Being away from your family can be one of the toughest challenges for a person to experience. Whether it is a member of the military being deployed, a college student leaving home for their first semester – or an inmate facing time in the Pinellas County Jail – it is vital to that person’s mental health and future wellbeing to maintain those important ties with their loved ones. And for the families and children separated by circumstance, keeping those bonds intact can be equally crucial.

“Visits are important for both the inmates and their families,” said Corporal Crystal Ankrum of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) Visitation Section. “It’s tough for the inmates to be here, away from their families and kids. We have a lot of kids who come here to see their mom or dad. Obviously it’s not ideal, but it is important for them to be able to see their family.” Maintaining relationships can help inmates feel calmer during their incarceration, and can also help the transition after they are released. Seeing their children during video visitation can be the motivation an inmate needs to turn their life around.

Unlike what you may see on TV, visitation isn’t done in person. Rather, visits are conducted via a monitor and headset at the Video Visitation Center at 14500 49^th Street North. Visitors schedule either online, at an on-site kiosk, or by phone at least one day in advance. “We’ll do a one-time courtesy appointment for the same day if there is an out-of-town family member visiting who isn’t familiar with how the scheduling works.”

The Video Visitation Center runs seven days a week, even on weekends and holidays, with 23 visits for every 40 minute time slot. Visitors check in and are given a briefing on what to expect, including some rules for safety and to prevent disturbances. One of the most important rules is that all cell phones must be turned off and put away. Visitors are told this at least twice before each visit, and there are several signs too, but it is still one of the most frequent violations. “A lot of them are probably inadvertent,” Corporal Ankrum says. “They’re waiting after check-in and get bored, so they take their phone out, or they check the time.” But the cell phone prohibition is to prevent the introduction of an unauthorized third party to the visit, or transmission of illicit material, so the moment a cell phone comes out the visit is discontinued. “If they’ve never had an infraction they can reschedule for another day. If it happens again after that, the next time it happens it’s a 30 day ban.”

Visitors sit comfortably before one of the rows and rows of screens that fill the large visitation room. There are barriers on the side and enough space between each station to create a feeling of privacy. A maximum of three people can attend each session. One adult can bring two children, two adults can bring one child, or two adults may attend (never three adults.) Keeping the kids well behaved can be a challenge, but it is necessary. “Kids have a lot of energy, and they want to run around,” Corporal Ankrum says. “We just ask that everyone keeps the kids in their immediate area. We give them a warning for that, because kids will be kids, but if they can’t maintain immediate custody of the kids the visit will be discontinued. We all want to make sure that this is a tranquil environment for people to conduct their visit.”

It isn’t only family and friends who can request a visit with an inmate. Sometimes students or interns studying psychology will ask to speak with inmates. The media, too, might want to talk to a high-profile inmate for a story. Inmates can refuse to participate in any visit, and in the case of a media request they have to sign a waiver.

Though the visits may feel private, there is always a PCSO employee keeping an eye on things. Professional visits, such as with an attorney or mental health counselor, are private, but all personal conversations are recorded. Detectives will sometimes review certain inmates’ conversations to see if they are talking about a case, and the conversations might also be checked for references to contraband or illegal activities inside the jail. PCSO members at Visitation can listen in real time, but generally won’t unless they notice something suspicious. Recently, the keen attention of members who work at Visitation led to a felony charge when he noticed something strange during an inmate visit.

The visitors, identifying themselves as a mother and a minor daughter, came in to visit with an adult male inmate they claimed was the girl’s uncle. Criminal Justice Specialist Joshua Hughes noticed that the adult left the screen area, leaving the 16 year old alone, which is not allowed. Even older children have to be with an adult. They got a warning, and when it happened again at a subsequent visit the adult was banned for 30 days. It prompted Corporal Ankrum to look more deeply into the incident. After examining the recordings, she learned that the inmate was actually the father of the baby the teen was pregnant with. The information was forwarded to the Detention Investigations Unit (which investigates any crimes occurring in the jail) and then to the Crimes against Children Unit. A predator was caught thanks to the diligence of the Visitation employees.

Imagine a job where you sit for hours at a time, researching, writing reports, and keeping a close eye on the world around you. Other times you’re strolling, or standing for long stretches, on your feet but not very active. Then suddenly without warning you have to sprint at top speed, hurdle a fence, or fight for your life… or for someone else’s life.

This is the world of a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) deputy. Whether on patrol, in the jail, in the courthouse, or elsewhere, the job can often be characterized by long periods of inactivity interspersed with action. It requires a high level of fitness, but also includes a number of factors perfectly designed to interfere with top performance such as sitting in a vehicle for extended periods, and 12 hour shifts that can make it all too easy to skip the gym or succumb to the lure of fast food. Often the only places open on night shift are the least healthy options. 

To address this, the PCSO established a program to help each sworn member achieve and maintain a level of fitness that will not only improve job performance but contribute to their overall health and wellbeing both on and off the job. 

“The annual Physical Abilities Test (PAT) is a good opportunity for deputies to gauge their current fitness level,” says Training Corporal Nic RamaSanto. “The ability to perform the essential functions of a deputy, whether they’re working law enforcement or corrections, is directly affected by their underlying fitness level. We’re in a profession that serves the public, and the public has a right to expect that the individuals who have taken an oath to serve and protect have the ability to do so.” 

The PAT is a multi-part exercise that challenges deputies in some of the basic physical skills essential to the job. Upon hiring and then once a year thereafter, every sworn member takes the PAT. It simulates a series of actions that a deputy might encounter in the course of their shift. They start out buckled in the front seat of a patrol Tahoe and when a red-shirted member of the Training Division starts the timer they rush out of the vehicle (hopefully remembering to unbuckle first) and run to the trunk to grab a flashlight, which symbolizes any of the gear they might have get in a hurry, such as a stop-the-bleed kit, shield, or other specialized equipment.

From there they run 220 yards and then go through an obstacle course that includes jumping over a wall, stepping over hurdles of various heights, zig-zagging through a serpentine, and doing a low crawl. These replicate the same kinds of movements a deputy might make when they’re pursuing a suspect on foot, or running to save a life.

Most deputies report that the hardest part of the PAT is the sled drag, which is a stand-in for pulling a citizen or fellow deputy to safety. Deputies have to lug a 150-pound sled for 50 feet. Some say it’s easiest to tow by walking backwards, but others save their quads by pulling it behind their back. Either way, as soon as they finish they reverse course, going back through the obstacles and then running another 220 yards before testing their fine motor skills by picking up two guns and dry-firing them each six times. They return the flashlight to the trunk, get back in the Tahoe, and the timer stops when their seatbelt clicks.

To do all that, they have a maximum of six minutes and four seconds. As an added incentive, members who complete the course in three minutes and nine seconds or less get $100 through our wellness program. Almost all sworn members pass the PAT, but in the rare cases where they don’t, they’re placed on light duty until they do. After two weeks they can take the PAT again. They are given plenty of help, and time to improve. 

PCSO tries to make it easier for deputies to keep in shape. There’s a gym at the Sheriff’s Administration Building, and another at the jail, open 24 hours a day to accommodate all schedules. There’s even a fitness specialist on staff who can devise custom fitness and nutrition programs for any member, sworn or civilian. 

Of course, being deputies, things can get a little competitive. Two years ago K-9 handler Deputy Wyeth Whitehurst set an agency PAT record with 1:56. Just a few weeks ago, though, Detention Corporal Nicholas Dinkins tied that record. We’ll see what happens next year. Will one of them beat their own record, or will a dark horse emerge and set a new standard for fitness at the PCSO?