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Dangerous reality ends date with TV program
© St. Petersburg Times With his short hair, gung-ho attitude and ability to speak in sound bites, Hillsborough sheriff's deputy Richard Fitzpatrick is a favorite of the TV show COPS. Last Wednesday, sheriff's spokesman Lt. Rod Reder called Fitzpatrick to give him a heads-up that he would be needed soon for an interview for the show's 500th episode (which ran Saturday). They spoke about 7:30 p.m, Reder recalled, and Fitzpatrick "readily agreed" to help. Three hours later, Fitzpatrick was pinned under the flatbed of a wrecker, fighting for his life. He was speeding to a call, lights and sirens blaring, when the wrecker cut across his lane and turned directly in his path. Fitzpatrick's patrol car slid underneath, crushing the hood. He ended up beneath the dashboard. Tampa Fire Rescue paramedic Susan Tamme crawled underneath the wreckage to run an IV line to the deputy. She kept him hanging on during the two hours he was pinned. When he was finally freed, Fitzpatrick was taken to a hospital in serious condition. After his broken bones heal, Reder said, he will be back at work. That night, when he did not know how things would turn out with Fitzpatrick, Reder said he kept walking around his house, saying, "But I just talked to him." He called the experience "surreal." It was a reminder, Reder said, that "you never know in this business." ELEMENTARY LAW: The keen legal minds of Hillsborough County are accustomed to firing off tough questions. But with a parade of local elementary school students touring the courthouse for Law Week, the judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys have found themselves -- to their amusement -- on the firing line. It's tough to find more brutal interrogators than a group of visiting fifth-graders. They are innocent of rules of civil procedure. They ask rude questions. They giggle a lot, and sometimes try to talk all at once. And they can't be held in contempt of court. On Wednesday, kids ages 10 to 12 from Boyette Springs, West Tampa and Seminole Heights elementary schools had a go at a smiling Judge James M. Barton. What's with the black robe, they asked. A custom, he explained. In England they even wear wigs. Do people get on your nerves? Sometimes. Do you like yelling at people? No. How much do you make? One hundred and thirty thousand dollars. Dissatisfied with that answer, a girl asked: Are you rich? Judge Barton said he had a beautiful family. It made him the world's richest man. The answer was greeted with applause. No fifth-grader could quarrel with that. SPECIAL BIDDING: Got a beef with Tampa police? Want to bend the mayor's ear about your favorite city pet peeve? Or do you just love those guys, want to have a fabulous dinner with them and also give to a good cause? You or your business can bid your way to their company at "A Special Dinner for Special Athletes" to be held May 16 at Mangroves Restaurant on S Howard Avenue. The proceeds go to Special Olympics. The highest bidder gets to pick the dinner guest of their choice from Tampa police Chief Bennie Holder, Mayor Dick Greco, Jerry Wunsch of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and "Brutus the Barber" Beefcake (a pro wrestler), among others. The menu includes an hors d'oeuvres buffet, your choice of eight different entrees and two different kinds of chocolate torte for dessert. For tickets, call Cpl. Larry Timmer at (813) 245-1582.
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