Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
What
exactly is Community Policing? Community Policing is a philosophy and an
organizational strategy that promotes a partnership between the community and
law enforcement designed to reduce crime and improve the quality of life. It's
concept allows the police, the communities they serve, and other agencies
to work together to address the causes of crime, fear of crime, and other community
issues. It is becoming the operating philosophy in a
growing number of law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. It is a
way of providing decentralized, personalized law enforcement services to the
community. Community Policing emphasizes the creation of an effective working
relationship between the community and the Sheriff's Office through a
collaborative problem solving partnership. The goal of Community Policing is to
empower communities, so that they can help make their neighborhoods better,
safer, and healthier places in which to live, work, and raise the children of our future. The success of such partnerships
depend upon the active involvement
of community residents in both planning and implementation of strategies
designed at resolving problems. Motivating residents to become active within
their neighborhoods requires that they be encouraged to get involved with even
the very early stages of problem solving including identifying potential
situations.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office became involved in Community Policing in 1998 with the help of a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. Thirteen Community Policing officers are routed in four different areas of the county. Substations have been utilized in Sylvania Heights, Hetherington, South Destin, Laurel Hill, and Cinco Bayou. They work with the Department of Juvenile Justice by doing curfew checks on delinquent youths, and they also work with the state and county probation offices to keep an eye on individuals who are currently on probation.
The residents of Community Policing
areas say that it is working and neighborhoods are becoming much
safer places to live. Trouble areas have been cleaned up thanks to the efforts
of the Community Policing Unit when each month, members of the Okaloosa
County Sheriff's Office Community Policing Unit, along with volunteers and other
members of the Sheriff's Office, participate in a clean up day in one of
Okaloosa's local communities. During this community effort, the Sheriff's Office
and volunteers spend their day picking up trash and cleaning up blighted areas.
COMMUNITY POLICING OFFICERS
***For questions, concerns or suggestions regarding one of the areas listed below, please e-mail one of the area deputies. ***
COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMANDER
Captain
Greg Gaddis
SUPERVISOR
Lt. Ted Pecot
Sgt.
Charlie Nix
OKALOOSA ISLAND
Deputy
John Duenas
Deputy Tony Kelly
HETHERINGTON
Deputy
Sonya Shepard
SYLVANIA HEIGHTS
Deputy
Sterling Eslinger
Deputy
Scott Spence
CINCO BAYOU
Deputy Jim Welch
BLUEWATER BAY / SEMINOLE
Deputy Frank Taylor
DESTIN BEACH
Deputy Brian Parkton
Deputy Jason Fulghum
DESTIN MARINE
Deputy
Daryl Culberson
Okaloosa County
Sheriff's Office
1250 North Eglin Parkway
Shalimar, FL 32579
(850) 651-7410