It was such an eye opener; my son called the other day and his first words were, "Mom, all those Santa Clause's helpers in the malls deserve 10 times the salary they get." When I asked what brought him to that profound decision, he tearfully told me that last week, while working as a police officer in a town nearby, he was approached by his chief, who asked him if he would fill in for the Santa Clause that could not show up for the Christmas parade scheduled for that evening. He had a great time as he waved to all the children on the parade's route. After the parade, he was then asked to sit on Santa's throne and listen to all the children's wishes. That sounded like fun, thinking that he would be hearing all the wishes his own kids have of laptops, cell phones, etc. ...more

December 28, 2009

A suicide bomber targeted a large gathering of Shiite Muslims in the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir on Sunday, killing five people and wounding 80 - a rare sectarian attack in an area police said has little history of militant violence. ...more

December 27, 2009

Police say an argument was the motive for a Sebring woman attacking a man with a 3-foot sword. ...more

December 24, 2009

The Dade City Police Department wanted a more dynamic Web site, and web design students at Saint Leo University needed real life experience. ...more

December 24, 2009

The Dade City Police Department wanted a more dynamic Web site, and web design students at Saint Leo University needed real life experience. ...more

December 24, 2009

A Lake Placid man charged with driving under the influence first attracted the attention of police when he was allegedly seen driving with no headlights on around 2:30 Saturday morning. ...more

December 22, 2009

You could hear in their voices that this was no ordinary call: A fellow police officer had been shot. ...more

December 22, 2009

An off-duty St. Petersburg police officer was arrested Friday after authorities say he was driving drunk when he struck another car and fled. Anthony Green, 30, was charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage and drunken driving. He is a four-year police veteran. ...more

December 21, 2009

There should be a real review because the charges leveled against Jim Leavitt are serious, writes Martin Fennelly. ...more

December 15, 2009

Sgt. Sally Vega's ability to speak Spanish makes her an asset to the Avon Park Police Department, whether in gaining the confidence of suspects who can't speak English or catching those who only pretend that they don't. ...more

December 13, 2009