Knight says schools must pay 100% of cost for deputies

[Media]

Article date: June 5

Due to previously scheduled commitments, June 19 is the first available date when all five of Sarasota County’s school board members can be present for a meeting on school security. However, Chairwoman Bridget Ziegler decided to host the meeting on June 12 when other elected board members cannot be present – and Ziegler invited Sheriff Tom Knight and other police chiefs to attend. Knight confirmed he will attend.

Board member Caroline Zucker said, “I’m not happy with having a school security meeting when school board members cannot be present – because that means none of us has a voice. The meeting can wait [until June 19 or later].”

A school police chief should be hired by June 19, according to Michael Andreas, the district’s head of security.

Full story:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20...called-meeting

And:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20...-board-members

[Unregistered]

Knight publicly insulted a school board member by saying: “Shirley Brown can’t help herself: you can’t stop stupid”

There will come a time when Knight will look into the mirror and realize that what he sees is all that he will ever be. And then he will accept it. Or he will kill himself. Or he will stop looking in mirrors to avoid seeing himself.

[Media]

Sarasota County School Board Chairwoman Bridget Ziegler has decided to have an un-recorded meeting when other school board members cannot be present and she invited law enforcement leaders to attend. The public will be allowed to observe, but will not be allowed to ask questions or provide comments.

School board members Jane Goodwin, Shirley Brown and Caroline Zucker asked Ziegler to have the meeting after the school police chief is hired, which will likely happen this week.

Relations became strained between Sheriff Tom Knight and the school board members after a series of text messages showed Eric Robinson and Knight calling board member Shirley Brown names.

Knight said he is still accepting applications for low-cost deputies.

Senator Bill Galvano disputed Knight’s claim that…

Full story:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20...-place-tuesday

[Media]

Paul Grohowski

The Sarasota County School district hired Paul Grohowski as the new police chief. His background experience includes:
- Director of public safety for Allan Hanc*ck College Police Department (Calif.)
- Port St. Lucie Police Department (FL)
- Danbury Police Department (Conn.)

Grohowski was also a finalist to be chief of the North Port Police Department ...

Full story:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20...s-police-chief

[Unregistered]

DEAD ISSUE. For Employment with Sarasota School PD . Please inquire. https://www.sarasotacountyschools.net/departments/hr/

move along trolls

[Unregistered]

• Mr. Knight has historically hated SSO SROs (or SRDs as Knight now insist they be called).
• Mr. Knight has halved the SSO SRO unit since he came into town.
• The Sarasota School District has decided to distance itself from Mr. Knight and his politics, so they are creating their own school police department.
• What is going to happen to preexisting SSO SROs?

[Unregistered]

Full story:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20...-place-tuesday

Is "low cost deputy" actually going to be their title. Sounds rewarding sign me up. Hey to hell with patrol deputy I wanna be a Low Cost Deputy! Knight is always looking out for the kids.

[Unregistered]

[Media]

Sarasota school superintendent Dr. Todd Bowden has reached out to Sheriff Tom Knight several times since the two sat down and talked publicly, but Knight refuses to return his calls, which is hindering school security planning.

School board member Shirley Brown said, "Sheriff Knight told me that he won't talk to the superintendent because he is not ‘elected’."

When Bowden left the last public meeting with law enforcement, he called every chief to schedule a time to negotiate a contract for temporary SROs – and every agency called him back, except Knight.

Bowden said, "I considered Tom Knight a friend, someone that I had an open line of communication with and for whatever reason, that's no longer the case. I regret that. I'm trying to get on the sheriff's calendar, but he isn't calling me back. Anytime he wants to talk, I'm available."

Brown explained that Knight’s hostility toward the Sarasota school district started after the Parkland school shooting, when the Sarasota district e-mailed SRO's and asked them to make their [marked] patrol vehicles more visible on campus.

Full story:
http://www.mysuncoast.com/news/rocky...cfe865183.html

[Unregistered]

Where do we start?

1) Lowest paid agency in the area.
2) No civil service protection.
3) No overtime or off-duty employment available.
4) Buy your own gun and uniforms...really.
5) No job security, only a one-year at a time contract. They don't have to fire you, just refuse to renew your annual contract.
6) And finally, if you get involved in any kind of controversy you will be on your own and unemployed.

There is a reason the recruiting poster doesn't list any benefits!