Press Release – Nassau County Sheriff’s Office
Submitted by Sheriff Bill Leeper
When I was elected Sheriff my commitment to this community was to make the Sheriff’s Office more accountable, responsible and transparent while maintaining a professional, efficient and effective workforce. While any organization can only be as good at its members, this is especially true for law enforcement. Citizens have the right to expect the highest standards of integrity and commitment from those who take the oath to protect and serve. Law enforcement officers have the responsibility to earn the trust and respect of our community each day.
In today’s tough economic climate many organizations are trying to do more with less, this is especially true with law enforcement. The Nassau sheriff’s office has recently maintained the number of law-enforcement deputies at 1.29 per 1,000 citizens, which is well below the state average ratio of 1.65 for all 67 Florida sheriff’s offices and also below the national average for all law enforcement agencies of 2.5 officers per capita.
On Thursday, May 16, 2013, Gov. Rick Scott announced that Florida’s crime rate was at its lowest point in 42 years and down 6.5 percent in 2012 from the year before. In Nassau County, we experienced a 6.4 percent reduction in reported index crimes last year compared with 2011.
A number of initiatives are working in concert to effect this remarkable crime reduction, the cornerstone of which is our new intelligence-led policing philosophy, which we are moving toward. The overall goal is to enhance pro-active policing efforts and further the positive outcomes of law-enforcement actions to reduce crime and protect the community. This concept involves analysis-based direction for the operators in the field and the detectives working cases, but includes all members of the agency in the even bigger task of consistent, quality information sharing. Information that can be analyzed and made “actionable” for crime reduction, disruption or prevention is the essence of Intelligence-led policing.
In short, law enforcement can rapidly respond to a reported increase in crime, or deploy as a deterrent in places that experience repeat criminal activity. The overarching component of Intelligence-led policing is to focus on the prolific offenders who continue to victimize this community — essentially working to ensure the small number of criminals who are committing the bulk of our crime don’t have the opportunity to re-offend or are incarcerated if they do so.
Crime will always occur when there’s opportunity and there’s someone willing to commit the crime. The key is eliminating the opportunity through education and reducing the number of individuals who are willing to commit crimes through tough laws and penalties for their actions. No matter what the numbers show (high or low), all law enforcement agencies must continue to share information and work together in order to make our community as safe as possible.
To realize positive results requires widespread commitment from the men and women of law enforcement, the members of the local judicial system with whom we work, and the citizens of this community. We are committed to expanding on these initiatives and plan to do so by sustaining a well-educated, multifaceted professional workforce.
This agency greatly appreciates the support of our County Commission, the local legislative delegation and the citizens and businesses that have formed a crime prevention partnership with law enforcement. By working together to make public safety a priority, hopefully this crime reduction trend can continue and we will maintain the quality of life we expect in Nassau County.
May 30, 2013 8:30 a.m.