Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Tampa uncuffed

The working girls finding they'll have to commute

By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER
Published June 23, 2005

Call it a sure sign prostitutes get the message they aren't welcome along Nebraska Avenue in Seminole Heights - where residents spend their weekend nights chasing them off with flashlights and police officers' blessing.

Recently, a known hooker walking around the central Tampa neighborhood asked a Tampa police sergeant in a marked patrol car for a ride. She told him she wanted to be dropped off north of Fowler Avenue, said Maj. Jane Castor.

"She told him she knew she couldn't get any work between Hillsborough and Fowler without getting caught," said Castor, whose patrol district runs from New Tampa south to Seminole Heights.

"She said, "I'll pay you $10.' "

The officer didn't bite, Castor said.

MARRIED TO THE LAW:It's not easy being married to a cop. The job is dangerous, stressful. The hours can be long and unpredictable.

A local forum for the spouses of law enforcement officers provides a telling glimpse into the minds and lives of cops' wives. On the Spouses Support Forum of www.leoaffairs.com , wives talk about the constant worry of having husbands who must deal with criminals. They console each other about cancer scares and infidelity. They give each other advice on raising teenagers.

And sometimes, a spouse conveys in a few poignant sentences what it's like to be an officer's other half.

Consider this passage posted recently by a woman who revealed only her first name, Victoria: "Before he was a cop, he had a different outlook on life. I'm not a cop, I'm his wife. I'll never know what he goes through. Just being a cop's wife, I am borderline paranoid and don't trust people. It's kind of sad. It's like you expect the worst out of people because you know the madness out there. Am I alone here or is this common?"

HOSTAGE NEGOTIATORS WIN TOP HONORS: The 11-member crisis management team of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has been named the state's top hostage negotiation team for the second year in a row.

Cpl. Todd Anthony, team leader, said Hillsborough's team was one of nine nominated for the award from the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators.

Sheriff David Gee, leader of the crisis team early in his career, called the team's members "unsung heroes."

Last year, Hillsborough's team went out on 14 calls.

"Sometimes these things go on for hours," Gee said. "We've had them go on for days."

Always, the situation is high stress, high pressure.

Team members meet face to face with suicidal people or with armed suspects holding people hostage at gunpoint.

"Hopefully, no one will ever need their services," Gee said. "But if they do, it's good to know they've got the best team."

Staff writer Kevin Graham contributed to this report. Contact Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler at 813 226-3373 or svansickler@sptimes.com

[Last modified June 23, 2005, 00:44:09]