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Not A Priority Call: Sheriff Morgan Responds To Cantonment Sportsplex Vandalism
August 7, 2017
In an “Ask the Sheriff” video segment posted by his agency on social media, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan responded to a citizen inquiry about the department’s response to several recent acts of vandalism at the Cantonment Sportsplex.
Morgan said he was concerned about the incidents, but the vandalism is not a priority type call.
“We do prioritize calls, and while certainly your sports complex is very important to us,” Morgan said in the video (posted below). “It is a matter of priorities and by that I mean we respond to burglaries in progress, robberies in progress, domestic violence, drug dealing and all sorts of you know mayhem that’s committed upon our citizens in Escambia County.”
“Responses such as that are on a much lower priority. That’s not meant to say that they are not a priority and of course it is our tax collars pay for these complexes. We do respond to those.”
Morgan was asked about installing cameras, even game cameras, to catch the perpetrators, and he pointed out that would necessitate someone to check them and follow up on any leads.
“We’ll see if we can’t step up some patrol activity in that area, and we’ll do the best with what we have. Again, I share in you concern, I’ve been to your sports complex on more than one occasion and it’s a wonderful facility for the community.”
“But right now I would tell you that it’s not getting focus based upon a list of priorities that we have in Escambia County,” the sheriff stated.
In late may and early June, the Cantonment Sportsplex was the victim of vandals at least three times. Most of the damage was inside bathrooms and to a sprinkler system.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
34 Responses to “Not A Priority Call: Sheriff Morgan Responds To Cantonment Sportsplex Vandalism”
Why should this be a priority for the sheriffs department? Even if they catch these misfits they are not held accountable. Let’s just be glad they have not gotten hurt while they were busy destroying the park – their momas would sue and win large sums. Sad, but true. Our legal system is set up to reward criminals.
Can’t believe I’m going to say this, but why is this an issue? It’s actually not the departments job. Do we really want law enforcement handling issues like this…..shouldnt they be devoting their time to way more serious crimes. Why is this even a news article putting the Sheriff on front street- over this lol!!!! I did not vote for him, however he is 100% correct on this.
Unfortunately, I have to agree with northofI10 and Retired LEO. I was a big supporter of the Sheriff on his first run. I think one can be critical of leadership in the ECSD and still be a law enforcement supporter. I have to say, I think the Sheriff is getting the public caught in his battle with the BOCC. We have two elected officials in the North end. The Sheriff has chosen his path and he will answer next election cycle. Mr. Barry, I expect you to do your job as our representative. I ask you not to fall for the tactics the Sheriff has resorted to. Get the facts and make a rational decision on what we as a county can afford.
Sounds like we need a new Sheriff.
@ Esc co Leo for your information it was not totally about theft taking place. I was home alone on my front porch when this person came charging into my yard. I was afraid. I did not know what his intentions were and as an unarmed person sitting on my front porch I felt I had every reason to call the sheriffs department. Know your facts before you comment.
I bet that if it was Morgan’s property it would be a priority.
Escambia County residents—He’s fooled you not once, twice, but THREE TIMES! Now he’s in charge of the most bloated, top heavy, and good ole boy administration in county history and HE is demanding more money and citizens will simply have to put up with more crime until his temper tantrum ends. He campaigned against everything that he’s become and sadly the warning signs were there and ignored.
They can up patrols, that doesn’t mean the vandals will be caught. It’s not the sheriffs job to put up surveillance systems, lock citizens property, etc. you protect your own stuff.
If the managers of the park do not have the funds, out of the several hundred kids that play there I’d be willing to bet somebody does!! Do a fundraiser, ask for donations, I’d be willing to bet they could get a security/surveillance system for free, as well as have it installed for free if they couldn’t do it theirselves.
If nothing else, start a ” neighborhood watch” ask for volunteers out of those 100s of families til the vandals are caught..
Catch them, then the sheriff can do their job.
@Tara,
Perhaps the owner of the complex should rent out spaces for folks to have a flea market on the grounds when not being used for sports activities to raise funds. That road sees a ton of traffic and folks love yard sales.
“Your urgency is not my emergency –unless you show me the money..Got it Escambia citizens..” “do you hear me NOW” ??
The police should definitely keep a close watch on The Cantonment Ball Park. If the vandalism continues, they will be forced to close the park. That would be a great injustice to all of the hundreds of families that benefit using the park with their children involved in sports.
@ jacks branch resident
If somebody ran into your mothers yard and stolen something, it wasn’t a “robbery.” At most it was a “burglary” but most likely a “petit theft.” Which is a very low priority call compared with other things going on in the county. I’m sorry she lost her garden gnome, but when people are being shot, kids are missing, and stores are being robbed, that has to come first.
Although “vandalism is not considered a priority call”, the department should surveil the ball park. The citizens of this commmunity collaborate to pay for the park. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
You cannot make this stuff up. People mad at LEO because kids want to vandalize. Kids will vandalize. Get cameras. It cost less than $500 for an eight camera system. Capture the kids who think this is cool on video. Turn the video over to the Sheriff, and catch the stupid kids who think this is cool. Please do not make this into a capital crime because it is kids being stupid, and the reason we do not have money for cameras is because we spend 50k a year putting dopes and mopes in jail who are non violent. Folks, I want the Sheriff prioritizing violent crime, and I do not want stupid kids letting off steam being incarcerated for years while taxpayers pay the bill. The best deterrent to crime is cameras, and you can afford cameras when some old fashion common sense comes back into this broken system.
Jacks Branch Resident: That is NOT a robbery. A robbery is where force is used to take something. What you are describing is a theft.
My mother was on the phone with 911 as someone ran in her yard and stole items off her property. This was around4pm. At 730pm she called back and said forget about it. Thankfully she was not harmed during the robbery.
There is a reason for less patrol in the Cantonment Molino area, mid 2016 the sheriffs office under order of the Sheriff closed the Molino/Cantonment office and transered all the officers to the Ensley district. And the superbisors were told if man power allowed ot then a deputy would be sssigned to that district. On overlap days they double the officers to make it look like there is coverage up here.
Look at the responce times since that happened, we need the office back opened and officers assigned to this area again.
There are days when any elected official can do nothing right or say one single word that will please everyone. Yet, David Morgan is the Sheriff of Escambia County, Florida and was voted in that position.
So many wise and prudent comments are posted herein and then some that are well ??? meaning, I suppose.
Sage2 for freedom of speech and an ounce of community support for the ECSD!
Groan — Woe is US
Just another photo opp for the esteemed sheriff to get his mug out in the media and to also use the “Poor Old Me” plea for ‘Mo’ Taxpayer Money”.
For sure there are higher priorities than vandalism yet as some have pointed out the vandalism often escalates to more invasive and problematic issues for the law abiding public.
Surely, the Street LEO’s are busy and understaffed due to resignations, retirements and just plain getting fed up with the hierarchy in the department.
More pay of course would help to stem the “Green Flight” and no argument there.
Street Officers are OUR First Line of Defense against the Bad Persons out there and Lordy there are a whole bunch of them.
As much as anything it seems the citizens and public have become aware of misuses of resources and have grown thin with a sheriff whose greatest concern seems to be making sure he is noticed.
Lord, PLEASE Watch over our LEO’s and all of the Wonderful First Responders.
Obviously if someone is currently in danger, that should get priority because waiting could result i injury or death.
There are other dangers which deserve attention, though. Vandals are a danger to all. They have no concern for the neighbors they are robbing by destroying their property. They may do great bodily harm if some unarmed person comes across them i the process of destruction.
There is no reason to think they are good citizens in everything but their destruction of public property.
Lower priority?
Yes. Low priority? No.
Not catching and stopping them encourages them to continue and others to copy them.
As to the billboards, that is a benefit of being in power. You get to have the taxpayer pay to put your picture up for the public to see and admire while advising the voters to not do things .which might encourage good boys to go bad.
David for proper priorities and photogenics
EMD, please tell me why Morgan promoted two Sergeants to Major with salaries well over $70,000.00? Both put up campaign signs, walked door to door campaigning for him and donated money to him. One is also the husband of his Secretary. Both were promoted over many Lieutenants that have more qualifications and seniority. One of them only supervises no more than 6 people. If that’s not “good ole boy” stuff please tell me what is. Every Deputy at that agency deserves a big pay increase, but why do the two new Majors deserve one?
To Taxpayer: If so many people were not so negligent about things like locking their vehicles, or doing other common sense things, there would be no need for a bill board. As to your comment that, “He is only concerned about himself, but that is nothing new,” that is a judgement call that only God can make. Do you know your judgment is true? Can you see into his mind and heart? If he did not put up billboards, there would be those who criticize him because he didn’t. I have talked to him more than once, and though I also cannot see into his mind and heart, I personally perceived that he is a compassionate and caring person. More and more I am understanding why King David wanted God to judge him, and not the people. I agree with FRED about the community taking some responsibility for patrolling their community facilities. RETIRED LEO…….I have heard talk about the deputies not wanting a perceived “outsider” as their boss, because he is not one of “the good ole boys.” True, I do not know this “boss” personally, but the few times I have encountered him, I liked him and believe he is doing his best, and THAT is ALL anyone can do.
>>This article, while well – meaning I’m sure, puts this negative light on our sheriff while ANY sheriff would prioritize the same way.
The article does not put a negative light on the sheriff….he did that to himself. Did you watch the video? The article is simply a word-for-word synopsis of what the sheriff said and posted on social media. The article is simply bringing his words to a much wider audience.
The security cameras are cheap and you don’t need to monitor them. They record, when there’s a problem rewind.
Then again when the ECSO can’t even have their own website running proper they probably shouldn’t be the ones with access.. :/
I am a mother of a child who plays at the Sportsplex. I am also someone who has helped clean up the mess from these jerks who obviously weren’t raised right. And speaking from both sides of the issue it is ridiculous to assume ECSO put a vandalism call in front of the personal threat of safety of a citizen. The problem with putting up cameras is that the peoole who run the complex don’t have the funds to afford such a system. They already put thousands of dollars of their own money into the basic upkeep of the Sportsplex & simply do not have the money. We’ve tried To set up fundraisers to generate income to afford such luxuries and they proved fruitless. We’ve advertised community yard sales and raised thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from the community to sell for profit and yet despite all the advertising no one showed up to support this community complex.
This article, while well – meaning I’m sure, puts this negative light on our sheriff while ANY sheriff would prioritize the same way.
How would you feel you called 911 because you had an armed burglar in your home only to find out they decided to go look at damage done by vandals first? Common sense y’all. And for the Morgan haters, why don’t you go to a BOCC meeting & take your complaints there instead of hiding behind a keyboard? You’re doing NOTHING to help. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
No matter over the decades who has been voted in for sheriff, we understanding people always find fault ..security is our own problem –be it at home business…
However on the other side when the sheriffs job comes up..run for office and solve all of the readers problems….
Furthermore…tax payers do not pay for Morgans billboards…or rental space for advertisements. So complain away and continue to be part of the problem. It dont take any effort to post on things like this or complain.But, it solves nothing but to be a complaint forum …
Look in the mirror and see the problem. How people are raised, leaving children for years by themselves to have other minor children “care” for them unsupervised.and blame society and the legal system when the kids get arrested…when you have to confront your inadequate parenting skills. Thats everyone elses fault too right.!
If you dont like what you have created change it. Bitching about it and cutting each others throats have never worked….but that tales no effort….viscous circle that never ends …yet some post are not “approved” for editorial personal reasons if not ignored completely . That takes no effort and adds to the real issue. The world is too busy playing politically correct bingo with narratives to keep from p-off others who do not agree ..tales no effort either. Right back where we started
Eric and SW,
I don’t know if I agree with you about the traffic enforcement and the mowing, because there doesn’t seem to be much going on in either category. I see deputies speeding, running red lights (without their lights going, and they should be running lights any time they are driving outside normal traffic laws for the safety of other drivers), tailgating, and ignoring egregious traffic violations all the time. And, there are so many locations where the weeds are chest high that I can’t even count them, so I don’t know exactly what the BOCC is thinking about other than roundabouts on the beach and talking to the media about their feud with the Sheriff. Perhaps a neighborhood watch group could take action at the park. Hunters could place their game cameras there in the off-season, and probably get some good evidence. This is and area where the Sheriff *should* place emphasis, since it is a recurring problem.
You ain’t seen nothing yet! This is only the beginning of Morgan’s bullying because he’s not getting his way. Eric Haines why don’t you tell the public about the high dollar salaries the administrative staff receives, make sure you include the assignment pay please. Tell them about the span of control for each of them, especially the Major who supervises very few personnel. Please enlighten the public on the salary for the PIO, Ms. Southern. Include the salaries of the Facebook person and the videographer. Tell us how much is spent on all the billboards around Escambia County. While you’re at it please please tell us all why we now need two Chief Deputies when the agency is so short of personnel? Can you address the rumors about the intended hiring of another Captain, the gentleman who is about to retire from a federal agency. I fully expect you to be sarcastic and demeaning in your response.
Whip someone’s butt and it becomes a priority then
Just sayin
This is what happens when law enforcement is an afterthought to the BOCC. They will spend millions on parks, boat ramps, and community centers with no thought for security. They are sure to work in all the other costs under them like mowing, cleaning, and maintaining, but cameras or cops? Nah. The same can be said when they approve subdivisions, roads, speed limits, ordinances. The list goes on.
Open the Molino\Cantonment Precinct back up. I live in Molino and can tell a difference from when it was opened and since it has closed. There is no where near the presence of Deputies now than when it was open a couple of years ago.
Maybe deputies should be less concerned with traffic enforcement (aka revenue generating) and dedicate more time to patrol? Let FHP take care of traffic (revenue generating). That could free up quite a few deputies.
The taxpayers should not pay to have his mug shot on billboards, throwing in small slogans such as – lock your vehicles, etc. That is a waste of taxpayers money and easy, free campaign advertisement. He is only concerned about himself but that is nothing new.
It isn’t the Sheriff’s job to install camera’s, that the sport complex people, regardless who own it. I understand what he is saying and it is a matter that is important but deputies respond to calls based off of a priority number. Criminal mischief is always pushed towards the bottom of the list when calls involving violence or potential violence are put near the top. It’s the nature of law enforcement around the county and has been since systems became computer assisted. Thefts, criminal mischief, lost property, harassing phone calls, etc., are usually near the bottom when dealing with domestic violence, robberies, burglaries UNLESS it’s an “in-progress” call, that is always a priority, moved to the top.