CCSO Enhancing Public Safety through efffective community partnerships

Youth Relations Cpl. Rick Roman chats with students in the library at Golden Gate Middle School. The Sheriff’s Office has been providing deputies in Collier County schools since 1977. Photo by Cpl. Efrain Hernandez/CCSO

Whether it’s working with retailers to share intelligence information and thwart shoplifters or joining forces with the schools to provide activities to keep young people busy and safe all summer long, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office is committed to keeping the community safe through its many partnerships.

The Sheriff’s Office, under Sheriff Kevin Rambosk, has earned a reputation for building innovative and successful community and public safety partnership programs. Sheriff Rambosk has built strong working relationships and partnerships with elected officials, government offices, community organizations, and other law enforcement agencies, that are critical to the daily functions of Collier County.

“Everybody has a stake in keeping Collier County safe,” Sheriff Rambosk said. “The more relationships we have the safer our community will be.”

Here’s a look at some of CCSO’s ongoing partnerships and their impact on public safety:

SCHOOLS

One of the Sheriff’s Office’s most enduring partnerships is with the Collier County Public School District.

The Sheriff’s Office has a long history of providing safety and security in the schools. This partnership began in 1977 when then-Sheriff Aubrey Rogers first assigned eight deputies to safeguard our schools. Today, there are 47 deputies assigned to the schools. They are part of the cadre of deputies who provide support and assistance to the 48 public schools, 12 alternative school programs and 10 private and charter schools.

In addition to providing Youth Relations deputies in schools, CCSO teaches the D.A.R.E. curriculum to fifth-graders. Programs including Summerfest, the sheriff’s most ambitious youth activities program ever, and DNTH8, an anti-bullying text-messaging hotline.

Sheriff Kevin Rambosk accepts the David S. Crawford Law Enforcement Officer Victim Services Award from Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi at a ceremony in Tallahassee on April 9. The Shelter For Abused Women & Children nominated Sheriff Rambosk for the prestigious award for his service in the community on behalf of victims of domestic. Photo by Sgt.Wade Williams/CCSO

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION

When Sheriff Rambosk wanted to outfit deputies with lifesaving AEDs, he didn’t have to look any farther than the local chapter of the American Heart Association.

Thanks to an ongoing partnership with the heart association, all CCSO patrol cars are now equipped with automated external defibrillators. The portable devices enable deputies, often the first to arrive on a scene, to apply electrical therapy to patients in cardiac arrest and allow the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm.

BUSINESS

CCSO launched the Collier County Organized Retail Theft Association (CCORTA) in 2010 in response to a growing trend in organized retail crime activity across Collier and Florida.

Membership is made up of retailers, loss-preventions specialists and law enforcement officers. CCORTA meets regularly to share intelligence information such as pictures of incidents and alerts, discuss trends they are seeing, and – ultimately – solve cases.

Members work together by posting information on the pages of the CCORTA website that are accessible only to CCORTA members.

Using the website, retailers exchange information on shoplifters and methods thieves have been using in their stores. CCSO has also provided other Southwest Florida law enforcement agencies with access to the site

THE SHELTER FOR ABUSED WOMEN & CHILDREN

Members of CCSO’s Domestic Violence Section work tirelessly to investigate cases of domestic violence and work closely with The Shelter in assisting the victims of these crimes.

CCSO partners with The Shelter in the InVEST program, which helps identify through arrest reports those victims who are in potentially lethal situations. The Domestic Violence Section works closely with The Shelter staff and provide these arrest reports to them in order to link victims with services.

Sheriff Rambosk is a member of the nonprofit domestic violence center’s Board of Directors. In April, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi honored Sheriff Rambosk with the David S. Crawford Law Enforcement Officer Victim Services Award for his service in the community on behalf of victims of domestic violence.

Cpl. Ronny Turi assists a resident at an Operation Medicine Cabinet event in Collier County. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office partners with Drug Free Collier to hold Operation Medicine Cabinet initiatives several times a year as a way
for residents to easily and safely dispose of their unwanted medications. Photo by Cpl. Efrain Hernandez/CCSO

DAVID LAWRENCE CENTER

The David Lawrence Center, a facility that provides mental health and addiction treatment services in Collier County, works with deputies every day in its crisis unit.

CCSO deputies have unique insight into dealing with individuals who may be suffering from mental illness. Sheriff Rambosk has made it a priority to provide deputies with Crisis Intervention Team training. The 40-hour training course pairs deputies with mental health professionals who teach them how to interact with the mentally ill and
de-escalate situations.

GREATER NAPLES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The Sheriff ’s Office partners with the Chamber on a variety of programs and issues. Recently, CCSO has teamed up with the Chamber, along with other community groups, to offer free public seminars on how to protect yourself from identity theft, fraud and scams.

In 2013 The Chamber honored Sheriff Rambosk with the Excellence in Leadership Award for his achievements in making Collier County a great place and a safe place to live and to do business. Sheriff Rambosk is a member of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce board of directors.

COLLIER SENIOR RESOURCES

The Sheriff’s Office partners with Collier Senior Resources to address the needs of older adults and caregivers in the community.

CCSO’s Seniors Advocacy Unit works hand in hand with Collier Senior Resources and supports its mission to provide comprehensive information, services and resources that affect the quality of life of older adults and their caregivers, empowering them to maintain independent and meaningful lives. Sheriff Rambosk is a member of the Collier Senior Resource Center board of directors.

DRUG FREE COLLIER

The Sheriff’s Office and Drug Free Collier work together to keep Collier County’s citizens free of illicit drugs.

The Operation Medicine Cabinet program ensures that unused and outdated medications are disposed of properly, keeping them out of the hands of Collier County’s young people. In March the organization honored Sheriff Rambosk for his contributions in keeping Collier County’s young people safe.

COLLIER COUNTY YOUTH RESOURCES CENTER

The Sheriff’s Office led the effort to open The Center. Located in the Courthouse, it provides services to at-risk youth and their families with a goal of connecting them with the services they need.

It is the starting place to go for juvenile mental health assessments; individual and group counseling; substance abuse education, counseling and drug testing; anger management and crisis intervention training; and parenting classes, among other services.

Partners include the Florida Department of Children and Families, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the Collier County School District, the David Lawrence Center, Lutheran Services of Florida and Drug Free Collier.