Sheriff's Captain Strives to Keep Hillsborough Safe

When Capt. Andy Ross of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office started college, he chose to major in biology.

But the Temple Terrace resident soon learned he wasn’t any good at the subject, and he looked for a career that would allow him to help people.

That led him to law enforcement.

“The direct results of the help you provide people is very rewarding,” Ross said. “You are able to provide immediate assistance. It doesn’t take years to see the fruits of it. It's a demanding career, but very rewarding.”

Ross, 47, works in District 3, which includes Original Carrollwood, Citrus Park, Westchase, Keystone, Odessa and Town N’ Country. The unincorporated sections of northwest Hillsborough County are densely populated with a number of small to mid-sized communities.

That could pose a problem for members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, who are attempting to keep things like residential burglaries and habitual traffic offenders at bay.

But Ross said he isn’t worried—even with the extra responsibility of heading the district while Maj. Ray Lawton is out on a special assignment.

“You’d have no way of knowing I was gone,” Lawton said. “The district hasn’t missed a beat.”

Lawton said Ross’ ability to solve problems has helped him thrive at the sheriff’s office.

“Andy is very good at listening to subordinates who are in the street, and working with them for solutions,” Lawton said. “The thing about Andy that makes him special is that many people are problem-solvers, but Capt. Ross is good at long-range problem solving.”

Ross grew up in north Tampa. He started his career at the sheriff’s office in 1984. He was a reserve then, but he was hired two years later as a patrol deputy near what is now Citrus Park Mall. He moved his way up the ranks, working in street level narcotics and traffic. He was promoted to captain of District 3 in 2009.

“It’s the most densely populated of the sheriff's office districts,” Ross said of the district, which contains about 200,000 people. “It has unique things, like more people per square mile than other districts. That poses challenges.”

Ross, who is married with three kids, said he wants the public to get a better idea of what the sheriff’s office does by being open to getting to know officials there.

“We do much more than just law enforcement,” he said. “When nobody else will help people, we do.”