PSCC Minutes 09/18/2008 R
September 18, 2008
MINUTES OF THE COLLIER COUNTY
PUBLIC SAFETY COORDINATING COUNCIL
MEETING
Naples, Florida, September 18, 2008
LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Collier County Public Safety
Coordinating Council, in and for the County of Collier, having conducted
business herein, met on this date at 2:00 PM., at the Human Resources
Conference Room, Building B, 3301 East Tamiami Trail, in Naples, Florida,
with the following members present:
CHAIRMAN: Commissioner Fred Coyle
Judge Cynthia Ellis, Circuit Judge, (Designee for Chief Judge Cary)
Rich Montecalvo (Designee for Stephen Russell, State Attorney)
Mike Orlando (Designee for Kathy Smith, County Public Defender)
Chief Greg Smith, Sheriff's Office
Charles Rice, Director, Collier County Probation Department
Mark Middlebrook, Collier County Deputy Court Administrator
Richard Callanan, Director, Court Administration
Christine Holmes, Administrator, Batterers Intervention Program
David Schimmel, Executive Director, David Lawrence Center
ALSO PRESENT: James Mudd, County Manager
Chief Scott Salley, Sheriffs Office
Skip Camp, Director, Facilities Management
Mike Sheffield, Assistant to County Manager
Robert Zachary, Assistant County Attorney
Collier County
Public Safety Coordinating Council
September 18, 2008, 2:00pm
Human Resources Conference Room
3301 E. Tamiami Trail, Naples, Florida
I. Introduction
A. Call to Order- Commissioner Coyle
B. Approval of June 12, 2008 Collier PSCC Meeting Minutes
C. Acceptance of June 12, 2008 Regional PSCC Meeting Minutes
II. Old Business
A. Report on Booking Fees-Chief Scott Salle~
(Carry-over from discussion from June 1 i meeting)
B. Jail "Snap-Shot" Report-Chief Scott Salley
C. Discussion Regarding "re-activating" the Crises Intervention Team (CIT)
Subcommittee (carry-over from discussion from June 1ih meeting)
III. New Business
A. Discussion Regarding the Suggestion made by State Secretary of
Corrections Walter McNeil (as reported in the Palm Beach Post) to
increase the amount of time that inmates spend in county jails to
ease crowding in state prison.
B. Discussion Regarding the U.S. Dept of Justice-Justice and Mental
Health Collaboration Grant Aoolication Collier County Government, in collaboration
with the Collier County Sheriff's Office, the David Lawrence Center, the Twentieth Judicial
Circuit Court of Florida, the National Alliance of Mental Illness and the Mental Health
Association of Southwest Florida
C. DisCussion Regarding the newly created Florida Public Safety
CoordinatinQ Commission- {'in an effort to improve the overall efficiency
and effectiveness of the civil and criminal justice system in Florida"
D. Congratulations to Sheriff Elect Kevin Rambosk!
E. Congratulations to Circuit Court Judge Ramiro Marialich!
IV. CommentslSuggestions
V. Public Comment
VI. Adjourn (The next PSCC is scheduled for December 4,2008 at 2pm location to be
announced)
September 18, 2008
I. Introduction
A. Call to Order
Chairman Fred Coyle called the meeting to order at 2:07 PM.
B. Approval of Minutes of June 12, 2008 PSCC Meeting
Correction:
· On Page 3, Judge Hardt's first name was changed to Fred.
Rich Montecalvo moved to approve the Minutes of June 12,2008 as amended.
Second by Mike Orlando. Carried unanimously, 10-0.
C. Acceptance of June 12, 2008 Regional PSCC Meeting Minutes
Correction:
· On Page 2, under Item #4, the capacity of the jail was changed to 1,336.
Chief Greg Smith moved to accept the Minutes of June 12,2008 as amended.
Second by David Schimmel. Carried unanimously, 10-0.
II. Old Business
A. Report on Booking Fees - Chief Scott Salley
Chief Salley distributed copies of the written report to all members. He stated
Judge Hardt had suggested assessing booking fees to individuals who were part of
the weekend lock-down program. The individual would be assessed a fee each time
he/she went to jail. He noted the one-time Admission Subsistence Fee was
increased to $25.00 in July, 2008 and recommended a change to the existing policy:
"It will be recommended that a policy change is in order to reflect a charge
for each "Weekend Lockdown" inmate. The first weekend served by a
"Weekend Lockdown" inmate will be charged an initial Admission Subsistence
fee of $25. 00 and two dollars ($2.00) per day thereafter for each day served
inside the jail. "
He stated he would submit this recommendation to the Sheriff if the Committee
supported it.
Chairman Coyle moved to approve submission of this recommendation to the
Sheriff. Second by Christine Holmes. Carried unanimously, 11-0.
B. Jail "Snap-Shot" Report - Chief Scott Salley
Chief Salley stated the Average Daily Population was 1,165. County Manager Jim
Mudd verified it was 13.53% less than last year which resulted in a savings to the
taxpayers of the community.
Chief Salley stated one reason for the reduction was due to the Criminal Alien Task
Force ("CATF"). An average of 55 inmates have been transported to Immigration
& Customs Enforcement ("ICE") by U.S. Marshalls through CATF. This has
resulted in a decrease in gang activity in Collier County.
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September 18, 2008
He stated ICE was pleased with the cases developed by Collier County and, in the
past eighteen months, only four illegal individuals have been returned to Collier
County to finish serving their sentences.
C. Discussion regarding "re-activating" Crisis Intervention Team Subcommittee
("CIT")
Mike Sheffield stated the discussion was initiated at the June 12th meeting when it
was suggested to reactivate the CIT Subcommittee as a Mental Health
Subcommittee. The item was added to the Agenda as requested.
Chief Sally stated the purpose of the Subcommittee would be to provide information
on mental health issues and what was available in the community to assist the jail in
identifying the inmates with problems. Periodic reports would be provided.
Chairman Coyle asked ifthe function ofthe Subcommittee would be strictly
advisory in nature or if it would be involved in creating a treatment facility and/or
evaluating personnel.
Mark Middlebrook stated the CIT was a program within the Sheriff's Office. He
stated the Mental Health Subcommittee, ifre-activated as part of the Public Safety
Advisory Committee, would help address the issues of the mental health of inmates
and how best to obtain treatment for those individuals. The Subcommittee could also
provide an overview of who is coming into the David Lawrence Center for treatment
to help track the severity of mental illness problems within the Collier County
Community.
David Schimmel stated he would work with Chief Sally to develop a presentation
to be made at the next Committee meeting in order to help the Members understand
the nature of the existing problem.
III. New Business
A. Discussion regarding a Suggestion made by Walter McNeil, State Secretary of
Corrections, to increase the amount of time inmates spend in county jails to
ease crowding in state prison
Chief Smith has discussed the subject with Sheriff Hunter and Chief Salley. It is a
cost shifting strategy by the State that will have an adverse impact locally and they
are against it. He stated he could prepare a study to determine the effects and
provide projections regarding the impact to the local inmate population.
There was a discussion concerning:
· whether or not the action was an "unfunded mandated,"
· the legality of same,
· whether the County could file a court action against the State, and
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September 18, 2008
· how the State could legally accomplish its goal by issuing an economic
analysis analyzing how much of a burden would be placed upon each
County.
It was suggested that after the Committee reviewed the report to be prepared by the
Sheriff, a letter could be drafted to the Secretary of Corrections advising him the
Committee did not support this suggestion and why. It was also suggested to send
the letter to the Governor as well as to all Legislative Representatives.
Chairman Coyle asked if, due to the success Collier County had achieved in
reducing its jail population, there actually was excess capacity. He also asked if a
charge-back system would be available to cover the cost of occupying j ail beds and
if the State was obligated to reimburse the County. He asked the Sheriff's
Department to determine the cost of utilizing jail beds to accommodate the shift in
prisoner population from the State.
County Manager Mudd stated the State's penal system is not overcrowded. The
prison guard program was being reduced and the State did not have enough guards
to police the jail population.
Chairman Coyle suggested the Committee should present the information to the
Board of County Commissioners and recommend the Board issue a letter of non-
support. He asked the Sheriffs Department to develop a cost impact study as a first
step and to present the information at the December meeting.
Chief Smith pointed out another issue of concern was the suggested reform of the
Criminal Justice System. He stated there is a movement to divert non-violent
offenders from jail. He was concerned that a cursory glance at the "non-violent"
category (probation violations, driving without a license, expired license, etc.) would
not lead to a correlation between the non-violent offense and the underlying offense
which initially placed the individual in the system [jail].
The other topic of concern was the "Rights Initiative" which would re-grant the right
to vote, obtain a driver's license, and hold a professional license to inmates being
released from State prison without the requirement to submit a petition to the Court.
Issues of public safety were raised over allowing (for example) an individual who has
a criminal background to hold a license as a mortgage broker or alarm installer.
Chairman Coyle asked the Sheriffs Department to inform the Committee of any
position paper(s) issued by the Florida Sheriff's Association concerning either the
proposed reform of the Criminal Justice System or the "Rights Initiative."
Mark Middlebrook mentioned a pilot program which has been implemented in St.
Petersburg that utilizes private funding with some public money to buy foreclosed
homes and turn them into group homes/treatment centers in order to recycle lives and
re-introduce released inmates back into society. Not enough time has passed to
determine the success rate of the program.
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September 18,2008
Chairman Coyle asked him to continue to monitor the program and present any
findings to the Committee as they become available.
B. Discussion regarding the U.S. Dept. of Justice Grant Application - Justice and
Mental Health Collaboration Grant Application
Mike Sheffield stated Collier County Government, in collaboration with the Collier
County Sheriff's Office, the David Lawrence Center, the Twentieth Judicial Circuit
Court of Florida, the National Alliance of Mental Illness, and the Mental Health
Association of Southwest Florida, submitted an application to the U.S. Department
of Justice for a grant of $250,000. The objective is to increase public safety by
facilitating collaboration among the various entities and increase access to the Mental
Health services offered, and to identify more people at risk within the Community.
David Schimmel stated the Grant would afford needed administrative support.
Mike Sheffield stated the Board of County Commissioners approved the application
and the Grant will be administered by the Department of Housing and Human
Services.
County Manager Mudd suggested it would be beneficial if the Committee would
approve a letter to be sent to the Congressmen and Senators requesting their support
in order to obtain the funding from the Justice Department. He stated he would
forward to the letter to the County's lobbyists so they could also contact the
representatives to request support for the Grant application. He further stated with-
out support from Congress, the likelihood of obtaining the Grant would be slim.
There was consensus to send a letter with Commissioner Coyle's signature to elected
officials confirming the PSCC's support for the Grant application.
Chairman Coyle stated separate letters from the member agencies would be more
effective if sent on the individual agency's letterhead.
C. Discussion regarding the newly-created Florida Public Safety Coordinating
Commission
Mike Sheffield stated the information was presented as an "FYI" and provided
copies of the announcement [rom the Florida Association of Counties website.
D. Congratulations to Sheriff-Elect Kevin Rambosk!
E. Congratulations to Circuit Court Judge Ramiro Mafialich!
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September 18, 2008
IV. Comments/Suggestions
Judge Ellis suggested a draft of the Legislature's letter could be sent to each agency to
provide the correct terms to be used in the individual organization's letter.
Mike Sheffield stated he would prepare and circulate a draft.
V. Public Comment
Kathy Ray provided information to the Committee about another potential source to
work with the Collier County jail to identify inmates with mental health problems
David Schimmel stated he would work with her regarding a "re-entry program."
Mary Andrews, Mental Health Association of Southwest Florida, invited the
Committee to attend a Legislative Update Breakfast on October 20, 2008 which will be
held at the BeIlasera Hotel in Naples. The guest speaker is Judge Steven Leifman who is
Special Advisor on Criminal Justice and Mental Health to the Florida Supreme Court.
The next meeting of the Collier County Public Safety Coordinating Council will be held on
December 4, 2008 at 2:00 PM. The location will be announced at a later date.
There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by
order of the Chair at 3:35 PM.
COLLIER COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY
COORDINATING COUNCIL
Commissioner Fred Coyle, Chairman
These Minutes approved by the Board/Committee on
as presented or as amended
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