of a digital forensics unit, and the use, now that the boat has been delivered, of a marine unit. The agency just took delivery of a 25-foot Boston Whaler Justice 250 patrol boat. The agency’s mobile command center, now 20 years ago, is going to be replaced with a new one, currently under construction. “It’s expensive, but it’s like a fire truck. If you build it for what you want to use it for, it’ll last for decades,” Staly said.
That tied into the “future challenges” he sees with a population that continues to grow. He said the county’s population in 2035 “is predicted to be 172,000 people, that’s 50,000 people more than you have today, in 13 years.” Public officials for years have been citing alarming growth figures in the years ahead. The figures are almost always exaggerated, if still based on documented estimates. But even the agency that provides the estimates–the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida–cautions against its own frequent errors. That hasn’t officials across the state from citing numbers without the necessary–but less alarming–context.
The bureau’s latest projections for Flagler County are for a population of 181,100 by 2035, even more than Staly’s number. But that’s BEBR’s “high” projection. Its estimates always include a high, medium and low projection. The high projection for Flagler has not only never come true. It’s been wildly off the mark. In 2006, for example, BEBR’s high projection for Flagler’s population in 2020 was 201,000. Its low projection was 139,900. The county has just barely passed the 120,000 mark.
BEBR’s latest medium estimate for Flagler’s population in 2035 is 156,400, and its low projection is for 131,800. The availability of the three numbers gives politicians the opportunity to pick and choose whichever one they please, depending on the message they want to send, or the budgets they’re seeking. But to base budget figures on BEBR’s high or even medium projections has, historically–and as documented by BEBR’s own numbers–been unsupported by the actual numbers, once the project years roll by.
Click to access 2022-ACT-Meeting-FINAL-1.pdf
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Shark says
He sure knows how to piss away our hard earned tax dollars !!!!!
The Geode says
I noticed that he didn’t address the unsolved and forgotten MURDERS that occurred in a community the size of a “shoebox”. I’m sure the 53% includes traffic citations and other crimes that are low on the proverbial totem pole while we have to live with murderers. I guess our lives don’t “matter” as much as the liberals and the liberal media would like to think it does…
Ray says
Wow is this Detroit? This Sherrif is a control freak!
Skibum says
Let me be the first to offer support to our sheriff’s coming request in his budget for a raise for Flagler County deputies. It was great news to hear that the county agreed to increase the staffing level of the sheriff’s office recently. However, the cost for each new hire, including the required training and all of the necessary equipment needed for each new deputy, is significant. I believe the worst possible outcome would be for Flagler County taxpayers to have paid for the new hires only to find that a year or two later after the new hires are out on the streets that some of them are applying to other law enforcement agencies and planning on leaving because FCSO cannot keep pace with the pay scale that other agencies offer. For the receiving agencies, it is a gift to get lateral transfer deputies who have already been trained and somewhat experienced, because that is a huge savings the hiring agency does not have to incur. Plus, every time a deputy leaves for another agency, we have to incur the cost of searching for and hiring a replacement, so there are many costs associated with losing law enforcement personnel. I hope the county commissioners will support the sheriff’s upcoming request for a raise for deputies so we can keep the ones we have already spent a lot of money to recruit, train, equip and put on the streets here in Flagler County. And for those who may be wondering, no, I am not a member of FCSO or any other law enforcement agency, so I have no stake in this other than being a proactive Palm Coast resident and retired LEO from another state who recognizes the importance of having well trained and adequately paid LEOs to enhance our community’s public safety and crime reduction efforts.
jnlocal says
I support Sheriff Staley’s contention that we need to increase deputy compensations, for the reasons you’ve outlined. I am impressed with our LEOs and leader in our community and agree with the sheriff that we need to stay ahead of the game with law enforcement in our growing town and surrounds. As our population increases, so does the need to protect our citizens.
P section resident says
This guy is as bad if not worse than the mayor of the city. Why,why, why can’t everyone see through this GREEDY guy who calls himself Sheriff? Why does everyone fall for his BS. When was the last time patrol car just drove through your neighborhood, why do you pass 3-5 patrol vehicles sitting on Sr.100 on just about any given day, why do 4 patrol vehicles need to be at Dennys at 2:00 in the morning, why are deputies allowed to get away with crap that they shouldn’t? Tell me Sheriff WHY? This is such a kick in the nuts for us taxpayers. I can assure you that unless and act of god happens you will not be re elected. We’re tired of your Wyatt Earp BS!
Jerome says
Get rid of this spendthrift with his bogus crime reporting !!!
Concerned Citizen says
I never knew that until Staly admitted in this article that Deputies are exempt from State traffic laws. Interesting.
So does that mean that if a Deputy crashes into you after looking up from his device you’re out of luck?
Denali says
From what I have been able to learn; yes, Florida LEO’s are exempt from the distracted driving laws as long as they are using department provided equipment for department business. This means no personal cell phones. Right, you bet. Additionally, the exemption does not relieve them of liability for any damages they cause with their distracted driving. Apparently the law presumes that these people are better trained divide their attention between operating a computer and driving than the rest of us.
Receding Unibrow says
Correct me if I’m wrong here but when an inmate does his or her time and he or she is free, the punishment has been completed. The programs available to help with integration back into society are already in place. Whether we agree on the sentence or not, the Judge gets to decide. If an inmate who completed his or her sentence had deputies show up at the door (outside of probation) “making sure that they know that we know that they are back in our community” I would recommend immediately contacting a civil rights attorney. That’s harassment with a smile. I wonder what the ACLU’s perspective is on that.
Instead of simply waiting for the call and assisting in protecting and serving the community, what this Sheriff has created along with a handful of other LE agencies around the country (not all) is a network of surveillance cameras and license plate readers that observe and locate everyone passing through them. Whether this is 100% Staly or him caving to the influence or pressure from the DHS (who will most likely also have access to the same network), this type of surveillance is an infringement on privacy in a country that prides itself on the freedoms we have. The argument that people don’t have a right to privacy in a public space does not hold water anymore. That was a standard point of view written into law BEFORE rolling out this kind of invasive technology in a public space. It is an instinctually known fact that people have a fundamental human right to privacy if and when they want it. If someone is at a public park having lunch and feels that particular spot is too crowded, he or she can get up and move to a different park bench. The crowd doesn’t then get up and move with the person. The surveillance network that this Sheriff rolled out automatically registers a vehicles location as it moves through a network of license plate readers. The data is stored and shared with multiple agencies and perhaps even monotized. This network of monitoring citizens most likely will be further abused at some point, if not already.
The “Problem Area” Crime Enforcement team sounds like they’re already integrating Predictive Policing tactics by responding to neighborhoods with a “crime spike.” The Sheriff’s admission to the use of an undercover squad to “blend in” and “analyze” residential neighborhoods is chilling. Why aren’t they in marked vehicles waiting to assist the public unless it’s a legitimate criminal investigation? Instead, we have what sounds like the secret police. What does a neighborhood “analysis” look like anyway? The public has a right to know what the data of their neighborhood looks like through this “analysis.” Additionally, the public has a right to know if predictive policing tactics are being used on citizens who are not suspect of a crime. It has been proven that Predictive Policing does more harm than good and Santa Cruz was just one of many examples before they banned it. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/09/technology-cant-predict-crime-it-can-only-weaponize-proximity-policing
Predictive Policing tactics obviously directly and negatively effect communities of color and can further be abused by deeming anyone perceived as “rude” a potential threat. However far fetched that may sound it’s actually a business model and job creator that could be weaponized to target anyone from an ex spouse to someone who may be associated with a certain political party. Pitching the idea that “rudeness” is an indicator of a potential boogyman is just flat wrong. So the question remains: Is the FCSO using predictive policing tactics and to what degree?
Public transparency is absolutely necessary with a Real Time Crime Center and draconian surveillance system of this nature. I urge the county and city council to take a stand against this Sheriff’s dystopian fantasyland, reject this Un-American surveillance nightmare and roll it back. Don’t let the rosy statistics and fear of missing out on big tech cloud your better judgment. Tell the Sheriff to fight crime in a way that’s aligned with the public’s American values.
To the citizens of Flagler County, VOTE SURVEILLANCE STALY OUT!
Sad says
And me without enough money to eat every night . So happy Sheriff has all those nice expensive items to play with.
Jay magrane says
I think the statistics, about officer performance is kept by the police. They can and do manipulate the info to make themselves look good or bad mearly by moving numbers.
They need to have oversight.
Example: chief chitwood in volusia county. His swat came to my home threatened my neighbor and tryed to intimidate me.
I went to his office to confront him. He went to his computer came back with a print out. That said it did not happen
Police should not govern themselves. For the most part they cover for each other and themselves
A perfect example is check out the number of police involved wife beating. Do not be surprised.
Thank you
FlaglerBear says
I’m normally very supportive of the sheriffs department and as a retired cop I guess I always will be to a certain extent, even though I really don’t have any connections there. However, I think I’m beginning to understand why folks here are so angry. I think there’s an “us against them” culture between the sheriffs dept and us…the residents of Flagler County. I felt that plainly the other day when I called the non emergency number to ask a simple question about possible criminal activity going on in my neighborhood. The call-taker couldn’t have been more rude, disrespectful, and unprofessional. I couldn’t believe it. And then, he didn’t even wait for me to finish, I said “bye” and he clicked off. I have a great deal of respect for 911 operators. I used to be one. Perhaps the Sheriff needs to do some courtesy training as well. If this stuff is happening with civilians, I can’t imagine what’s happening department wide. There could be a culture that’s pissing off our residents and making them lash out. I’m still upset by what happened. As a homeowner and taxpayer, it really bums me out.
Lance miller says
Why don’t we take a stand
Take back our freedoms
Pull up the truck and remove the camera
Or take it out with a non l lethal device
Denali says
If any of you are thinking that all the new deputies, new equipment and new monies are going to improve the quality of local policing, response times or actual law enforcement, you are just pissing in the wind. This administration is more concerned with looking and acting tough than actually enforcing the written laws.
Receding Unibrow says
FlaglerBear is right. I’ve experienced the rudeness or lack of response to a call as well. The culture is real. I support police however, behind the badge deputies are human and humans sometimes harbor ideologies that may not be in line with the best interest of ALL citizens. Radicals can slip behind a badge or into a position of power and weaponize newer technology such as location tracking and the use of “threat assessment techniques” as a cover for harassment in an attempt to incite an individual to “lash out” or behave in a way that can be conveyed as a “potential threat” to their community. When in reality, most people subjected to that kind of cat and mouse bullying are in no way a threat. Furthermore, an individual that has falsely been deemed a potential threat in the name of “wellness” may be at some point directed to a local mental heath facility just like the one Joe Mullins was recently pictured at.
https://www.palmcoastobserver.com/article/new-flagler-access-center-offers-mental-health-services-case-management
Think about that for a second… Mr. Mullins, a county commissioner overseeing the Sheriff’s budget who openly discussed “accommodating” liberals by beheading them and putting them on trains (if they don’t support Trump) is pictured grinning ear to ear at a ribbon cutting event for a local mental health facility.
Citizens rely on police to protect and serve in addition to the genuine support of mental health facilities, however, the “good ol’ boy club” still exists. With today’s tech used at the local level of policing, it’s a dangerous gamble that can and will most likely continue to be abused as well documented examples have proven. I’ve personally experienced what I believe is a possible “threat assessment” (harassment) by complete strangers who have approached me and engaged in antagonistic behavior while a deputy or witness observes nearby. I am not a threat however, as a person who believes in equality and basic liberties I have been an outspoken Union member, a supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Southern Poverty Law Center and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. I have also published related work through the medium of photography and am aware that any one of those things could potentially make me a target of the far right or perhaps even worse… someone in a position of authority weaponizing “Predictive Policing” tactics in the name of “wellness.”
Buford says
Don’t do the CRIME, then you don’t do the time.
Receding Unibrow says
And what “CRIME” is that exactly?