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Law Enforcement

DeSantis suspension of Worrell questionable

The following editorial was published in The Daily Sun on August 15, 2023. OUR POSITION: Once again, Gov. Ron DeSantis has overstepped his authority in suspending a second state prosecutor, giving vague, broad reasons for his actions. Gov. Ron DeSantis is dodging a lot of bullets nowadays as he works to put his presidential campaign on solid

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Florida Legislation

Florida Democratic Party chair & lawmaker Lauren Book among 11 detained at abortion rally

By Hannah Knowles  and Kelsey Ables Sen. Lauren Book, center, holds hands with roughly a dozen activists Monday while protesting legislation that would ban abortions after six weeks in Florida. (Alicia Devine/AP) TALLAHASSEE — Florida Democrats chair Nikki Fried and state Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D) were among 11 people arrested Monday night while

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Florida Legislation

Biden boosts the effort to decriminalize marijuana. We hope it works.

By Editorial Board, The Washington Post   October 7, 2022. President Biden’s announcement of mass pardons for those convicted of federal marijuana possession charges comes just weeks before midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. It is not hard to detect the political calculation behind a decision likely to appeal to — and motivate — the

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‘It’s a new day’: In the wake of Floyd killing, Florida looks to change police culture

By John Kennedy, Capital Bureau, USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA, July 9, 2021 TALLAHASSEE – A year after George Floyd’s death exposed deep divisions over race and policing, a new Florida law seeks to spark what supporters say is a needed cultural change across many law enforcement agencies. The measure orders that every police department have use-of-force policies, bans chokeholds and makes it

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Elections

Is Charlotte County a hotbed of anarchy?

A Punta Gorda man is accused of conspiring to breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Charlotte Sun Staff Report, July 2, 2021 David Moerschel, 43, is the 18th member of the Oath Keepers organization to be arrested in connection with the riots, the Washington Post reported. He was charged with obstruction of justice/Congress, conspiracy

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Law Enforcement

Punta Gorda police chief models open communications

By Becky Smith and Kay Blue Punta Gorda Police Chief Pamela Davis was the featured speaker at the July 13, 2020 Zoom meeting of the Charlotte County Democratic Women’s Club (DWC). Davis, Punta Gorda’s first woman police chief, arrived in 2018 after serving in Maryland police departments for over 20 years. Her presentation focused on

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Law Enforcement

Re-evaluating role of police in our communities

Editor’s note: Fran Dance, Communications Chair for Charlotte Dems, submitted this editorial column to the Charlotte Sun. In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, activists have called for re-evaluating the scope of police officers’ work. What would such a re-evaluation look like? Our county and city leaders and police executives would evaluate if a portion

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Law Enforcement

Charlotte County Democrats issue recommendations to local police to address racial bias

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels Charlotte County Democrats issue recommendations to local police to address racial bias  by Fran Dance The Charlotte County Democrats (CC Dems) have released a twelve point set of recommendations to Punta Gorda Police Chief Pamela Davis and Charlotte County Sheriff Prummell for their consideration and response. This unorthodox approach to seek

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