2025 Year in Review

As the year draws to a close, we’re counting our blessings that Pinellas County was spared this hurricane season. As Hurricane Melissa demonstrated there were powerful storms out there, and we were fortunate that none of them struck the US mainland this year. But our experiences of past storms taught us the valuable lesson that we can never be too prepared, so one innovation this year was the formation of the Emergency Management Division. Its purpose is to prepare to respond to any kind of large scale emergency to preserve lives. That emergency could be an active shooter or terrorist attack, or an accident such as a plane crash or a building collapse. Our Reunification Task Force is also up and running, ready to reunite families after a disaster.

But the most common kind of emergency we get here is hurricanes, so within that division are components specifically dedicated to hurricane response planning. We’ve added a High Water Rescue Team that uses personal watercraft and Jon boats in tandem to effect rescues in urban flooding. When the next storm comes, we’ll be even more prepared than ever.

Everyone who works at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, sworn and civilian alike, faces challenges unique to the world of law enforcement. We already had peer support with the Critical Incident Stress Management Team, and a host of resources through the Employee Assistance Program, but now I’ve added the Chaplain Program to offer another alternative for both members and their families. Our chaplains are here to listen, not judge.

PCSO always wants to stay on the forefront of new technology, and in 2025 you could see that throughout our agency, from the new much bigger Vacuum Metal Deposition Chamber that Forensics can use to reveal prints, to the expanded use of virtual reality in training, allowing deputies to test their skills and decision making in realistic scenarios.

Our new driving pad is now complete – a dedicated facility with classroom space, and an actual roadway system with street signs and traffic lights for realistic driving training. Patrol deputies spend the majority of their workday in their vehicle on the streets of Pinellas County, and this new facility will ensure our members receive the best possible training. We’ll also use it for some of our public education programs – the Sheriff’s Citizens Academy has a vehicle operations night where citizens can test their skills on a pursuit course. Young drivers will use the facility in the Teen Driver Challenge, where teens are taught defensive driving and vehicle control by PCSO’s own driving instructors.

As laws and policies change with issues such as open carry and immigration, we have stayed ahead of the changes, made sure our deputies are trained and kept our community informed. When you have concerns about things like the prevalence of e-bikes, we let you know what state and local statutes have to say. As a reminder, we are law enforcement – we don’t make the laws, we enforce them.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is always innovating to provide the best possible service to our community. As we move into 2026 we will continue our long tradition of leading the way for a safer Pinellas.