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January 3, 2023
We enter 2023 in the spirit of optimism. Last year – like every year – posed new and unique challenges, but together we persevered and found a way forward.

Last year we faced tragedy with the second line of duty death in our 110-year history when we lost Deputy Michael Hartwick on September 22nd, 2022. We won’t let this tragedy define us, though, because that’s not what Mike would have wanted, because there were plenty of positive things. We celebrated 50 years of law enforcement aviation in Pinellas County and we replaced our oldest 31-year-old helicopter with a new Airbus H125 that is much safer. We added two new K-9 positions as well -- bloodhound puppies who will specialize in finding lost children and elderly citizens as well as suspects. We spent the year training and improving, and it is our New Year’s resolution to continue to bring you public safety through superior service

While I hope you never have to call the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office this year for a serious law enforcement matter, I do hope you have the chance to interact with many of us. Whether it is waving to the deputy patrolling your neighborhood, speaking about the agency with members of our Public Relations Bureau at a public education program, or even patting our K-9s at one of the many community events we attend, we want you to know that we are here for you in good times and in bad.

On behalf of the more than 2,800 members of the PCSO, I wish you a safe and happy new year. Thank you for your continued support. 
Meet the New Bloodhound Handlers 
 by Laura L. Sullivan, Public Relations Specialist
Last month the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) welcomed its youngest full-time members – bloodhound puppies who will grow up to be the best sniffers in the county. While our other K-9s (German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Shepherd/Malinois mixes) arrive at about 12 months old, these pups came at the tender age of two months. Their first weeks at the PCSO were all about cuddling and play, but this month the youngsters start school alongside three of their littermates at the Pasco K-9 Bloodhound Tracking School.

Neighboring counties have bloodhounds, but it was once thought that there was no need for them in heavily urbanized Pinellas. However, events surrounding Deputy Michael Hartwick’s death showed that a bloodhound’s specialized abilities would be valuable here as well. Due to witness obstruction at the scene, the fleeing suspect had a long lead time and the trail was too cold for our own K-9s to pick up. However, when Pasco County volunteered a bloodhound from their unit it picked up the scent right away and led deputies directly to where the suspect was hiding. Sheriff Bob Gualtieri immediately realized that bloodhounds would be an asset to the PCSO and the citizens of Pinellas County.

The PCSO hasn’t had bloodhounds since the 1960s, so this is an exciting time for everyone involved, including K-9 Sergeant Mike Kilian. “With bloodhounds we’ll be able to track missing children, or elderly citizens suffering from dementia who have wandered away, or follow a suspect who left the scene of the crime hours before.” The new K-9 handlers went through the same rigorous tryout as their shepherd/mali brethren and got to meet their new partners a few days after they arrived from Bluegrass Bloodhounds in Leitchfield, KY.

“I’m extremely excited to start school with the pups,” said new K-9 handler Deputy Dalton Schomp. Since this is so new to both him and the entire K-9 unit he doesn’t know exactly what’s in store for him and his pup, but he’s already started some basic training of his own. “So far we have been working on his socialization, environmental exposure, and a lot of potty training!”

Deputy Anthony Ashworth is also thrilled to be starting school with his new partner. “The school will last approximately nine months,” he said, which is much longer than the traditional 16 week K-9 school. All of the PCSO’s previous K-9s are trained in tracking and apprehension, and also cross-trained in either narcotics detection or explosive detection. In contrast, the bloodhounds will be single-purpose dogs, using their legendary olfactory sense for tracking missing persons or suspects. A bloodhound’s nose may have as many as 300-million olfactory cells, and their sense of smell is at least a thousand times better than a human’s. They have a powerful tracking instinct and once on the scent will stick to it until they find the source. There are records of bloodhounds tracking a scent for more than 100 miles or successfully following a track that’s more than 300 hours old.

Deputy Schomp’s puppy looks like he’s a natural already. “He’s very interested in scents and uses his nose to investigate everything.” Until official training begins, PCSO’s newest K-9s are getting used to all the sights, sounds, and smells of their new home. A tracking K-9 must be comfortable in any surroundings, even… on ice? “We were able to take him onto the ice rink at Countryside Mall,” Deputy Ashworth said. “And for anyone that hasn’t seen a puppy ice skate, I highly recommend it.” The pups may not encounter much ice in Florida, but the experiment shows that they are adaptable and eager to explore a new environment.

The puppies are developing distinct personalities already. “He’s very curious, mischievous, and playful, especially with his brother,” Deputy Schomp says of his puppy. “He has loved all the attention and meeting various members of the Sheriff’s Office, and fits in well with my family so far, including with my two other dogs.”

Deputy Ashworth says his puppy loves visiting with his brother. “The two of them could spend all night playing. I also have a four-year-old German Shepherd at home. He likes to chase her around and bully her even though he is the smaller one, for now. However, she enjoys it and is excited to have a friend.”

The bloodhound puppies only weigh a few pounds now, but they are a large breed and may reach 110 pounds. They are strong dogs with great endurance for tracking mile after mile. Bloodhounds can be stubborn when following a scent, but off the job they are gentle and affectionate, and great with kids.

The pair have been star attractions as they’ve toured around the agency. They’ll have to get used to being in the limelight, and so will their handlers. When they’re not tracking, the K-9 unit participates in many public demonstrations at events, school visits, and more, and the bloodhounds are sure to be a hit on the PR circuit.

Deputy Ashworth said, “I’m excited about being able to speak at events and I know my K-9 will be thrilled to meet new faces.” Deputy Schomp’s charismatic K-9 may be more ready for his closeup than his handler. “I have always been on the quiet side, but I work hard and let my work speak for the kind of deputy that I am,” Deputy Schomp said. “When it comes to the public responsibilities of being a K-9 handler, it will certainly take some adjusting for me but I’m excited for the opportunity. I think it’s important that the K-9 unit has positive interactions with the public because of the unique bond that can be created. It also allows for us and the entire Sherriff’s Office to build trust and be there for the community.”

Stay tuned to Inside the Star throughout 2023 as we follow our bloodhounds training for their new careers here at the PCSO.
Law Library is the Perfect Place for PCSO’s Oldest Employee
 by Laura L. Sullivan, Public Relations Specialist
Gary Norlander used to jump out of perfectly good airplanes, so after that working in the jail must be a piece of cake, right? After a long and varied career Norlander joined the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) in 2000, and at age 80 he is the agency’s oldest full-time employee. He works with Stacy Beam in the jail Law Library.

He was born in Pittsburg, PA in 1942 and went to the University of Delaware. “I joined the Army and was a First Lieutenant in the 173rd Airborne.” He parachuted into enemy territory in Vietnam and also sometimes sat beside a pilot in a two-seater for observation flights. He had no idea how to fly a plane though, only how to jump out of them. Once they took fire – the pilot was shot in the legs and the controls for the rudder were damaged. Somehow, he helped the wounded pilot land. “I don’t think they were expecting us to make it,” he said. “We landed in the middle of firetrucks and men in asbestos suits.” The next time he got into a plane the first thing he said to the pilot was, “Teach me how to land this thing!”

“After Vietnam I became the sales rep for a legal publishing company,” Norlander said. He and his wife were living in Erie, PA then and by 1973 the snow was just too much for them. “You’d shovel your way out to work and after the snow ploughs came and piled it up again you had to shovel your way back home.” They decided to move to Florida. After he stopped selling law books, a job at the PCSO Law Library seemed like a perfect match. Twenty-three years later he still thinks so.

Providing law library services is a legal requirement. There are about 3,000 inmates in the jail, so Norlander and Beam each have about 1,500 inmates assigned to them. They have to stay up to date with all changes in statutes and laws, but Norlander emphasized that they don’t give legal advice, but rather guide inmates to the resources they need. “We have to be very careful we don’t give them legal advice – that’s a no-no.” They’ll make copies upon request of things like case briefs of charges similar to theirs, or legal statutes of what they are charged with, but tell them that if they have any questions they should talk with their attorneys. Some of the requested material, such as statutes, helps inmates understand the nature and legal consequences of their charges, but they don’t offer them any guidance on how to fight charges or reduce their sentence, only provide the materials inmates request.

“Of course, that’s what they all want,” Norlander said. “How do I beat this? They’re all looking for loopholes.” Even if they can’t give advice, the inmates often appreciate their help. “Every once in a while, you run into someone out on the street, in the mall, who runs up to you: Mr. Norlander, I want to thank you for your help!

They don’t make any judgements about what an inmate deserves. They focus on the letter of the law. “We’re neutral – we’re Switzerland,” Beam said

As someone who used to sell law books – most of them beautifully bound with gold lettering – Norlander misses the days when statutes and case summaries were found in thick volumes. Now everything is digital. Inmates can only do their legal research in paper copies printed out for them. By law, each inmate gets 50 free printed pages a month. After that they’re charged 10 cents a page.

Some inmates see the documents Norlander and Beam provide as giving them hope for a reduced sentence, so they’re happy to see the law library workers. Other times, though, they’re present at the moment an inmate first realizes the severity of their charges and the consequences they face. One of the hardest times is when they’re handing an inmate charged with a serious crime the statute that says it is punishable by life, or death… and see that look that comes across their face when they realize they may spend the rest of their life in jail. “I think that wears on us a bit,” Beam said.

With all the ups and downs in his 23 years with the PCSO, didn’t Norlander ever want to retire? “Nah, and I still don’t.”

“He’s not allowed to!” Beam said. “We bounce things off each other. I learn something from him every day. He has so much knowledge of the law.”