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LAND O’ LAKES/LUTZ EDITION
APRIL 13, 2016
Sparks flying over 911 center By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Controversy is swirling over the leadership of Pasco County’s 911 center, after a dispatcher mishandled an emergency call regarding a wrong-way driver on Interstate 75. Pasco County commissioners also say that residents have reported instances of dropped calls or unanswered calls to the center. “I think it’s gotten to the point we need to think outside the box,” Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore said during the commissioners’ March 29 meeting.
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco
Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker
Despite additional staff members working at the center, Moore said, “There have been too many missteps.”
A solution could come at the commissioners’April 12 meeting in Dade City, when the issue is expected to be reviewed again. The center has been without a permanent director for about 18 months. On two occasions, candidates backed away. One cited family related reasons.The other gave no reason. The issue of who will lead the county’s emergency center has evolved into a tussle between Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco and Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker. Baker and Nocco disagree over who See 911, page 11A
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Retired cop’s ‘life beneath the shield’ By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
Land O’ Lakes resident Lawrence Hoffman wants people to understand that cops are “just like everybody else.” Hoffman, a retired New York Police Department detective, recently released the book “Turning Blue: A Life Beneath the Shield.” The title reflects the progression that happens in the life of a police officer, Hoffman said. “It’s just like if you become a doctor, and you get a stethoscope and a jacket, does that make you a doctor? Not really,” he said.“It’s a process, and I call it ‘turning blue,’ where you learn through your experiences.” After 20 years on the force, Hoffman retired in 2004, and started writing about his vast experiences. “It took me a good 12 years to write,” he said.“It didn’t start out as a book; it just kind of morphed into it.” “I wanted to let people know that there’s a life beneath the shield.The book is not really about me, although it is. “I didn’t think that my life was so great that people needed to know about me. I used what I knew—what God gave me— which was my life,” he said. Hoffman grew up as a fun-loving, middleclass kid from Long Island. His infatuation with being in a uniform and being a part of an organization gravitated him toward work for the NYPD. “I just thought how amazing that job must be; that’s really what I was fascinated with,” he said. Patrolling the New York streets as a young officer was a culture shock, especially with the crack epidemic of the 1980s, Hoffman said. “When I became a cop, I was thrown into this totally different world,” he said. ”I was working in Brooklyn back in the ’80s when crack was so prevalent, and I felt a lot of resentment toward me for no reason, other than that I wore a uniform; that kind of bothered me.” The resentment he felt was one reason Hoffman decided to write the book. He wanted to help readers understand the person behind the uniform. “People form either their own opinion or they form opinions from friends who’ve had experiences with the police,” Hoffman said. “I wanted to show that there’s a different side. Underneath the uniform, we’re all pretty much the same.We all go through loss, we cry, we bleed. ...I wanted to put a face to the uniform.” In the book, Hoffman details several of his experiences, including his very first day
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LAWRENCE HOFFMAN
Hoffman, left, worked on several major drug cases. He patrolled the New York streets during the crack epidemic of the 1980s.
Hoffman bio Lawrence Hoffman worked for the New York Police Department from 1984 to 2004. After retiring, he moved to Land O’ Lakes with his wife, Jeanette. He now works in the public safety field, and is also pursuing his dreams of being an actor. He’s already been featured in several feature films and television shows such as Law and Order, Life on Mars, A Beautiful Mind and The Bounty Hunter.
‘Turning Blue: A Life Beneath the Shield’ was released in December. It can be picked up at Barnes & Noble, checked out at Hillsborough County libraries, or ordered online through Amazon.com, Google Books and iTunes.
on the job as a 24-year-old rookie officer. “I wanted you to know what it’s like the first day you actually go on a foot post,” the retired detective said.“What is it like being a cop to get a four-block post and ...you’re responsible for anything that happens in those four blocks. Anybody that lives there, walks there, drives through there, I’m responsible for, for eight hours. I have to protect and care for those people, and it’s a lot of responsibility,” he said. “I found myself just standing there, like, ‘What do I do?’ Then the training starts to kick in,” Hoffman said. In “Turning Blue,” he recollects his first citation, his first arrest, a deadly shootout and what’s it like to cope with death— of both civilians and fellow officers. “It’s not all running and gunning. I wanted people to know a realistic view of what being a cop is like,” Hoffman said, noting that
Lawrence Hoffman worked for the NYPD from 1984 to 2004. It took him approximately 12 years to write ‘Turning Blue.’
90 percent of police work is calm and reactive, while the other 10 percent is chaotic. “This book is not, ‘Look at me, look at how great of a cop I am.’ It’s actually not that at all,” Hoffman explained.“I put a little history in the book, so you learn. But, I wrote it as if you were there standing next to me. I want you to see what I saw, feel what I felt and smell what I smelt.” That includes bringing readers into the events of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in See SHIELD, page 11A
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Patience dwindling on Ridge Road extension By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
When it comes to the extension of Ridge Road, one Pasco County commissioner said it’s time to fish or cut bait. Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore wants an answer from the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers on the project by midMay, or he’s ready to drop it. The county has been waiting for 16 years for a permit on the project. Moore reluctantly joined other commissioners on March 29 to approve a new consultants’ contract to pursue the permit, but said his tolerance is waning. “I can’t continue this year after year,”
“I can’t continue this year after year. I can’t continue even six months to give more and more funds (to a project) that I don’t know is going to happen.” –Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore Moore said. “I can’t continue even six months to give more and more funds (to a project) that I don’t know is going to happen.” Moore signaled earlier that he had concerns about a six-month extension to a
contract with consultants at Dawson & Associates. The firm, based in Washington D.C., is helping steer the county’s permit applicaSee RIDGE ROAD, page 11A