The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Fraternal Order of Police will honor those law enforcement officers who died while serving in the line of duty with a Law Enforcement Memorial, Thursday, May 17, at 9:00 a.m., on the front lawn of the Sheriff’s Office Administration Building.

    This event is part of the recognition of National Peace Officers Memorial Day May 15^th.  It is a day set aside to remember and honor all Law Enforcement Officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward will be the guest speaker.

  A reception will follow in the Sheriff’s Office Training Room. Members of the media are encouraged to attend.

Help Sgt Robby Way help the kids of Sacred Heart Hospital by tuning into the WXBN Radiothon Thursday morning, March 8th.

Call in pledges to 416-KIDS and be sure and say they are in Sgt Way’s name.

One hundred percent of funds raised through Radiothon will help patients continue to receive care at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, Northwest Florida’s only pediatric hospital. It provides a range of children’s services in partnership with Nemours Children’s Clinic, which provides many pediatric specialists to the region.

Anyone wishing to learn more about how to support the needs of Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital can call Bambi Provost, Director of Sacred Heart Foundation, at 850-416-4660 or e-mail her at bprovost@shhpens.org.

    Women who volunteer to participate in the WRAP Program (Women’s Reentry Assistance Program) at the Escambia County Jail can now read books to their children during their jail visits. 

    The Women’s Reentry Assistance Program (WRAP) was developed and implemented in the Escambia County Central Booking and Detention Facility in January 2011.  The program is eight weeks in duration and targets those women who are serving county jail sentences.  The program offers counseling and case management to participants prior to release.

     The idea of reading books came about when one young mother asked what she could do during the hour-long visits she had with her 2 year old son. Children are able to see their parents through a glass window, but cannot touch or play with their children during visits.   She said that he would get impatient and attempt to run around the visitation area, which is not permitted.  This question was brought up in the parenting class offered by Community Drug and Alcohol Council, which is one of the many classes offered in WRAP.

    Books used in the lending library were generously donated by The Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County.  Parents are required to complete a “book report” after each visit recording which books they borrowed and what the experience was like both for them and their child. 

     One mom is now reading books on every visit and said, “My child loves for me to read her books at home, so she was really excited for me to be able to do it from in here.  It made me feel better as a mother to still be able to do something she enjoyed during this time.”

    The benefits of reading to children are great, increasing the parent-child bond as well as increasing reading-readiness skills.  If parents can make a positive connection with their child while in jail, then that will hopefully help them continue that relationship when they are released and are back with their families. 

     For more information on the WRAP program, contact Corinne R. Whitlock, MS at (850) 436-9774.

 The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Reports a Reduction in Violent Crimes in 2011

 County and City Officals turn the first ground on the new ECSO South Headquarters,
 Warrington Precinct January 30, 2012

  The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office released the 2011 crime statistics, which show an overall reduction in violent crimes from the 2010 crime statistics. The Sheriff’s Office saw a significant decrease in Homicides, reporting only 14 homicides in 2011. This is the lowest number of homicides in Escambia County since 2006, and a 46.2% decrease from the 26 homicides that occurred in 2010. The Sheriff’s Office also saw a 16% reduction in robberies that involved the use of a firearm and a 13.6% decrease in those where a knife or other cutting instrument was used. There was a slight increase in the total number of robberies that occurred in 2011, with two more than the previous year. Other reductions in violent crime include a 13.1% decrease in forcible sex offenses and an 8.4% decrease in aggravated assaults, resulting in an overall 7.6% decrease in crimes against persons. Although there was a slight increase in property crimes over the last 12 months, the Sheriff’s Office did see 65 fewer burglaries occur in 2011 than in 2010, resulting in a 2.4% decrease. Overall, 2011 resulted in 284,308 calls for service, 37,717 reports written, 12,510 UCR reportable offenses, and deputies arrested 12,455 adults and 1,232 juveniles. Since 2009, there has been a 21% reduction in violent crime. These statistics are from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Uniform Crime Report (UCR) which is provided to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). The Uniform Crime Reporting Program was designed to give an indicator of the crime in specific areas by collecting offense and arrest information within that law enforcement jurisdiction. Agencies are required to report crimes that fall within the nine categories, Murder, Sex Offenses, Robbery, Aggravated Assault and Stalking, Burglary, Larceny or Theft, Motor Vehicle Theft, Simple Assaults and Arson. UCR does not differentiate between crimes that are attempted and crimes that are committed when reporting offenses and crimes against persons are counted based on the number of victims affected. The UCR report for both Escambia County and the State of Florida is available through FDLE’s website, www.fdle.state.fl.us .

Escambia County Sheriff’s Office to Hold Groundbreaking for Warrington Precinct

        Pensacola, Fla – The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office will hold Ground-Breaking ceremonies for the new Escambia County Sheriff’s Office South Headquarters, Warrington Precinct on Monday, January 30, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.  The ceremony will take place at the construction site, 30 North Navy Boulevard, Pensacola.

   “We thank the County Administrator, Mr. Randy Oliver, and of course the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners, for their support of the Warrington Precinct project,” Sheriff David Morgan said.

  “Anytime that a law enforcement presence can be brought to a community it lends stability and security to an area. Just like our Neighborhood Watch Programs, this project is another example of the citizens of Escambia County engaging with their elected officials in making our community a family and business friendly environment.”

FEBRUARY 23, 2012 AVONDALE

MARCH 22, 2012 FERRY PASS

APRIL 19, 2012 CANTONMENT

MAY 10, 2012 PERDIDO KEY

JUNE 14, 2012 CRESCENT LAKE EAST

JULY 19, 2012 WINDY HILL

AUGUST 16, 2012 TBD

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Captain Tharp (850) 554-1384 or Deputy Wiggins (850) 554-1362.