Trial by Fire: Policing Tampa in the 70s and 80s & Ukraine Grain

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Trial by Fire: Policing Tampa in the 70s and 80s

I am a boomer, I have gray hair, call me a cue tip. I have no problem with that. And what seems like yesterday as well as a hundred years ago, I worked in law enforcement, starting in Milwaukee then Tampa. It was in Tampa that I got a boo boo back in 84, and that owie, changed the course of my life, accelerating what I was planning on doing by a decade.

And so.

The 1970s and 80s at the Tampa Police Department were a different breed of policing. We were understaffed, overworked, and thrown into the fire with no hand-holding. There wasn’t time to worry about how many years someone had been on the job; experience came at you fast—faster than in most departments. Where other agencies might handle a violent call once a month, we faced it daily. You learned quick, or you were done.

Our department was extremely short-handed, and there was no room for anyone to hide behind a desk or wait for backup. When you got a call, it was yours to handle, start to finish, whatever that entailed. We didn’t have the luxury of passing tasks down a line. From breaking up domestic disputes to busting up street fights, we did it all. It wasn’t uncommon to work with blood on your knuckles and dirt on your uniform after a shift, because that’s what the job demanded. Tampa was a wild frontier back then, and we were outnumbered, but never outworked.

The Tampa Police Academy was where it all started, and back in those days, it was second to none. The training we got wasn’t just about learning statutes or protocols. It was about survival. It was street smarts, real-world tactics, and developing the instincts that would keep you alive. Sadly, that training was eventually handed over to the community colleges, thanks to state statutes. Today, I wonder if they’re producing the kind of officers we used to need. There's something to be said for learning from people who’ve been in the trenches and seen the worst Tampa had to offer.

The Field Training Program (FTP) at Tampa PD was unmatched. There was no room for error. Form mattered less than the ability to keep yourself and others safe. It was all about practicality—how to read people, how to move in the shadows, and how to always stay one step ahead. You either got it, or you didn’t last long.

I was fortunate enough to work under some true leaders, men who led from the front. They didn’t have to tell you they were in charge—you knew it by the way they carried themselves. These were hands-on leaders who had been through the grinder themselves and knew what it took to make it out the other side. Of course, there were also the bureaucrats—the guys who climbed the ranks by taking tests and kissing up. They knew the rules, but they didn’t know the streets, and it showed when things got real.

Occasionally, we’d hire officers from other agencies. They’d come in thinking they knew the ropes, but Tampa was a whole different world. They learned quickly that handling calls in Tampa wasn’t the same as the slower-paced environments they came from. They weren’t ready for the level of violence or the sheer volume of calls we faced. If they stayed, they adapted fast, or they left just as quickly.

And this was all before body cameras were even a concept. Back then, you didn’t have a camera watching your every move, but the cockroaches were still out there. The streets were filled with people looking to test you, push boundaries, and see if you’d crack. You had to be ready to push back—and sometimes that meant more than just words.

Physical fitness wasn’t a suggestion back then. It was a necessity. If you weren’t in top shape, you were a liability—to yourself, to your partner, and to the citizens you were sworn to protect. A lot of the men I worked with were mature beyond their years. They had to be. You couldn’t afford to be soft. My fighting weight stayed between 205 and 210 pounds, and sometimes that was the difference between walking away from a call and being carried out.

Manhunting was a real part of the job back then. It was about using your street sense to find the bad guys, and when the moment came, it wasn’t always pretty. Some people looked capable until the situation exploded, and then they vanished. You couldn’t be that guy.

The streets of Tampa didn’t wait for you to catch up. The job demanded everything you had—physical, mental, and emotional. You learned to rely on your instincts and those of the men and women beside you. It was raw, it was real, and it was relentless. We made it work because there was no other choice. You didn’t just survive the streets; you had to own them. And as for experience, well, I call it my Master’s degree in Street, and wouldn’t exchange it for anything, not a thing.

Shifting Gears.

On October 10th, we've learned that Russia has started attacking civilian ships carrying grain in the Black Sea, marking a dangerous escalation. These ships, under international flags, were following a route west of Ukraine, but now even that path isn’t safe. Thankfully, no ships have been sunk yet, but this is the first time during the war that Russia has specifically targeted commercial vessels.

In the early days of the war, when Russia blockaded Ukraine’s ports, the world lost around 3-4% of its food supply overnight. Prices soared, hitting record highs. For a while, a political deal between the two countries allowed some grain shipments to resume, which helped stabilize things. After that deal fell apart, Ukraine found its own way, sending ships through waters to the west, hoping Russia wouldn’t risk attacking them there. But now, that thin safe zone between Ukraine and Romania is being targeted.

Ukraine relies heavily on sea routes to export grain. It’s not realistic to move enough by rail since neighboring countries also export grain and don’t have the capacity to absorb more. Even if they did, the rail systems are incompatible.

This shift in Russia’s tactics could lead to a food crisis again if grain shipments stop. Plus, we don’t know how insurers will react. Up to now, no insured ships have been lost in the conflict. If one goes down, it could make it impossible for ships in the region to get insured, throwing maritime shipping into chaos. We’ll have to wait and see how this unfolds, but the potential for a wider impact is real.

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