September 13, 2022
Deputy Magli’s Killer Gets 35 Years
 by Laura L. Sullivan, Public Relations Specialist
On Friday, September 2nd the man charged with killing Deputy Michael J. Magli pled guilty to three charges and received a 35-year sentence for his crimes - the statutory maximum for those charges. The case might be closed but the wounds to Deputy Magli’s family, the community, and his brothers and sisters in law enforcement will never fully heal.

Robert Holzaepfel pled guilty to one count of third-degree murder for which he received a 15-year sentence, one count of DUI manslaughter for which he received 15 years, and a felony charge of driving with his license suspended or revoked for which he received five years. The sentences must be served consecutively.

The tragedy unfolded on February 17, 2021 when East Lake Fire Rescue received a call about a man passed out behind the wheel of his vehicle at a red light. When the crew broke a window to check his medical condition the man, later identified as Holzaepfel, drove off in a reckless manner that put lives in danger. Deputy Magli positioned himself to throw out stop sticks (a tire deflation device) but Holzaepfel swerved and struck Deputy Magli, killing him. It was the first line of duty death in the history of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) and sent the agency and the community into mourning.

But no one has been affected by the loss as much as Deputy Magli’s family. His mother, father, wife, and other family members and supporters were in the courtroom, as were dozens of PCSO members. Deputy Magli’s parents and wife made victim impact statements, expressing how Deputy Magli’s death affected their lives.

Angela Magli-Ramirez, Deputy Magli’s mother, spoke of her love and loss. “My son was my world, from the time he was conceived until the day I take my last breath.” She spoke of Deputy Magli when he was a child: a happy, smart kid who was mature beyond his years and soon became her right-hand man in helping her care for his younger brother and sister. That helpful child grew up to become a kind and loving man, the light of his family’s eyes. “He was an All American in school, he played football since he was seven years old, but he was never the tough guy, never the braggart. He was the guy that everyone liked. But I loved him.”

Above all, Deputy Magli wanted to help people. Joining the PCSO was a natural fit. “When Michael decided to go into law enforcement I of course was not happy, for the reason that something just like this might happen. He said mom, I know what you’re worried about and I’m not stupid. I’m careful. Believe me all I want to do is do my job and get home to my family. I’m not going to try to be a hero, I promise. But that’s just what he was that day.”

“You took a man who saw the best in everyone, who didn’t hold grudges and gave everyone the benefit of the doubt,” said Deputy Magli’s wife Stephanie Magli as she addressed Holzaepfel in her victim impact statement. “And honestly, he’s probably already forgiven you for what you’ve done, because that’s who he was.” Deputy Magli leaves behind two young daughters who were five years old and nine months old when their father was killed. “You took my best friend and the father of my children.” His wife talked about the moments in their daughters’ lives that Deputy Magli will miss. “Michael will always be remembered as the great man he was, and his girls will always know how much their daddy loves them.”

Deputy Magli made a difference to the community he served. “How many people could he have helped and saved, and how much good could he have accomplished in his lifetime if he could have lived it out in its entirety?” his mother wonders. “This is what haunts me every night when I try to go to sleep.”

After the sentencing Sheriff Bob Gualtieri talked about Deputy Magli’s dedication and service, calling him a hero but adding that for a deputy, “It’s not about the heroic acts, it’s about what they do every single day.” Whether it is stopping a drunk driver, helping a lost child, or recovering a stolen wedding ring, deputies do the big and little things that keep our community safe and make people’s lives better. “He did what he signed up to do, but he didn’t sign up to die.”

“The thing is he was always my hero, my little prince,” said Deputy Magli’s mother.

The guilty plea saves the family the additional trauma of a long trial, but for Deputy Magli’s mother the pain will never end. “I will never be free from this grief,” she said. “It is now a solid thing that lives deep inside of me. I didn’t just lose him once, I lose him every time I open my eyes to a new day. Losing someone is a journey. It’s not a one-time thing. There is no end to the loss.”
New Recruits Are on the Road
 by Laura L. Sullivan, Public Relations Specialist
For weeks you’ve followed the current class of deputy recruits through their high-liability and agency-specific in-house training. You’ve seen them learn to run solo into an active shooter situation, PIT a fleeing criminal’s car, and grapple their way to victory in a ground fight. They’ve trained for mundane things like traffic stops and petit theft… and they’ve mentally and physically prepared for any call to turn dangerous without warning. They’ve learned mental skills like interview techniques, investigation, and report writing, as well as the emotional aspects of the job like compassion. They’re almost ready to get their own Tahoe and start doing their part to keep our county safe. But before that day of freedom and responsibility they still have 14 weeks of field training, riding with a Field Training Officer (FTO) who evaluates their every move.

The four phases of field training allow recruits to ride with four different FTOs in four different squads, during day or night shift, so they can have the widest possible variety of experience. The first week of Phase I is an observation week, but by the end of the first four weeks a deputy recruit is expected to do about 25-percent of the work. This is an intense training and learning phase where the deputy recruit builds on everything they learned at the academy and in-house training as they apply it in the real world. At the end of Phase I the recruit takes a written test.

In Phase II the recruit’s responsibilities increase, and they are performing about half the work and engaging in more complex calls. Phase II ends with an oral board evaluation. By the beginning of Phase III a deputy recruit should be handling the majority of each call as the FTO steps back and lets the recruit more fully take charge. As they move into Phase IV they should be capable of handling calls for service entirely on their own. Phase IV is a two-week evaluation phase where the FTO makes sure the deputy recruit is ready to work solo. At this point they will only step in for a highly unusual or difficult call.

Throughout the process the FTO is closely scrutinizing the deputy recruit, evaluating them in sixteen different categories in the overall areas of Appearance, Attitude, Knowledge, Performance, and Relationships on a scale of one to five. A deputy recruit may be accelerated through field training if they show thorough proficiency, generally if they have prior law enforcement experience. In that case, each phase of field training might be only one or two weeks if they are performing as expected. Other deputy recruits might need a little more time to become the best deputies they can be. In that case their field training might be extended by a week or two to give them a little more instruction and experience.

“Our goal is to make sure every deputy recruit becomes a successful solo deputy,” said Sergeant Chris Platt, FTO Coordinator.

Pictured above are FTO Deputy John Swangler, left, and Deputy Recruit Richard Bynum.

Celebrate with the K-9 Graduates
by Laura L. Sullivan, Public Relations Specialist
For Pinellas County schoolchildren the academic year has just begun, but this new group of K-9s is ready to graduate! Join us Tuesday, September 20 at 7 p.m. at England Brothers Park, 5010 81st Avenue North in Pinellas Park to celebrate new K-9 teams from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office as well as Largo Police Department, Clearwater Police Department, and Pinellas Park Police Department. The new K-9s and their handlers will show off their skills in agility and apprehension, along with a few other exciting surprises. (Hint: make sure you look up!) The event is free and open to the public.