Video and photos by Multimedia Editor Serafina King Frederick / Headline Surfer appeals to Daytona Beach City officials at Wednesday's commission meeting to hold Police Chief Michael Chitwood accountable for having the Internet neewspaper removed from the DBPD public information e-mail media distribution as retaliation for an investigative story on one of his captains. Chitwood stayed out of the commission chambers (as ordered by City Manager Jim Chisholm until the meeting was over as shown above. Though Headline Surfer was informed it had been added back onto the list, no police-related news information has since been released to the Internet newspaper.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Despite appealing directly to elected officials and top administrators at Wednesday's City Commission meeting, Headline Surfer, the New Smyrna Beach-based 24/7 Internet newspaper continues to be scrambling for police-related news through other competing media outlets because it is not receiving anything from the Daytona Beach Police Department.
The news information blackout has continued for more than a month since Headline Surfer reported it had won two awards from the Florida Press Club for an investigative story earlier this year on Police Chief Michael Chitwood's promotion of Jim Newcomb to captain despite allegations of mistreatment by two women cops.
It now appears Chitwood has an even firmer grip on the flow of information because the flow of information from his office comes from his assigned public information officers, commonly called PIOs, in Jimmy Flynt and back-up John Creamer, and at least two sources informed Headline Surfer late today that Chitwood has a personal relationship with the city administration's assigned public information officer, Susan Cerbone. A call to Cerbone was not returned late Friday.
It now appears Chitwood has an even firmer grip on the flow of information because the flow of information from his office comes from his assigned public information officers, commonly called PIOs, in Jimmy Flynt and back-up John Creamer, and at least two sources informed Headline Surfer late today that Chitwood has a personal relationship with the city administration's assigned public information officer, Susan Cerbone. A call to Cerbone was not returned.
Mayor Derrick Henry after Wednesday's meeting provided Headline Surfer a copy of an undated letter he received from Cerbone under the subject line: Henry Frederick -- Media List.
The undated letter at left was written by Susan Cerbone, the city of Daytona Beach's public information officer, regarding Headline Surfer being added onto the DBPD e-mail media distribution list. The letter never mentions that the Internet newspaper was taken off the in the first place. And Headline Surfer was told by two sources that Cerbone and Police Chief Michael Chiwood are dating. Chitwood cut off Headline Surfer after the Internet newspaper won two awards from the Florida Press Club for an investyigative story on a captain he promoted last spring despitet alleged mistreatment of two women cops.
The letter from Cerbone states, "The Police Department's PIO proactively distributes arrest reports, news releases and crime videos. Henry Frederick, editor and publisher of Headline Surfer, an internet-based news outlet, has requested his contact information be included on the Police Department's media list for distribution of materials. As of today, he has been added to the PD's media list. In addition to including Mr. Frederick on the media list, the City will continue to respond to Mr. Frederick's public records request."
Prior to the city commission meeting, Cerbone personally informed Headline Surfer that City Manager Jim Chisholm had instructed Chitwood that afternoon to place the Internet newspaper back on the Daytona police PIO media list, although her letter only states that Headline Surfer was added. Nothing was written to show the name had been removed.
Headline Surfer had been on the Daytona Beach police PIO list since at least Sept. 2, 2010.
Headline Surfer appealed to the city manager in writing several weeks ago as well as to the elected officials, but only Mayor Derrick Henry has responded. Headline Surfer was never able to get beyond Chisholm's two assistants to discuss the matter and Chisholm has made no effort to return Headline Surfer's calls or e-mails before or after Wednesday's commission meeting.
The newly elected mayor said the day before Wednesday's commission meeting, his first full meeting since being sworn in following his win in the Nov. 6 election that he would bring Headline Surfer's concerns to the city manager, which he did, leading to Cerbone's letter.
Daytona Beach Police Chief Michael Chitwood doesn't enter the City Commission chamber until after the meeting has concluded under orders from City Manager Jim Chisholm.
Through a public records request with the city clerk's office, Headline Surfer learned just an hour before the start of Wednesday's meeting that Headline Surfer had not been on the Daytona Beach PIO, which listed 99 media-related e-mail contacts.
The two page e-mail list Headline Surfer received Wednesday from the clerk's office is undated and does not show that it even comes from the police department's PIOs. The only heading for it is "Members." To the left are names or organizations, including non-media members, and to the right of each of the names is an e-mail address.
Headline Surfer has not received an updated PIO media distribution list showing it had been added back onto to the list as Cerbone's letter states.
The snapshot graphic at left shows the first e-mail Daytona Beach Police public information officer Jimmy Flynt sent to Headline Surfer on Sept. 23, 2010, that shows the Internet newspaper was on DBPD e-mail distribution list for press releases, arrest reports and incident reports. The list shows the Internet newspaper's e-mail at the bottom of this snapshot. Other names below it were no included here because of space. The last e-mail Headline Surfer received unsolicited from the DBPD was in mid-October.
And while Cerbone's letter stated in part that the police department's PIO "proactively distributes arrest reports, news releases and crime videos," Headline Surfer has received nothing in the interim and tonight had to report information on the destruction of a suspicious device across from a family shelter on Segrave Avenue by citing information on the DBPD call from a story published in the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
During the first of two homicides in the city this past week, Headline Surfer had to do the same thing, reporting facts from a story published by the Orlando Sentinel.
A press release from that Saturday homicide was sent by PIO Creamer the following night after a series of phone calls to the police department demanding a return call from a patrol supervisor. That supervisor then contacted Creamer who sent the Internet newspaper the release 15 minutes after Headline Surfer wrote a story on the homicide stating it had to rely on the other media outlet to report the killing.
Prior to Wednesday's commission meeting, Headline Surfer's calls and e-mails for information on a second unrelated shotgun slaying went unanswered. Headline Surfer was forced to report the news from details published in the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
And since Wednesday's commission meeting, the DBPD has added a press release from that second homicide though nothing appears when the link is clicked open. Headline Surfer has not received that homicide press release in an e-mail from the police department's PIOs.
A request for incident reports on both homicides to the PIOs has gone unanswered as well. In its appeal to the commission at Wednesday's meeting, Headline Surfer asked that the city manager ensure his police chief was providing a level playing field for all media outlets regardless of Chitwood's personal opinion about media coverage.
A request for incident reports on both homicides to the PIOs has gone unanswered as well. In its appeal to the commission at Wednesday's meeting, Headline Surfer asked that the city manager ensure his police chief was providing a level playing field for all media outlets regardless of Chitwood's personal opinion about media coverage.
"Your police chief arbitrarily removed me from the media distribution list without justification," Headline Surfer said. "It has been made abundantly clear to me by others that his action is in retaliation to our investigative story on a supervisor he promoted to captain despite alleged mistreatment of two women cops."
Headline Surfer described Chitwood's behavior as "arbitrary and capricious" and that it has "impeded our ability to gather news on a level playing field."
The Internet newspaper asked the city manager to hold Chitwood accountable. Chitwood entered the commission chamber only after the meeting had ended to greet officials on the dais. He has not publicly acknowledged or addressed Headline Surfer's concerns.
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