A Times Editorial

Rice for sheriff

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 14, 2000

The Pinellas sheriff's department that Everett Rice inherited 12 years ago was stained by cronyism, financial irregularities and a disturbing pattern of officer brutality. It was the subject of investigations by the FBI, the U.S. attorney, the state attorney, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, grand juries and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Rice promised to clean up the county's chief law enforcement agency, and he has. He brought civil service protections to employees, stern discipline for misconduct and a level of professionalism that has won statewide acclaim.

Now Rice faces re-election for the third time, against two challengers who promise reform. The truth about this Sept. 5 primary is that it is really no contest. Rice is a seasoned law enforcement professional with extraordinary credentials: 29 years in the sheriff's department, moving up the ranks; a law degree from Stetson University and three-and-a-half years in private criminal practice; law enforcement certification from the Pinellas Police Academy and the FBI National Academy; graduate of the FBI National Executive Institute and the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute; former president of the Florida Sheriffs Association.

The would-be reformers are anything but. Opponent Jack Soule, St. Petersburg police union boss, has considerable local law enforcement experience. But much of his time in recent years has been spent in constant arguments with the city's current and former police chiefs, and he is now in a battle against a rival union to try to take over representation of sheriff's employees. Opponent Tom McKeon was a Philadelphia police patrol officer before retiring 17 years ago and moving to Florida. He promises bold "new ideas," but his campaign, like his previous campaign for county commission, has been marked by negative attacks and conspiracy theories.

This is not a tough call, which makes the implications for voters even more grave. Neither Soule nor McKeon has the educational, law enforcement or management experience of Rice. And both Soule and McKeon campaign with unstated grudges and uncertain agendas. What voters have with Rice is someone with a proven record.

In his years as sheriff, Rice has brought both reform and solid policing to the department. He has expanded community policing and patrols to increase presence in neighborhoods, formed a Citizens' Community Policing Institute and allowed deputies to take home their cruisers so they are immediately ready for duty in case of emergencies. His agency serves some 30,000 children in the DARE (Drug Resistance and Education) program in schools, has a hotline for school safety and has taken over from the state the investigation of all child abuse allegations. Rice has overseen the expansion of technology, including computerized crime reports, fingerprints, dispatch reports and video visitation and booking.

In recent years, the sheriff's department has been poorly served by some of the medical providers it contracted to take care of inmates in the jail. But to Rice's credit, he has explored alternatives, and he removed the private company and took over the medical care directly.

What makes this primary significant is that all voters will get the chance to decide its outcome. Though Rice, Soule and McKeon are running in a Republican primary, the lack of any other candidates triggers a new state constitutional provision opening the race to all voters. The winner of this race will become sheriff of Pinellas for the next four years, which is why all voters need to be careful. As history has shown, the sheriff's department is not to be trusted to just anyone. We strongly recommend voters keep Rice as sheriff.

Opportunity to reply

The Times offers candidates not recommended by its editorial board an opportunity to reply. Candidates in the races discussed today should send in their replies no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday to: Philip Gailey, editor of editorials, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. (Fax: 893-8675; E-mail: letters@sptimes.com). Replies are limited to 250 words.

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