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Retiree steps in as interim chief

Frank Ross has been the chief of three Florida police departments and one in North Carolina.

By JONATHAN ABEL
Published March 29, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - Brooksville police Chief Ed Tincher was an institution.

After 29 years on the force, Tincher had become almost synonymous with the city's Police Department.

But Friday, after a six-week investigation faulted Tincher for various problems at the department, he was put on unpaid leave.

Acting City Manager Steve Baumgartner quickly named an interim replacement.

So who is the man charged with filling Tincher's shoes? What does the new face of law enforcement in the city of Brooksville look like?

Wire-rimmed glasses. White hair and a white beard. The face belongs to Frank Ross, a retired police chief with 24 years of experience heading up various departments.

Ross, 62, is a man with a penchant for consulting. In his spare time, he reads best-selling books on business management.

He retired in 2004 and has done some consulting work, but this is his first opportunity to run a police department as an interim replacement.

"I'm excited, enthused, optimistic and energetic," Ross said Wednesday, his third day on the job.

With all the issues swirling around the Police Department, Ross's top priority is to do an evaluation for himself.

That initial evaluation, he said, will take three to four weeks and involve reading all the paperwork and correspondence, as well as conducting his own interviews with every member of the Police Department.

Then he'll get into the nitty-gritty work of making changes.

"No professional would come into this department and make rapid changes without first observing all the circumstances," he said. "At this point, that would be foolish."

Ross said he'd even be happy to talk with Tincher if the suspended police chief wanted to stop by.

As it stands Tincher has applied for medical leave. His doctor says that he is not able to return to work. He also has the opportunity to challenge the findings of the investigation.

If he is successful with his challenge - and if his heart condition permits - he could return as police chief. Otherwise, it will be up to the next city manager - The city manager's job has been open since Richard Anderson was forced out by the City Council in January. -to select a police chief. Ross said he is not interested in a permanent job.

As it is, he is walking into a difficult situation.

On the same day Tincher was suspended, an independent investigator released a report about deficiencies at the Police Department.

The report blamed Tincher for not maintaining the evidence room, for discriminating against women in promotions, for using his power to intimidate people inside and outside the Police Department, and even for misusing guns and property that the department had seized.

Ross said he didn't want to prejudge anything. He has purposely kept from reading about the scandals at the department. He wants to find out for himself what his employees are like.

"Wherever I go, I never review personnel files until I've had a chance to talk to (the people) and know them," he said.

One place, however, where he has identified a problem is in the department's turnover.

In the last three years, according to the investigator's report, 19 officers have resigned or have been discharged.

That's a large number for a department whose roster hovers around 20 officers.

"I love challenges, that's what motivates me," Ross said. "This will be a challenge."

Ross served in the Marine Corps from 1962 to 1966, including a stint as a military police officer.

After he got out of the military, he started with the Titusville Police Department and advanced up the ranks before becoming police chief in St. Cloud in 1980.

He later served as chief for the Kissimmee Police Department and the Waynesville Police Department in North Carolina before returning to the Titusville department as chief in 1998.

He retired in 2004.

Brooksville is paying him $1,500 per week, or roughly $78,000 per year. In addition, he's getting a $500-per-month housing allowance, which he uses to pay for the recreational vehicle park where he is staying.

During the week, he lives in Brooksville; on the weekend he goes home to Titusville, where one of his sons is still in high school. He is the father of four and a grandfather.

In 2004, his wife who was a deputy sheriff, was killedin the line of duty in a traffic crash.

Jonathan Abel can be reached at jabel@sptimes.com or (352) 754-6114.

[Last modified March 28, 2007, 22:58:58]