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Child abuse duties shift to sheriffs
By CURTIS KRUEGER, Times Staff Writer
Kelly Kehres knocks on one of a thousand doors, wondering what clues she will find this time. "Who is it?" calls a young mother inside the apartment. "The Sheriff's Office," Kehres says. For nearly two decades, Kehres, 40, has stood outside homes like this one on a St. Petersburg alley, waiting to step inside the lives of families accused of abusing or neglecting their children. She has discovered babies with fractured skulls and stared into toddlers' bruised faces. She remembers a girl of about 5 whose parents punished her by searing her hand on a stove-top burner. Despite all her time in the field, Kehres began working for the Sheriff's Office only three years ago. That's when the Pinellas sheriff took over these investigations from the sprawling state Department of Children and Families. Last week, Gov. Jeb Bush said the concept -- an experiment under way in five counties -- has been so successful he wants to spread it across Florida. Shifting abuse investigations to sheriffs is a big part of his effort to break the DCF bureaucracy into smaller, community-based agencies. He said these local agencies can do a better job, and often have better oversight, than the oft-criticized department.
But the looming question is money. Sheriffs expect more money for this work than the state gives DCF. When Pinellas Sheriff Everett Rice tackled the project in December 1999, he got something that had eluded DCF: more than $1.6-million for 71 new Ford Contours and laptop computers. He also increased pay for investigators and put money in his budget for overtime. The governor hasn't said he'll force sheriffs to take over the job, so getting them on board will require similar deals. And although Bush's proposed budget includes $11-million for transitional costs, there's no guarantee the money will survive the Legislature in this tough budgeting year. Or that the money will be there in future years. "You and I both know that when times get tough, unfunded mandates are always attempted," said state Rep. Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg. Kehres likes working for the Sheriff's Office: It's well-organized and has the resources and know-how to support its employees. But none of that is on her mind as she waits on the doorstep for yet another parent. Think of a stressful job -- crushing workloads, deadline pressure, people screaming at you, the knowledge that a child's life is in your hands -- and it would be hard to top child protective investigator. These are the people who respond to calls to Florida's abuse hotline. They need the courage to work in dangerous neighborhoods, the guts to stand up to abusive parents and the insight to spot bogus complaints. Investigations were always run by DCF because most of the job does not involve crime fighting but social work. If a crime is uncovered, a criminal investigator is brought in. But in most cases, a team of social workers offers counseling, drug treatment or other services the family needs to make sure children are safe. The governor has said it's a job best suited for sheriffs. The Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee, Broward and Seminole sheriffs have taken over the abuse investigations in their counties. Others, including Hillsborough and Citrus, are preparing to join them. Bush generally has said that local agencies should provide social services because communities can have more say. In Pinellas, child abuse investigators have gotten things they had been demanding for years: lighter caseloads, cell phones and cars. Those changes have boosted morale and made it easier to focus on the job of protecting kids. But another reason for the change is that DCF's long history of problems has eroded its credibility with lawmakers. A parade of headlines have pointed to problems at DCF. An investigator in Polk County last year pleaded no contest to falsely claiming she had visited a 2-year-old boy who allegedly died from abuse. Last year, DCF's secretary resigned after revealing that the agency lost a foster child in its care. Rilya Wilson is still missing. Although Bush wants all Florida sheriffs to take over child abuse investigations, how that would work is unclear. A DCF spokesman did not respond to a list of questions about the proposal, and a Bush spokeswoman said details are still being developed. State Rep. Sandra Murman, R-Tampa, said the Legislature won't force the job on sheriffs. Instead, lawmakers hope money will be an incentive, said Murman, who heads the House subcommittee that handles social service spending. Legislators know it will cost more money, Murman said. Even when social programs are being cut, Murman said, lawmakers are willing to spend millions on this. "Child protection is the top, highest priority right now, and we know that we have to fund that right to get what we want out of it. We haven't been doing that in the past," Murman said. Still, some advocates wonder. Jack Levine, president of Voices for Florida's Children, said sheriffs need answers to some questions: "Does the state put on the table adequate dollars to do the job right? And more importantly . . . if we accept this relationship, will it be a long-term relationship based upon the possibility, and I would say probability, that caseloads will increase?" Those questions have occurred to Hillsborough Chief Deputy David Gee, who does not intend to start a complicated new program with 200 employees without the right amount of money, about $13-million the first year. But he's confident of getting it. The Sheriff's Office is negotiating a contract with DCF, and if it's not fully funded, the sheriff won't sign it, Gee said. If future funding lags, the sheriff doesn't have to continue. Another reason for his confidence: political clout. Unlike DCF, sheriffs are elected officials with their own base of support. "When those 67 sheriffs get up there during legislative (session), it's a pretty powerful force. They're going to talk loud and they're not going to want to be underfunded," Gee said. Murman agrees. "That seems to be the secret ingredient. . . . The sheriffs have been very persuasive," Murman said. Some sheriffs' offices already are convinced. "I really hate to get into finger-pointing," said Capt. James Cernich of the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, which is negotiating with DCF to take over the investigations. But under the current DCF-run system, "there were cases that could have been handled better that maybe left a child at risk." Cernich said the Sheriff's Office can provide better training for workers and better protection for kids. Job turnover in the Pinellas department was 15 percent last year, less than half the level at DCF among investigators, said Pinellas Capt. Dennis Fowler. Although they work for the Sheriff's Office, the abuse investigators are not uniformed deputies. They handle the initial investigations, and if abuse or neglect is severe enough to be considered criminal, uniformed deputies or police step in. Other agencies handle foster care and family counseling programs.
Back in the St. Petersburg alley, a mother of four in her early 20s opens the door. Kehres, who is a child protection supervisor for the Sheriff's Office, steps in. Inside, Kehres sees heaps of clothes piled in a bedroom, beds not put together, mattresses on the floor. Sloppy, but not necessarily dangerous. Still, Kehres worries when the mother says she sleeps with her infant child. It stirs memories of an old case: a well-meaning mother who breastfed her child, fell asleep, rolled over and smothered the baby. Kehres warns this mother to put together a bassinet and let the baby sleep there. Expect a followup visit, she said before leaving. This time, it was an easy case.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times state desk
From the state wire
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Pinellas Sheriff Everett Rice obtained funding for new cars and laptop computers and increased pay for investigators when his office took over DCF duties. Four other sheriffs have taken over DCF investigations, and others are preparing to.
