Arrest by Pasco Sheriff’s Office
With more than 300,000 calls for service each year, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office (“PSO”) responds to emergency calls for service, conducts criminal investigations, and enforces traffic laws.
The patrol division of the Pasco Sheriff’s office includes twelve (12) platoons divided into thirty (30) squads throughout three (3) districts.
PSO provides uninterrupted law enforcement services to more than 500,000 citizens that live or work in Pasco County.
In early 2015, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office (PSO) adopted a full-scale body camera program. Every Deputy Sheriff on patrol in Pasco County wears a body-worn camera.
Unfortunately, the deputies have become very good and turning the video equipment on and off when it suits them.
Be aware that the officer will often write in the report the following statement:
“My Body Worn Camera was activated during this incident and captured events during the investigation; however, the camera footage may have been paused or interrupted if taking up a static post and/or during the passing of sensitive, tactical, or confidential information”
Your criminal defense attorney should obtain all of the dashcam and bodycam video evidence.
We obtain these videos from the arresting officer and backup officers who witnessed any part of the investigation.
Lawyers for an Arrest by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office
If you were arrested for a felony or misdemeanor crime by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, contact an experienced criminal defense attorney at Sammis Law Firm.
With offices in New Port Richey, we fight criminal and DUI cases throughout Pasco County and the surrounding areas throughout Tampa Bay.
Our offices are across from the West Pasco Judicial Center courthouse.
Our Pasco County criminal defense lawyers are familiar with the standard operating procedures deputies must follow in the field.
Whether your arrest involves a patrol deputy or a detective, we can help.
We help clients charged with various criminal accusations, including felony, misdemeanor, and DUI offenses after an investigation by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office in New Port Richey, Dade City, Zephyrhills, Trinity, St. Leo, or San Antonio, FL.
Call 727-807-6392 for a free consultation.
Three Patrol Divisions of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office
Pasco County is divided geographically into three Patrol Districts, serving as the primary provider of uninterrupted law enforcement services including:
- District One of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office – covers an area west of U. S. Highway 41 and North of Ridge Road, encompassing approximately 140 square miles, and divided into 10 patrol zones, averaging 14 square miles per zone. The District 1 office is located at 7432 Little Road in New Port Richey;
- District Two of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office – covers an area east of U. S. Highway 41, encompassing approximately 490 square miles, and divided into 11 patrol zones, averaging 44 square miles per zone. The District 2 office is located at 36409 State Road 52 in Dade City; and
- District Three of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office – covers an arrest west of U. S. Highway 41 and South of Ridge Road, encompassing approximately 135 square miles, and divided into 10 patrol zones, averaging 13.5 square miles per zone. The District 3 office is located at 11530 Trinity Boulevard in Trinity.
Specialized Units of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office
The specialized units assigned to the patrol districts include the Property Crimes Detective Unit, the Strategic Targeted Area Response (STAR Team), the ILO Detectives, and Code Enforcement.
Each patrol division provides specialized services and mutual aid to incorporated cities within their respective portion of the County.
For instance, District One provides services to Port Richey and New Port Richey. District Two services Dade City, Zephyrhills, San Antonio, and St. Leo. District Three provides services to Port Richey and New Port Richey.
Some areas of the county contract with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office for additional law enforcement services through a Contract Deputy, including the cities of St. Leo and San Antonio, along with the communities of Meadow Pointe 1, 2, and 3, and Concord Station.
The attorneys at Sammis Law Firm are also familiar with the standard operating procedures used by the S.T.E.P. unit of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office.
Officers on the STEP unit focus on enforcing traffic laws on the streets and roadways throughout Pasco County.
Most DUI arrests by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office involve a specially trained DUI enforcement officer.
We are also familiar with the procedures used by the other law enforcement agencies in Pasco County when making a DUI arrest.
Courthouse Security Provided by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office
The Pasco Sheriff’s Office provides security for most circuit court and county court proceedings.
The Pasco Sheriff’s Office is responsible, according to Administrative Order 2018-009 PA-CIR, dated February 20, 2018, to provide for the following:
- the safety of the Court, lawyers, parties, witnesses, jurors, court staff, and the public in court proceedings; and
- the orderly and safe transaction of court business.
The administrative order allows the Sheriff to take additional action to achieve these goals (as long as the additional steps do not conflict with an Administrative Order or an order of a presiding judge).
For purposes of this administrative order, the term “court facility” means the areas in a courthouse where court functions are performed and include:
- courtrooms;
- hearing rooms;
- judicial chambers;
- offices of court staff;
- witness rooms;
- juror assembly rooms;
- jury deliberation rooms;
- the offices of the Clerk of the Circuit Court; and
- adjacent areas such as restrooms, break rooms, conference rooms, and reception areas.
Court functions in Pasco County are conducted at the following courthouses:
- The Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center, 38053 Live Oak Avenue, Dade City, Florida;
- The West Pasco Judicial Center, 7530 Little Road, New Port Richey, Florida; and
- The Pasco Historic Courthouse, 37918 Meridian Avenue, Dade City, Florida, when designated explicitly for court proceedings.
The Pasco Sheriff’s Office is allowed to use facial recognition systems in such a manner to ensure that scans that do not produce a match are not retained in the system.
Pasco County Jail
The jail in Pasco County was built in 1990. Over the years, the Pasco County Jail has been expanded several times.
Currently, the Pasco County Jail is designed to hold 1,432 inmates. The maximum capacity is 1,900 inmates.
The inmate population is projected to grow to 2,368 in less than three years.
In 2018, a proposed $185 million bond issue would finance a 1,000-bed expansion at the Pasco County Detention Center in Land O’Lakes.
The Pasco County Sheriff, Chris Nocco, has suggested that leasing trailers could house up to a total 160 inmates for a cost of nearly $2 million annually for a three-year lease which is less expensive than sending inmates to out-of-county facilities.
That price does not include the price of fencing, cameras, other security measures, and a dozen new corrections deputies.
The cost could reach $8.25 million annually, plus transportation and medical expenses, to keep 200 inmates in Polk County.
Additional Resources
DUI Arrests by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office – Visit the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office website to learn more about the PSO Traffic Enforcement Section, which includes the Special Traffic Enforcement Patrol (STEP) Unit and the Motor Unit. The traffic enforcement section actively enforces all traffic laws in the unincorporated areas around Dade City in Pasco County. The locations for traffic enforcement are chosen by analyzing crash data to determine areas with the highest crash rates. PSO uses Intelligence-Led Policing methods to find locations often overlapping high crime areas.
Pasco Sheriff’s Office on Facebook – Follow the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook to learn more about this local law enforcement agency or find public service announcements or information on employment opportunities. An estimated 16,367 individuals were booked into the Pasco County Jail in 2016. The 2016 average daily population of the Pasco County Jail is approximately 1,381 individuals.
Pasco County Sheriff’s Office Accused of Retaliation and RICO Violations – One current and two former Pasco County Sheriff’s Office employees filed a federal lawsuit against the Pasco County Sheriff, Chris Nocco, alleging misconduct and retaliation. The sheriff’s office is accused of retaliating against employees who report misconduct. The lawsuit alleged that Sheriff Chris Nocco and other leaders in the agency were “intoxicated with power and will physically abuse, intimidate, incarcerate, extort, and defame to ensure their absolute control.” The current and former employee involved in the lawsuit includes Christopher Squitieri, John Horning, and Anthony Pearn.
Breaking News at the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office – Learn more about the most recent drug bust, reports of missing children, or the most recent arrests made in sting operations by officers with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office.
This article was last updated on Monday, May 1, 2023.
