Commissioner's Corner: Joining the force

Orange County owes its security to the brave men and women of the law enforcement who patrol our streets on a daily basis. Our law enforcement agencies are tasked with patrolling the unincorporated parts of Orange County. Officers and deputies patrol a highly diverse set of communities and environments from high-density areas in our urban core to student housing near the University of Central Florida, ranchland, rural communities, and natural lands on the county’s periphery. Thanks to their efforts, the number of crimes committed countywide service area is at its lowest point in the last 15 years and is down nearly 21 percent from its peak in 2008. This month, I would like to tell you about the good work our law enforcement has done and share ways you can get involved to help reduce crime in your community.

Maitland, Winter Park, and Orlando residents have volunteer programs available through their local police department. Volunteers provide support for their respective departments and perform tasks such as fingerprinting, data entry, clerical work, and working at department reception desks. Some agencies have specialized volunteer programs, such as the Orlando Police Citizens Observer Program. Volunteers in this program patrol city streets, acting as an extra pair of eyes and ears for the department.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has numerous specialized volunteer programs as well. You can participate in the Sheriff’s Office Volunteer Patrol Program and Volunteer Task Force. The Volunteer Patrol Program is a non-confrontational neighborhood patrol program. Volunteers are not law enforcement officers, but are trained to be vigilant in their own neighborhoods. Volunteers donate their time to patrol neighborhoods in a special Sheriff’s Office vehicle. Citizens who have passed a screening process will then participate in a volunteer academy that include training in subjects such as crime prevention, first aid, CPR, and spotting suspicious activity. The Volunteer Task Force is one of the Sheriff’s Office’s most active units. Uniformed members of this unit are trained in traffic, crowd and perimeter control, search and rescue, disasters, parades, and other public activities. This unit is always on standby, ready to work with city, county, state, or federal agencies to ensure public safety. For more information on these volunteer programs, please contact 407-836-3820.

Young people can also get involved. The Sheriff’s Office and Orlando Police both run Explorer Scout Programs for teenagers between 14 and 19 years of age who are interested in a law enforcement career. The program provides role models to showcase the various responsibilities of a law enforcement officer while instilling values and leadership skills. Participants will volunteers with outside civic organizations and perform various types of community service.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is the largest law enforcement agency active in Orange County with over 2,000 deputies currently serving. Other law enforcement agencies located within District 5 include the Orlando Police Department, the Winter Park Police Department, the Maitland Police Department, and University of Central Florida Police Department. These police departments have also had a tremendous impact on crime, making a total of 13,330 arrests last year.

Orange County’s law enforcement agencies frequently work together to address community concerns. For instance, the Sheriff’s Office has partnered with the UCF Police Department to run the SNAP (Sector 2 Noise Alcohol Patrol) detail. This special patrol focuses on off-campus crime and underage drinking near the UCF campus. The SNAP detail conducts surprise checks at local bars and convenience stores, responds to loud off-campus parties, and watches for intoxicated drivers. Another notable joint law enforcement effort is the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, a multi-agency task force specializing in narcotics, vice, and organized crime investigations. The MBI team includes a wide variety of agencies at the local, state and federal levels including the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Orlando Police, Winter Park Police, Florida Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigations, and U.S. Secret Service. This task force is one of the longest running and most successful task force operations in the U.S. history.

You can leverage the power of your community to reduce crime by reaching out to your local law enforcement agency. If you see a crime being committed, be sure to call 911 promptly. If you would like to report crime anonymously, contact Central Florida Crimeline at 407-423-8477. The Sheriff’s Office and most local police forces have crime prevention officers assigned to provide information on home security, crime awareness and assist citizens in setting up neighborhood watch groups.

I am proud of the work our law enforcement does each day to keep the residents of District 5 safe. We could not ask for a more dedicated group of people to keep our communities safe and secure. If you have any questions regarding local law enforcement or any other Orange County issue, please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff, Edgar Robinson and Lynette Rummel. We can be reached at 407-836-7350.