WINTER pARK POLICE DEPARTMENT

In 2005, the most active hurricane season on record, the Winter Park Police Department had the opportunity to assist other agencies in the aftermath of a total of four catastrophic events on three separate occasions. As an outgrowth of these events, Chief Ball, working with other local police chiefs, nurtured an idea that has grown into a national model being used by agencies to assist neighboring agencies in times of natural disaster and crisis. This concept had its genesis in a conversation between Chief Ball and Orlando Police Chief Michael McCoy upon the return of the Winter Park Police Department’s representatives from Escambia County following Hurricane Dennis.

In mid July of 2005, as it became evident that Hurricane Dennis would make landfall in the Pensacola, FL area, the Escambia County Sheriff requested assistance through the State of Florida Emergency Operations Center (E.O.C.). Responding to the request of the Florida Police Chief’s Association (F.P.C.A.) through the State E.O.C., Chief Ball directed a Captain to assemble two squads of officers who were willing to assist and on short notice, be ready to deploy to the Florida Panhandle. With twelve hours advance notice, supervisors were selected and officers, vehicles and equipment were assembled and deployed. Upon return, Chief Ball and Chief McCoy began discussing ways to minimize the impact on smaller police agencies' manpower while still allowing them to participate in relief efforts when disaster strikes.

Taking the lead, Chief Ball directed his staff to contact surrounding agencies to determine interest in participating in a multi-agency organized effort to provide assistance in time of need. Chief Ball and several police chiefs from agencies in Orange County met to discuss the possibility of combining resources of several agencies into a “rapid deployment task force” so that no one agency bears the burden of fielding a force large enough to be of benefit to agencies in need. It was learned that while in times of an emergency there were many agencies willing to commit one or two officers to the recovery effort, what was considered necessary by those in need was a self sustaining force of twenty-five to thirty officers, capable of self relief in the event of deployment for an extended period of time. Central Florida police chiefs committed to just such a force in the event of future need.

In early September as Hurricane Katrina began to work its way toward the United States, South Florida became an area of concern. However, the hurricane passed near the area with little effect. As Katrina entered the Gulf of Mexico and began to strengthen, primary concern was for the Florida Panhandle, the Mobile, Alabama area and the Gulf regions of both Mississippi and Louisiana. As Hurricane Katrina began battering the coast of Mississippi, a mutual aid request was sent to Governor Bush and the State E.O.C. began sending out requests for assistance to agencies throughout the State of Florida. More specifically, the Florida Police Chief’s desk at the State E.O.C. began collecting agencies and resources from local police agencies in preparation for an expected need. A phone call was placed to the chiefs of those agencies who initially agreed to participate in a multi-agency response and soon a list of thirty officers was assembled and the State E.O.C. was advised that the force could respond with twenty-four hours notice. This self sustaining team was successfully deployed to Biloxi, MS for a period of three weeks. Shortly thereafter, the Rapid Deployment Force was once again deployed to assist in South Florida in response to Hurricane Wilma’s devastation.

Upon return of the deployment force from Mississippi, Chief Ball contacted Director Amy Mercer of the Florida Police Chief’s Association and discussed the successes experienced by the Central Florida Chief’s Rapid Deployment Force. Chief Ball was asked to present the concept to the Board of Directors of the F.P.C.A. at its January Conference and at that meeting, the Central Florida model was adopted by the F.P.C.A. to be replicated in the sixteen districts of the F.P.C.A. in the development of its Statewide Emergency Task Force. To date, fifteen of the sixteen districts have formed response teams based on the model initially presented by Chief Ball, and tested by the Central Florida Chief’s Rapid Deployment Force led by members of the Winter Park Police Department Command Staff.

F.P.C.A. Director Amy Mercer has personally shared this concept with similar associations in Louisiana and New Jersey and the Governors Hurricane Conference. Chief (C.F.A. Commissioner) Peter Paulding has taken the lead for the F.P.C.A. and has presented the Winter Park/Central Florida model with the Virginia Police Chief’s Association and was asked to present this concept to the State Directors meeting of the International Association of Chief’s of Police (I.A.C.P.) at their October conference held in Boston, MA. According to Chief Paulding, the presentation was given to Directors of approximately forty-five of the fifty states, and it was well received.

With all fifty states signing Emergency Mutual agreements (E.M.A.C.’s), the Winter Park/Central

Florida model as adopted by the F.P.C.A. is being presented as a national model to be adopted by all fifty states as the process to be used under the nationwide E.M.A.C.

In mid June of 2006, the F.P.C.A. had its first test of the rapid deployment concept as Hurricane Alberto threatened the Big Bend and Panhandle areas of Florida. While heretofore, the F.P.C.A. was only capable of bringing less than one hundred officers in response to a call for assistance, with a single notice sent from F.P.C.A. the sixteen districts responded with over eight hundred self sustainable officers ready to be deployed with twelve hours notice to any location in the State of Florida and as such, became the largest single law enforcement resource in the state.

It is realized that providing relief to agencies in need does not of itself qualify as a CFA Exemplary Project. However, the fact that Chief Ball and the Winter Park Police Department took the concept from the idea stage, tested the project by taking the lead in organizing the Central Florida Chief’s Rapid Deployment Force relief efforts to Hurricane Katrina, then presented the project to the Florida Police Chief’s Board of Directors for adoption, it is felt that the guidelines are met.

For more information please contact Lieutenant Thomas Pearson at tpearson@cityofwinterpark.org.