About Us
Mission Statement
To serve as advisor to the Sheriff; utilize our influences, individually or collectively, facilitate changes whenever possible, and afford the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office the benefit of our experiences, leadership and presence in the minority community for the betterment of our society.
Objectives
OBJECTIVES
· To facilitate a positive means for minority acceptance, advancement and
retention
· To affectively bridge the gap of understanding between the minority community and Sheriff's Office personnel at all levels.
· To create an atmosphere of understanding between the command staff, the deputies, and support personnel.
· To serve as a voice for minority deputies' concerns.
GOALS
· Assist in measures that are designed to increase minority recruitment and retention.
· Facilitate avenues of communication between minority deputies and the command staff, so that ongoing challenges can effectively be resolved.
· Be an advocate in critical incidents involving individual deputies in times of need.
· Encourage advanced training, education, and experience to achieve career goals and advancement of minority personnel.
· Establish and maintain a cohesive working relationship with the Hispanic Advisory Council.
· Maintain an awareness of current linguistic and ethnic issues within the community and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
· Recognize notable actions of selected Sheriff's Office personnel at the Annual Awards Banquet.
President's Message
The Black Advisory Council was founded in 1977 during a time of conflict and community unrest. The then Sheriff, Malcolm Beard, in an effort to be responsive to the unrest reached out to community leaders of the time and they came together to form the Council.
Your support allows the Sheriff’s Black Advisory Council to continue community initiatives such as Law Enforcement & Family Fun Days in various communities throughout the county, giving out food baskets to needy families, care packages to teen parents as well as sponsoring events with collaborative partners. In addition, your support allows us to provide annual scholarships named in honor of two of our Hall of Fame Members – Robert L. Cole, Sr. Scholarship awarded to an HCSO employee seeking higher education and the Samuel W. Cooper Scholarship awarded to a recent High School Graduate or current college student. We also award and bring attention to a number of other deserving individuals that make a difference in our community.
The Council would also like to thank Sheriff Chronister for his continued support and want him to know that he has our full support as he endeavors to make HCSO the premier Law Enforcement Agency in the country.
Todd Cole
Bridging The Gap
History
Throughout history society has gone through cycles of retrogression and progress. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has likewise experienced these conditions. During a time of conflict and community unrest, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Black Advisory Council was formed in January 1977 to help deal with these issues.
Prior to the formation of the Black Advisory Council, many within the minority community did not trust law enforcement. There were others who did not understand the many important roles of law enforcement. After various conflicts, which included riots, there were many within the community and the Sheriff's Office who realized the need for a better working relationship between the community and law enforcement. They recognized that there was a lack of understanding that often prevented a positive working relationship between citizens and those sworn to provide protection. It was at this time that Former Sheriff Malcolm Beard formed the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Black Advisory Council, which was composed of 12 members.
Throughout its existence, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Black Advisory Council has been directly involved with the community and continues its efforts to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the minority community. The Council has a history of hearing complaints, assisting in conflict resolutions, and providing a platform for minority deputies within the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office to advance in their careers. The Council has sponsored minority scholarships for academic and law enforcement career pursuits. Outstanding achievements in community and law enforcement are recognized at the annual banquet. The council expects to expand its membership to 25 members in 2005. Of the original founders, three are still active members. They are: Hazel Hargrove Stephens, Robert Cole and Theresa Williams. Today, as in its beginning stage, the purpose of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office Black Advisory Council is to fulfill their mission statement by accomplishing their goals and
objectives.
