© 2024 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

FDLE Commissioner Quickly Confirmed During Initial Confirmation Hearing

Florida Channel

A Senate panel quickly confirmed the head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Tuesday. During the Senate Criminal Justice committee hearing, Rick Swearingen reiterated his call for more personnel and pay raises to retain crime lab analysts. That’s supposed to help with the backlog of thousands of untested rape kits in the state.

“I think the retention of our lab analysts will go a long way to help us resolve that,” said Swearingen. “We’re working on a business plan now on how to address those 11,000 that are coming in, based on our survey. So, we’ll have a business plan ready at the time the survey results are produced to address that. I’m not going to say we may not come back before you next year, but I think what we’re asking for this year will help get us there.”

Last session, Swearingen spent 20 minutes reassuring lawmakers he was the man for the job, after Governor Rick Scott ousted his predecessor Gerald Bailey. This time, due to time constraints, his initial confirmation hearing took two minutes.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.