Florida Highway Patrol

Capital Report: 05-31-2013

By wfsunews • May 31, 2013

Federal forecasters say this is going to be a busy Atlantic hurricane season. That season officially begins tomorrow (Saturday, June 1) Meanwhile, as Sascha Cordner tells us, Florida officials are prepared and are hoping the state’s residents are, too.

FHP Denies Preferential Treatment Policy For Lawmakers That Trooper Says Cost His Job

By Jessica Palombo • May 31, 2013

This week, a state trooper fired from the Florida Highway Patrol had a chance to defend himself at a hearing. The officer’s defense strategy is raising the question of whether lawmakers get free passes when they’re caught breaking the law.

Current and former troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol testified at the hearing, it’s common, unwritten policy to go easy on state lawmakers.

“This goes back to the academy. We were taught in the academy that if you stop a legislator, it would behoove you not to write a ticket,” retired Sgt. Gary Dawson said.

Fired Trooper: Leniency For Speeding Lawmakers Standard Practice

By Jessica Palombo • May 29, 2013

It’s a long-standing unwritten policy among the Florida Highway Patrol not to ticket lawmakers when officers catch them speeding. That’s according to testimony from state troopers during an officer’s wrongful termination hearing on Wednesday.

Six-year veteran Highway Patrolman Charles Swindle was fired in March for writing tickets for offenses people didn’t commit. The charges came after a letter of complaint from a state lawmaker he’d pulled over for speeding on Interstate 10 in November.

Florida Gov. Signs Texting-While-Driving Ban Into Law

By Jessica Palombo • May 28, 2013

It will soon be illegal to send text messages while driving in Florida. Gov. Rick Scott signed a texting-while-driving ban into law on Tuesday.

Texting will be a ticketable offense only if police catch people doing it while they’re pulled over for something else, like speeding. And Nancy Rasmussen, with the Florida Highway Patrol, said, police can’t look at phones without a search warrant, so it might be hard to tell whether someone’s texting or doing something like using a GPS.

Click It Or Ticket It Campaign Underway; Includes Way To Get Middle Schools Involved

By Sascha Cordner • May 21, 2013

Florida Highway Patrol troopers are stepping up their patrol to make sure travelers are wearing their seatbelts. They’ll be cracking down on drivers over the next couple of weeks as part of a national campaign seat-belt enforcement campaign called Click It Or Ticket.

Captain Nancy Rasmussen with the Florida Highway Patrol says this campaign reminds drivers seat belts save lives.

Campaign Launched To Reduce Hit And Run Crashes After Florida Sees Increase

By Sascha Cordner • Feb 18, 2013

A new campaign is underway to reduce the number hit and run crashes across the state. There’s been an increase in these types of traffic accidents in the past two years. Florida Highway Patrol is hoping to get that number down by educating drivers about their responsibilities through a new campaign launched Monday.

Escaped Georgia Prisoner Captured In Tallahassee

By newsroom • Feb 12, 2013

Law enforcement officials have apprehended a wanted felon after he escaped from a Georgia jail on Monday.

32 year old Demetrius Walden escaped from the Colquitt County Jail on Monday, about 70 miles north east of Leon County. Walden was in custody for violating his probation and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Walden escaped on Monday while on a jail work detail.

New Law Allows Headlight Flashing For Any Reason

By Jessica Palombo • Jan 2, 2013

Florida drivers can now flash their headlights and not worry about getting a ticket. A state law that went into effect on New Year’s Day allows brief headlight flashing for any reason.

Florida law still bans people from having flashing lights on their cars unless they’re law enforcement officers or driving emergency vehicles. But the new law adds allows for a quick headlight flash.

Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Lieutenant Jeff Frost said, law enforcement can’t ticket you, no matter why you do it.

FHP defends Handling of Deadly I-75 Crash, Blames Drivers

By Sascha Cordner • Aug 10, 2012

The Florida Highway Patrol is defending itself against an investigative report criticizing how the agency handled the deadly Interstate-75 crash in late January. The agency’s response released Friday places much of the blame on the drivers in the incident, which left 11 people dead.

Click It ot Ticket campaign underway in Florida

By Andrew Gustafson • May 21, 2012

The “Click it or Ticket” campaign starts Monday all across Florida and continues through Memorial Day weekend. Captain Roger Norris with the Florida Highway Patrol say troopers are making sure everyone is wearing their seatbelt. He adds this campaign is about safety awareness.

“This is a general campaign. We’re just trying to keep people alive. We’re trying to educate the public, make sure they are wearing their seatbelts. We want everyone to wear it. It reduces the fatalities when you have a crash, it reduces the injuries, and that’s the big thing,” said Norris.

Florida Highway Patrol now hiring

By Ryan Benk • May 11, 2012

There’s a generational shift at Florida’s Highway Patrol. As many officers are retiring, FHP is looking for new blood. Ryan Benk reports the law enforcement agency is looking to fill 132 positions.

The Florida Highway Patrol is seeking to increase its presence along the state’s roadways. The agency has announced its intentions of hiring 132 new officers for its next two recruit classes. FHP spokesperson Nancy Rasmussen says despite the retirements, there will be a net gain of officers on the road.

Florida Highway Patrol

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