DOUBLE TROUBLE, TOO.

RAY BARNETT

 Here are two more cops who worked for both the Naples Police and the Collier Sheriff's Office: Ray Barnett and Richard Cooper. There were many more that migrated from the PD to the SO than taking the reverse path. Probably with good reason.

 The NPD was notoriously strict and would fire you in second. That applied to the Chief right on down. The SO had a much more forgiving nature. Hell, you'd have be caught red-handed holding up the Bank of Naples to get a reprimand. There was a reason for that. Disgruntled Deputies were bad politics. Their grumbling could cause  the loss of many votes.

 Also, the CCSO was larger and growing. There was much more opportunity. And there was the other thing.

 At the time, the SO had a deal with the current Chief that neither would hire the other's officers. Before an officer would be interviewed, they must have notified their boss they intended to apply. This scared many off. What if I'm not hired? The Sheriff/Chief will fire me for being a traitor.

RICHARD COOPER

 The city kept the agreement. The SO did not. Not even close. Unless it was someone they didn't want anyway. Then it was We can't process you until you tell the Chief you're applying. We knew of several cops they actively recruited. If it was a prime candidate, we found they had already been guaranteed a job before they came and told the Chief.

 Ray Barnett, photo at the top, had been a cop in State College, Pa. before the NPD. He was one of my first Detective partners and is still a close friend. Ray, smart, smooth and a great cop, rocketed to the top at the CCSO, finishing off as a Chief. He later went into the private sector. Our loss.

 Dick Cooper is one of my favorite people, also a good friend. I hired Coop to work in the jail after I went to the CCSO. He was a great street cop but he figured the chances for advancement were greater in the rapidly growing jail section. 
 One sad day, a cowardly scumbag inmate, who should have been in state prison, attacked Coop and his smashed head into a heavy steel table. Coop nearly died.
 When his body healed he had to rehabilitate his mind. He'd lost the ability to read, and count, his memory destroyed. But, Dick, one of the toughest out there, pulled it off. Besides his tenacity he had another asset: his wife Josie.


Photos courtesy Chester Keene