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Free class is path to detention deputy job

The Sheriff's Office is willing to pick up the $1,500 tab for the 22-week program because it needsdeputies to fill its less-glamorous jobs at the jails.

By CHUIN-WEI YAP
Published July 5, 2006

Even deputies, it seems, get jailhouse blues.

Faced with a shortage of 21 jail deputies, the Pasco Sheriff's Office is introducing a program called Detention Academy to bolster its ranks.

Conducted in partnership with the Pasco-Hernando Community College, the academy is a 22-week evening class that costs $1,500 in tuition fees for each of its 20 cadets - but the Sheriff's Office will pick up the tab.

The program comes amid thinning ranks of detention deputies.

Of the 189 full-time detention deputy positions that Pasco approved, only 168 are filled, said department spokesman Doug Tobin.

Patrol and detention positions are paid the same rate: $16.97 an hour.

But - blame human nature - one position is nearly eight times more popular than the other.

Since January 2001, there have been about 30 transfers from detention to patrol, and only four going in the other direction, Tobin said.

"That seems to be the trend, at least what we see here. (The two kinds of deputy jobs) both have danger aspects," Tobin said. "It's just a matter of looking at it a little differently."

A major draw of being a patrol deputy is the cruiser, Tobin said.

Having a patrol car allows for more freedom, and deputies are allowed to take the vehicles home, if they live in Pasco County.

The take-home policy also improves beat patrol coverage and a visual deterrent to neighborhood crime, Tobin said.

Training for both kinds of deputies are roughly the same, emphasizing first aid and defensive tactics, said the college's law enforcement academy coordinator, Jim Lefevre, who is helping to set up the detention academy.

But, at training time, the difference again comes down to those flashing blue lights.

"If you're going to go into detention (as a deputy), you don't need to learn driving," Lefevre said.

Still, the Sheriff's Office hasn't had any trouble filling the detention academy roster. With just 20 slots available, the department is already looking at 18 to 20 applicants. It is still open to others who are interested, but applicants should not expect a short-cut interview process.

"They will go through the full process of a formal offer, including a psychological exam and polygraph exam," Tobin said. "They need to have an 'exemplary background.' If you have a lot of speeding tickets or if you have drug charges, it's not going to look too good on your application."

The Sheriff's Office approached the college in May to propose the academy, Lefevre said.

An orientation session for prospective students in mid May had already yielded at least 50 hopefuls, he said.

Lefevre said the program is ready when the deputies are. "When they notify us, we're ready to go," he said.

The academy is expected to start July 28 or Aug. 7, depending on a final confirmation of the roster, Tobin said. Depending on demand, the program may be offered again.

Training will be held at both the college's east campus in Dade City and the county's Land O'Lakes detention facility. Trainees can hold on to their current jobs during the sessions, which run Monday through Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Detention Academy

A partnership between the Pasco Sheriff's Office and Pasco-Hernando Community College offers a 22-week course for people who want to become detention deputies. The classes are free and available at the college's Dade City campus and the Land O'Lakes detention facility. For information, call the sheriff's human resources section toll-free at 1-800-854-2862, ext. 7791.

[Last modified July 5, 2006, 00:33:36]