Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/116876
Sarasota News Leader March 22, 2013 HUNGRY FOR LEADERSHIP ���It can���t be emphasized enough how many times the term ���strong leadership,��� starting at the top, has been mentioned in the interviews, along with the need for accountability and responsibility,��� Lewis wrote. ���A constant concern was accountability for all ranks from the chief on down.��� Page 12 DOWNLOAD THE LEWIS REPORT Download the pdf and read the complete Lewis Report. (2mb) This feeling may be driven by enforcement of the department���s own standards. ���Discipline needs to be fair, consistent and based on department goals and objectives, not on personalities or friendship. Officers feel that while they are sometimes held to strict standards, supervisory personnel are not,��� the report says. Department policies came up as Lewis spoke with both uniformed and civilian SPD employees. ���The department���s pursuit policy needs to be reviewed, and the policy at SPD needs to be reviewed in light of policies used by other agencies in the region,��� the report says. One person suggested a slow-motion overhaul of the department���s standing orders. ���It was recommended that each General Order have a sunset date so that it would have to be reviewed or it would be discontinued,��� the report adds. One undercurrent mentioned by Lewis is a general mistrust of staff at City Hall: ���Many of those interviewed stated that there may be some strong anti-Sarasota Police Department feelings within city government,��� the report says. DiPino remains confident she can confront these issues. ���Our agency can benefit from strong leadership, effective communication and direction,��� she wrote in the email to the News Leader. ���The challenges we face are not insurmountable,��� she added. % The new Sarasota Police Department stands on Adams Lane in downtown Sarasota. Photo by Norman Schimmel