COMMENTARY
SUPPORTING THE BLUE
I joined no civic or political clubs
throughout my career to avoid
being accused of personal bias during
my years on television anchoring the
news. I even registered as an independent
voter. After I retired from WTVT in 2014,
l joined one law enforcement agency,
the Tampa Bay Area Chiefs of Police
Association, which sets the highest
possible professional standards for more
than 45 different law enforcement agencies
in seven counties that surround Tampa
Bay. It includes police chiefs, county
sheriffs and critical command staff
members who also work with federal
and state law enforcement to make it one
of the most influential law enforcement
organizations in the country.
Political divisions have rocked many of
our major cities, and combined with the
reckless mistakes of some of those in
uniform, have made the responsibilities
of law enforcement even more challenging
and important than ever. The current
president of the Tampa Bay Area Chiefs of
Police Association is Maj. David Dalton
of the Clearwater Police Department,
who says the association serves “a vital
role in improving the professionalism of
all law enforcement agencies in the area,
and the police chiefs’ foundation provides
invaluable resources and financial support
for scholarships and training.”
Members of the foundation include top
executives of area sports teams such as
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay
Rays and Tampa Bay Lightning, in addition
to a former U.S. Attorney, a federal law
enforcement agent, high-ranking police
officers and police chiefs, a public relations
expert and this former TV news anchor.
Police Chief Ken Albano of Temple Terrace
started the foundation a few years ago.
The current foundation president is federal
agent Greg Mertz, who was one of President
Ronald Reagan’s top Secret Service officers.
The foundation helps raise money for
training programs for investigations of
sexual assault, hate crimes, response to
mass shootings, making our schools safer,
the emotional survival of law enforcement
officers under extreme stress and specialized
training for officers to help them cope with
the death of a fellow police officer in the
line of duty, among others.
Criticism of law enforcement across the
country has caused police officers in other
136 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JULY/AUGUST 2021
states to move to Florida and Texas to retire
or look for law enforcement jobs because of
the supportive environments perceived in
those states. The Tampa Bay Area Chiefs of
Police Association dates back to 1957, long
before the population of Florida exploded,
before instant communications enabled
law enforcement agencies to communicate
with each other, and long before it became
popular to criticize the police, talk about
downsizing them, defunding them or in
some cities, utilizing social workers more
often instead of them. Until COVID-19,
annual golf tournaments and social
galas on both sides of Tampa Bay helped
raise money for these law enforcement
programs that serve the needs in the Tampa
Bay area. Enforcing the law has never been
more important than it is right now, but
wearing a badge and carrying a gun and
handcuffs is not what it used to be. Law
enforcement officers across the country
have never been under such pressure, felt
such widespread public criticism and faced
so many challenges to protect the public
and enforce the law. If you would like
to help support law enforcement in the
Tampa Bay Area by making a donation
or becoming involved, please contact
chiefsfoundation.org.
EDITOR’S NOTE: John Wilson, who retired
from Fox TV in 2014, worked more than 50
years in radio and television news broadcasting.
By John Wilson
John Wilson