Deputies warn of nearby felons

TAMPA - In shirtsleeves and plain clothes, the detectives meet on the sidewalk, fliers in their hands.

Dective Kristy Udagawa is going to door to door, with a pitch:

"Hi there, how are you? I'm with the Sheriff's office, we're handing out an offender bulletin."

They're leafletting 50 homes in Kenny Davis' Town N Country neighborhood, spreading the word that Davis, with 15 arrests ranging from grand theft to dealing in stolen property, is out of jail.

"Our hope is that this person who is now back home is not going to committ any more crimes, that's our hope, but what history tells me is that's probably not going to happen," said Sgt. Brett Saunders with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

The first felon targeted three weeks ago was arrested a week after the fliers went out, on new charges.

The newly released Davis' home is the first stop for the deputies.

"Just wanted to give you a copy of what we're handing out to the neighbors," Udagawa told a family member.

Davis wasn't home, and the family wasn't happy.

"Is this just to embarrass the family?" they asked.

"No", the detectives said, "it's just to educate the neighbors to keep an extra eye on Kenny."

Down the block, Saunders is explaining the flier to a neighbor.

"And we're not giving you his address for a reason. There's no need to go to his house, because if he's at his house he's obviously not causing you any problems," Saunders said.

"The neighbors already talk about that house," she told Saunders. "So now it's just out in the open."

But, according to Sheriff David Gee, not every convicted felon qualifies for the door to door, deputy to neighbor campaign.

"We're talking about a previous felony conviction, at least three felony arrests," Gee said. "I know in case of the latest one we're talking 15 arrests and probably five convictions."

"There's a saying", Saunders says, "knowledge is power and that's what we want to give to the communities, we want to give them the power to know that you have a criminal living in your neighborhood".

The sheriff is hoping to go county wide with tag-a-felon in the near future.