Knight says schools must pay 100% of cost for deputies

[Media]

Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight told the Sarasota school district that he would no longer split the cost of school resource officers at schools, [but the school district will have to now pay all of the costs of having deputies in schools].

Knight’s decision came as a surprise to board members and district financial staff.

Currently, the district pays about $750,000 for 14 deputies at 10 district middle and high schools in the unincorporated county. That cost will have to be doubled.

School superintendent Todd Bowden said Knight had repeatedly attempted to end the 50-50 agreement with the district in prior years because…

Full story:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20...ntary-campuses

[Unregistered]

Click on the article link and scroll down to look at citizen comments and read Steve Hall's commentary. :-)

[Media]

Sarasota School Board members expressed surprise by Sarasota Sheriff Tom Knight’s decision to no longer split the cost of school resource officers in schools.

In Manatee County, the School Board held a meeting with the Manatee sheriff and police chiefs to outline a plan. They will continue their previous agreements to keep the 50-50 cost-split.

Shirley Brown expressed concern that Knight is refusing to help with the cost, at a time when he should “do more, not less,” a comment that frustrated Knight.

Eric Robinson said, “The Sarasota sheriff could have just continued on with his existing 50-50 amount. He could have kept that funding the same, but that’s not what happened. He’s making us pay for 100 percent, not only for new stuff, but for existing stuff.”

Knight said, “I’ve never had this problem in the past seven years and…”

Full story:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20...superintendent

[Unregistered]

This is just typical of an egotistical moron who says he is concerned with the safety and security of our children yet shows he is willing to make progress stop until he gets his way. Can you say bully? I like how he also says that he wasn't involved in the planning. Like he thinks he's a cop! He was a glorified meter maid and his ideas always end up with just another way to write more tickets. I hope this type of reporting makes the public realize that this once great agency is now a circus and Bozo is running it.

[Unregistered]

This is just typical of an egotistical moron who says he is concerned with the safety and security of our children yet shows he is willing to make progress stop until he gets his way. Can you say bully? I like how he also says that he wasn't involved in the planning. Like he thinks he's a cop! He was a glorified meter maid and his ideas always end up with just another way to write more tickets. I hope this type of reporting makes the public realize that this once great agency is now a circus and Bozo is running it.

Knight's new proposal is to hired "at will" school deputies who only work during the school year and whose employment-contract expires at the end of each school year (no guarantee of contract renewal). It is strange and unorthodox.

My concern is the caliber of applicants for that kind of an "at will" position. Rookies with no street experience will take the job, but that will be a liability because they haven't learned when to arrest and when to let things slide (kind of like Knight LOL). Retirees might also apply. It's just strange all-around.

Knight has been bucking heads with elected representatives for a long time e.g. Knight threatened Caroline Zucker, Knight defied the chief judges order, Knight said he's never had issues with people until he dealt with the Sarasota School board (that's rubbish), etc.

It is time for Knight to go.

[Media]

Sheriff Tom Knight announced he is looking for 14 deputies to work at elementary schools. According to Knight, they will:

• Only work 187 days a year (during the 180 day school year)
• Receive $35,000 annually
• Candidates must be fully law enforcement certified

Full story:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20...entary-schools

Job posting:

• Employment with the Sarasota Sheriff as a School Deputy II is “at will.”
• The position will automatically terminate every year, unless renewed by the Sarasota Sheriff prior to the beginning of each school year.
• Employment does not guarantee that any position will be continued or permanent.
• The position will not accrue sick days or vacation days.
• You will not be eligible to participate in any benefit program offered by the Sheriff, except for retirement.

SSO employment website:
http://www.sarasotasheriff.org/get_i..._deputy_ii.php

“At-will” employment means your employer can terminate you at any time, unless you have a contract outlining job rights, such as:

• Union contracts
• Career service boards (a benefit program)
• Civil service protections

"At will" employees without contractual protections can be fired for:

• Good cause
• Bad cause
• No cause at all

Source:
https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2001/01/art1full.pdf

[Unregistered]

Lest we not forget that the candidate has to take the PAT test, go to in-service training and won't get a take home car. retirees that apply will not be eligible for a retirement plan either. I would bet that those SRO employees will be as good as the non-road trained bailiffs. Good luck with this.

[Unregistered]

Lest we not forget that the candidate has to take the PAT test, go to in-service training and won't get a take home car. retirees that apply will not be eligible for a retirement plan either. I would bet that those SRO employees will be as good as the non-road trained bailiffs. Good luck with this.

There are two extremes:

1. On the one hand, sticking a non-road trained (aka inexperienced) applicant in a school with a badge and a gun is a liability issue, as well as a supervisory issue.

2. Hiring retirees is going to attract older folks who are not going to want to be walking around a campus all day. You will invariably find them in their office, except at special times when they are required to be present e.g. the arrival of buses in the morning, the departure of buses in the afternoon, cafeteria at lunchtime, etc.

I also noticed that they are not covered by the career service board because they are "at will" employees, so they can be fired for no reason at all -- just the way Knight likes it. LOL (actually, it's not funny). Knight is a tyrannical bully.

[Unregistered]

Knight said, "I’ve never had this problem..."

Rubbish. Knight can't get along with others. Period. And when he doesn't get his way, he fights back and starts accusing others of things that are not true. The liar accuses others of lying.

Knight contributed to Caroline Zucker's campaign and endorsed a campaign check to her and has his photo taken with her. Then he threatened to turn Zucker in to the Florida ethics committee because she shared that information.

Knight was ordered by chief judge Charles Williams to reinstate security into the Sarasota Clerk of Court building. Knight refused the judges order.

And in the most recent incident, Knight is accusing Superintendent Bowden of lying -- and Knight is accusing the entire Sarasota school board of "doing business" without him.

The community is seeing Knight for what he truly is: a man with emotional problems who cannot be told "no." Anyone who disagrees with ANYTHING he says publicly is attacked by him. The man is nuts and is "emotionally hostile." It's an illness.

[Unregistered]

Sheriff Tom Knight took issue with Superintendent Todd Bowden and accused him of misrepresenting his private conversations at a public School Board meeting.

Bowden is on Kngiht's publicized hit list. This is bad and it's immoral. It's a character assassination, also known as a cheap shot or a lie.