When Edward Gantz retired from banking and moved to a retirement community, he was at loose ends. “I sat around for several months trying to figure out what I’m going to be when I grow up,” he said. “I was losing my sense of worth. I knew I had to do something but didn’t want to get another job.”

Gantz always had a strong interest in law enforcement. He almost became an officer in Melbourne in the 1970s but his family convinced him otherwise. Alongside his other job he worked as a volunteer ambulance driver for nine years. Now that he’s retired, he finally got his chance to be part of the world of law enforcement by joining the Sheriff’s Volunteer Patrol (SVP).

Members of the SVP work alongside our deputies but have no law enforcement powers. Instead, they perform services for citizens that free up deputies to take calls and do proactive law enforcement work. At an accident scene, after the deputy has written any citations and gotten all the information for a crash report, they may still have to keep the scene safely marked with their cruiser lights for another hour while waiting for a tow truck. But SVP vehicles have flashing amber lights and can serve the same function, allowing the deputy to respond to calls for service.

“We roll up and take their place,” said SVP Chad Clifton. “They’ve got bigger fish to fry. Go catch bad guys. We free them up so they can do things only deputies can do.”

Clifton retired recently too. After a career in the Air Force and years as a defense contractor, he still felt the urge to contribute. “It’s good for me to be a part of something bigger than myself,” he said. He lives in Tampa but chose the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office SVP program. He used to drive 67 miles each way on his commute so the distance doesn’t bother him if he can be in the volunteer unit that suits him. “This unit is everything I thought it was and more,” he said.

Clifton and Gantz both completed 100 hours of rigorous classroom training. They met three days a week to learn everything they needed to know about being an SVP, including a 16-hour course on how to write parking citations, which is a big part of their job. Now, just like deputies, they have to go through field training, riding along with a seasoned Field Training Volunteer (FTO) as they learn to put all that theory into practice. “You don’t really put it all together until you’re out on patrol doing your 120 hours,” said SVP Administrative Coordinator Linda Spicer, who drove while the SVP recruits mastered using the computer, monitoring calls, and navigating around the county. They are graded on a litany of skills in the FTO’s daily observation reports. After that first phase, which makes them a Volunteer 1, they spend an additional 240 hours riding with a partner before they are allowed to patrol on their own as a Volunteer 2.

This extensive training is necessary because, even though they have no law enforcement powers – they can’t detain or arrest anyone or conduct criminal investigations – they travel the county and can act as the deputies’ eyes and ears, looking for trouble or people who need help. They also need to have the training and knowledge to use their discretion in evaluating situations. Is that person behind the building suspicious? Is the person in the stopped car having mechanical problems, or a medical emergency that needs an ambulance, or a domestic disturbance that needs law enforcement? Because they are patrolling so much, they run across many issues that need someone’s attention.

But their main occupations are traffic control, parking enforcement, business checks, and house checks. They will cruise through parking lots to see if anyone is parked in a disabled person parking spot without a visible permit. If it isn’t displayed, they can check records to see if they have one issued. The permit is associated with the driver license, not the car or tag, so there might not be one linked to the registered owner of the vehicle, but the driver may have one. They can have a disabled tag, or they might have a placard that they can switch between cars “Technically if they have a permit but they’re not properly displaying it, it can be a $250 citation,” Spicer said. “But we’re out here to educate the public. We’re just going to give a warning with an info card as a friendly reminder.” They prefer to give warnings, but for a blatant deliberate violation or repeat offenses they will ticket. There is a record of warnings issued, so a repeat offender can’t use the excuse that they didn’t know.

Did you know that when you go away for an extended period, you can sign your home up for house checks? A deputy – or more likely an SVP – will check the perimeter of your house, looking at windows and checking doors, to make sure all is as it should be. They’ll know if there should be a car in the driveway, or any lights on, or if anyone is authorized to be in your home in your absence. It’s a great way to have peace of mind when you’re away from home.

If there’s a traffic crash, or a traffic light is out, chances are you’ll see an SVP roll up and put out orange traffic cones. Learning confidence while directing traffic is one of the skills the new recruits have to master. “I realized I had to be the one in charge, not the driver,” Spicer said. “Once you have that mindset – this is my intersection, not yours – you’re fine.”

The SVP recruits don’t drive on their own early in their training. “We want them to get familiar with all of the programs first,” Spicer said. “If you can’t run the computer there’s no reason to put you behind the wheel. I need to know that they can do everything on their own first.” But after 120 hours it’s finally time for the new recruits to take the wheel themselves.

Spicer said that many of the SVPs are retired, but there are a few younger ones too. Many moved to Florida from out of state, but in the most recent recruit class, five out of the six grew up in Pinellas County. If you have a passion for helping people and an interest in law enforcement, why not apply for the next class of SVPs?

You may have seen a lot of messaging warning older people about the dangers of scams, but some surprising new data shows that the elderly aren’t the only ones who have to worry. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released its report on the data it collected in 2024, and it turns out that younger people are the demographic who most commonly reported losing money to a scammer.

The numbers are revealing: 51 percent of people under age 19 have lost money to fraud, and 44 percent of people age 20 to 29 have been victims of financial scammers. On the other end of the spectrum, only 24 percent of people ages 70 to 79 have been scammed, while just 21 percent of people over age 80 have fallen prey to fraudsters. (We say “just” – but 21 percent is still far too many people being scammed.)

But there is an important corollary to this data. Though more young people are reporting losses due to fraud, when older people are scammed, they lose more money. People under 19 years old have a median loss of $189, those ages 20 to 29 lost $417, and the number steadily increases as you go up in age groups. By the time you get to seniors, scam victims ages 70 to 79 lose $1,000, and those over age 80 lose $1,650.

The FTC data doesn’t explain why this is the case, but it may come down to opportunity and education. Though criminals will use any means available to trick you out of your money, from QR codes at parking meters to phone calls to sweepstakes mailings, most types of fraud originate online, and we know that the younger demographic is constantly online and always on their phones. They tend to be exposed to much more in the way of texts and social media than the older groups, and this means they are exposed to more opportunities to be scammed.

By the same token, though, younger people are also exposed to a lot more messaging about how to be safe from scammers and may discover the fraud more quickly. They’re quicker to share stories of being scammed with their peers, which spreads awareness. They also simply may have less money to lose, or be more likely to notice a problem more quickly.

Though there are plenty of tech-savvy seniors, they didn’t grow up with the technology and may be more liable to fall for a con artist’s tricks. People who might be very quick to spot a scam in person can become victims online. They might not know that new technology can recreate the images and voices of people they know and trust. When seniors are scammed, it might take them longer to figure it out, and they may be reluctant to report it. That’s understandable – it can be embarrassing to think that after living for 70 years they can fall for a scammer. Maybe a romance scammer convinces them they’re in love, or someone impersonates their grandchild and says they’re in trouble and they need money. Seniors may also lose more because after a lifetime of hard work they have more to lose.

Whatever your age, be savvy about scammers. If you’re older, make sure you understand the technology you’re using. If you’re younger, slow down and don’t be so quick to click that link or answer that text. People of all ages should remember that if something sounds too good to be true – a big lottery win, an out-of-the-blue romance, an unsolicited job offer – it probably is. And if anyone contacts you and then rushes you or scares you, they’re probably a scammer. Don’t pay for anything with gift cards or crypto, and only use services like Zelle or Venmo with people you know personally and trust.

Most importantly, follow our social media for more information about how to keep yourself safe from scammers.