Public Trust & Lawlessness

Every time the public encounters a law enforcement officer, all the experience they have EVER had with police, ever seen other people have with police, and also every story they have ever heard are present. Every story they heard on the news about the breach of trust in overzealous and lawless cops are sins that every cop carries to every encounter. More times than not, the public lacks confidence that law enforcement will help them if they need it, make arrests if necessary to provide a measure of justice.

This has never been no truer than in recent years. In order for a community to feel safe and in turn, be safe, is to have a measure of trust that law enforcement assigned to guard them from harm is actually doing just that. The people must feel and see law enforcement as the good guys doing good work. When that ceases to be the case, public unrest leads to crimes against police, and vigilantism can develop to overcome the sense of helplessness when law enforcement is not there to help for one reason or another. This hurdle has to be addressed by leadership in law enforcement. Perception is reality to people.

Having said that, my hometown of Escambia County, Pensacola, Florida, is facing an epidemic of Escambia County Sheriff’s Office lawlessness. WEAR Channel 3 had a story last week about this same issue but the story you are about to read is a separate incident and it is a distressing story has come to me and frankly it should scare the hell out of everyone who lives in the county.

The details are that a neighbors’ squabble results in one neighbor calling ECSO on another playing loud noise on the porch. When the ECSO arrives, the music is off. No more issues, right? Wrong. Deputies arrive and unbeknownst to them, there are outside cameras. Watch for yourself.

The biggest problem here is the report of the incident here:

The two are not even partially the same. The report is pure fiction. Why is that? Because the resident involved called to report the stolen stereo. He spoke with Sgt. Jason Young, who told him that the deputies would NOT ARREST him for disorderly conduct and in exchange they would return his stereo. Arrest him? No crime was committed other than the stolen stereo. But this is the manipulation to act as if Young is doing the resident a favor, for in turn not making any waves about the stereo. This unfortunately is a common thing. Assuming people don’t know their rights and believe if a deputy does it, it must be legal is a fallacy that most in this ECSO administration count on.

This report shows the lengths of the cover up and perjury that several deputies entered into in this one incident. Frankly, if so many will risk their badge and effortlessly cover up something like this, one has to question what major things are handled just the same. This one act of a deputy committing, what amounts to, an armed robbery is white washed and covered up because it was thought the resident would not know their rights.

The most egregious part of this is that this resident is unemployed and not in a financial position to make a fuss. He’s a vulnerable citizen. When law enforcement abuses power, people, like this resident are typically the ones they abuse because the victims of their abuse are marginalized by a criminal history, poverty, or both. When people of power victimize the most marginalized in their charge, that is such a deep violation of public trust. No one is safe.

Ronald Clark Ball

Mr. Ball’s incarceration marks the point of no return in the crusade to de-throne corruption in Escambia County. Mr. Ball, being an author, a man of prestige & a globally renown lecturer in the understanding of the cyber threat as it relates to National Security, has become the latest name to the list of victims of abuse of power throughout the Escambia County government. Mr. Ball is not the typical victim, because he is not of a lesser demographic; he’s not a minority, nor a socio-economic nobody that is usually the profile of people marginalized by the Escambia corruption machine. People like Pat Gonzalez, or Michelle Clarke are denigrated by the “honorable” elite of the county due to their backgrounds or prior bad acts. People like Philip Nix, Bill Chavers, Gene Valentino, Anita Hemphill, Laura Montoya or the honorable other citizens who are outspoken in the abuses of the county, are said to be suffering from a technical term by Sheriff Morgan known as “sour grapes”. They have been wronged by the county and are labeled as trying to retaliate for their dismissals. That may have basis, if the list of people, who are suffering– allegedly — from “sour grape syndrome” didn’t hit double digits with the exact same complaints, including slander, defamation, civil rights violations, & discrimination.

No Mr. Ball does not suffer from any of the labels previously used by the GOB to discount people. He cannot be seen as I am by Sheriff Morgan, as a lone nut, who spews lies, “a political terrorist”. Mr. Ball has been silenced for a long time but that silence is broken. He cannot be dismissed as the rest of have.

Mr. Ball drafted a pro se motion to dismiss in June that is skillfully written and could be used by any of the above victims against varying agents of the Escambia corruption machine. While his assertions may sound outlandish, I say to you that the actions against him are just that outlandish and bringing them to light is the right thing to do.

As I have said many times, the abuses of Escambia GOB are vast enough to be in violation of RICO (Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organization Law). This entails 2 or more felonies committed to further an ongoing criminal enterprise. The justice system in Escambia County is, itself, the criminal enterprise. The felonies are embezzlement, perjury, fraud and the list goes on and on. Morgan arrests people, Eddins & his minions as well as various judiciary perpetuate the wrongful arrest through the court system to the tune of illegal seizures, defamation, and political gain. The real violation is of the honest services clause. According to 2017 Fall edition of American Criminal Law Review, in an article by Alexander Sanyshyn, the honest services criteria is thus:

Elements of the Honest-Services Doctrine

To be convicted under § 1346, an individual must (i) defraud the victim of honest services (ii) by accepting a bribe or kickback. ⁿ⁴⁴⁶

Defraud of Honest Services

Generally, a scheme to defraud of honest services takes place in a fiduciary or employer-employee relationship. ⁿ⁴⁴⁷ Such a fiduciary relationship is often present when one manages money for another’s benefit. ⁿ⁴⁴⁸ It may also be present when a voluntary trade association ⁿ⁴⁴⁹ or charitable and nonprofit organization is involved. ⁿ⁴⁵⁰ The employer-employee relationships that may give rise to an honest-services claim range from a shareholder-management relationship ⁿ⁴⁵¹ to a government employee-private citizen relationship. ⁿ⁴⁵² However, the duties owed by a public official and a private individual differ. ⁿ⁴⁵³

[*1725] The fraud need not be directly accomplished by the defendant–the defendant need only to have caused fraud to be committed. ⁿ⁴⁵⁴ However, the defendant must be aware of, or participate in, the fraud committed by the third party. ⁿ⁴⁵⁵

This lays out the basis for many public corruption cases. The use of public power for private gain is the biggest risk associated with people in power. The various prongs of corruption, quid pro quo corruption, undue influence in inequality corruption, misuse and abuse of power are all used to further the criminal enterprise that operates as the criminal justice & legal system in Escambia County. There is no justice to had in the system in Pensacola. No one is above the law and while that hasn’t been apparent to most people except those churned out by the system in my hometown, Mr. Ball’s case added to the 7 people in the Billings Case, specifically prove a pattern of behavior that spans over many years & many cases. The totality of injustice is astronomical in Escambia County.

Ron Clark Ball is going to the catalyst case that shines a light on the stuff Willie Junior was killed covering up. Get your popcorn, kids. The show is beginning.

I told Morgan that when he saw me coming, that hell was coming with me. He should be feeling the heat, because I am at his door.

Best Selling Author Latest Escambia County Corruption Victim

Best Selling Author, Ron Clark Ball is the newest victim of corruption in Pensacola & Escambia County. This case was brought to my attention by a trusted colleague who got an anonymous tip about the case. In full disclosure, the details are sketchy. However, the gist of the story is this. Ron Clark Ball was engaged to Rhea Kessler, widow of Dr. Alec Kessler. They had several business endeavors when the romance went sour. Kessler accused Ball of taking money from the business(es). This resulted in a civil suit for against Ball.

This is where it gets dicey. Somehow the law firm of Levin & Pappantonio, who represented Kessler, went to the State Attorney’s office and suggested criminal charges of larceny be made against Ball for the disputed amount Kessler claimed he stole. The political mythology of the “connections” of Levin & Pappantonio seem to prove coincidentally consistent with reality in this case. How many civil cases turn criminal?

Mr. Ball was arrested in November 2015 by a (or perhaps THE) Sheriff and Bill Eddins who personally took Ball into custody. This is another unprecedented action by Eddins, much like when he personally interviewed and obtained an unrecorded confession from Lenny Gonzalez, Sr, in the Billings case. He is an elected official with minions who do this for him. This is HIGHLY OUT OF CHARACTER.

Mr. Ball was bonded out shortly after his arrest, but this was short lived. On a court appearance in February, 2016, Russ Edgar had Ball arrested under RICO violations and revoked his bail. Today, after numerous efforts to have the state produce evidence and motions to compel public defenders to do their jobs, Ball has now been incarcerated 450+ days. Here is a letter written by Mrs. Katherine Ball, Ron’s 93 year old mother to his last public defender. The letter is compelling.

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Here is a Facebook entry, posted at Ball’s request:

May 17, 2017

After being attacked and beaten on Friday, May 12, 2017, my 450th day of indefinite imprisonment at Escambia County Jail, I was again attacked by an African American Inmate on that following Sunday! This was a classic “sucker punch” from an individual half my age. I was knocked out and fell backwards hitting my head on the concrete floor, suffering a concussion.
Coming in and out of consciousness while being taken in a wheel-chair down to the Infirmary. I could tell there was something wrong with the right jaw area as my teeth were not and still are not lined up correctly. I now can’t chew and have difficulty swallowing.
An Escambia County Sheriff’s Deputy came in a holding cell at approximately 1:00 am this morning, May 15, 2017 to take my statement, appearing very irritated that I wished to press charges. He said that he saw what had happened on the Video and that I had been “pushed” rather than “slugged”. Such a notion is absurd and a clear lie. That Video must be subpoenaed because I have a swollen right jaw, and a broken molar – hardly possible to have been caused by a “push”. Since I hit the ground with my head, almost exactly in the cranium above the nape of my neck, it would be impossible to do such damage to my jaw from that impact. More cover-up by the jail, no doubt. Being from South Florida, my new lawyer will get to the bottom of this, unlike my previous ones!
What I found most laughable was the fact that after being knocked out, probably with a broken jaw, at least a fracture, it was I that was sent to “lock down” confinement, a small 6 x 10 cell with a toilet and a sink and bars that are shut 24/7, with the exception of 5 minutes each day to shower and 15 minutes
to use the phone. This is my life now, an indefinite imprisonment for 453 days!
I thank everyone for their support. Ron #aclu #prosecutorial
misconduct #abuseofpower #maliciousprosecution #falseimprisonment #corruptstateattorney #tyrannyexistsinpensacola #fakericocharges

Bill Richbourg, C’mon Down!

So in the long line of people who cashed in, exploited and turned a blind eye in the Billings case, I want to welcome Bill Richbourg to the cast of characters who should be on the other side of the bars that they put their clients in. Mr. Richbourg could arguably be the most deplorable of the attorneys who rolled over and played dead in this case. Mr. Richbourg was hired by Gary Sumner to represent him. He paid Mr. Richbourg. For 6 weeks seemingly, work was done to further the defense case for Sumner. But on April 25, 2011, the day set for the jury selection, Mr. Richbourg tells Sumner (as they approach the courtroom) that he could not win this case, Sumner had no option but to take a plea. Richbourg strong-armed a disadvantaged young black man. Then the state had the gall to sue Sumner for the time they wasted for trial.

But the best part here is that Richbourg had an agenda from the onset of representing Sumner. He represented Bud Billings in the adoption fraud suit that somehow left the “stolen” child with the captor. Richbourg organized that circa 1989-90.

Can you say CONFLICT???? Representing a man that is being charged with killing a past client and then tanking the representation? Cheryl Barnes, Gary Sumner’s mother, should be suing this man on Gary’s behalf. Not only unethical, but it rises to level of criminal when he forced Gary into signing away his life rather than actually representing him. Any civil rights lawyers out there should be on top of this.

But the people who failed to do their job in this case is so numerous. Richbourg is just ONE of the highly respected attorneys who dropped the ball.

Tony Henderson forced Lenny Gonzalez into his plea and signed off on the man’s legal mental competence, despite the SSI ruling that states the man has brain damage, dementia, and numerous mental health issues. Also his VAN WAS INOPERABLE. That was a defense within itself, but Henderson managed to negotiate Lenny’s fate which led to his death. Shouldn’t that be beyond malpractice as well?

What about the public defenders who handled Florence & Thornton? There was a huge case for coerced confessions but they never represented their clients. They took the money the state paid them and walked those boys into prison. Now their lives are cast in stone. Statistics say that uneducated black men imprisoned early (18-25) build “criminal capital”. They turn prison into a community that they are comfortable with, can network in, to feel a sense of inclusion into SOMETHING. It is the same psycho-social phenomenon that draws people into gangs. That is on Joel M. Cohen (Florence’s public defender), & Cheryl Alverson (Thornton’s public defender).

Richbourg has a great deal of company in his criminality. I hope to see them punished just like Eddins, Geeker & Sir David.

Confessions of a Lawman

*This post was written by a deputy at the ECSO.

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There is a problem in Escambia County. It is a problem that starts with the ECSO and its administration. The problem is not a typical workplace issue. The problem that faces the ECSO is one of greater proportion. It has become a plague that is reflected in the community. Staff members would want you to believe the problem is caused by disgruntled employees with agendas or grievances or because of the low level pay scale. They would say there are generational or societal differences causing friction within the administration. Point of fact, there could be cases that demonstrate any one of those scenarios. Any business with as many employees as the ECSO will have some cases of bad employees. It just is not possible to have a MAJORITY of employees that are unhappy or that fall into these categories. A fish rots from the head down. The most likely cause of the anathema in the ECSO is that the leadership has failed.

David Morgan may have had good intentions when he decided to run for the office he now holds. He likely believed that his ideas would improve our community. His vision was based in the understanding that he had from the point of view he could have as a civilian. I say civilian because he never had any LEO certification, training or experience enforcing the law. He has shifted that stance from outside civilian to now assert experience via uncorroborated military service. Please never make the mistake of believing he had any law enforcement experience based on the jobs he performed in the Air Force. One could not claim to be a chef because they can microwave a frozen burrito to perfection.

Becoming a law enforcement officer takes much dedication and commitment. It takes the ability to apply yourself to a change the way you view everything you ever learned. You understand that the authority that is given to you is a huge responsibility. You must learn to use the power that comes with being an effective law enforcement officer so the best outcome is reached even in the most difficult of circumstances. Morgan never had the opportunity to discover the path that leads an officer to the good even if there is only evil lurking along that path. The ability to make good choices isn’t taught in a classroom. It is impossible to read about the correct way to reached desired goals. Accomplishments are gained through experience and exposure to the real-life situations that are encountered each day as a law enforcement officer. Often the best lessons are taught through making a mistake.

Early into Morgan’s “career” as a law enforcement officer he was thrust into a very rare type of case for any officer. A murder with multiple victims. Morgan found himself in the spotlight. The cameras and lights in his face. All attention given to his every word. His one liners taken as candid talk from a law enforcement professional. Very sexy to hear the story but could not be further from the truth. Morgan got the opportunity to narrate a story contrived without all the facts in record time with a record number of suspects. Any seasoned officer with experience with homicide investigations will tell you that the case was too complex to unfold in this fashion under the scrutiny of the press and the community given all the factors involved. It was implausible at best to wrap the case up that quickly and self-serving and malicious at worst. But everyone liked him. The media loved his persona and bought the shoddy result without so much as a second glance. Morgan’s MO is to define a narrative from the onset then when facts come in, they are bent to fit the narrative. That’s what rookies do. The facts are supposed to structure the narrative. But Morgan is a storyteller. He tells a story, such as the humdinger or the “ritual” witch killing. The story led the investigation in both cases. The only things investigated were those things that went along with the story. There is no justice in that and by the way, how is that police work?

Morgan was given a taste of fame and importance. He began to believe he was the person that the media made him out to be. This is where the story takes a sad twist. Morgan started to act as his presence bestowed favor to the ECSO. Morgan believed he was such a capable individual he could understand a job in only a few months that takes veteran officers decades to fully understand. He believed he was beyond any person that has ever walked through the doors of the ECSO. Morgan sealed his destiny when he allowed his ego to guide his actions.

Take a moment to ask yourself a few questions. List all the accomplishments that are a positive result of Morgan and his leadership since being elected into office. I would guarantee that the first thought that came to your mind was either a campaign effort to lock your doors or that Escambia County was in the top spot for crime in Florida. Neither should be on your list. Telling citizens to lock the car door is not law enforcement it is common sense. Escambia County did not get to the top spot in crime because our doors were unlocked. Our county is at the top because we have robberies, murders, burglaries, and so many other violent crimes in our community.

Give one example of what David Morgan has done to decrease crime in this county. You could not say he has the manpower up. Our county has less experience on the street now than ever in the history of the agency. Our officers are working with less training and less guidance than should be allowed. There is not a doubt that Eric Haines would argue that the agency has more training than ever before and give you a total number of hours each officer spends a year in training. Understand that artificially inflating hours of training does not mean that the training is useful or beneficial to our community. It can be information to rely on when you are making a pitch to create the illusion that you have been useful in the leadership of the ECSO. It sounds amazing when you are on a radio show several times a week for convincing the public this agency-our agency–is above all others. I question why there needs to be constant reminders of why I should feel safe and not just feel safe.

The truth is our agency has developed into a public relations machine to further the iconic David Morgan and his celebrity status. We hire news reporters and public relation assistants. We have numerous radio and television programs. We have a studio that is dedicated to the production of scripted news reports and propaganda created by the Morgan machine. Why? Criminals will not be deterred by the “top cop” being popular. A criminal is reluctant to commit crimes when a law enforcement agency is strong on the enforcement of laws. If Morgan had performed as a law enforcement officer he would not have to be told that. He would know from experience that strong enforcement equals reduced crime. I guess that makes the point that Morgan was not ever a cop so he needs to be told.

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This is why crime is so high in the county. Morgan has turned our agency into a public relations apparatus. A sheriff should not be a huckster.

From the Horses’ Mouths….NO DIGNITY

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

–Martin Luther King Jr.

This was on LEOAFFAIRS.COM, posted Friday:

No dignity

Do not take any of this as personal. It is not intended to offend any person. It is an observation. The admin staff has some folks that always had the respect of the people they worked with as cops. They were people that others considered able and willing to be good cops. Then comes Morgan.

Morgan slips into the mix and things begin to change. He was hiding behind others because he had no law enforcement knowledge to pull from. He used others to protect him from being identified as the incompetent CEO that he is. When things went wrong he destroyed their life and careers. He called it “tough choices” and tried to create a belief he was really the one in charge. He isn’t and never will be. He has sacrificial lambs that he throws out when something goes really wrong.

He reached a point that EH was the next in line. EH has an agenda of his own and it showed in his failed attempt to be the shot caller. What he did do was manage to make all of the people that had respect fear him. They allowed greed and fear to dictate what decisions they made and didn’t recognize it was a mistake to follow such a weak leader. They were only concerned with moving upward. They lost respect and relationships because EH knew he had to separate the strong and neutralize their influence on the deputies that followed them. It worked because they turned their back on everyone and became the “leaders” EH said they should be.

Now EH has dismantled the ECSO to the point that we can’t function close to what is needed. He has created a very dangerous situation and had people believing the generation changes caused it. That would be a good excuse if it was occurring everywhere and not just in Escambia county. He created fear for the staff and fed them the information to assist in the process. They followed because they don’t want to lose their spot. They knew it was wrong but would stand up and take the chance of paying the price for crossing the furor.

How does this end? EH will walk away with a fat high five. He will muddle around until he gets his retirement and pretend he was a competent leader. He will make some money on that by teaching and talking about stuff he never did or better never could do.

Those who compromised their beliefs to be part of the crowd gets to see the ladder they were climbing get pushed over. Morgan will peddle their jobs put to those willing to play his game. Those who dedicated their careers to this place will be tossed out. It is exactly like he said in his first campaign. He doesn’t believe there are any competent people here and used all of you. You lost so much trying to be good enough for the puppet master. Your were not and never could have been. Of all that you lost the one thing you could never recover is your dignity. It is sad that you all allowed that and even became a part of the plan to rid yourself out of a job.

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Yesterday, 01:52 AM#2

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Morgan likes to use the term “wither on the vine” when he no longer has a use for someone and wants them to go away.

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Yesterday, 02:08 PM#3

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It will not matter. None of those people have it in them to admit when they are wrong. The embarrassment would be too much. They continue on allowing the same bullshit happen by the same people. Once you lose your dignity you slowly die or wither on the vine. I would believe he says exactly that.

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Yesterday, 10:06 PM#4

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Think about who you are talking about. EH, SA, SH, FF, BC, TY, TG, LD, to identify a few. In that crowd you have a wife beater, drunk, cry baby, one that’s always been lazy and avoided work, a selfish fat con man, and the leader of them has NEVER been a cop. He in fact does all he can to trash talk cops and tells everyone he doesn’t trust cops because they are liars. How does a man who beat his wife to the point of needing medical attention ever stay a cop much less a ranking cop? Then you have another that is such a baby he fights in court for months over wedding gifts because he could only married to her for a couple of hours. That is so hard to believe. Then you have one that can’t pay people enough to work for him and he does things to act like he is so professional. Why wouldn’t his boss ask the question of why he has a person that no deputy wants to work for ever. Is it because he is a little fat man with a bad attitude or because he talks about people behind their back. Maybe because he treats people like trash or pulls his gun out on them and acts like playing with a gun is ok. His boss don’t care because he is always drunk. A pathetic group. Embarrassing to the agency. If they had any trait close to being a man they would walk away for the way they have raped our employees for their good and nothing more. They will get a dose of their own medicine one day when they are on the hook having to answer for the wrongs they have continued to commit. Maybe if DOJ or somebody will look and see they are terrible people with no conscious and should never be in the places they are now. It wouldn’t be soon enough if it happened today.

I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Why Chief Deputy is Wrong About Crime Stats

Local crime rate: Is it up or down?

Kevin Robinson, krobinson4@pnj.com3:56 p.m. CDT July 4, 2016

This article was extremely inflammatory to me. As a criminologist, it is insulting and it is ridiculous garbage. Mr. Robinson, do you homework please.

Chief Deputy Haines and Prof. Hough are misleading the public with the interpretation of the statistics. First, Chief Deputy Haines is trying to look at the long term statistics to say you are safer today than in past decades. The problem here is that he is off point. The focus of all this is explicitly the time Sheriff Morgan has been in office. That is the time in question. Since he was sworn in, crime has been out of step with dropping crime rates within the state and within the country overall. The percentages have been disproportionately higher consistently throughout his administration. The attrition rate (loss of deputies) is directly correlated to this rate. Less officers = more crime.

The next misleading thing Haines throws out is about total arrests. Total arrests is no indication of crime. How many arrests were thrown out, improper or even resulted in numerous crimes being committed under that 1 arrest? He is trying to confuse you with interchanging 2 terms that are not the same.

Moving on, the following graph shows the God’s honest truth. Escambia County (from 2009-2015) has a higher crime rate than the state average—consistently. As for Dr. Hough’s suggestion that the .1-.3 percent increase is insignificant, in real numbers, that.1-.3 percent accounts for 200-250 more violent crimes. That is significant in Escambia County.

Now to address Dr. Hough’s claim that 2/3 of all crimes are committed indoors. The semantics here are ALL crime vs violent or street crime. His statement is about all crime. It is misleading by throwing in other crimes to diminish the statistical value. To make Dr. Hough’s 2/3 statement true, you must include white collar crimes such as embezzlement, fraud and identity theft. Those are not considered “violent”or street crimes and have no place in the statistics. Removing those crimes takes the veracity out of his assertion that 2/3 of crimes (that we are talking about) are committed indoors.

Subsequently, having directed patrolling (patrolling in high crime areas routinely, maintaining a police presence) has always positively affected crime rates. People are less likely to be the victim of a crime in the areas where there is more of a threat of incarceration. This is not rocket science. This concept can be reduced to simple human interactions. When you take your eye off of a kid, will they take a cookie they know they are not supposed to have? Possibly. Will they do it while you are there? Less likely. Reducing the opportunity for crime in the areas where it is most likely to occur is the fundamental cure to high crime.

Please don’t take my word for it. In Journal of Human Sciences, Vol 3 from April 2016, Murat Ozkan discusses the conclusion to his research which boils down to exactly this point. The article is called, “A paradigm shift in policing: Crime reduction through problem oriented policing”. The main high point of this article is that policing that focuses on people and their motivations for crime, doesn’t work; focusing on reducing the opportunity for crime to occur (ie locking doors, having police presence, proper lighting in high crime areas etc) works. This is an old concept that is still the most valuable approach to reducing crime.

Sheriff Morgan is trying to put the responsibility of crime on society. He does this by implying citizens don’t control their kids.Then he is implementing numerous neighborhood watch programs trying to make communities the police. If that worked, he shouldn’t have a job to begin with. People with the authority to put other people in jail are more compelling than people without that power, who potentially endanger themselves to try to stop a crime in progress. That is just good sense. It is denigrating for him to say “your bad ass kids cause crime and don’t call the police, fix it yourself”. That is the line of crap he is laying out.

Finally, Prof. Hough claiming that 2/3’s of all crime happens indoor is lumping in many other crimes than we are talking about here. Many crimes initiate out of doors. What crimes (relevant to the problem in Escambia County ) happen outdoors? Typically, prostitution, car jackings/theft, car burglaries and drug deals happen in open areas. Cervantes Street is known for a reason. Very few car burglaries, which are the big problem here, happen to cars within a parking structure or garage. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, most crimes happen to people transitioning between activities. In a car, leaving work or the mall, or even leaving home to go to work, school or what have you is where you are most likely to be victimized. That is the crime that can be reduced by police presence.

Also, be aware that according to senior deputies within the ECSO, there is a skewing of these statistics. Deputies have been told to code or report crimes with the least severe code they can. Making a burglary a petit theft for instance would keep that crime off the statistical radar. Sir David is shifty like that.

In the end, people feel the change in safety. More guns are sold; more padlocks or additional security items are flying off the shelves. This isn’t because they feel safer. Also, Eric Haines is doing the community a disservice by skirting the issues and misrepresenting the facts. He is still trying to justify his own inadequacy as Chief Deputy.

Moral of the story: Don’t let anybody try to throw statistics out to convince you one thing is true when you know it is not true. Several different organizations have labeled Escambia County more dangerous than it should be. The talking heads of the ECSO can’t explain that away. (Mostly because it reflects badly on them personally). And by the way, no billboard will make you safer either.

By the way, Mr. Robinson, you should fact-check the people you try to make look smart. You are slanting the information being delivered just as much as the Chief Deputy. You discredit yourself.

Why Not Having a Law Enforcement Officer as Sheriff Hurts Escambia County

Speaking to the skills Morgan brought to the ECSO, this is an example of a case from an actual court deposition of Chris Baggett. I have cut and pasted the relevant portions and as to not disclose any true case information:

The problems in this case are huge in terms of conviction. The fact that no one person was acting as a lead investigator by delegating exactly the job he is asking for help with and by FOLLOWING UP to make sure nothing but his directions are followed leaves room for the defendant’s counsel to attack the provenance and evidence, the accuracy of said evidence and even the intentions of the
investigators to try to circumvent the law.

Working for Judge Mapother a lifetime ago, there was one rule that anyone could get fired for and that was lack of documenting a case. If there is no documentation, it did not happen. Or at least, you cannot prove it happened. In criminal cases, if statements are not taken on the record or recorded in some form, they cannot be proven in court. That is what we have here.

_____________________________________________

Why is any of this important? Well this is important because in looking at the statistics of cases of the Circuit Criminal Court in Escambia County, the number of cases that are sent to the State Attorney that end up being dismissed for one reason or another—like improper evidence or insufficiency,–both of these are typically problems that initiated prior to the State Attorney receiving the case–shows that the State Attorney is more likely to dismiss and plea bargain a case than to fully prosecute it. Here are the statistics:

Nearly 20% of defendants had their cases dismissed or acquitted. 72% took a plea. Both are results of the state being unwilling to take their evidence in front of a judge and jury. 92% of cases are not being fully prosecuted since 2009. One has to wonder how many of these cases were screwed up by either poor police work or malicious arrests that Sir David seems to love. Just a note for the people awaiting a trial in the deputy sexual assault case, there is historically slim to no chance of this ever getting before the jury…ie no real chance for justice to any responsible level.

A Call to Action for Escambia County

Quote from a press conference 3/10/16 after a sting in Brownsville:

“You don’t have a law enforcement problem here you you’ve got a societal issue.”

I was absolutely floored that Sir David continues to blame the community for the crime problems. In a raid of Brownsville, they arrested 12 people who had been arrested some 49 times collectively. “We are doing our jobs by arresting them. This is a community problem.”

There are so many things wrong with that thought process. First of all, arresting criminals does not deter crime. The idea is to stop the crime prior to that arrest. If patrols are out interacting with the citizens of a county in a combined effort, crime is lower. If you are proactive in a community, you don’t have to be reactive as this Sheriff is. Has he not read anything on criminal justice? When you see an area turned around from crime-ridden to crime-free, they universally use specific components to succeed. As I mentioned, establish a law enforcement presence through patrolling AND working with the community. If the community does not work with police, neither will be successful. Get the deputies out in the area meeting and interacting the community.

Secondly, directed patrol in “hot spots” at “hot times”. This prevents the crime prior to arrest. It makes it harder to be a criminal if the police are constantly where they do business. The presence of this uniformly in the county results in a safer county.

Thirdly, lead from the top. A fish rots from the head down. Without strong leadership, you have ineffective policing. Morgan has shown he does not have a clue as to how to fix this mess he created. His second in command, Chief Deputy Haines, has no practical investigative or policing knowledge. He spends his time policing social media. With these two role models, there is no clear directive. It’s like kids with two parents who aren’t around, what kind of stability or discipline can the child draw on, when they never see it in practice?

Lastly, funding actual activities within the community to detour crime is supposed to be what the LET (Law Enforcement Trust) Fund is geared toward specifically. News Flash! The people Sir David is investing in are not doing anything to detour crime. Maybe he needs to worry more about doing his job and less with getting campaign and/or private money in his pocket. Fund after school programs, put more money into measures for neighborhood watch programs, DARE, MADD etc. But ultimately putting more money into deputies in problematic communities on a consistent basis—not just for a “sting”—will be the key to lowering crime.

These are common sense things. The head of the Sheriff’s office has been decomposing since 2009 and it’s working its way down in the form of loss of massive amounts of deputies. Some were bad apples but most were good guys who couldn’t lower themselves to the incompetence. One of the first moves is to get Haines off his ass and in the community. He needs to know the people in the problem areas. His face should be out there with the men under him

Ultimately, the decay of society as Morgan claims is an anathema for all of us. Every state and county has the problems. Escambia is not unique. The people there aren’t bad as Morgan’s claiming. He’s outright saying YOU, THE RESIDING CITIZEN, ARE THE PROBLEM. You didn’t raise your kids right. You didn’t do everything you could to make the community safe. That is a cop out. Society has changed, yes, but you know what? The safest county in Florida is doing something to counteract that by forward thinking law enforcement. Proactive policing, having a presence in each community. The deputies should be acquainting themselves to the people in their area. You should see them periodically through your neighborhood. You should know which deputy is in your area.

The residents can’t fix the crime; it’s on Sir David to provide a following of proactive deputies who know their jobs and do it. GET OUT OF THE CARS! Don’t wait for a crime to happen put someone in the “hot spots” patrolling. In turn that “hot spot” will move and you put people in the new location, eventually pushing outside this county. That is law enforcement. Not waiting for a robbery or murder and arresting people over and over.

To Sir David: Stop the crime before it happens. That’s what you get paid handsomely to do. When you say it is not your problem, you are disrespecting every person breathing air in the county. You are pushing the problem onto the citizens rather than accepting the responsibility of your oath of office. Since you don’t seem to understand that, you need to get the f**k out of the seat.

The National Institute of Justice, under the Dept. of Justice says this:

Basic principles of CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) include target hardening (controlling access to neighborhoods and buildings and conducting surveillance on specific areas to reduce opportunities for crime to occur) and territorial reinforcement (increasing the sense of security in settings where people live and work through activities that encourage informal control of the environment). Most community policing models include the decentralization of police services, the collaboration of police departments with other city agencies (such as parks or utility departments) to resolve problems, and regular police-citizen dialog about perceived problems

Police can:

Conduct security surveys for residents and provide security improvements such as adequate lighting and locks.
Conduct park patrols and patrols of other public spaces to eliminate crime and drug use.
Use their substations to inform residents of high-risk locations in the neighborhood.
Work with urban planners and architects to review the designs and plans in order to enhance community security.
Prepare educational materials for building owners and managers to deal with problem tenants and enhance the livability and security of rental units. These materials are useful because they address not only the manner in which the physical environment is designed but also how the environment can be managed more effectively to enhance public safety.
Control traffic flow to reduce the use of streets by criminals and enhance neighborhood cohesion and resident interaction. Streets can be closed or traffic diverted to create residential enclaves that give residents greater control of their living environment.

The development of these initiatives affects various factors such as the level of communication and cooperation among police, city staff, and residents; the type, amount, and use of community education and orientation programs; and the methods by which crime prevention programs are described, measured, and evaluated. Currently, these factors apply more to law enforcement agencies because modifying a community policing model may require changes of significant magnitude.

While the Pensacola Opera may be entertaining, it does not meet the criteria of crime prevention programs or safe neighborhoods as outlined by statute to be funded by the Sheriff’s office. Nor does NAS. They have an awesome museum but it is not up to snuff for this funding.

Proper funding of deputies and community programs would aid in reducing crime statistics. The cronyism of paying your upper echelon of do-boys while claiming there is no money for raises to deputies is wrong. Buying a ticket to the society elite with law enforcement money that should be going into making the community safer is wrong. Until people see this, nothing will change.

GO TO THE NEXT ESCAMBIA COUNTY BOARD MEETING. THE COMMISSIONERS, PARTICULARLY LUMON MAY, SIGN OFF ON THESE RIDICULOUS, SELF-SERVING DONATIONS.

Since we cannot fix stupid in the Sheriff, let’s make his money people accountable. They allow him to do this with your money. Want to stop this frivolous spending? Go to the County Commissioners responsible for Morgan…that’s how you cut off his spending of Escambia dollars in return for campaign donations. You have a voice ESCAMBIA! Get your voice to the next meeting before it’s too late.

The Media Whore Returns

I have to admit I don’t quite understand the “Bonnie & Clyde” pursuit timeline. I have to wonder though how it was Escambia County deputies who shot the suspect, “Clyde” in Santa Rosa County with Santa Rosa deputies there as well as US Marshals. ECSO officers have been notorious to shoot first out of lack of training. I don’t know think that is the case; however, it has me wondering how they were the dominant agency in this shootout while they were out of jurisdiction with other in-jurisdiction and superior officers there on the scene?

I am not questioning the legitimacy but just the protocol that led to such an opportunity for Sir David to absorb the national headlines. Could the deputies have been told that he would have their asses if they didn’t participate in the ending of this story? I mean, c’mon! The shameless face time with a robbery victim and the interest in going out to the schools at election time. There has been speculation of whether that robbery wasn’t a staged event for the publicity. If Sir David’s integrity can be questioned like that, why wouldn’t he be so self-absorbed to make sure his agency was inserted into this national case?

But really who cares? It’s election season. Exploit every possibility, Sir David.

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*This post was written by a deputy at the ECSO.

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No dignity

I couldn’t have said it better myself!

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Local crime rate: Is it up or down?

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