Wow! Is all I have to say after visiting the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office. Listening to J.D. Callaway and Cristal Bermudez shed a new light on how I see public records. I already knew about being able to look up arrest inquiries (fellow classmates who went down the wrong path) but finding out about search and arrest warrants among other things astonished me. Of course I’ve been listening about how all of this is public record but being able to actually see a hard copy was great.
Another interesting point I heard was that Callaway and Bermudez have rapport with the beat reporters. If a reporter pisses them off and is always nagging they can choose to not deal with them or make it so that reporter is the last one to know. It’s like they have the news reporter by the throat and can either squeeze or let go. Even though technically they can’t refuse a reporter the Sunshine Laws they can request to deal with another reporter. Callaway made sure to mention that the Sheriff’s department often goes above and beyond what the Sunshine Laws require.
In my head I envisioned getting a public record would be a tedious process. After seeing the public records office and knowing I can just walk in there and ask to get a record made it seem so simple. I guess you could say I’m more of a visual person; I have to see it to believe it.
The most important document I received from the duo was their SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). The SOP lets reporters know what information they can and cannot get. For a reporter right out of school this is a great tool. It gives great detail for specific scenarios where a news reporter may not know what they are allowed access too.
Over all I had a great time at the department and learned a lot more than I was expecting.
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