Categories: General
      Date: Nov  9, 2009
     Title: Sheriff's Vet Picked to Lead Haines City Police

Published: Friday, November 6, 2009 at 10:45 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 9:06 a.m.
HAINES CITY | If nothing else, Richard Sloan, who will become the new Haines City Police chief, has a voice and bearing that can help reshape a struggling municipal law enforcement agency.

"He's a big guy with a deep voice. Some people think he's rough and tough," said Gary Hester, the chief of staff at the Polk County Sheriff's Office and Sloan's immediate supervisor. "He's certainly about doing things right, and he'll make sure his officers do it right. He's firm, but he's also fair."

"He's got a real strong presence when he comes into a room - a commanding presence," said Acting Police Chief Sammy Taylor, who's headed the Haines City Police Department since Feb. 1. "He loves to meet people, and he's a good conversationalist."

City Manager Ann Toney-Deal on Friday announced Sloan's appointment as the new Haines City police chief in a brief news statement. He will begin Nov. 30 with an annual salary of $85,000.

"Chief Sloan will be an excellent addition to the city's employee team. His experience, enthusiasm, strong work ethic and involvement in the community will serve all of our citizens well," she said in the statement.

Toney-Deal was unavailable to comment Friday. She selected Sloan almost a year to the day since former police Chief Morris West resigned upon his indictment on three misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution.

Polk Sheriff Major Mike Pruitt served as the interim chief for three months following West's suspension on Oct. 24, 2008, the day he was indicted by a Polk County grand jury. West quit a week later as part of a deal with the State Attorney's Office, which dropped the charges in exchange for his resignation and surrendering his law enforcement credentials.

His second in command, Capt. Mervin Stewart, was also indicted on two felony perjury counts stemming from his grand jury testimony. Stewart was suspended without pay and is awaiting trial.

Taylor, a retired Polk sheriff major, took the helm of the Haines City Police Department from Pruitt when he returned to his Sheriff's Office duties.

Sloan has served with the Polk Sheriff's Office since 1982, the last four years as the third in command as chief of the Department of Law Enforcement. That's the sheriff's largest department, with an annual budget of $77 million and more than 1,000 employees, including 629 sworn officers.

He will take over a department with a current budget of $4.9 million. It has 51 sworn officers, including 8 vacancies, and 23 civilian employees, plus a federal grant to hire two additional officers.

Commissioner Adam Burgess said he would recommend that Sloan address community relations and increasing the professionalism of the department as his top two immediate priorities.

"Some of those concerns I've witnessed since I've been on the commission (since April 2008), and they have remained my concerns," he said.

"He's fixing to get his wish," Sloan said. "I think my most immediate challenge is to build relationships with the officers, city officials and the community. We'll immediately start practicing more customer service."

Both Pruitt and Taylor reported low morale at the police department following the West and Stewart indictments and a scathing grand jury report detailing mismanagement of the department under their leadership. Burgess and Taylor agreed morale has improved in the past year but that an interim chief can do only so much in that area.

Sloan agreed, adding that he doesn't view the Haines City job as a stepping stone to a bigger department.

"I love it here in Polk County, and I want to stay here in Polk County. I plan to be there (Haines City) at least 10 years," he said. "The people need to know you're not going to walk out of there soon and that you're going to build long-lasting relationships."

Sloan said he would run a transparent agency similar to the Sheriff's Office under two of his law enforcement mentors, current Sheriff Grady Judd and his immediate predecessor, Sheriff Lawrence Crow.

"If we make a mistake, we're going to admit we made a mistake. We'll be very open," he said.

Stability also will help build professionalism in the department, Sloan said.

"The responsibility of a leader is to mentor, coach and help them (officers) be the best they can be," he said.

Taylor said he plans to stay for a few weeks in December to help with the transition.

Capt. Brian Rall, who came to Haines City with Taylor in February as his second in command after a career with the Polk Sheriff's Office, has agreed to stay in that position for at least two more years, Sloan and Taylor said.

Sloan is taking a pay cut from the $105,100 he currently earns. But he acknowledged he would have to leave the Sheriff's Office in two years under the mandatory retirement option he accepted three years ago.

The Haines City Commission on Thursday agreed to exempt Sloan from the city charter requirement that department heads reside in the city.

Sloan lives in Winter Haven with Cyndi, his wife of 22 years, and son Dalton, 12. Another son, Shawn Sloan, 35, is a Polk sheriff's lieutenant, and a daughter, Tiffany Rhoden, 37, lives in Clay County.

[ Kevin Bouffard can be reached at kevin.bouffard@theledger.com or at 863-422-6800. ]