It has been a long road to get here, but the newest Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) law enforcement recruits have begun their in-house training. It is a diverse class with a wide range of experience from rookies to those who have retired from full law enforcement careers in other states. The youngest is 22 and the oldest has 27 years of experience with another agency.

Their stories are varied too. Deputy Recruit Nicholas Evangelous describes his younger self as a bad kid who had no interest in law enforcement. He trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and mixed martial arts. But life eventually led him to the Army Reserve, work as a dispatcher, and finally to law enforcement.

Deputy Recruit Hayden Swier grew up in Liberty County, the least populous county in Florida. He said there was nothing to do there except be in the woods or work at the Liberty Correctional Institution. He earned his bachelor’s degree and met his wife, who is from Clearwater, then moved to Pinellas, the most densely populated county in the state. He started as a corrections deputy at the jail and completed the crossover academy to become a law enforcement deputy.

Deputy Recruit Jason Whidby grew up in a family whose religion discouraged many things including military service and higher education. Following his dreams created a rift with his family. Later when he made deliveries for FedEx one of his stops was a law enforcement officer who recommended the career. He joined the Louisville Police Department soon after.

With a degree in criminal justice and a minor in psychology, law enforcement is a natural fit for Deputy Recruit Nicole Hasson. In college she got some experience working as a community police aid on campus, and her brother and sister-in-law are also law enforcement officers, setting a great family example.

From closer to home comes Deputy Recruit Louis Neal III, who was inspired to become a deputy by his School Resource Officer at Hollins High School, PCSO Corporal Steve Tellis.

There’s even a former NFL player in the group. Deputy Recruit Bobby Greenwood was born in St. Petersburg but moved to Alabama as a child. He played football at the University of Alabama where he earned his degree in Business Management. He was an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009 and remained on the practice squad until 2011. He later joined the Army where he became a Green Beret. Unsurprisingly, he was Top Gun in the academy, receiving recognition as the best marksman.

Another local is Deputy Recruit Richard Bynum. He may be new to the PCSO but he has plenty of experience in the area. He’s a Pinellas County native who graduated from Clearwater High School, then served seven years in the Marine Corps. He joined the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office in 2009, where he worked in patrol, as a School Resource Officer, an academy instructor, a corporal in the training unit, and ultimately a patrol sergeant. He left law enforcement for a short time to work at 5.11 Tactical, but missed law enforcement. “I loved the brotherhood and family culture. In what other job can you work with people who are willing to risk their life for you on a daily basis?’” He soon joined the Gulfport Police Department, and after four years decided he wanted to make the switch to the PCSO.

Field Training Sergeant Chris Platt and Corporal JB Dobson say they’ve heard great things about the academy graduates from Law Enforcement Academy coordinator Joseph Saponare, who said they were the best group in a long time. The PCSO-sponsored recruits took most of the awards in their academy class.

“The support that I have gotten throughout the hiring process and the time that I was training at the academy the last six months has have been really great,” said Deputy Recruit Greenwood. “There is a lot of PCSO involvement with the training and instruction at the academy which has helped to prepare me."

So far, both the academy graduates and the previously certified recruits are excelling in their training. When recruits come to the PCSO, Sergeant Platt says they are always impressed. Previously certified recruits who have been through other agencies’ in-house programs usually say this is the best recruit training program they’ve encountered.

Does scuba diving bring to mind crystal clear tropical waters, exotic fish, and coral reefs… or muddy sludge, broken glass, zero visibility, and a whole lot of alligators? The Underwater Search and Recovery Team – commonly known as the Dive Team – has to dive in some of the worst conditions to recover evidence, recover victims, and retrieve submerged vehicles. It’s a job for a methodical deputy who can keep a cool head even in the worst conditions. Recently, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) held tryouts for a new member of the team. The all-day evaluation tests an applicant’s comfort in the water, stamina, scuba skills, stress management, and memory.

Sergeant Daniel Love, Corporal Stephan Hole, and other members of the Dive Team gathered at the pool at Bill Jackson’s Shop for Adventure to test the skills of three candidates. One will be selected to join the team and another will be a reserve member and receive training alongside the other members to be ready when any future vacancies occur.

Deputy Bill Mauro (“Wild Bill” to his friends) has been diving for a year and loves it. He’s eager for more opportunities to dive, and if it can’t be in the crystal clear springs where he got his certification, it can be in canals, retention ponds, and murky lakes. “My favorite part of diving is the adventure and the exploration. I enjoy getting to see something that no one else sees.”

The first test was a 500-yard swim without any equipment. The candidate had to swim continuously without stopping, standing, using a backstroke, or holding onto the side of the pool. In the second stamina exercise, candidates had to tread water or float for 15 minutes with their faces out of the water. “They passed around a weight belt,” said Deputy Robert Mitchell. “Then we had to hold our hands out of the water for the last two minutes.” It’s harder than it looks for these in-shape deputies since muscle is denser – and thus less buoyant – than fat.

Candidates then perform an 800-yard swim with a mask, fins, and snorkel. They can only use their fins for propulsion – their hands are kept clasped behind their back. “I got a cramp during that one,” said Deputy Travis Fernandes. “I couldn’t stop. I had to work it out as I kept swimming.” A Dive Team member has to be ready to deal with situations like that on a call-out.

Candidates then donned their scuba gear to perform a rescue tow. They swam 40 yards to retrieve an inert, floating diver and then either pushed or towed the diver for 100 yards. In the final stamina exercise the candidate had to swim at least 25 yards underwater in a single breath.

It was an exhausting morning, but the afternoon held even more challenges. First, candidates had to free-swim to their submerged gear and put it all on underwater. Then came the obstacle course, the ultimate test of courage, patience, and problem-solving.

Candidates are blindfolded with a blacked-out mask to simulate the low-visibility environments they usually work in, and then led to the pool. Once they don their gear, they’re guided to a line that leads them through an obstacle course of narrow PVC structures and bungee cords. Operating entirely by feel, they have to navigate the maze, squeeze through tight spaces, and free their gear from snags.

Deputy Fernandes’ gear was so badly snagged that he had to remove his buoyancy compensator, the inflatable vest that holds the tank and other gear and helps maintain neutral buoyancy underwater. With just his regulator in his mouth giving him air, he manipulated his gear by feel until he was free, then put his gear on again to continue the course.

Along the way candidates had to search for objects placed throughout the course – a radio, a gun, a screwdriver, and other simulated evidence similar to what they might be searching for on a call. Afterward, shivering in another room, candidates had to write a complete description of the course and the things they found.

“I thought it was fun,” said Deputy Fernandes. “I enjoyed the methodicalness of it, working through the problems. I’d do the obstacle course again if I could!”

The candidates have varying levels of experience, both with diving and in the agency. Deputy Mitchell, who is in the Marine and Environmental Lands Unit, has been diving for about eight years. “I do a lot of spearfishing,” he said. “My favorite fish to catch with scuba is grouper, but I also free-dive for amberjack.” In saltwater, sharks and goliath grouper worry him, but he says he isn’t concerned about the alligators that Dive Team members are more likely to encounter.

Deputy Mauro, who works in the Threat Management Section, has only participated in nine dives, and Deputy Fernandes, who patrols Seminole, was just certified in December. But Sergeant Love says that lack of experience isn’t necessarily an obstacle. “When we get someone without much diving history, they don’t have bad habits, so we can train them. It works to their benefit.”

Though candidates have to be open water certified, attention to detail, calmness, and a willingness to learn are at least as important as prior diving experience. Selected team members will earn several advanced dive certifications. They’ll be on call in a two-week rotation and subject to call-outs 24 hours a day. The most common call is for a submerged vehicle, which is often as simple as a diver descending to attach a tow hook. But they may also be called to check the water under bridges if a suspect tosses a firearm during a pursuit, to recover a car dumped in a lake after a homicide, or on the worst days, to locate and recover a drowning victim.