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Low-key police chief: good or bad?

Critics say Chuck Harmon isn't the leader for St. Petersburg, but his boss, the mayor, likes his style as drug arrests climb and complaints against officers drop.

By ALEX LEARY
Published January 15, 2006

	[Times files]
	"I just need to be careful how I balance," police Chief Chuck Harmon once told the Tiger Bay Club.

ST. PETERSBURG - Chuck Harmon was under siege from the start.

Immediately after he was appointed police chief in December 2001, questions arose from community leaders, residents and the officers he would try to steer out of the racially charged fog hanging over the department.

Could Harmon, a 19-year veteran who ascended quietly through the ranks, be a strong and visible leader? Could he stand up to City Hall when necessary? Would he be tough on drugs yet repair mistrust in the community?

Could the man who described himself as a "bland candidate," who never aspired to be chief, present a positive image for the department?

The questions linger four years later.

Harmon's tenure has been characterized by many as one of remarkable caution, of fear of making decisions or upsetting segments of the community. When he has stepped out, the result has not always been favorable.

Today the 46-year-old chief seems nearly as uncomfortable in the spotlight as he did on day one, lacking the polish many expect.

"There's not going to be a big splash when Chuck moves on," community activist Lorraine Margeson said. "He's keeping the department running but hasn't made the grand improvements that were hoped for. ... The city has squandered an opportunity to find a leader to inspire the troops and work with a free hand."

Mark Deasaro, a police officer and union official, was more direct. "I don't think he's dumb at all, but he doesn't have any charisma or spark," he said. "It's kind of like directing traffic. If you're wishy-washy, you're getting run over."

But Harmon is still standing. Indeed, the same traits that frustrate his critics are lauded by others, including his boss, Mayor Rick Baker, whose landslide re-election in November assured his job security. Harmon's careful management style is seen as a way to involve the community in key decisions, such as giving officers Tasers, and as a calming influence.

"It's a mistake to read his demeanor to mean he's not strong and effective," Baker said. "He's very strong in my opinion. He is very deliberate and calm under pressure. I have absolute trust in him."

Drug arrests were up 28 percent in 2005 and at the highest level in five years, while residents' complaints against officers have fallen sharply. The total crime rate, however, has remained flat.

"I wasn't sure in the beginning that Chuck was the right man," said Darryl Rouson, former president of the St. Petersburg chapter of the NAACP. "I certainly believe now he has matured into the job."

Rouson credits Harmon for reaching out to the black community. Rouson said there seems to be less racial division inside the department. Harmon has promoted two black officers to high ranks.

"I think he wants a peaceful community."

Peace was a fading concept on Dec. 18, 2001, the day Baker fired then-Chief Mack Vines, whose description of an arrested black man as an "orangutan" sparked outrage.

Harmon had been a finalist for the job Vines got, but the decision surprised those who never considered Harmon a player. Harmon's own words seemed to validate pessimists. At early meetings, he said he had no intention of shaking things up, and he offered no solutions to the department's myriad problems, including low morale and high turnover.

Longtime resident Joan Deguire recalled Harmon's first political appearance at the Tiger Bay Club. She asked Harmon whether he would follow the path of least resistance with drug enforcement or "put your head in the noose" and get tough.

"I just need to be careful how I balance," Harmon replied.

"He always plays it safe," Deguire said last week. "I don't think he's been pushing hard enough. He should be rocking the boat."

Deguire said Harmon has not been as tough on drugs as he should be, a knock on former chief Goliath Davis as well.

Despite statistics showing more arrests, some neighborhood leaders say the drug problem seems no better. Others say it has gotten worse since community police officers were pulled from neighborhoods for special assignments or additional duties, such as responding to 911 calls. They are being used downtown for First Friday celebrations and at BayWalk.

"There's a feeling the Police Department doesn't get it that there's a connection between small crimes, quality-of-life issues and crime rates overall," said neighborhood activist Steve Plice.

Still, he created a Street Crimes Unit that produced a 30 percent spike in drug arrests in 2003, the first increase since 1999.

In 2002, Harmon asked the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office to help combat drugs. Some wondered why St. Petersburg could not handle its own problems.

In April 2005, tension overflowed when a sheriff's deputy shot an unarmed drug suspect in St. Petersburg. The Uhuru activist group demanded the sheriff's office pull out of the city, saying Harmon invited them to do his dirty work, a charge he denied. Then Harmon angered officers when he said he had "questions" about the shooting. The deputy was eventually cleared of wrongdoing.

Last year, the department attracted international attention over a videotape of a 5-year-old handcuffed at her school. In the media frenzy that followed, Harmon was his careful self, saying only that the incident was under investigation. The inquiry took months to complete and the officers received minor discipline.

Harmon acknowledged the misstep. "I probably would have come out a little more early and said, "These are the facts that we know."'

TV cameras are not kind to Harmon. His discomfort in front of groups is palpable. Harmon's most ardent detractors take delight in seeing his eyes roll back when he speaks, the gap showing between his front teeth.

Harmon's appearance, his weight, even his teeth, are a frequent subject on the Web site leoaffairs.com, where people can post anonymously.

Such personal attacks do not bother him, he said, but how the department is portrayed does.

"I think it's homophobic," he said of the Web site. "I think it's racial. I think every protected class has been attacked on that Web site at one time or another."

Some question his independence.

"It seems with any big decision, he has to go check with someone," said Sgt. Phil Quandt, a union official. "That limits his effectiveness as a leader."

Harmon said collecting opinions is sound leadership. Initially, he resisted calls for Taser stun guns because of safety concerns. But in 2005, after learning more about the weapons, Harmon created a panel of residents and local officials to develop guidelines. Tasers hit the streets this month.

"There's times when you are going to tell people to take the hill," Harmon said. "But when it's feasible and when a decision doesn't have to be made that day ... then there's a better process for building trust."

Harmon has tried to improve the workplace. In 2003, he won support for a plan to extend a take-home police car program to counter an exodus of officers. He started a new schedule that incorporates four 10-hour workdays.

Those and other moves helped staff morale, officers say, and the number of resignations dropped to 34 in 2005, down from 47 the year before. But a gap remains between the budgeted number of sworn officers (540) and actual (522 in November).

One officer who quit in 2005 detailed lingering problems. Edward Remia, now a Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy, wrote in a letter that some officers seem to violate policy without penalty while others are suspended or lose their jobs. Harmon denies there is any favoritism, and said he deals with discipline on a case-by-case basis.

"Police officers have a higher standard of conduct than anyone else in the city," he said.

Harmon has overseen a period of relative stability in the department. He has two years to go before he can retire but would like to stay through Baker's second four-year term.

Harmon said seeking the balance he mentioned at the Tiger Bay Cub four years ago has been hard but worthwhile.

"When I need to be, I'll step out front and do what I need to do," he said, adding that he doesn't find it necessary that often to "be so visible." He'll let others decide whether he succeeded.

"Everything seems to look more calm and quiet," said neighborhood activist Ingrid Comberg. "Of course then the question is why. ... It does not mean everything is wonderful."

Former City Council member Jay Lasita pondered the effect of Harmon's personality. "Is a low-key, less inspirational police chief a good thing to have in the grand scheme of things? Possibly not, but within this particular context, maybe it is."

Alex Leary can be reached at leary@sptimes.com

OCCUPATION: St. Petersburg police chief.

SALARY: $133,561.

AGE: 46.

BIRTHPLACE: Rockledge (Brevard County).

EDUCATION: Rockledge High School; bachelor's degree in criminology, Florida State University, 1982. Master's degree in public administration, Troy (Ala.) State University, 2001.

FAMILY: Married 19 years; two children, age 16 and 18, and a stepdaughter, 27.

HOBBIES: golf and fishing.

[Last modified January 15, 2006, 01:47:20]