Okaloosa County BOCC — March 17, 2015 — OSCO 100 Years of History Power Point 2015 — reading text

One Hundred Years of Excellence 1915-2015  "I do solemnly swear that I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution and Government of the United States, and of the State of Florida; that I am duly qualified to hold office under the Constitution of the State; and that I will well and faithfully perform the duties of Okaloosa County Sheriff on which I am now about to enter. So help me God."  Appointed to Sheriff by Gov. Park Trammel on Oct. 10, 1915  No prior law enforcement experience  Funded agency with his own money until Jan. 1916  Won election to remain Sheriff in 1916  Murder of Bud and Nancy Davis on March 21, 1917  Served as executioner for Robert Blackwell  Resigned from office and did not seek re-election Robert Blackwell Hanging In this photo it is unknown which person is Sheriff Sutton. At the time of this presentation there are no known photographs of Sheriff Sutton  Family was from Laurel Hill: part owner of dry goods store  Community minded, active in groups  Sworn into Office on Jan. 10, 1921  Executed court order to have William Bishop taken to the State Hospital in Chattahoochee on Jan. 21, 1921  First Line of Duty Death in Okaloosa County history  Will be recognized formally in May 2015 for his service and sacrifice to Okaloosa County Sheriff Summerlin A undated photograph of Sheriff Summerlin with three unidentified men  Grew up and was raised on the family farm in Svea  Worked in a Mercantile Store in Laurel Hill  Appointed to be the county’s first Treasurer in 1915 by Gov. Trammel  Sworn in as a deputy sheriff under Sheriff Summerlin  Appointed as Sheriff after the death of Summerlin  Won re-election in 1924 and 1928  Was highly thought of and respected throughout county  Mr. Harry Gardner Cutler wrote this glowing review of Sheriff Steele in his book titled History of Florida, Past and Present, Vol. lll, which was published in 1923  "Sheriff Steele has handled the sheriff's office in masterful style and has been preeminently successful in the enforcement of law and order in his county. He has the respect and esteem of the law-abiding element and his courage, promptness, and firmness have made him feared by evil-doers.“  On June 6, 1929 Sheriff Steele passed away at the age of 40 from an unknown aliment which caused his throat to swell shut  Grew up in Ponce DeLeon Florida  Worked for his father who owned a dry goods store and sold automobiles  At the age of 30 moved to Laurel Hill to sell cars with his younger brother. A natural salesman  Approached by Gov. Carlton to be Sheriff after death of Steele  On June 15, 1929 appointed as Sheriff  Prohibition Era and Bootleg Liquor  Purchased the county’s first pair of canines in February 1930  Landslide victory of 1930 to remain Sheriff. 80% margin of victory  He employed 4 deputies for all of Okaloosa County…  “I could fit my entire sheriff's department in one car. I had one chief deputy and three part- time deputies; one in Holt, one in Niceville, and one in Laurel Hill,“  One of them was eventually arrested for cattle rustling and sent to prison!  Lost his bid for a second term as Sheriff in 1933  After leaving the Sheriff’s Office went to work for the Remington Firearms Company  In 1992 was recognized as Florida’s oldest living Sheriff at the age of 98  Was a cousin to former Sheriff Peter J. Steele  Chief Deputy J.A. McArthur died while on duty  18th Amendment was repealed  Roosevelt's Tree Army and the CCC Camps  Okaloosa County beginning to expand, roads, bridges developed with Federal funds in 1934  Won re-election in 1936  Would not seek re-election in 1940  Murder of Sheriff Office candidate Les Wilson Sheriff candidate Les Wilson March 15, 1940 Les Wilson was gunned down by a blast from a shotgun while he was sitting in his Crestview home. His 13 year old son; Ray Wilson was home at the time of the murder and vowed revenge against his fathers killer(s)  Family name well known throughout Okaloosa County  Served in Europe during World War I  No previous law enforcement experience  Eglin Air Field established: population of Okaloosa County at 12, 900  Gambling makes its way into the county  Won re-election in 1944 by capturing 91% of vote  Won re-election in 1948 and a third term as Sheriff  Tampa Tribune article creates concern in Tallahassee in December 1949  Removed from office by Gov. Warren Aug. 2, 1950 Deputy Sheriff Badge This is a photograph of a badge presumed to be from the Enzor Era. This badge was meant to be worn on the chest. Considerably smaller than todays badges.  Attended Laurel Hill High School  Was a pilot in the Marine Corp during World War II  Received a law degree from University of Florida  Was a practicing attorney in Crestview  Elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1950  Appointed as Sheriff ad interim by Gov. Warren  Was married to Ila Enzor; the daughter of former Sheriff Enzor  Removed by Governor after only 3 months in office  Attended Crestview High School  Received a degree from The University of Florida  Worked as a project engineer with the State Road Department  Helped clean up gambling in Okaloosa County, virtually gone by 1952  Installed two-way radio communication for deputies with his own money  Married to Mallinee Mapoles, daughter of William Mapoles. (founder of Okaloosa County)  Returned to State Road Department after term was up  Ran unopposed in the 1952 election  Population was near 27,000 in Okaloosa County  1956 election he had 5 opponents for the office  Lost election to Ray Wilson  Died a few days later in his home from a heart attack on June 22, 1956  Board of County Commissioners wanted to have his wife Florence Enzor fill his seat  Governor Collins refused and placed Sheriff-Elect Wilson in office immediately  Graduated from Crestview High School  Served in the US Army 7th Infantry during US occupation of Korea  Owned and operated Crestview Dry Cleaners prior to becoming Sheriff  Reopened the murder investigation of his father  On Nov. 28, 1958 Jessie and Doyle Cayson found guilty  In 1968 Sheriff’s Office still only had 7 deputies for entire county despite a population close to 88,000 people Sheriff Ray Wilson A campaign poster for Sheriff Ray Wilson used during one of his re-election bids.  Served as Sheriff of Okaloosa County for 20 years  Defeated in 1976 election by Frankie Mills, a total of 5 different challengers for the Office of Sheriff  Passed away in February 2014 at the age of 87  Worked for the Florida Highway Patrol prior to becoming Sheriff  First Sheriff of Okaloosa County with any prior law enforcement experience  Agency had a total of 38 deputies and 6 investigators, population closing in on 100,000 citizens  Was defeated in 1980 election by Larry Gilbert  Ran for Sheriff back in the 1977 election and lost to Sheriff Frankie Mills  Served 4 years with the State Fire Marshalls Office  Also served 9 years with the Sunshine State Bank  Won re-election 4 consecutive times  County installed 9-1-1 System in 1988  Switched political parties in 1989 from democrat to republican  In 1989 relinquished control of the County Jail back to the County Commissioners  Equipped deputies with ballistic vest as well as automatic weapons, until then deputies had a wide range of firearms that they carried on duty  Population of the county near 150,000  The size of the agency grew to about 120-130 deputies  Sept. 11, 1987 Officer Kenneth Baldwin found shot to death at Okaloosa County Airport (Still unsolved)  Most celebrated case: The Frank Walls Serial Murders which stretched from 1985 till 1987. In 1994, after his arrest and conviction, Walls admitted to 3 more slayings during that time span  Lost bid for a 5th term as Sheriff to Charlie Morris in 1996 Frank Walls Inmate photograph of Okaloosa County’s first serial killer: Frank Walls. He was only 17-19 years old at the time of the killings making him one of the youngest killers on record.  Served in the USAF Security Police Squadron  Was a police officer in the Jackson Mississippi Police Department  Hired by the FWBPD in 1993 and began as the first School Resource Officer at FWBHS  Restructured the Sheriff’s Office  Brought in new technology and training to the agency, Computer Aided Dispatch/ Mobile Computers in vehicles  Established sub-stations throughout community  Expanded School  Chaplin Program Resource Officer  Neighborhood Watch program  Citizens Academy  Underwater Dive Team  Citizens on Patrol  Honor Guard  Sex Offender Unit  Special Response Team  SALT Program  Marine/Beach Unit  Child Protective Team  Crime Stoppers  Fugitive Warrant Unit  Human Trafficking Unit  Expanded benefits program for employees  Increased salaries for deputies  Established a employee education program  Worked to diversify the agency  Won re-election in 2000, 2004, and 2008  In 2008 elected to serve as President of the Florida Sheriff’s Association  On July 23, 2008 Deputy Sheriff Anthony Forigone was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend a escaped Baker Act patient Deputy Anthony Forigone EOW: 7-22-2008 In April 2009 the Florida Senate passed the Deputy Anthony Forigone Act which mandates reform to existing Baker Act protocol  On February 27, 2009 Sheriff Morris was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada on federal charges of fraud, theft, money laundering, and conspiracy charges. These charges were investigated by the FBI  Governor Charlie Crist removed Sheriff Morris from office and placed Ed Spooner on a ad interim basis as Sheriff  On August 11, 2009 Mr. Morris plead guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 5 years and 11 months in a Federal Prison  Began his law enforcement career in 1973 as an intern with the Florida Highway Patrol  Worked with the Tallahassee Police Department 1973- 1977  Was an instructor at the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy from 1977-1979  At the time of his appointment he was the Assistant Special Agent in Charge with FDLE  Helped keep the Sheriff’s Office on course during a difficult time  On April 25, 2009 Deputy Sheriffs’ Burt Lopez and Warren “Skip” York attempted to arrest a subject in connection with a earlier report of domestic violence. They made contact with the subject at the Shoal River Shooting Range and as they tried to take him into custody gun fire rang out. Both deputies were shot and killed. The suspect was later killed in a gun fight in Walton County after a high speed chase. Deputy Burt Lopez EOW: 04-25-2009 Deputy Warren “Skip” York EOW: 04-25-2009  Served as Sheriff of Okaloosa County for 22 months  In a Special Election held in November 2010, Chief Deputy Larry Ashley won the election to become Sheriff  On May 4, 2011 President Obama nominated Ed Spooner to become US Marshal for the Northern District of Florida  Went to Geneva High School in Alabama  Achieved a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice at The University of Southern Mississippi, while on a football scholarship  Second Sheriff elected in Okaloosa County who had begun his law enforcement career at the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office ( First was PJ Steele : 1924)  Began his career as a patrol deputy under Sheriff Larry Gilbert in 1990  Worked as a K-9 handler Sheriff Larry Ashley Front row L-R: Chris Lahr, Larry Ashley, Johnny Eubanks. Back row L-R: Roy Parker, Bob Dudley  Worked in Investigations, Captain of Field Services, Major of Support Services, Major of