Some 200 people gathered at the Flagler Sheriff’s centennial, including the families of eight sheriffs and three former sheriffs themselves as a torrid sun sweated out many memories.
Flagler County Sheriff
Sheriff’s Call For 5 Extra Deputies in Palm Coast Would Raise City’s Policing Cost 27% Since 2014
Sheriff Rick Staly is asking the city for five additional deputies to form a traffic unit exclusively for Palm Coast. The city manager’s presentation of a contract with the sheriff was less complete.
A Rape Allegation at Heart of Divorce Between Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland And Sheriff’s Ex-Chief Deputy
Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland in court filings alleges ex-Flagler Sheriff Chief Deputy David O’Brien repeatedly raped her while she was unconscious in 2013, shortly before their separation.
From Valor to Badabing and הכלב הרע, Sheriff’s K-9-Naming Turns Into Onomastic Fiesta
When the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office asked for suggestions to name its newest K-9, it was flooded with what turned into a mirror of community desires, values, humor and sense of history. Valor won.
3 Flagler Jail Deputies Quit While Under Investigation for Sexual and Other Misconduct
No charges will be filed against Bradley Gilyard, Julio Vazquez and Jonathon Vitale, who resigned before facing disciplinary action that may have included getting fired.
In Flagler and Palm Coast, Hate Crimes Are a Rarity Even as State and National Stats Soar
Officials and experts cite many reasons why reported hate crimes are rare: there may be more harmony locally, but also more subjectivity, under-reporting and lack of awareness when hate crimes are committed.
Sheriff’s “Taxi-Patrol Car” Cautions Against Drunk Driving Over Memorial Day Weekend
More than 400 deaths and 47,000 injuries are projected on U.S. roads over the Memorial Day weekend, prompting police agencies to heighten awareness campaigns.
Sheriff’s Request for 15 New Deputies Adds to Budget “Challenges” as Local Governments Begin to Haggle
Sheriff Rick Staly wants 10 new deputies from the county and five from Palm Coast. County government is facing $9 million in “challenges” as budget season launched this week.
The Solemn and the Symbolic Mark Flagler Sheriff’s Ceremony Commemorating Fallen
In a departure from previous ceremonies, Thursday’s commemoration included a march and a riderless horse, symbolizing fallen officers, and the unveiling of a Wall of Heroes.
Citing Chronic Crisis, Sheriff Plans Community Summit on Domestic Violence and Task Force
Sheriff Rick Staly intends to call a community summit followed by a task force that would have a few months to produce a set of recommendations to enact. Other domestic violence initiatives are ongoing.
Deputy Richard Petkovsek Is CrimeStoppers’ Flagler Law Enforcement Officer of the Year
Richard Petkovsek, with the sheriff’s office just three years, was recognized for bravery, selflessness and an act of humanitarianism toward a homeless man.
Retirement of Two K-9s, Repo and Reno, Highlights Sheriff’s Award Ceremony
The two K-9s had worked eight years and been deployed nearly 200 times, contributing to the arrests of some 40 individuals. Among the numerous awards, deputy Jeff Puritis was recognized for his control of a potential suicide-by-cop situation at the courthouse in March.
Google’s Links to Flagler Sheriff’s Office Hacked By Malware, Porn and Clickbait
Users trying to reach the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office through Google are being redirected to pornographic websites, malware and dangerously infected links. Other search engines are not affected, nor is the sheriff’s site itself.
A Suicide By Gunshot Jolts 911 Call as Sheriff Observes Flagler’s Dispatch Center in Action
A gunshot suicide took place live as a 911 dispatcher was on the phone Wednesday, while Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly sat in as a “trainee” to mark National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.
Sheriff Will Ask Palm Coast to Pay for 5 More Cops, a 21% Increase of City’s Policing Budget
Sheriff Staly wants to double Palm Coast’s traffic unit, but five more cops would cost close to $600,000 on top of the city’s current $2.6 million budget. Mayor Milissa Holland signals some push-back.
Sparing None, Sheriff “Arrests” 15 of Flagler’s Leading Officials in Relay For Life Sting
Sheriff Rick Staly and his team served warrants on Superintendent Jacob Oliva, County Commissioners Dave Sullivan and Charlie Ericksen, fire chiefs and business leaders in a fund-raising ploy for cancer research this morning.
In Courthouse Parking Lot, Sheriff’s Deputies Peacefully End Another Suicide-By-Cop Crisis
For the second time in 18 months, Flagler sheriff’s deputies peacefully defused a suicide-by-cop confrontation, this one involving 21-year-old Darnell Hyppolite at the Flagler County courthouse parking lot.
Sheriff Staly Considering Relaxing Chase Policy After His Involvement in Weekend Incident
Sheriff Rick Staly had started to chase a Camaro on I-95 Friday but it blew past him too fast, so he ordered stop sticks deployed when it was trailed past Seminole Woods onto U.S. 1. The driver still got away.
Gas Leak at Flagler’s New Jail Prompts 2-Hour Inmate Lockdown
The leak was pinpointed to a water heater in late morning Tuesday at the 54,000 square foot, $17.4 million new jail, though the precise nature of the problem was not discovered.
Sheriff Settles Suit With Ex-Finance Director For $200,000, Causing Delays In Future Hires
Linda Bolante filed a whistle-blower suit against ex-Sheriff Jim Manfre in 2014 after she claimed to have been forced to resign over her raising questions about his ethical practices.
Dog Gets Killed by Neighbor’s Dog. That Was Only Part of the Problem for Responding Deputies.
A young Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy became the object of a woman’s aggression after cops had been called to the address over a disturbance with neighbors, and a dead dog.
Watch Out: Sheriff Staly Is Tonight’s Watch Commander on Flagler Streets
Sheriff Rick Staly has asked all his command staff to put in stints as shift commanders–including himself, so as to better understand the challenges of deputies and get a pulse of the streets.
At Belle Terre Elementary, 60 Readers Get In Black History Groove With Ellington, Tar Beach and Even Cops
Belle Terre Principal Terence Culver wanted to atone for ignoring Black History Month for five years by hosting a read-in featuring community leaders including the sheriff, many cops and firefighters, school board members, the Palm Coast mayor and many more.
At Staly’s Sheriff’s Office, Deputies Speak of “Concerted Effort” to Raise Morale and Profile
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies contacted independently of the sheriff’s own public relations efforts say the improved morale and more commanding leadership is sincere, though the changes are less fundamental than about attitudes.
Sheriff’s Chief Cole Places 1st in Crimestoppers’ 5K
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Chief Steve Cole, an avid runner and bicyclist, represented the Sheriff’s Office in Crimestoppers’ seventh Run to Stop Crime 5K race Saturday (Jan. 14) in Ormond Beach and placed first in his age group, 45-49.
Call Him Sheriff Staly: At Swearing-In, Veteran Cop Stresses Roots, Toughness and 2nd Chances
Sheriff Rick Staly was sworn-in this morning before a crowd of hundreds and makes pledges of toughness on “dirtbags” but also pledges of giving offenders better chances at self-improvement while focusing greater attention on juvenile-crime prevention.
Some Demotions and New Faces as Sheriff-Elect Rick Staly Outlines Agency Changes, But Greater Focus on Policing
Incoming Sheriff Rick Staly announced an agency-wide reorganization this morning, with some demotions but no firings, and an attempt to adapt an existing organization to his vision rather than to reinvent the law enforcement wheel.
Rick Staly To Be Sworn-In as Flagler’s 18th Sheriff By Judge Emerson Thompson, Jr.
Senior Judge Emerson R. Thompson, Jr., who made history as the first black judge in Orange County and the first black judge to be appointed to the 5th District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach, will administer the oath of office at Rick Staly’s swearing-in on Jan. 3.
Sheriff Manfre Talks Up Good of Body Cameras and Bad of Emergency Communications in Adieus
Sheriff Manfre described Flagler’s emergency communications system in dismal terms but spoke highly of other achievements in appearances before local governments.
Palm Coast Man Falsely Arrested Sues Sheriff, Saying Deputies “Did Not Act Reasonably”
Dakota Ward, 19, was arrested in March when he was mistaken for a man called De’Coda Ward, and was booked at the jail. A Sheriff’s internali investigation faulted a deputy’s carelessness for enabling the error.
Cops Aren’t Under Siege.
Civilians and Liberties Are.
It’s a widely accepted but dangerous myth: that cops are under siege, handcuffed by “new restrictions.” The reality is the opposite, with more unbridled and brutal policing than we care to admit.
For 100 Children, Christmas With a Deputy Is a $150 Shopping Spree to Jingle Bells of Sirens
Larry Jones’s and the Sheriff’s Office’s Christmas With a Deputy this year is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 16 at City Centre at 145 City Place in Palm Coast’s Town Center. The event kicks off at 6:30 p.m.
Sheriff Meets With FPC and Matanzas Students On Timely Issues But Again Gives Neither Public Nor Press Notice
It was the sixth time Sheriff Jim Manfre held “One Common Ground” meetings with community members, and the sixth time his office neglected to publicly notice the meetings or inform local media so they could be properly reported.
Staly Names Bisland Undersheriff as Transition Team, Including Big Donors, Gets to Work
Jack Bisland, an investigator at the State Attorney’s office, had been Jim Manfre’s chief of investigations briefly in 2013, but the two men quickly parted ways.
Manfre and Staly Bury Hatchet: “He Will Add to Progress I’ve Made and Make the Place Better”
Flagler County Sheriff-Elect Rick Staly met with Sheriff Jim Manfre Wednesday as the two men agreed to a transition plan while restoring what had previously been a cordial professional relationship.
Sheriff Marks First Year in Operations Center, Citing Savings and Convenience
By moving from the old building, which was built when Flagler County had just 25,000 residents, the office save $100,000 a year in lease payments. And the new operations center came in $200,000 under budget at $4.7 million. The facility was designed to actually add 9,000 square feet – from 25,000 to 34,000 square feet.
Down to Three, Flagler Sheriff’s Candidates Differ on Style and Command in Last Forum Before Election
The forum featured the GOP’s Rick Staly, Democrat Larry Jones and Independent Thomas Dougherty. There were no fireworks, as at primary forums, but the differences between the three were sharp.
Cops as Pals: National Night Out at Veterans Park in Flagler Beach Tuesday Evening
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will be hosting National Night Out at Veterans Park Tuesday in Flagler Beach, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The free drug and crime-prevention awareness event features demonstrations, safety information, games, face painting, food and beverages, and entertainment.
In a Telling Surprise, Cops and 5 Public-Sector Unions Endorse Staly for Sheriff Over Jones
It is actually an endorsement from all six county public sector unions, so Staly is now backed by cops, teachers, school service employees, county and Palm Coast firefighters, and Palm Coast’s blue-collar workers, representing in all a block of 2,000 employees and many more family members, friends and neighbors.
A Rape in Palm Coast, a Shooting in Flagler Beach, Yet Sheriff’s Office Suppresses All But Trickle of Information
In a 24-hour span on Sept. 6, a woman reported twice being raped and a man reported being shot in separate incidents, both ending up at Florida Hospital Flagler, yet the sheriff’s office is suppressing all but a trickle of information on either case.
Flagler’s Primary Results: Shocks, Coronations and Probabilities
There were one or two shocks in the Flagler primary election results, not least of them another dismal turnout, but for the most part the numebrs produced expected winners and losers. Here’s a full analysis.
Holland Is Palm Coast’s New Mayor, Lenhart Wins Supervisor, Conklin Wins School Board, Manfre Is Out, Staly Beats Lamb
Primary election results for Flagler County races including school board, sheriff, county commission, Palm Coast City Council, supervisor of elections, judges, and state congressional races.
Nasty, Brutish and Shrill: Flagler Sheriff’s Race Tests Edge of the Believable as Attacks Multiply
Rick Staly, one of six GOP candidates for sheriff, launched attacks on Don Fleming and Jim Manfre but reserved particular wrath for John Lamb, though claims in the shape of a smoking gun turn out to be more gossipy than substantive.
51 Years Later, Honor Is Resurrected for Flagler Sheriff Homer Brooks’s Line-of-Duty Death
Homer Brooks was first elected Flagler County Sheriff in 1956. A News-Journal reporter, Tony Holt, uncovered the circumstances of his death in 1965, leading the sheriff’s office to add Brooks’s name to the list of Flagler cops who died in the line of duty and honor Brooks today.
Key Flagler Panel Votes 7-5 To Endorse Pot Citation Proposal, But Split Reflects Hazy Fate
The proposed ordinance to decriminalize some pot possession now goes to the county commission, Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach for approval, but it’s faced sustained opposition.
Masked Man Who Taunted Lamb at Sheriff’s Forum Is Unmasked as Whisenant Supporter
Richard Rubin, a twice-arrested local resident and supporter of Mark Whisenant’s sheriff’s campaign, attempted to rattle candidate John Lamb Monday evening by riding masked and in camouflage and holding up a sign claiming Lamb and his family did not live in the county, a false claim.
Texting 911? After Orlando Massacre, More Cities and States Moving Toward Next-Generation System
Texting 911 could be valuable in emergencies like the Orlando shooting or a domestic violence incident, where it is unsafe to make any noise let alone talk out loud about the danger at hand. And sending text messages to 911 could allow people who are deaf or have speech impairments to communicate without other special devices.
Sheriff’s Sam Cooper Jr. Honored for Junior Police Academy and ROTC Work at Flagler Schools
School Resource Deputy Sam Cooper Jr., detention deputy Julio Vazquez and Communications Specialist Candice Cole were the quarter’s winners at the sheriff’s office.
Gov. Scott Censures and Reprimands Sheriff Manfre in Executive Order, Ending Ethics Case
Last November Gov. Rick Scott, in Bunnell, said Flagler County had a “great sherif”‘ in Jim Manfre. Earlier this week, the governor censured and reprimanded him over ethics violations.
At European Village and in Bunnell, Separate Events For Fallen Cops and Black Lives as Reactions Multiply
The march in Bunnell and the fund-raiser for the families of fallen police officers at European Village are the latest in a spate of local initiatives that have sought to respond to shootings, by or of police, in various ways.
