| President's Message |
March 21, 2011
Dear FLEPRU members,
I would like to thank all our members,
sponsors and FLEPRU‘s Board for making our 2010 Annual Training
Conference and Pawn Certification Class a success. Our next
annual training Conference will be November 2-4, 2011 at the Rosen Plaza
Hotel in Orlando.
FLEPRU realizes every agency is facing
difficult times again this year due to budget cuts. We also recognize
the importance of good training by experienced instructors. Therefore,
FLEPRU wants to make it affordable for you and your immediate supervisor
to attend to attend this year. FLEPRU is offering to waive
the conference tuition fee of a member's immediate supervisor, if the
member is attending. That’s a $175 savings! Please be sure to make your
hotel reservations early. The cutoff date for our room block is October
3, 2011.
Investigator/Pawn Broker of the
Year:
I would like to congratulate Special
Agent Ryan Bliss of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Special Agent Bliss is the recipient of our 2010 Investigator of the
year award. Special Agent Bliss worked together with several local
agencies and the Office of Statewide prosecution concerning an organized
ring of boosters. Special Agent Bliss interviewed
numerous informants, drafted tracking orders for vehicles, and was
instrumental in the use of an undercover informant. Through the
use of the informant, investigators performed repeated reversals in
order to successfully catch the top level fence. Thanks to his
efforts, the defendants were charged with numerous counts of theft and
dealing in stolen property.
FLEPRU is pleased to announce that
nominations are now being accepted for our 2011 annual “Pawnshop of the
Year” award and “Investigator of the Year” award. Nominations must be
received by October 1, 2011 to qualify. Please email your nominations to
mitzi.perry@stpete.org. Recipients of the award will be recognized
during the opening ceremony at our 2011 Annual Conference.
Legislative:
Det. Jack Gee (Past President and Legislative
Director) and other members of our legislative committee have been
working hard this year. We have proposed a Bill that would
prohibit possession of a stolen credit or debit card. House: HB
339 and Senate: SB 920
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/0339/BillText/c1/HTML
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/0920/BillText/Filed/HTML
Last year, we were approached by the family
of Kathleen Sue Briles. Briles was brutally murdered on August 3,
2009 in Manatee County. The Briles family believes that if a more
efficient state-wide pawn/secondhand dealer data base were in place, the
perpetrator would have been apprehended much earlier, therefore saving
Kathleen’s life.
http://kathleenscause.com
The family has obtained Sponsors in the House and Senate.
Bills in both Houses have been filed. Senate: SB1662 and
House: HB 1323,1325 The Bills would basically require all
transactions from secondhand dealers and pawnshops to be transferred to
a central statewide database, including a photo of the property.
In addition, it would transfer oversight of the secondhand dealers from
the Department of Revenue to the Department of Agriculture. Here
is a link to those Bills:
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/1662/BillText/Filed/HTML
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/1323/BillText/Filed/HTML
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/1325/BillText/Filed/HTML
When FLEPRU met with the Briles family, we recommended some
other changes to the Statute such as addressing the flea markets and
coin dealers. Sponsors of the Bill felt there was a better chance
of Bills passing if those changes were not included. Although,
these changes were not included, the proposed Bills would help address
some of the challenges we face while investigating involving stolen
property.
FLEPRU is always in need of your help legislatively.
Whether it is contacting members of the House and Senate by phone or
email, or going to Tallahassee when our Bills go in front of their
assigned committees. If you are able to help with the trips to
Tallahassee, FLEPRU will assist with your travel expenses to get
there……and no experience is necessary. If you are able to assist,
please contact Jack Gee at
jgee@fortlauderdale.gov
or 954-828-5897.
Lastly, we are only in March. As of today, we
have had 10 officers state-wide killed in the line of duty, and 47
nationwide. Compared to 2010, we had 9 officers in Florida and 161
nationwide. Sadly, Florida is ranked very high.
As time passes, we should never forget the risk they took to keep us all
safe. Please keep them and their families in your hearts.
You never know when it could be one of us of someone close to us.
I will end with one of my favorite quotes: “It is not how these
officers died that made them heroes, it is how they lived.”
- VIVIAN ENEY CROSS. Please be safe.
Sincerely,
Mitzi Perry, President
FLEPRU
727-893-7592