Hillsborough Sheriff's Department: Conflicting Messages

The Exterior of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office has an inviting air about it. A subtly landscaped courtyard gives visitors the feeling that they have entered into a re-purposed beach motel.

Memories of child hood visits to the seashore danced through my head. A smile formed across my lips as I recalled the sounds of seagulls calling out to their airborne pals.

Just as suddenly as the memories had arrived, they disappeared, as we ascended a flight of stairs and entered the building. A mass of students filed into a world of sterile bureaucracy.

The shift of emotions that I felt were a prelude for what was to come.

At the end of long table, in a slightly intimidating conference room, an ominous sign reading, “Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department”, glared at us. Eerie reminders of members of the Sheriff’s office, debriefing reporters about details of breaking cases, flashed in my mind.

After a drawn out ordeal seating a room full of anxious students, we were greeted my Cristal Bermudez and J.D. Callaway, who work with a team that deals with any media issues that face the Sheriff’s department.

The initial mood was open and welcoming. Bermudez stressed the importance of the media and the police department working together.

“We are on the same team.” She said.

Callaway reiterated the point, making sure to point out that there is a lot of information available, that we as members of the media would have access too.

We were shown various items including criminal report affidavits, booking sheets, general offense, and more. Each item was explained in detail and we were even given an outline of what is and is not obtainable by the media.

Things were pleasant and cordial at first, we were lead to believe that the police and the media were the best of friends, but then the tone changed.

“You don’t wanna burn your bridges with different agencies.” Said Bermudez.

For the time being it was left at that. The first presentation wrapped up and we were lead to another building, where 911 operators and police dispatchers perform a job that would put many people in tears.

Alex Diaz, communications training officer, took over from there. He explained the intricate workings of the operations. Bermudez, waiting in the corner, listened intently.

After Diaz’s presentation, we were split into groups. My group stayed behind as the other half of the class toured the 911call center.

Bermudez took the opportunity to speak with us further.

Don’t get me wrong. She is a very talented individual and was very welcoming and informative. I truly enjoyed the experience and I learned a lot from her expertise, but there was definitely an underlying tone of warning.

She brought up the point of not burning bridges again, but this time her tone was less pleasant. There was a noticeable rise in the intensity of her voice.

She beat home her point of not “stepping on toes”. An unnamed member of the media had apparently evoked the wrath of the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department and had lost all of his or her privileges.

This stern warning hit home. At that time I realized that public record researching was a fine balancing act of tenacity mixed with discretion.

This lesson, delivered by Bermudez, is one that I will take with me as I progress in my career. Any time that I receive a pleasant welcome from someone supplying me with public record, I will look back and thank Bermudez for her wisdom.

Success would be tough to come by after being shut out by a source.