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This month’s episode of 56: A Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Podcast features Deputy Jana Demperio, who has had a long and varied career at PCSO and now works at the front desk of North District Station. It is a position that requires extensive knowledge, diplomacy, and often, a sense of humor.
At each of our offices – the Sheriff’s Administrative Building/Central District Station (10750 Ulmerton Road, Largo) and at the North District Station (2496 Bayshore Boulevard, Dunedin) – you will find at least one desk deputy on duty to greet you and help you with almost anything you need. Desk deputies answer phone calls and greet visitors, but they also take on cases that can be investigated from the desk, or do the initial investigation of things that can be followed up on by a patrol deputy.
Deputy Demperio has been with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for 24 years and has worked in Patrol, Street Crimes, Community Policing, and as a School Resource Officer… yet she said that people underestimate how challenging working the desk can be. “The desk deputy wears many hats,” she said. “I’m responsible for handling incoming calls, and taking preliminary reports.” As a desk deputy, she takes care of both crimes and non-criminal incidents. “The desk deputy handles petit thefts, harassing phone calls, preliminary fraud investigations, older runaway juveniles, and so on.” Desk deputies may also handle impound release requests, accept found property, and collect unwanted medications as part of Operation Medicine Cabinet.
Deputy Demperio gets lots of phone calls, but desk deputies are also the public face of anyone walking into our offices. “Not only do I handle the dispatched calls for service, but I also deal with visitors who come in seeking information or to report crimes or concerns.”
Even though she’s not on the road being proactive or responding to calls in progress, she makes a huge difference in people’s lives. “The most satisfying calls for me are definitely the ones where I can provide resolution, or alleviate someone’s fear about a situation.” She may get called if someone from out of town can’t get in touch with a local loved one. Deputy Demperio can often provide answers for them. “I can help someone locate a loved one who has unexpectedly been taken to a hospital,” she said.
She has also fielded calls from people who told her they had thoughts of self-harm. That can be tricky because they sometimes don’t want to give her their name or location. She has to make them feel safe and comfortable enough to confide in her so she can send medical help or members of our Mental Health Unit to assist them.
“Sometimes it’s just being there,” Deputy Demperio said. “Many times, people call in thinking they need to officially report or document an incident and are so upset. But as the conversation unfolds, it becomes clear to them that they just wanted to vent and have someone listen. Being able to offer that ear, give them a new perspective, or validate their feelings is very rewarding.”
It says a lot about our agency that people think we can solve any problem, but in reality many people contact Deputy Demperio about issues she can’t actually resolve. “A lot of my calls deal with questions of a civil nature, custody disputes, neighborhood issues or conflicts, and generally folks just calling in asking for advice or guidance in dealing with any problems or concerns.”
For some calls, her reply could be let me google that for you. Someone called asking how to file for unemployment. Another person demanded to know the ingredients in her Taco Bell burrito. Someone called her to report that they ordered grouper but were sure they were served cod instead – which is a violation that can be investigated by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, but our Forensics team can’t do a DNA test on your grouper sandwich. Once, a man who (unsurprisingly) refused to identify himself said that he had just paid a woman on the street for “certain services,” but she took his money and ran away without performing said services.
Animal calls are frequent. She’s been called by someone reporting an alligator… in a lake at a park where signs were posted notifying people about the presence of gators. She’s gotten calls about aggressive squirrels and neighbors feeding stray cats. One woman called to report a chicken in her back yard and demanded that Deputy Demperio do something about it. “Is the chicken armed, ma’am? Then there’s really nothing that law enforcement can do.”
People will call to report crimes that happened years, or even decades ago. While some crimes can be investigated and solved long after they occurred, the odds of resolving others are slim. She’s had people report thefts from before she even worked at the agency, with no suspects and no evidence. All she can offer them is an explanation of the statute of limitations, and sympathy.
Still, Deputy Demperio said she would never tell someone not to call about anything. She’d rather explain the scope of what law enforcement can do, offer sympathy, or guide them to the appropriate resources than miss the chance to help or reassure someone. She’d rather talk about when it is important to call the sheriff’s office.
“For some reason, people delay in reporting that suspicious person knocking on their front door or standing in their yard at 3:00 a.m. and decide to report it two days later.” If they reported it when it happened, we could send deputies, a K-9 to track, and our helicopter to spot them from the sky. Some people say they don’t want to make a fuss in case it is nothing more than a neighbor looking for their lost cat. But what if it is a burglar who is going to break into all the cars in your neighborhood? It is better to call and let deputies figure out if it is a crime in progress or a false alarm.
“Or if your vehicle is burglarized, and you want to report the crime, report it when you discover it, not later.” If they realize someone broke into their car overnight as they’re leaving for work, they might want to wait until they get to work to report it, or even the end of the day. But by then, physical evidence such as DNA or fingerprints may be lost.
When in doubt, call, or walk in to either of our two locations. We can’t help you with everything, but we’ll certainly try.
Make sure you tune in to our podcast to find out more about Deputy Demperio’s tales from the desk, and more!
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