The Women of PCSO: Lieutenant Kim Kilian
by Laura L. Sullivan, Public Relations Specialist
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Some people go into law enforcement from a desire to get the bad guys. Others enter the profession from a motivation to help the good guys – the victims. As an experienced law enforcement officer here at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), Lieutenant Kim Kilian can of course do both. But what really motivated her from the beginning was a desire to protect the innocent.
“I always hated seeing people being victimized,” she said. “I saw an opportunity in law enforcement to empower victims and stand up for what’s right.”
This focus on protecting victims has led her to many different positions in her 23 years in law enforcement. In addition to prior stints in both the Tampa and Clearwater police departments, here at the PCSO Lieutenant Kilian has served as a school resource officer, narcotics detective, burglary detective, sergeant of the Crime Prevention and Community Awareness Unit, and sergeant of the Economic Crimes Unit (ECU).
“I was never interested in a job sitting behind a desk,” Lieutenant Kilian said. “I love being outside, and law enforcement offered so many different opportunities to work outside of the office.” Today, she is the only current female shift commander and is assigned to the North District Station (NDS) night shift.
As shift commander, Lieutenant Kilian’s role is vital to the smooth operation of the patrol deputies who protect our county, specifically north of State Road 60. Especially on the night shift, there may be only one or two high-ranking members essentially running patrol operations. If there’s a crisis at 3 a.m., Lieutenant Kilian is one of the people making the big decisions.
Often, those decisions are vital and incredibly fast-paced. That’s a big change from her stint as a supervisor in the ECU. There, the stakes could be just as high but the process was vastly different. “ECU has very complex investigations, but you could sit back and strategically plan. In patrol, you are forced to make split-second decisions and you don’t have the luxury of consulting a room of experts.”
Her co-workers on the night shift make her job easier, though. “The relationships and camaraderie among night shift deputies is like no other. We count on one another and provide support, both emotionally and professionally.” In a job full of constant dangers and challenges, she knows her team has her back. “We may disagree and have our differences, but at 3 a.m. when someone calls for help, there’s no one I’d rather go through a door with than the people on my shift.”
Gender has never been an issue or an obstacle for her law enforcement mindset. “I don’t see male and female deputies. I see the person behind the badge as the true law enforcement officer. People get way too caught up in gender and that’s just not me.”
Her mom – the biggest influence in her life – taught her to follow her dreams without any thought of whether a job was dominated by men or women. “She taught me to be the hardest working person in the room and never make excuses. She’s 74 years old and is still the hardest working person I have ever seen or known. Work ethic runs strong in our family.”
Lieutenant Kilian firmly believes that women should never hesitate to join a male-dominated profession. “Pursue whatever you want to do regardless of your gender,” she said. “Don’t use your gender as a crutch. Work hard and the product you put out will speak for yourself.”
She also urges young women to do their homework before applying for a job in law enforcement. The choice of agency can make a big difference. PCSO fully supports women entering every aspect of the agency. Lieutenant Kilian says that PCSO is an amazing place to work. “I’m surrounded by professionals who hold everyone to the highest standard. That makes every day challenging and rewarding at the same time.”
The people she works with are her favorite part of the job. “The biggest reward is mentoring younger deputies and teaching the next generation about how to protect the community and one another. Some of the greatest deputies work night shift.”
Some of her career challenges, though, apply specifically to working the night shift. Her husband also works nights, and at times it’s been hard not being on the same schedule as their kids. But they’ve made it work. “We find ourselves together now more than ever, just during different hours than traditional families.”
A lot of their family time is centered on their four dogs, who she says need plenty of attention. “We are definitely ‘dog people’ and I’ve even been accused of being a dog hoarder. They seem to find me when they need homes.”
She and her family also train at Safety Harbor Jiu Jitsu. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a grappling-based martial art that focuses on technique and leverage to control an opponent without hurting them. It is sometimes called the “gentle art” and is practiced by an increasing number of women and children because it relies on skill rather than brute strength. But a sport that uses techniques like arm bars, leg locks, throws, and intense ground fighting puts practitioners in high-stress situations. Lieutenant Kilian takes it in stride, and learns from her time on the mat. “Jiu Jitsu has taught me the greatest growth occurs when you are out of your comfort zone.”
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There are only a few more weeks to apply for a 2022 community grant. If you know of a local non-profit organization that funds youth empowerment programs, youth-initiated projects, or programs that support children and their families, encourage them to apply for the 2022 Community Grant. Qualifying organizations can receive up to $1,000. The application deadline is March 31st, 2022. To download an application, click here.
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Becoming Top Dog: The Power of a Comeback
by Verliz Williams, Public Relations Specialist
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When exploring unfamiliar territory, literally or figuratively, setbacks are inevitable. Sometimes the setbacks are recognized as failures, but realistically, when learning something new, setbacks are the foundation of a stronger comeback.
With approximately six weeks left, the five K-9 teams entered a new stage of K-9 school where food motivated exercises were eliminated and exercises that combine multiple skills, like recall and area searches, were introduced. Newer environments with more distractions were also introduced as lead instructor, Deputy Tony LoRusso, continued to prepare the K-9 teams for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s (FDLE) canine team certification.
“We’re at the stage now where we’re shifting the picture from food training and environments with limited distractions to environments that would mimic what they will likely see after K-9 school,” said Deputy LoRusso.
Before the handlers get certified with the FDLE, the exercises that are next on the list to master are tracking in industrial environments, larger area searches, agility skills like jumping over a variety of fences, continued obedience work, and most importantly, reducing the number of unfamiliar environments by practicing in a variety of locations throughout the county.
As exercises have become increasingly more difficult, finding the right balance of using repetition without letting the K-9 predict the next command is one of the many skills each handler is continuing to learn and master. It’s also a skill that Deputy LoRusso has stressed to the group since night one of school.
“You want to keep your K-9 guessing,” said Deputy LoRusso. In fact, his training catch-phrase is, “Never do everything always,” because, he says, the dogs will just beat you to it.
While the group has continued to progress in the right direction, setbacks are not uncommon especially for these new handlers. This particular night, with the right mix of wind direction and building structures, what was supposed to be an intermediate level of area searching quickly became more difficult than anticipated for each of the K-9s.
A decoy was hidden in an unoccupied vehicle. Typically, the scent would be carried on the wind, triggering the K-9 to track to the hidden decoy. Tonight, though, a combination of wind direction and the interference of a structure threw off the “wind tunnel” of scent that the K-9 needs to begin the track. The handlers turned this apparent setback into a golden training opportunity. The handlers and their partners got firsthand experience with a very common problem that current K-9 teams go through in the field.
“We have worked so hard on teaching our partners exactly what to do, that when they’re not doing it, you just want to run out and help them,” said Deputy Kellen Zanandrie. “But, we have to let them figure it out on their own, so they can succeed in the future.” For this night, however, it wasn’t what the handlers were or weren’t doing. The setback was caused by the infrastructure and wind, factors which were all out of their control. By the end of the night though, with a little direction, each K-9 was able to successfully locate the hidden decoy.
“Even when you think things are going great, some nights are more humbling than others,” said Deputy LoRusso. “That’s just K-9 school for you.”
While setbacks can be discouraging, each setback is not preventing the handlers from fulfilling their dream – it’s only making them stronger. With continued practice and exercises in real environments that closely reflect environments they’ll encounter post K-9 school, each soon-to-be K-9 handler is on the path to keeping their community safe with their four-legged partner by their side.
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Secure Your Green: Smishing Scams
by Laura L. Sullivan, Public Relations Specialist
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Leprechauns aren’t the only tricksters out making mischief right now. Plenty of other scammers want to steal your hard-earned pot o’ gold.
Every advance in technology means a new opportunity for fraud. According to Pew Research, 97 percent of people in the US own a cell phone. Most of them – 87 percent of Americans – own a smart phone. These make life fast and easy – you can do your shopping or banking anywhere. With so many financial transactions tied to your phone, you have to be on high alert for fraud. Even a simple text message can be the gateway for a scammer to attack your green.
One of the most common scams is smishing – a kind of phishing scam using SMS, more commonly known as text messages. In smishing, a text message claiming to be from a trusted company, such as your bank or Amazon. Here are some tips to help you avoid scammers tricking you through your text messages:
Scammers often include a link – don’t click it! Clicking the link may infect your phone with malware. Or, it may take you to a fake site that resembles the company’s real page. Once there, you may be tricked into entering passwords or credit card information.
Know your own activity. Companies rarely send texts with links, but there are exceptions. Did you just sign up for a new service? You may need to click a link to confirm it. But beware of these requests if they don’t match your recent activity.
Smishing texts can look legitimate at first. Be on the lookout for misspellings (“Amazom” or “Netflicks”) or generic greetings such as “Hello Friend.”
If you get a text about suspicious activity on an account, contact the company directly. Go to their web site – do not use any phone number, web site, or link listed in the text. Do not do a Google search for a company’s customer service number. The first results may be scam numbers. Instead, go directly to the company’s main site and log into your account.
Don’t respond to a text with personal information such as credit card numbers or your social security number. Don’t keep sensitive things like bank account information stored on your phone.
If it sounds too good to be true… it probably is. A text may say you’ve won something, or you’re getting a big refund. Or it may offer you a fabulous deal or coupon. Don’t let greed make you lose your green.
Take your time. Scammers create a sense of panic to push you into doing what they want. “Your account has been suspended!” “Act now to collect your winnings!” “Offer expires in one hour!” Pause, think, and research before you respond.
With a little Luck of the Irish, and some common sense, you can avoid falling for texting scams.
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Job Feature: Tactical Paramedics
We are now hiring tactical paramedics! Yes, you read that right! Tactical Paramedics at PCSO work part-time and on an as-needed basis alongside our SWAT Unit. Someone in this role performs emergency medical treatment to team members injured or ill while engaged in a tactical operation until transfer to emergency medical services system. In order to qualify for this exciting job opportunity you must:
- Have at least three years of experience as a certified paramedic.
- Be a Pinellas County certified paramedic
- Possess the ability to cope with stressful, high-risk situations and perform calmly.
- Currently hold the PHTLS, ACLS, CPR, and EPC certifications.
- Complete an approved 80 hours Basic SWAT School within one year of employment.
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