Police Chief Talks up Community Policing

The tenor of Sarasota’s two civilian police panels is starting to emerge over these past few months. The “complaints board” is starting to review how the Sarasota Police Department evaluates citizen complaints. It meets monthly.

The other panel – the Independent Police Advisory Board – meets quarterly, and convened for the second time on Friday, July 15. Chairman Elmer Berkel reminded members, “Administrative-type issues are not under our purview. We are charged to look at major policy aspects of policing in this city.”

With that Berkel turned the microphone over to Police Chief Mikel Hollaway. He is a reluctant chief. He spent his entire 28-year career in the SPD, and rose through every rank. But he didn’t submit his application for Police Chief until the final day. He was appointed on May 18, 2010, and reports to City Manager Bob Bartolotta.

“Everybody knows my philosophy is community policing,” Hollaway started out. “We are trying to be much more pro-active, hearing what citizens have to say. I have selected 10 new officers for Newtown, downtown and the Rosemary District. I want every businessman to know them by name.”

One subtle change is his department’s outreach to neighborhood associations. For years, senior lieutenants and captains came to their meeting to give briefings, crime prevention tips and relay local crime statistics. Within the past few months, it’s now the beat cops and detectives who actually work those neighborhoods who show up and share what they know.

In many respects the city police are responsible for three different cities. One is a “city of tourists” on vacation who throng here year-round, for Sarasota is a summer destination too. Another is a “city of commuters,” for during 9-5, the city’s population virtually doubles. A third and much smaller city is composed of people who actually live here. They are the natives and long-term residents who actually pay the taxes supporting the SPD.

These “locals” are of particular interest to Hollaway. “I hope this board will be a lightening rod for some of the social issues that contribute to crime in our community. And I hope you talk about solutions,” he said.

Hollaway and many on his force have been active in mentoring and coaching youth. As a sergeant, Hollaway was put in charge of an initiative, which included recruiting teachers to tutor students at police substations. Other officers coached high school sports, and continue to do so. “It was quite rewarding to see the students get off the school bus and go right to the substation,” he said last year. “It’s easy to say you want to make a difference. But it’s very hard sometimes, if you don’t establish relationships with the people that you serve.”

“I care about arrest statistics,” he told the panel. “But what’s important to me is the quality of our service, and that we treat our citizens with respect and dignity.”

Hollaway was appointed interim chief after the resignation of then-Chief Peter Abbott following the release of a closed-circuit video showing a Sarasota Police officer stomping a prisoner in the county jail sally port. As a result of the ensuing public uproar, both the Independent Police Advisory Board and the Police Complaint Committee were established. Both panels are in their infancy.