J.D. Callaway, Hillsborough Sheriff's Office

Today we had the pleasure of visiting the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office and Operations Center in Ybor City. J.D. Callaway, a graduate of the University of South Florida, joined us to go over the different type of requests they receive from the local media and how they deal with those requests. Callaway offered up many different examples of requests that have come to him over the years. In addition to talking about what his duties are in his current position he even went back to his Tampa Tribune days and told us about a case involving getting a individuals DNA off of a used ice cream spoon. This wide ranging presentation proved very useful in that we now know what the media is looking for and how they go about getting it.

One of the most interesting subjects he spoke about was how the electronic media has changed things. He mentioned that the media now actually listens to the police scanners trying to pick up on some code and use that information to break a story. The fact that the information could be completely erroneous does not seem to matter, that reporter simply has to change the story once the accurate information comes out. Contrary to popular belief the local sheriff’s office does all it can to assist the media with telling a good accurate story. The major difference here is the sheriff’s office main priority is getting the story right and media’s main priority is getting it first.

The local sheriff’s office provides a news release detailing who, what, when, where and why or how the incident happened. Once the news release is available they then provide an individual’s charge report, and follow that up with a (CRA) criminal report affidavit. Almost all the information a reporter will need about a case is provided in one of these three documents. Despite most of the information being in these reports usually all this information just prompts the reports covering the story to ask more questions which is exactly what Callaway is for. Another major tool reporter’s use and request often are copies of search warrants. These are used to help see what direction a case is going and can give a reporter an idea as to what will eventually be happening in a case.

To wrap up are visit we were given a sneak peek at the war room and the call center. In these two areas the staff gathers together and discussed what has or is going to happen. This session helps them prepare for the day and get a better idea as to what is going on around them. In the call center they have an elaborate display where they can see multiple things at the same time. This location is where the 911 calls are answered and the officers are sent from. Overall this was a good learning tool and gives us a better understanding as to what role the sheriff’s office plays in assisting the media.