A Times Editorial

New chief's first steps put force on right path

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 25, 2001

Largo's new police chief is off to a good start, and people in that community who endured one scandal after another in the Police Department in recent years may be able to exhale.

Lester Aradi started work in late February and already is winning praise from members of the department, even though all of his changes have not been popular ones. Perhaps that is because, so far, he has demonstrated that he wants to be open, inclusive and do the right thing.

His decision to require all officers in the department to wear bulletproof vests is an example. In the past, whether to wear a vest was a personal decision for Largo officers. Because the vests are bulky and can make being outside in Florida's hot weather even less bearable, some officers did not wear them.

But Aradi doesn't want officers hurt if a mere policy change can prevent it. So he declared that from now on, bulletproof vests are required equipment for officers.

Aradi made the same sort of policy decision about gun locks. When he found out that officers were not required to lock up their guns while off duty, he ordered 150 gun locks and changed the policy. He said he didn't want children getting their hands on loaded, unlocked police guns.

Aradi never has been a chief of police, though he was the popular deputy chief of the Buffalo Grove, Ill., department when he was hired to head the larger Largo department. But he has already established that he has the skills to lead the Largo Police Department from the quagmire it had been in in recent years.

He noted that the department has no physically disabled employees, though there are many jobs in a police station that can be handled well by handicapped people. He intends to hire some and decided to send recruiters to job fairs where they might encounter disabled people looking for work. "I think we can open up to a more diverse work force," he said.

He noted that the department has no policy on racial profiling, so he directed his staff to get to work on one.

And to get the department up to full force, Aradi is considering whether the requirement that every officer have a four-year college degree should be changed. The policy requiring four-year degrees was adopted with admirable intent a few years ago, but it reduces the candidate pool from which the Police Department can draw. Aradi has suggested that the city might actually be better off to require a two-year associates degree and two years of military or previous law enforcement experience.

Interestingly, Aradi also has suggested that two-year degrees could be acceptable if the job candidate speaks another language fluently. That he is interested in increasing the number of bilingual officers in the department is another indication of Aradi's interest in reaching out and serving the community.

As Aradi is learning his new job and correcting deficiencies in the department, he also needs to start building bridges with the public. For many years, Largo residents had a lot of pride in their Police Department. That feeling was damaged by the scandals and shortcomings that surfaced under the former chief. Aradi will have to convince residents as well as his officers that a steady hand is at the helm.

@87$temp$ $STPT$

ID: + Paper: +

Date: 3/24/01 Page: 8C +

Section: SPORTS Byline: LARRY BLUE +

Headline: Captain's corner Notes: +

A break in the weather -- this weekend's forecast for higher temperatures and somewhat diminished wind -- will bring king mackerel a little closer to our reach. But the difficulty will be locating clean water after all the northwest wind

If you find a school of baitfish, make a pass or two around them. If the baitfish can stand the mud, perhaps the kings can, too. Mackerel will be hungry and looking anywhere for an easy meal.

If conditions allow, try live baiting. It's best to use whatever bait you're fishing over, just remember to match the hatch.

You may have to cover a lot of ground to get a strike. Constantly adjusting your drift so you drag your baits through the school, or as close as you can get, should help. If you have a down-rigger, use it. Most strikes will be on the bottom, as the kings often are under bait. If you fail, don't worry. King mackerel fishing will get much better in coming weeks.

Also during early spring, sailfish frequent our area. Watch for the scattering of baitfish as the sailfish feed. At times, you may even see its sail break the surface. There is nothing quite like the outstanding way a sailfish walks on the water once hooked. Fighting and landing a sailfish is the consummate thrill in saltwater fishing.

-- Larry Blue charters the Niki Joe out of Madeira Beach. Call (727) 397-3773, or e-mail at CaptLBlue@aol.com.

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