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December 3, 2024

Communication is Key When PCSO Members Learn Spanish 

by Laura L. Sullivan, Public Relations Specialist

You used to hear it a lot more often over the radio: “Can I have a Spanish-speaking deputy respond to my location?” When you’re trying to help a person who has been victimized by crime, or get answers from a suspect, a language barrier can be a safety issue and an impediment to the smooth workings of law and justice. Today, Training Coordinator Sandy Springer is helping give our deputies and civilians the language skills they need to assist a large percentage of our community.


“We started the program in September of 2009 as a pilot program when Sheriff Gualtieri was the Chief Deputy,” Springer said. He recognized the need for our deputies to be able to communicate with the part of our population that speaks Spanish as their primary language. Springer started on a part-time basis, but by 2011 she worked as a Spanish language instructor for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) full time.


The program was originally created for patrol deputies, but it was so successful that in the second year it opened to deputies working in the jail. By the third year both sworn and civilian members could learn Spanish to better communicate with the citizens they met on the job. 


Lieutenant Jessica Smith said that the lessons are specifically geared toward the kinds of situations someone is likely to encounter in the law enforcement world. “It teaches you the basics of Spanish, but also the mandatos (commands) such as hands up, drop the weapon, get on the floor.” 


Classes can be personalized to the member’s particular duties. A patrol deputy might learn phrases relating to traffic stops, such as please give me your license and registration or step out of the vehicle. Springer said, “We practice everyday scenarios that our members encounter, including domestic violence situations, dealing with mental illness, theft, fights, uncooperative citizens and inmates, assisting inmates with requests, medical issues, and in general assisting the Hispanic community with various things such as records or releases from jail.”


Classes run from September through June. Those with little or no experience with the language start with Spanish 1, and can then take Spanish 2. Members who have been introduced to the language from school and can show proficiency might be able to start with Spanish 2 to enhance their skills even further. Spanish 3 is a maintenance program that meets once a week to keep skills sharp. 


Corporal Dawn Carter learned Spanish to help foster a positive relationship with the inmates she meets in the jail. “We learn phrases and commands that would enable us to communicate with Spanish-speaking inmates during the booking process as well as in the housing units.” Knowing an inmate’s primary language can improve safety. “During cell searches in one of our housing units, an inmate made suicidal comments to staff members. The inmate spoke little English and started to speak with staff in Spanish. I was able to communicate with the inmate, in Spanish, thus providing the necessary information to medical personnel to assist with his mental health needs.”


Having more employees who speak Spanish helps conserve resources too. Donna Weatherwax, a civilian who now works in the Policy Development and Accreditation Division but used to work in Inmate Records, said knowing Spanish means she doesn’t have to pull people away from other duties to help her. “I was able to use my Spanish skills to communicate with inmates at the release desk without having to call for someone to translate.”


Fundamentally, though, it is about maintaining a connection with all of the people we serve. According to the 2020 Census, Latinos make up about 26-percent of Florida’s population, and close to 5-million Floridians speak Spanish at home. Even if a citizen is bilingual, in moments of stress they may prefer to talk in their first language. They may also appreciate that a PCSO member is making such an effort to make them feel comfortable and understood. 


Social worker Lori Atwater has seen the way an inmate can feel depressed or isolated if no one speaks their language. “I recall an inmate crying in my office, saying he feels so sad because he is around people who don’t understand him and he felt secluded,” Atwater said. “But if the Spanish speaker is housed in a pod where the deputy or other member can communicate in Spanish, then the inmate doesn’t have to feel so isolated. Sworn and civilian members can answer questions or get them the help they need more easily if they are bilingual.”


A high proportion of federal inmates, who are contracted to be housed at the Pinellas County Jail, only speak Spanish. “They have families in other countries who do not know if they are dead or alive, let alone arrested.” But since she learned Spanish, Atwater can help them. “We might have to call their consulate, locate their money from another jail, or contact the federal attorney’s office on their behalf to find out when or if they will be going to court, if there is an ICE hold and they will be deported, or even if they are concerned about a sick parent. Their needs are endless, and we have to be the mediators.”


Weatherwax said that learning another person’s language is a way to show empathy and understanding. “We have such a large Hispanic community in Pinellas County, it’s important that our members be able to communicate with them in order to provide the same level of service as English-speaking community members,” Weatherwax said. “I think it helps improve relations as it shows we care enough to learn how to better communicate and help people feel more valued and welcome in our community.”

Parking Apps Are Vulnerable to QR Code Scams 

by Laura L. Sullivan, Public Relations Specialist

Every new technology, every new development that makes life easier or more convenient is yet another opportunity for scammers to try to steal your money and personal information. QR (quick response) codes were first devised in 1994 for labeling car parts but today they are omnipresent. You may see them on your accountant’s business card or on the side of a bus advertising a law firm. Instead of being greeted by a waiter, you may find nothing more than a sign on your table with a QR code, letting you order and pay without any human interaction. They’re commonly used when paying for parking, letting you pay with a quick scan instead of hiking to a pay-and-display kiosk. QR codes store information, but you are most likely to encounter them when they send you to a website. Love them or hate them, they are everywhere. 


Whether you’re an Android or an Apple user, all you have to do is point your camera at a QR code and you’ll be guided wherever they want you to go. This can be very convenient, but it is also a way for scammers to set the perfect trap.


You know – because you read Inside the Star and follow our social media – that you should be very wary of clicking on a link that anyone sends you through text or email. Be just as careful with QR codes. A scammer may use one of the tried-and-true methods to get you to scan the QR code – you have an undelivered package from UPS, a fantastic job offer, or an unpaid fee from SunPass. Only instead of a link they have a QR code. Just remember: a QR code is at least as dangerous as a link.


After you scan a malicious QR code, scammers can get you in several different ways. The link could infect your phone with malware. More commonly, though, the QR code will lead you to a site that superficially resembles the website you expect, but which is in fact fake. In the Tampa Bay area and in cities around the world, scammers have been affixing fake QR codes over the real ones on parking payment signs. That’s even easier than putting a skimmer on a card reader – all the scammer needs is a printer to start their scheme of deception.


Instead of taking you to the ParkMobile or ParkWhiz site, scanning the fake QR code will direct you to the scammer’s site. You’ll enter your information – including password and credit card number – and make what you think is a small payment for parking. However, once the scammer has your credit card information, they can charge you as much as they want. 


Adding insult to injury, you’ll probably wind up with a ticket when parking enforcement discovers you haven’t paid for your spot!


To keep yourself safe from all of the many different kinds of QR code scams, use the same common sense you would when clicking on a link. Look at the sticker to make sure it wasn’t placed over the original. If you scan the QR code, examine the URL (website address) carefully before you open it. It might look like the web site you want, but if there are typos or switched letters you can bet it is a fake site. If you do access the website, look for typos, faulty grammar, bad design, or anything that makes you believe it isn’t a legitimate site. When entering information, are they asking for things the real site should already have? For example, if you know your credit card is on file with the real app, why are they suddenly asking for it again? 


Instead of scanning, you can use an app that you previously safely downloaded. Or you can search for or type in the real address of the parking service.


When scanning a code or clicking a link, it’s important to take your time and think. Is someone trying to pressure or hurry you? Can you access the site you want in another way, instead of scanning the code? Does anything seem just a little bit off? When in doubt, don’t go where that QR code is leading you.


There are several other parking-related scams to watch out for. You may find a fake ticket on your windshield notifying you that if you pay that day through Venmo the fine is reduced, creating that sense of urgency. You may be waved into a lot by a parking attendant, only to find when the event ends that it was a scammer in a fake uniform who took your money and disappeared, leaving your car to get towed by the real owner of the lot. 


There are a lot of people out there whose only mission in life is to take your money. If you think you’ve been scammed in any way, call the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency number, 727-582-6200.



Every child deserves to have a joyful holiday season. You can help by joining us on Saturday, December 7th at Fort De Soto Park for this year’s Ride And Run With The Stars. For more than 30 years, this has been the Tampa Bay area’s largest law enforcement fundraiser. Money raised at Ride And Run With The Stars goes directly to the Christmas Sharing Project which provides toys, bikes, clothes, and necessities to kids who are in need because of economic hardship or who have been victimized by crime. 


Ride And Run With The Stars is a family friendly event that includes running, biking, and family races as well as vendors, specialized vehicles, a K-9 demonstration, and Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving in a helicopter to meet children and hear their Christmas wishes. There’s also an online auction. 


To register or for more information, visit www.rideandrunwiththestars.com


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