House Members Back Policies For Using Body Cameras
November 9, 2015
Amid a national focus on shootings by police officers, a House panel recently unanimously approved a bill that could lead to law-enforcement agencies setting policies for the use of body cameras.
The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee approved the measure (HB 93), filed by Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, and Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee. A Senate version (SB 418) is sponsored by Sen. Chris Smith, D-Ft. Lauderdale.
The proposal would only apply to police agencies that decide to use body cameras. Under it, those agencies would be required to establish policies and procedures addressing the proper use, maintenance and storage of body cameras and recorded data. State law currently doesn’t require such policies.
“There is a lot of pointing fingers that is taking place, whether it’s from the citizen’s standpoint or from the police aspect,” Jones said. “What this (bill) does is bring it into perspective, knowing who is to blame, who do we hold accountable?”
Much of the finger-pointing extends back to August 2014, when Michael Brown was fatally shot by Ferguson, Mo., police Officer Darren Wilson, touching off riots. That has been followed by a series of other highly publicized deaths nationwide involving black men in police custody.
In Florida, a controversy erupted last month about the death of Corey Jones, a Boynton Beach man who was fatally shot by a Palm Beach Gardens police officer. Jones was a musician whose car broke down on his way home from a gig late at night. The plainclothes officer who approached him wasn’t wearing a body camera.
The death prompted members of Florida’s legislative black caucus to call for an independent review, along with legislation that would include body cameras for law-enforcement officers, dashboard cameras for police vehicles and automatic reviews of all police-related shootings.
The measure that passed will be considered during the 2016 legislative session, which starts in January. A version of the bill was unanimously approved by the House during the 2015 session, but it died without Senate passage at the abrupt end of the session.
HB 93 is supported by the Florida Sheriffs Association, the Florida Police Chiefs Association and the Florida Police Benevolent Association, along with a number of individual agencies.
“When this bill was first introduced, many people were against it, the law enforcement association and many other entities,” Rep. Clovis Watson, D-Alachua, said. “And they worked together.”
One major issue with the use of body cameras has been privacy. For instance, police recordings often occur in private homes or mental-health facilities. Concerns about that issue were eased during the 2015 session with the passage of a bill that makes certain recordings by police body cameras confidential.
“Our Constitution provides us that right to personal privacy,” Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, said. “This (HB 93) is a very good bill that allows for that, but also for the appropriate use of body cams, which I think are a good law enforcement tool.”
About one-third of law enforcement agencies currently use body cameras, both nationally and statewide.
“Body cameras are not just for the citizens, but also for the police,” Jones said. “If you look at a lot of the sheriffs, they are in favor of it because it’ll help them come down with citizen complaints, and it’ll help the citizens hold everyone accountable.”
A University of South Florida study released last month found that fewer violent incidents and fewer complaints occur when police wear the cameras. According to the study, roughly one in four officers said wearing a camera affected his or her behavior in the field. More than one-third said wearing cameras had deescalated confrontations with citizens.
“Two out of every three officers who wore a BWC (body-worn camera) reported that they would want to continue wearing one upon study completion,” the study noted.
by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
4-H Teen Leadership Club Begins This Week
November 9, 2015
Escambia County 4-H will hold a teen leadership event beginning Tuesday night.
Teens interested in learning more about leadership, or parents that wish to learn more, are invited to the Teen Leadership Club November 10 at 6 p.m. at the Langley Bell 4-H Center.
This is a 4-H special interest club that focuses on developing leadership skills and provides a venue to develop skills using the learn by doing 4-H approach. There will be a field trip, community service project and learn from guest speakers what it means to be a leader. Participants will also practice public speaking and provide information about 4-H Leadership activities throughout the year.
To find out more, please attend the first meeting at the Langley Bell 4-H Center or contact Pam Allen at pha@ufl.edu or 850-475-5230. Parents are welcome to attend with their teen. This club is for current and new 4-Hers.
Fire Destroys Pine Forest Estates Home (With Photo Gallery)
November 8, 2015
Fire heavily damaged a home in the Pine Forest Estates subdivision off Pine Forest Road in Cantonment Saturday night.
Neighbors called 911 to report that they heard an explosion and then saw flames inside the two-story home on Man-O-War Circle. When firefighters arrived, they found the attached garage involved in flames. The garage was a total loss, but firefighters were able to save the main structure of the house.
There were no injuries reported.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
One Injured When Vehicle Struck By Train In Atmore
November 8, 2015
One person was injured when a train slammed into their vehicle early Saturday evening in Atmore.
A Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck pulling a small trailer was struck by the eastbound CSX freight train about 5:30 Saturday night at Atmore’s Wilson Avenue crossing. The pickup truck came to rest upside down a short distance from the crossing.
The driver of the truck was transported by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life threatening. His name has not been released. No one on the train was injured.
The relatively short CSX train with two locomotives came to a stop about a half mile away from the collision. The train blocked the Wilson Avenue, Trammell Street and Main Street crossings as the accident was investigated the train inspected.
Further details have not been released by Atmore Police or CSX.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Local Gospel Artist Releases CD, Music Video; Plans Concerts
November 8, 2015
Country gospel artist Caleb Dennis of Davisville has new single, new album and a new music video that was filmed in North Escambia.
His single “Jesus is Always on Time” will be released to radio this month.
“After 15 years of working as a side musician, the release of this debut album ‘The Gravel Road’ is a fresh new start for me in the gospel music field,” Dennis said. “God has poured out so many blessings lately it’s overwhelming, and the band and I are looking forward to what 2016 holds.”
The first video from “The Gravel Road”, entitled “The Old Grist Mill” (see below) was filmed in North Escambia. It was shot along Pineville Road at Brushy Creek in Enon and includes some of Dennis’ family and friends.
“I so enjoyed filming the first video from the album. I loved that it was filmed here in my hometown. (That) makes it even more personal for me,” the Walnut Hill native said.
Dennis will be concert on Saturday, November 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Molino First Assembly of God and Sunday, November 29 at 5 p.m. at the Walnut Hill Baptist Church. Admission is free for both events.
“The Gravel Road” is available on iTunes or Amazon.
Pictured top: Caleb Dennis in his new music video filmed along Brushy Creek and Pineville Road in North Escambia. Below: The new video “The Old Grist Mill” from Caleb Dennis. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
If you do not see the video above, it is because your work, school or home firewall is blocking YouTube videos.
UWF Hosts 2015 BEST Robotics Competition
November 8, 2015
The University of West Florida College of Science and Engineering hosted the eighth annual Emerald Coast BEST robotics competition at the UWF Field House on Saturday.
Student teams from 18 area high schools and middle schools participated in “Pay Dirt,” a competition in which each team designed and built a robotic system to repair a simulated mine and retrieve its resources. The teams were evaluated based on robot performance, notebooks, marketing presentation, team exhibit, spirit and sportsmanship.
BEST Award
The BEST Award is presented to the team that best embodies the attributes associated with “Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology” in its development, which include teamwork, diversity of participation, sportsmanship, creativity, ethics, positive attitude and enthusiasm, school and community involvement, and exposure to and use of the engineering process. The first-place winner of the 2015 BEST Award was Seaside Neighborhood School, followed by Woodham Middle School in second-place and Woodlawn Beach Middle School in third-place.
Robotics Award
Awarded to the teams whose machines finish first, second and third in the tournament bracket. The first-place winner of the robotics award was Pace High School, followed by Tate High School in second-place and Seaside Neighborhood School in third-place.
Dr. Bradley Regez, program manager and instructor for the UWF Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, leads the Emerald Coast BEST steering committee. Dr. Mohamed Khabou, associate professor and chair of the UWF Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is also a part of the committee along with several other University and community representatives.
“Each year that I am given the chance to participate in the Emerald Coast hub, it’s an opportunity to help students learn,” said Regez. “These kinds of competitions are great for students interested in science, technology, engineering and math because they provide opportunities for hands-on experience and seeing a project from start to finish.”
The annual competition is coordinated through BEST Inc., a non-profit, volunteer-based organization. Its name stands for Boosting Engineering Science and Technology, and its mission is to inspire middle and high school students to pursue careers in engineering, science and technology through participation in the sports-like robotics competition.
The Emerald Coast BEST hub is the only one in Florida. The hub is funded completely by corporate and individual sponsorships, which provide each team with a material kit to build the robots. No fees are paid by students or schools that participate in the BEST robotics competitions.
Award winners
Advancing to Regional Robotics Championship:
Robot: Pace High School
BEST 1: Seaside Neighborhood School
BEST 2: Woodham Middle School
Robotics Game Award:
1. Pace High School
2. Tate High School
3. Seaside Neighborhood School
4. Woodham Middle School
BEST Award:
1. Seaside Neighborhood School
2. Woodham Middle School
3. Woodlawn Middle School
T-Shirt Design Award:
1. Pace High School
2. Santa Rosa High School
3. Woodham Middle School
BEST Spirit and Sportsmanship:
1. Woodlawn Beach Middle School
2. Seaside Neighborhood School
3. Woodham Middle School
Best Team Exhibits and Interview:
1. Woodlawn Beach Middle School
2. Seaside Neighborhood School
3. Woodham Middle School
Best Marketing Presentation:
1. Seaside Neighborhood School
2. Woodham Middle School
3. Pensacola High School
Best Project Engineering Notebook:
1. Woodlawn Beach Middle School
2. Creative Learning Academy
3. Seaside Neighborhood School
Software Design and Simulation Award:
1. Tate High School
2. Creative Learning Academy
3. Woodham Middle School
Founders Award for Creative Design: Seaside Neighborhood School
Most Robust Machine: Episcopal Day School
Most Photogenic Machine: Woodlawn Beach Middle School
Gulf Power Blood, Sweat and Duct Tape Award: Pensacola High School
Web Page Design Award: Episcopal Day School
Walnut Hill VFD Honors Firemen During Annual Fish Fry
November 8, 2015
The Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department honored members of the community and the department during a record-setting 46th annual fish fry Saturday.
Dee Guy was named Firefighter of the Year, an award chosen by her fellow firefighters. Kevin Mininger as name Officer of the Year and recognized for his years of service to the department. Escambia River Electric Cooperative received the Walnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department’s Community Service Award for outstanding and dedicated service to the community.
Hundreds of people enjoyed fried catfish or grilled chicken plates during the event, with proceeds to be used to provide assistance to displaced fire victims in the area. OneBlood’s Big Red Bus was also on hand for a blood drive.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Arts, Crafts And Car Show Held In Molino (With Gallery)
November 8, 2015
The Fourth Annual Open Car Show and Arts/Craft Show was held Saturday at Highland Baptist Church in Molino. The top and best in class vehicles were awarded, numerous vendors were one hand and there free activities for children.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Gulf Power’s Storm And Training Center Captures Awards
November 8, 2015
After Hurricane Ivan hit Pensacola as a Category 3 storm in 2004, Gulf Power employees knew that in the future they would need a true storm center from where they could lead customer restoration efforts.
Jump ahead to 2015 — Gulf Power’s storm center, designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane and winds up to 200 mph, has received one of the top awards for its design and durability.
“The awards are significant, but the bottom line is this center is a modern hub that will help us restore power to our customers more quickly and safely after a major storm,” said Rick DelaHaya, Gulf Power spokesperson. “And the majority of the year, our employees train there for their day-to-day duties.”
Referred to as “rugged, reliable, beautiful and sustainable” by Precast Concrete Institute, Gulf Power’s “Douglas L. McCrary Storm & Training Center” was recently awarded first place in the Category of Sustainable Design for their 2015 Design Awards. The Precast Concrete Institute is the technical organization for the pre-cast and pre-stressed concrete industry. PCI conducts research and development, publishes technical manuals and provides technical resources for the precast concrete industry.
Opened in 2014, the 30,300-square-foot building was built with pre-cast concrete walls, roof and framework to sustain 200-mph winds of a Category 5 hurricane.
Primarily designed as a training center with state-of-the-art classrooms and meeting rooms, the building can quickly transform into a central emergency operations center to coordinate customer restoration efforts after a hurricane or other natural disaster.
Jim Fletcher, Gulf Power’s vice president of external affairs and corporate services, said the employees involved in the project, as well as the design firm, Townes + Architects, P.A., and the builder, The Morette Company, had one goal in mind: build a sustainable center where crews and employees could be coordinated to get customers power back on quickly after a major storm.
“When we look at restoring customers’ power after a tropical storm or hurricane, we want to be able to do it in the most efficient way possible,” Fletcher said. “All the teams worked well together keeping this in mind and this facility serves our customers using sustainable design and construction.”
The facility also received LEED Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized green building certification system, which recognizes buildings designed and constructed in an environmentally sustainable manner, providing energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality and stewardship of natural resources.
Among the features that helped the building achieve LEED certification is a geothermal HVAC system, four charging stations for electric vehicles and LED lighting that illuminates the parking lot.
According to Ben Townes, principal architect for the project, the pre-cast concrete design also helped the building achieve LEED certification, since it included both recycled material and is fully recyclable, contributing to the overall sustainability of the project by providing durability and reducing maintenance.
“We had to be very innovative to achieve the LEED points to become certified,” said Townes. “It was truly a team effort, — that’s what made the project so successful.”
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Third Time No Charm For Lawmakers
November 8, 2015
There is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out.
Florida lawmakers quit the Capitol this week without completing their assignment, proving that the third time isn’t the charm, at least as far as Sunshine State politics is concerned.
Unlike the poetic protagonist’s denouement, the failure of the two chambers to agree on a new Senate map came as no surprise to anyone who’s been paying the slightest attention to the goings-on in Tallahassee this year.
But, shortly before the Senate killed the leadership-backed plan with a vote that wasn’t even close, two longtime foes delivered some astonishing news that, for many, overshadowed the yawn-inducing end to another failed special session.
After three brutal years, Republican Sen. Jack Latvala finally gave up the ghost Thursday, ceding the future gavel to his onetime nemesis, Joe Negron. Latvala will take over as the chamber’s budget chief after the 2016 elections, while Negron will stand at the podium as president.
What the rapprochement will bring to a fractured Senate — perhaps even more sharply at odds with its House counterpart — remains to be seen.
SAME AS IT EVER WAS
For the third time this year, the clock ran out on a legislative session without lawmakers sealing the deal.
But, unlike the previous sessions where the House and Senate couldn’t strike an accord about the budget and a congressional map, leaders in the two chambers were united in pointing the finger at someone else for their failure to pass a Senate redistricting plan.
Instead of blaming each other, GOP leaders blamed a pair of voter-approved constitutional amendments that ban political gerrymandering in legislative and congressional redistricting. Lawmakers argued that the “Fair Districts” amendments had become an almost unworkable maze of sometimes contradictory standards that ignored the need to draw together communities with common interests.
On a 23-16 vote late Thursday afternoon, the Senate killed the House version of a proposed Senate the map (SJR 2-C) and, with it, any hope that the Legislature would decide the lines. Nine Senate Republicans bucked their party’s leadership and joined all 14 Democrats in opposing the plan.
“Having been living intimately in this world, I have concluded that the amendments to our Constitution pulled the soul out of map drawing, pulled the soul out of districts,” said Senate Reapportionment Chairman Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton.
In brief remarks to his colleagues at the close of the session, House Speaker Steve Crisafulli also suggested that the authors of the amendments had used a noble goal to create gridlock.
“This has certainly been a difficult time, and I truly believe there are those who have set out to do everything they can to produce chaos and confusion and truly make this impossible to succeed and make us have a hard time succeeding in this effort,” Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, said.
But David King, an attorney for the League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause, which have led redistricting legal battles against the Legislature, had a different take.
“The Legislature has fought the Fair Districts Amendments from the moment they were introduced,” King said. “By blaming the amendments, rather than themselves, they are simply perpetuating their opposition to the will of the people and engaging in the very conduct that Florida voters clearly wanted to eliminate from our state.”
The redistricting issue will go to Leon County Circuit Judge George Reynolds, who likely will consider proposed maps from the Legislature and the voting-rights organizations, with Reynolds ultimately recommending a plan to the Florida Supreme Court.
LATVALA, NEGRON BURY THE HATCHET
The bitter intra-party battle over who will take over the chamber after Senate President Andy Gardiner’s term ends next November quietly drew to a close Thursday when Latvala ceded the race to Negron.
The struggle has shaded the Senate’s politics — and policies — for more than three years, affecting previous GOP leaders’ priorities and resulting in bad blood between Republicans who control the chamber. As recently as last week, it played a part in a verbal throw-down between the sharp-tongued Latvala and the equally acerbic Sen. Don Gaetz, a former Senate president and close Negron ally.
In exchange for Latvala giving up his quest to become president after the 2016 elections, Negron agreed to let the more-moderate Latvala serve as the powerful chairman of the Senate’s budget committee.
Standing beside Negron after a tense floor debate Thursday over the failed Senate redistricting plan, Latvala told reporters he withdrew after realizing that the rancor over the race had reached “a boiling point” characterized by some of his colleagues as a “low point” for the chamber as an institution.
“As someone who has made a lot of my life here, that really disturbed me greatly,” Latvala, a veteran political consultant from Clearwater, said. “…It just dawned on me that I, for one, have not been paying as much attention to policy issues here in the Senate as I should have been. I’ve been totally consumed in the political side of being in the Senate but not in the policy side. That’s what people sent us here to do. It just occurred to me that we needed to start focusing on what the people sent us here to do, trying to solve some of the problems.”
Negron, who held a narrow lead in the race, praised Latvala for “bringing this to a conclusion in a way that’s honorable.”
Negron said he is “optimistic” that Latvala’s concession would help Republicans unite.
“I think it’s important that as a caucus and as a Senate that we’re able to come together to work on common initiatives that we all support,” Negron, a lawyer from Stuart, said. “There will be differences from time to time on policy items, but our goal always was that the caucus family would come together.”
STORY OF THE WEEK: Florida’s GOP-dominated Legislature failed to approve a new Senate redistricting plan, leaving a preliminary decision about the map to a Tallahassee judge.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “It’s like a load is lifted off my shoulders.” Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, after his decision to withdraw from the race against Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, to become Senate president late next year.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida