The City of Gulfport is considering joining the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office in a "jail transportation pact," along with Seminole, Oldsmar, St. Pete Beach, Pinellas Park, Largo, Clearwater, and Tarpon Springs. The program, funded by over $3 million in federal grant money, would establish a prisoner transport van operated by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. The van would pick up arrested persons and transport the arrestee from the scene (or the local police department) to the Pinellas County Jail located on 49th Street. Proponents believe the multi-jurisdictional law enforcement / inter-agency agreement will result in significant savings to municipal police agencies. They point to a pilot study completed in Clearwater last year that proved to be efficient, and to the time and expense now incurred by the local police in conducting prisoner transport themselves. The cost to the Gulfport PD for transporting arrested suspects to the jail is nearly $40,000 per year, on average. In comparison, the cost for 18 months of prisoner transport service provided by the PCSO is fixed at slightly less than $30,000. Additionally, the arresting officer is freed from the additional two hours usually required to make a trip to the jail and then back to the jurisdiction after taking a suspect into custody.
With many localities feeling the pressure from mounting budget woes due to the bad economy, the use of regional prisoner transport vans, or "paddywagons" as they used to be called, must appear an attractive alternative to many Pinellas County cities' police departments. These local agencies join the growing number of Florida law enforcement organizations who are bringing back the paddywagon. In most cases, the time and costs savings are seen as providing a compelling reason to return to what was once thought of as a bygone law enforcement practice.
Practically speaking, this means that a person arrested for a criminal charge will likely find themselves awaiting pickup at the scene or transported to the local police station to be later picked up by the paddywagon. It is likely that the prisoner transport van won’t be making multiple trips to the same destination in a single night. Therefore, it is possible the Gulfport PD, Clearwater PD, Largo PD, or other local law enforcement agency will hold their prisoners until they reach a “threshold” number before then calling for pickup. As a result, this could translate into a lengthier delay before a person can be booked into the jail, and consequently able to bond out or see a judge at a first appearance or advisory hearing. Of course, safety concerns involving paddywagons are also an issue, as the transport of multiple prisoners raises the threat of multiple injuries should an accident occur.
At Russo & Russo, we make every effort to help you avoid a return trip to the Pinellas County Jail following your court appearance. Call our office at (727) 578-0303 for a free consultation.
Click here to read about the alternatives that are available to help you avoid serving jail time.
The Law Offices of Russo & Russo
Former State Prosecutors
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Suite #112
St. Petersburg, FL 33702
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