The recession and stagnant economy brought Pinellas county real estate property tax revenues plummeting. When that happened, budget cuts at the Sheriff’s department were inevitable. A “zero overtime” policy for all Sherriff’s Office personnel was quickly instituted. Shortly thereafter, 161 employees were laid off. The Pinellas county Sherriff’s Office went so far as to save money by eliminating three paid holidays - Veterans Day, Martin Luther King Day and Good Friday.
But it wasn’t until former Pinellas Sherriff Jim Coates dissolved the “fugitive unit” that tracks down persons wanted for outstanding arrest warrants, that the budget cuts became a thorn during interim Sherriff Bob Gualtieri’s campaign to keep his job. See video; “Swope to Reinstate Fugitive Unit, Gualtieri Defends Cuts”. Disbanding the “fugitive unit” responsible for reviewing and serving arrest warrants saved the county $1.6 million dollars. But experts and outside law enforcement agencies highly criticized the move. See: “Experts Question Pinellas’ Decision to Ditch Fugitive-Tracking Unit.”
A Pinstripe Perspective
Pinellas county had become the only jurisdiction among the top six most-populated areas in the state, that lacked a full time staff of detectives focused on outstanding warrants. By February 2012, Pinellas county had accumulated 14,796 outstanding felony arrest warrants. This means that a random sampling of one thousand Pinellas county residents, would reveal sixteen people with a felony arrest warrant. To give you a proper perspective, If you attended a Rays game at Tropicana field to watch the home team take on the New York Yankees… statistically, there would be almost 250 people in the stands subject to arrest for a felony. Of course, identifying these people would be a whole different matter. That’s why critics argued that the PCSO had let them down. There was no longer anyone checking cell phone records of family members, searching the social media and exercising an investigative zeal necessary to locate individuals who were avoiding the criminal court system.
Back to the Future
Fast forward one year to February 2013 and newly elected Sherriff Bob Gualtieri yields to pressure from the Tampa Bay Times and rebuilds the “fugitive unit.” The newspaper had repeatedly run stories of violent offenses that were being committed by individuals with outstanding felony warrants. See: “Pinellas Sheriff Reverses Course, Reconstitutes Fugitive Unit.” Now a full time staff is dedicated to intensive research and thorough investigations. They have been trained in novel investigative techniques. Gualtieri contends that there will be no closed cold case files and that the “fugitive unit’s” investigations and efforts to locate an individual will continue “until the person is in custody.”
Getting Arrested on an Old Pinellas Warrant in Another State
Sheriff Gultieri’s redirection of priorities seems to be effective. We have had an increase in clients calling us who have been arrested on an old warrant. (See video link below where Gultieri claims he has “taking it to another level.”) Surprisingly, not only are many of our clients being arrested on old warrants, but they are also being arrested out of state. This tells us that PCSO detectives are not limiting their search to within the borders of the sunshine state, but are using technology to extend the “long arm of the law.” After locating a fugitive in say Dallas Texas, the Pinellas detectives are not traveling out to the Lone Star State. Rather, they are simply calling the Dallas Police Department and having local law enforcement execute the Pinellas warrant.
Getting Extradited Back to Florida
If you have an outstanding Pinellas county warrant and currently reside out of state, you are not in a safe haven. To the contrary, you are subject to arrest at the most untimely moment. If that happens, be prepared for a very frustrating and uncomfortable extradition process. Many arrests out of state result in a “no bond” status that can leave you incarcerated in a local jail for a significant period of time. If that happens, call us for immediate intervention.
Taking a Proactive Approach
If you have an outstanding Pinellas warrant and are living in another state, your failure to act will only make matters worse. The warrant is never going to simply go away. Here is how we can help:
1. First, read our comprehensive website page dedicate to people just like yourself who are living in another state with the ever pending threat of arrest caused by an outstanding Pinellas county warrant. See: Will Florida Extradite Me on a Pinellas Warrant?
2. After educating yourself with our website on the extradition process, call us for a free consultation at: (727) 578-0303
*Your telephone conversation with a lawyer is strictly confidential and covered under the attorney/client privilege.
At Russo & Russo, we are Pinellas Attorneys experienced in helping clients with outstanding arrest warrants.
Former state prosecutors who can help!
Free Consultation: 727-578-0303
Helpful Criminal Defense Solutions: www.defensehelp.com
Other Related Links:
Outstanding Pinellas County Warrants
Choosing the Best Criminal Defense Attorneys
Best Criminal Defense Attorneys?
Felony Charges Pinellas Sheriff Says With Outstanding Warrants he is “Taking it to Another Level”
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