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Changes Coming To Sheriff’s Office Cantonment/Molino Precinct
March 24, 2015
Rumors spreading on social media that the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office will close the Cantonment/Molino precinct or cut back the number of deputies in the area are simply not true, according to Cpl. Rodney Eddins, the officer in charge of the department’s patrol units.
There are, however, changes coming to Precinct 4, based on Hood Drive, and Precinct 5, the Cantonment precinct based out of an office on Highway 29 in Molino.
“The changes will be transparent to the public,” Eddins said, “but will allow us to better serve the public.”
Beginning April 4, Cantonment deputies will “muster” at the precinct on Hood Drive to being their shifts. There, deputies from the 4th and 5th precincts will meet with their supervisor, discuss the day’s priorities and learn the latest information about crime and activities in both precincts. As it stands now, Cantonment deputies simply just begin their shifts, often without meeting with a supervisor.
After the muster on Hood Drive, deputies assigned to the Cantonment precinct with return to their area– roughly from West Roberts Road north to the Camp O’ The Pine on Highway 29 near McDavid.
The actual number of deputies on patrol in the Cantonment and Century precincts will be increasing slightly as a new class graduates from the academy, Eddins said. And the Precinct 5 office on Highway 29 at Omega Drive will remain open and continue to be used as it is now.
“We will continue to offer the best response times possible, and people will continue to see the faces of deputies they know in their local area, plus a few new faces,” he said.
Comments
25 Responses to “Changes Coming To Sheriff’s Office Cantonment/Molino Precinct”
Every election we get the same ol promises made, promises not kept. More officers will be assigned to Molino and it never happens. With the population explosion north of nine mile every citizen should be concerned. If the almighty sheriff feels that a joint muster is needed then the supervisor should attend and then pass along the info obtained to each of the two officers working that shift.
Other than Jay and Kevin, do any of you all have any idea just how long the Cantonment/Molino Pct has been short handed? It has just about always been 2 on days, 2 some times 3 on eves and if your lucky, 2 on midnights. Now I know the numbers people at the S/O will say calls for service doesn’t meet any more Officers up there. If you have someone that goes to jail with a prisoner, then you’re normally down to 1 Officer up there until the other gets back. If it’s a DUI, you can count that Officer out for about 4 hours. If you have someone out sick etc.. you’re down again to 1 Officer. For the most part, there’s always been working Supervisors up there that understood the shortages but even then, West Roberts Road to Camp-of-The-Pines over to Santa Rosa one way and Alabama the other is a long way to drive when you’re being burglarized, getting your butt beat or being raped by someone. I complained, both Jay and Kevin complained trying to get more Officers up there and have always been told the calls for service doesn’t warrant the additional Officers. It’s sad to say, but it will take someones kin who’s a big monetary supporter of local Politics and/or an Officer to be killed before they’ll put more Officers up there. It’s always been react in lieu of act around that Office anyway. Every Sheriff that’s been in Office or wanted to be have always used the platform of putting more Officers up there to gain votes/support and it never fails once the Election is over, so is the idea of more Officers. Good luck to all you citizens up there on this topic with your Sheriff and make sure you brush up on the “Stand your Ground Law”. I for one have no problem with any of you dropping one trying to harm you or your family. Take care. Mike
Jay Camac for sheriff because his ideas make sense!!!
Whether the deputies muster or not or where the muster occurs is of little consequence.
What we should be discussing is the fact that there will not be any deputies permanently assigned to Cantonment/Molino. The Ensley precinct will “assign” a couple bodies up here on a daily basis. As Mr Camac stated, they will be pulled south to answer calls in Ensley and there will be no one up here.
There will be no ownership. We will lose the “local knowledge”. Most of the the deputies that work at the sheriff’s office have no idea how to get to Fairground Road, or Forehand Lane for instance.
Proactive patrol will virtually disappear within 4 months, and response times will increase by a sizable margin.
I worked in corrections and we called it guard mount. I have been around long enough to know that a law enforcement department can have the best of modern technology, but if you take that human face to face factor out it, you’re not going to be nearly as successful as you would have been with it. These officers are not just sitting around wasting time or lolly gagging, they are relaying pertinent information to their relieving shift. It always has been and will continue to be very vital for that human camaraderie at shift change in law enforcement.
The people thinking that mustering at the beginning of the shift is a waste of time,you could not be more wrong if you tried. At muster the deputy’s exchange information about people,cases their working and calls that they may have worked the previous shift,to include training. You can’t complete everything on a lap top or by texting the human element is needed here. Information shared among law enforcement is the most powerful tool, even more so then what’s carried on their gun belt.
As for how all this will work out only time will tell.
Sage 2 It is not a perceived problem when the number of deputy sheriffs employed at the Escambia County Sheriffs Office is at or below the number that were employed in 1994 when I started my employment there. It is also not a perceived problem when many shifts at the sheriffs office are short staffed. It is not a perceived problem when most units in the investigations section at the sheriffs office have fewer deputies than they did in 2008 when Sheriff Morgan took office. This is the reason why this new and improved staffing in Precinct 5 is happening. Bottom line, if it is implemented as it stands, there will be fewer deputies patrolling Precinct 5. While I have been retired for 3 years, I still have many former colleagues that keep in regular touch with me and I know the problems that the sheriffs office is experiencing. Precinct 5 has suffered staffing issues. You are correct, the citizens will make the final determination whether this plan has an impact on service and the crime rate in Precinct. 5 and I am now one of those citizens.
All the comments…pro or con reflect somebody trying to relate a solution to a “problem” perceived either by the public or retired ECSO officers. Walk a day in the shoes of a law enforcement officer. If retired, you have experience…but enjoy your retirement, you’ve earned it and are still here to talk about “circumstances.”
Our job as citizens, are to support the Sheriff and upon finding him unworthy to hold office, vote him out. We pay this sheriff to make decisions based on sound input to render US the best service possible.
Otherwise, cut the chatter, get on the train and call the ECSO if you have a problem with either the administration, behavior or implementation of the Florida Statutes, applicable and back up your call with a letter or email to the appropriate source.
Remember, the law enforcement officers are what keeps this society of OURS civil, to say the least.
@Oversight
I miss the “good ol days”. Dealing with these new tech punks is like dealing with a robot. No discretion whatsoever. However, it’s not just deputies. It’s FWC, teachers, employers, children, etc. Everyone is worshipping the image of the beast= computer. I’d literally give an eye to live my life anytime before the 1990’s. So just like mine, yours is an opinion. You don’t speak for me. Besides, we give deputies the power to use force but they can’t make their own choice on how to communicate ? WTH !
I feel that this is being sugar coated by the SO with wording. I’m sure it looks good on paper, but when it comes to boots on the ground, this won’t be good.
The north end folks need to be prepared for longer response times, especially when the Ensley area deputies get overloaded with calls. The few deputies who get put in the new”Molino/Cantonment” district will be most likely be pulled to go south.
Question to ask: if a deputy is in trouble at the north end of the new Molino district and his back-up is coming from the north end of Ensley, ( West Roberts Road) how long will it take for the deputy in need to get help? SECONDS COUNT!!!
I agree with Jay Camac now that precient 4 and 5 are under one roof it will be more common that deputies assigned to cantonment will pulled south to assist with the higher call load leaving cantonment/Molina wide open. the problem is that the staffing of the sheriff’s office, fhp’s, ppd and Santa rosa so have stayed virtually the same or even cut a bit since the mid 90s but since then I popualtion has grown by over 40,000. We need more law enforcement in this county to meet what is considered a safe ratio of Leo’s to population
As for the whole “muster” issue, yes can it be done via video conference. But in this line of work these men and women are brother’s and sisters it is nice to all be at one meeting place to talk and form friendships and bonds because unlike other jobs your are depending on that other person to have your back in a deadly situation
As for the traffic issue, yes do LEOs disobey traffic laws . Is it always warranted no. But policies of most agencies restrict the use of emergency lights unless it is an in progress felony or violent crime. But some situations such as an officer getting to call first with backup more than 10 mins away might make the other responding deputies push things a bit. Or if someone is following a dui it doesn’t meet the criteria above but you want us to get there quick right? I’m not saying it’s always right but you never know why that deputy/officer/trooper is driving so fast or turns the lights on for a quick second to get through the light but then shut them off.
As a retired Sgt. from the sheriff’s office who was a supervisor in the Cantonment/Molino precinct, I am concerned that there will be a shortage of deputies in Precinct 5 if this plan is implemented. The Ensley precinct, along with the entire sheriff’s office has a shortage of deputies on several shifts. The shift most impacted by the shortage is the Ensley 1500-0100 shift which has the same number of deputies as when I first started at the sheriff’s office in 1994. How will the public know that the Precinct 5 deputies who muster at Ensley precinct are working in Precinct 5 and not being used to help with the shortage in the Ensley precinct? Since the sheriff’s radio system installed several years ago is encrypted, there is no way for the general, law abiding public, to know what type of calls are occurring and where the deputies are responding from. Please, no, debate that encryption is necessary on the main patrol channels, so the “bad guys”, won’t know what the deputies are doing. I am not a conspiracy theorist, but with the patrol channels being encrypted and this change makes me wonder: Is the Cantonment/Molino precinct again being treated as a “red headed stepchild”.? I worked with and for Col. Eddins and he is a well qualified deputy, but any increase in the number of deputies in the past has been short lived. Response times have always been in issue in Precinct 5 due to its size. This change, will only increase response time. Seems like “Peter is robbing, to pay Paul”. As a frequent poster used to do: Jay for transparency in government.
@JT ……Have you ever heard of video conferencing? Are you aware that all deputies have internet connected laptops in their patrol vehicles? You are woefully behind the times if you thing they need to “physically” meet to do a face to face and exchanging information is as easy as sending a text.
It’s nice to see real supportive post for the men and women who put their lives on the line daily, especially when doing so for people who don’t appreciate or slam them.
If you have concerns or strong opinions on how officers drive and what ever else you don’t agree with, use that energy and put it towards where it could make a difference. Don’t attack the officers who follow procedure and what they are trained to do by authority, but instead attend a county meeting or contact the Sheriff. Bashing them on social media doesn’t make a change. Having your voice heard where it can make a difference does.
Take a second to think of what it would be like to be in their shoes or their spouse and children’s shoes. Never knowing if your loved one will make it home, missing holidays hoping they are safe, sleepless nights because they are running late and you don’t know if it’s because they are dead or just stuck on a call. These are human beings. They are wives, fathers, sons, friends, and one of us. Be the bigger person and use the negative energy, turn it to a positive in order to make a change.
There is enough hate in the world already. Don’t use to towards those who put their lives on the line every day walking into the unknown call after call.
molino jim sounds like an old has been from the good old days.
If musters are such a good thing, then why not have Century’s crew come to the face to face everyday too? I’ll tell you why – because it’s not an efficient way to do business. This ‘joint’ muster idea will soon again be re-discovered as a waste of man hours and it’ll fade away. Besides not every deputy gets 10-8 at the same time in outlying areas as they stagger start times across several hours. I’m sure these “musters” will work out real well with not everyone being there. So good luck with that. And God protect our law enforcers.
The S/O needs to make sure the outgoing shift is still 10-8 until the incoming shift musters out and makes the drive north or the northern part of the Molino area will be uncovered.
@JT – while I see your point, and I’ve heard that explanation before, I don’t understand why it is the case. The lights and sirens are safety warning devices to warn other drivers to watch for emergency traffic. I think speeding and driving aggressively without those warning devices active just opens up the county to liability if they were to be involved in an accident at a red light, rear ending someone by tailgating, or other accident cause. Back to the point, if there is not enough information to justify warning other drivers that the officer is breaking the speed limit and having to go through a red traffic signal, then why are they doing it? IF they are getting close to an armed robbery in progress and don’t want to tip off the bad guys, then they can turn off their lights and sirens when they get close. I always move over for them, but I really think there’s a huge safety and liability issue involved, in addition to giving the public perception that they are above the traffic laws, and inspiring other drivers to do the same things.
@ Oversight- the meetings can cause sharing of information from one officer to another that will be useful. While technology is great there are times when group meeting are also needed.It important everyone gets the same information for the area and if there are follow up questions they can be addressed at that time..
@Michael Weaver – Many times they are running a call that they can’t run lights and sirens to or do not have enough information to run lights and sirens to. If people would simply move out of the way instead of trying to prove a point It could cut seconds or minutes off a response time. Law enforcement sometimes don’t have much information on the calls they are responding to and have to do the best with what information they have.
With all the technology “available”…you need to use “spell-check”. Face to face briefings “Muster” not only brings both precincts up to date on daily happenings, but it help keeps supervisors accountable for their people and to check on their well being. Complainers gone complain…
I am very appreciative of the ECSD having a presence around the Hood Dr. area. Without their selfless sacrifices that area would go down hill very quickly. Many times they are called out to numerous accidents and suspicious activities keeping residents safe and businesses open.
@ Jane….Ditto
Pleased to hear there are new officers coming into our county.
It is always a positive thing to have more officers trained and in training on the streets and roads they protect.
It’s no surprise that we need highly trained and professional law enforcement services more and more here and in any community in the USA. Now we have to be increasingly aware of threats both foreign and domestic.
Thank you to the LEO and their families and loved ones….You are Appreciated.
That’s good , it should have always been like that.
Now we need to work on getting them to drive the speed li.it , use turn signals and stop tailgating people.
With all the technology avialible today, daily meetings are a step backward and a waste of precious time when officers could and should already be on patrol. And besides the lost time there’s the extra expense of wasted fuel for travel. Back to the “good old days.”
Thanks to the officers who serve and protect us! I hope whatever changes are made work well for them and help them do their job!