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Local FDLE Office Has New Boss

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By ELAINE SILVESTRINI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2007

TAMPA - Three days after the resignation of the head of the Tampa office of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a new agent has been selected to lead the office.

Pensacola Special Agent in Charge Jim Madden has been appointed special agent in charge of FDLE's Tampa Bay Regional Operations Center, according to a news release issued by the department.

Madden's second in command in Pensacola, Jay Etheridge, will take the helm there, the announcement states.

The former special agent in charge of the Tampa office, Lance Newman, 54, resigned, effective Monday, after working for the FDLE for 23 years. He had been special agent in charge since October 2002.

Newman's would-be successor, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Moses Jordan, 47, was placed on administrative leave with pay Oct. 24. Jordan, who has been in his post since 1998, is under administrative investigation because of allegations he violated department policy, said Kristen Perezluha, spokeswoman for the FDLE.

Jordan has been in his current post since February 1998. Before that, he was chief of the Florida Crime Information Center, the agency responsible for storing criminal history information, Perezluha said.

The FDLE, which has its headquarters in Tallahassee, employs nearly 2,000 people at the department's seven regional operations centers, 15 field offices and seven crime laboratories, according to the department's Web site.

The department delivers services in five areas, including criminal investigations and forensic science and criminal justice information.

"Both Jim and Jay bring extensive and diverse law enforcement and domestic security experience to these positions," FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey said. "I am confident their vast knowledge and innovative leadership skills will serve the Tampa Bay and Pensacola regions well."

Madden began his career in law enforcement with the Polk County Sheriff's Office. During his 12 years there, Madden was a sheriff's deputy, narcotics investigator, dog handler, uniformed sergeant, and lieutenant in charge of special investigations. He also was a hostage negotiator and member of the emergency response team, the news release states.

Madden joined FDLE in 1990 and worked in both the Fort Myers and Tampa Bay region on the major drugs and economic crimes squads. In 2003, he was assigned to the Investigations and Forensic Science Program and served as the mutual aid coordinator during the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, the release states.

In 2006, Madden was appointed to lead the office of domestic security for Florida. In July, Bailey appointed Madden to head the Pensacola office.

Reporter Elaine Silvestrini can be reached at (813) 259-7837 or esilvestrini@tampatrib.com.

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