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Guest AuthorDecember 28, 2015

From palace intrigues to pot, 2015 brought a plethora of material to the Capitol Press Corps. Trying to pick the top 10 state government stories is a subjective pursuit, to say the least, but here are the FloridaPolitics.com picks for the passing year: No. 1: The “firing” of Gerald Bailey Gov. Rick Scott actually forced […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 24, 2015

Public safety is a shared priority of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Sheriff Mike Williams, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is going to help advance public safety in Jacksonville, with a Justice Assistance Grant of $96,607 for a Public Safety Analyst Project, according to a letter from the FDLE This money, according to the application […]

Jim RosicaNovember 24, 2015

Two applicants to the Capitol Police have sued the agency, claiming they were victims of age and sex discrimination when they were turned down for jobs as officers. Woodrow Kerce and Carissa Beck filed their complaint in Leon County Circuit Civil court last week, according to court dockets. The Capitol Police patrol and protect the […]

Associated PressNovember 18, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott is seeking $8.5 million to help process a backlog of nearly 11,000 untested rape kits. Scott announced his proposal in a news release Wednesday. The money would be used to upgrade Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime laboratories. It would be spent on lab equipment, DNA database upgrades and crime scene vehicles. […]

Associated PressNovember 16, 2015

Florida’s overall crime rate is dropping, but the number of reported sex offenses and sexual assaults is rising. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement released Friday a summary of crime information for the six months of 2015. The report showed overall crime volume dropped 2.2 percent compared to the first six months of last year. […]

Associated PressNovember 3, 2015

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says nearly 11,000 rape kits have not been submitted for analysis. In a spreadsheet released on its website Tuesday, the FDLE tallied 10,900 kits that have not been tested. The data came from 262 law enforcement agencies across the state. Seven law enforcement agencies did not report data. The […]

Phil AmmannNovember 2, 2015

Whenever there is a police officer-involved shooting, supervisors often call the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for an independent investigation. Now the agency is struggling to keep up. According to WFTS Tampa, FDLE’s caseload on officer-involved shootings jumped 31 percent last year; and rising 117 percent during the past five years. The backlog is leaving […]

Associated PressSeptember 9, 2015

The number of untested rape kits sitting in law enforcement agencies across Florida is anybody’s guess. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday that the number is in the thousands, but she wasn’t sure exactly how many. That’s why she’s calling for more funding for processing the sexual assault kits in the next state budget. The […]

Gary FineoutAugust 31, 2015

The Florida prosecutor who investigated numerous state politicians and conducted a high-profile probe into rape allegations against Jameis Winston is ending his lengthy career. State Attorney Willie Meggs said Monday he won’t seek re-election next year when his current term expires. The 72-year-old Meggs has been the lead prosecutor for six north Florida counties since […]

Jim RosicaAugust 27, 2015

For the third time, state Sen. Aaron Bean has introduced legislation to create a statewide “cold case task force” to pare down the thousands of unsolved murders in Florida. But the head of an organization of victims’ survivors says he’s concerned about law enforcement again balking at the cost of such a measure. For instance, […]

Tag: Florida Department of Law Enforcement

Jim Rosica's Top 10 stories of 2015 in state government

FDLE grants Jax $96,607 for “public safety analyst project”

Capitol Police hit with age, sex discrimination lawsuits

Gov. Rick Scott seeks $8.5 million to help process rape kits

Florida’s crime rate drops, but sexual assaults are rising

Florida data shows 10,900 sexual assault kits still untested

FDLE “can’t keep up” with officer-involved shooting caseload, requests $3.4M for new agents

Pam Bondi wants quicker processing of untested rape kits

Long-time prosecutor Willie Meggs, who investigated Jameis Winston, is retiring

Bill would create “cold case task force” for unsolved killings