1. Did the Sheriff’s Office come up with system for scoring prolific offenders on its own? Is it based on another agency’s rubric or a textbook? Did the Sheriff’s Office contract with a private data firm like some other departments have? If so, which one? - The first list of prolific offenders was produced around October 2015 using data that was available through our existing RMS/JMS systems and in concert with the recommendations of Dr. Jerry Ratcliffe who we continue to partner with on this program, and in partnership with the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office who began using ILP before our agency. We did not partner with a private data firm, though we have worked with Dr. Bryanna Fox (USF). 2. The Sheriff’s Office shared a list of about 1,000 names in response to our request for a list of prolific offenders. Are all of those people currently considered prolific offenders? If not, how many are currently considered prolific offenders? - The 100 top offenders are chosen as Prolific Offenders. During the review process, all offenders arrested at least twice during the past three years for property or violent crimes are reviewed and scored based on their crimes committed. The review process removes any references to race, gender, or other factors but merely focuses on crimes committed. District Analysts may also recommend someone not be included if, after review, the offenses did not meet the spirit of the definition (for example, a juvenile offender with multiple arrests stemming from a single incident, such as auto theft and auto burglary all in one incident). Per the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting requirements, we have to document each arrest individually and therefore this single event would result in separate arrests. However, if that event is the only offense the person committed and he/she hasn’t offended since, that offender would be removed during the Analyst’s review. 3. Some of the people on the list were designated Targets of the Month or Top 5 offenders. How are Targets of the Month and Top 5s selected? Are they chosen from among the pool of prolific offenders? - The District Targets ("Targets of the Month”) and Top 5s are identified through the collaboration of the district analysts, district commander, and district-based investigative unit supervisors. In order to be selected as a District Target, the offender must have an active warrant or local probable cause pick-up order, not merely be a prolific offender, and this is independent of the prolific offender process. 4. Had the Sheriff’s Office released the list of prolific offenders prior to our request? - Not to our knowledge, though portions of it are public record and would be available upon request. Active prolific offenders are classified as active criminal intelligence. In addition, we also want to protect the privacy of the individuals classified as prolific offenders. Our goal is not public shaming but is instead to stop illicit or criminal activity. 1. How much discretion do analysts and deputies have when adding people to the prolific offender lists? Are deputies allowed to add people to the list? - Deputies do not have the ability to add individuals to the prolific offender list. The list is created by Analysts using the scoring system. 2. Is there any auditing in place for this program to ensure people who are targeted actually meet the definition of prolific offenders? Is there any auditing to ensure the program is effectively reducing crime? - We do have an internal audit and review process to ensure everyone on the current prolific list is in fact, by definition, a prolific offender. Each quarter a new list of prolific offenders is created by our strategic analyst. The list is then reviewed by our district analysts – who are subject matter experts in each district and are very familiar with their repeat and focused offenders – the analysts then review the list of prolific offenders to ensure the names provided should be included in the current list. The analysts are subject matter experts in their district, they read hundreds of reports on a daily basis, they interact with deputies and District Commanders to ensure they have an increased understanding of the crime environment and who is affecting this environment. - Regarding auditing to ensure the program is effectively reducing crime, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office reports crime statistics to the FBI for the Uniform Crime Report (UCR). The FBI publishes semi-annual and annual reports. Internally, our Reports Management section provides UCR numbers for review by the ILP section. ILP reviews these numbers to determine if there is an increase or decrease in crime categories. If they view the change as significant, they conduct further research. For example, they are currently conducting an analysis on Aggravated Assaults due to an observable increase, when violent crime as a whole in trending down. 7. Has the Sheriff’s Office done any studies on whether the prolific offender program is effective? - We have conducted analysis on the effectiveness of our process to include scoring and the percentage of individuals committing crimes within our county. We will be conducting a larger review with academic partners at the end of this year, including the aforementioned Dr. Bryanna Fox with USF. 8. Do all deputies make prolific offender checks? - Yes, all deputies are responsible for conducting prolific offender checks. Prolific offender checks are also designed to provide resources to the offender and their family members to aid in crime prevention and rehabilitation and are recorded on body worn camera. 3. We noticed there are a lot of children on the list. Do STAR team deputies get any special training in handling juveniles? - STAR team deputies are not the only members of the agency responsible for prolific offender checks, as noted in the answer above. Our deputies are trained to interact with the public, in addition, we have specially trained School Resource Officers who are trained in dealing with juveniles, especially those who are in school. Often times, they serve as a prevention model to ensure juvenile prolific offenders are engaged on multiple levels to encourage a behavioral change to reduce the possibility of becoming an adult offender. The deputies also engage with the juvenile’s parents to determine if additional resources are needed for the family or the juvenile. In addition, we have a youth diversion program which provides additional resources and an opportunity to avoid having a criminal history upon completion of the youth diversion program. 10. How long do prolific offenders remain on the list? How do they get removed from the list? How long do prolific offender checks continue after someone has stopped offending? - The Pasco Sheriff’s Office creates a new Prolific Offender List on a quarterly basis. We identify roughly 1,800 prolific offenders based on raw scoring, and focus on the Top 100, as described above. If the prolific offender is in fact not committing crime, he/she could be excluded from the list within 90 days after review by the analysts. As the scoring is based on a three-year history, some will persist on the list for multiple quarters or based on continuing criminal activity.