GETTING RESULTS TOGETHER

A Central Florida police department is putting its money where its mouth is.

2021 was one of the most successful years ever for Orlando Police Department school resource officers.

Officers can now continue handing out auto repair gift cards instead of tickets.

One Central Florida police academy begins body camera training.

When Corporal Lee Sahs pulled over a young man for a broken brake light, the young man immediately got out of the car.

When University of Central Florida police get a call from a suicidal student, it’s often from the same place: the top of a UCF parking garage.

All new Orange County Sheriff’s deputies undergo an intense, day-long autism awareness training program that includes conversations with those with autism.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood was searching for a way to find better recruits and make better cops so he created the first police academy in Central Florida to be entirely run by a local sheriff’s office.

For Osceola County's first Hispanic Sheriff Marcos Lopez, it's important for him to speak to his county the way a large and growing portion speaks to him -- in Spanish.

Baker-Acting is not always the most effective treatment for someone in a mental health crisis, and an Emergency Room is also not the most effective treatment location.

Students at Bethune Cookman University in Daytona Beach headed back to class with a new opportunity: A chance to get results for Central Florida's troubled teens.

Osceola County is taking SROs out of charter schools and replacing them with guardians, certified security guards trained by the sheriff’s office.

News 6 reporter Erik von Ancken shows how agencies get results in Central Florida.

Sheriff Staly says meetings aren’t all talk.

News 6 reported on Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young's efforts to “change the narrative” when he first took over at the end of 2020 and had to combat a rash of shooting violence.

Bryan Selzer, a retired Jacksonville Sheriff’s sergeant, believes that tracking an officer’s actions and complaints is the answer to better policing.

The Tourist Policing Unit at the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to protecting the most precious piece of Central Florida’s economy: tourism, as the eponymous name implies.

As part of field training at the University of Central Florida Police Department, all recruits are now required to visit the Wells’ Built Museum of African American History and Culture.

The SAFE ID card and the DREAM tracker are for anyone in Sumter County with any sort of disability or ailment.

The new system allows system managers to immediately revoke keycard access to anyone who has left the campus or should no longer have access.

What most people saw last year in the protests and riots that swept across the country was a call for police reform — for officers, everywhere, to get it right.

UCF Computer Science Professor Dr. Yan Solihin said the frequency and scale of cyber attacks are increasing at an alarming rate.

So far, in 2021, 581 people have overdosed and 81 have died, a 20% reduction compared to last year's pace.

In 2020, Flagler County’s crashes dropped. But crashes with injuries and fatalities more than doubled.

In January, mental health counselors from Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health hit the road with Orange County deputies.

K-9s, it turns out, are just as effective in locating hidden cell phones, memory cards, or hard drives.

When a family with an autistic adult son moved into the city of Lake Mary, officers had no idea -- until they were called to the home by 911 dispatchers.

As part of his field training, Orlando police recruit Officer Wakens Leonard was required to meet virtually with the people he will serve in his community before serving them.

When Ocala Police officer Jordan Decker was confronted with a gun in his face at a front door last month, the officer chose not to draw his weapon but instead go hand-to-hand.

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Flagler County Deputy Sheriff Sierra Held has only been a school resource deputy since last summer, but she already knows she doesn’t want to do anything else. “I was ready to leave law enforcement and ready to be done to start a new career,” Held said. I love it so much.”Held said her first challenge in school is teaching her students what to call her. Staly said the teaching and mentoring is important but the priority is building trust between the students and law enforcement. Every morning, the boy finds Held at the school to give her a hug and a thank you.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The police department calls for service log at Daytona Beach’s Sun Plaza Motel on U.S. 1 for the past three years is 17 pages long. [TRENDING: ‘Manatee graveyard in Fla. | 6 major announcements from Disney | Fla. woman charged in US Capitol attack]Capt. Police said they even arrested the owner of Sun Plaza -- twice now -- because he was allowing the crime to occur. “We were looking at a crime data compared to where we were getting complaints and we were starting to see these pockets of problems,” Lee said. “The whole idea was we want to take a group of our officers and we wanted to focus on community problems, problems that existed in the city,” Lee said.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – When Florida implemented a sweeping overhaul of statewide police training last year, all Defensive Tactics instructors at Daytona State College’s School of Emergency Services had to learn the changes in a 24-hour-long update class. “When someone is on the ground, you either have to control their head, pin their head to the ground, or pin their hips to the ground, to keep them on the ground,” Walker said. AdMany of the recruits and trainees that come to Daytona State College will end up at police departments and sheriff’s offices across Central Florida. Daytona State offers an entire law enforcement academy, Defensive Tactics training being one of the courses. All instructors must complete around 80 hours of training and Defensive Tactics instructors have to undergo an additional 80 hours of training.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The first time most Floridians heard about forensic botany was during the Casey Anthony murder trial in 2011. Hardy said he knows of at least 60 cases where forensic botany has been applied. “Forensic botany is the application of plant evidence to legal matters,” Hardy said. AdAnd researchers are investigating if forensic botany can help locate a body in the woods faster by looking for differentiation in treetops. Hardy said forensic botany is an ideal investigative tool because it’s always unbiased.

Jonathan Bigelow oversees OPD’s Special Enforcement Division. “They have nothing to focus on but the assignments we give them and the complaints that come down,” Bigelow said. “TWO FOR TWO: The Special Enforcement Division heard from citizens concerned about drug activity in 2 areas near Millenia and Downtown. Last week, several citizen complaints about an apartment on Raleigh Street uncovered drugs, cash, a handgun, and ammunition, among other items,” read another. Last week, several citizen complaints about an apartment on Raleigh Street uncovered drugs, cash, a handgun, and ammunition, among other items.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Almost a year after arrestee Eric Stanley sneaked a gun into the Orange County Jail, according to investigators, Jail Chief Luis Quinones has made changes to ensure it never happens again. Investigators said Stanley, brought to the jail by Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies on March 21, 2020, hid the loaded handgun in his waistband. Quinones has since banned plastic handcuffs inside the jail and mandated that jail officers replace any flex-cuffs with metal handcuffs. Quinones said all supervisors have undergone racial equity training and the rest of the jail staff will get the same training. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said after the hostage standoff last year, it did a thorough investigation and suspended the three deputies involved in arresting Stanley.

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Deandre McCall never knew his father when he was a child. “We just spoke about a year ago,” McCall, 26, said sitting at a classroom table inside the Flagler County Jail. And now I get stripped away again after I get a personal relationship with them.”McCall is currently in the Flagler County Jail serving an eight-month sentence for violation of probation. Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly started the national program at the jail in 2020. “Consequently, there is a ‘father factor’ in nearly all of the societal issues facing America today, including right here in Flagler County.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Larry Brooks, a peer recovery “specialist” at SMA Healthcare in Volusia County, is often the first person and the best person to speak with addicts who are lucky enough to make it to the hospital after they overdose on opioids. SMA said typically only 10% of overdose patients will seek treatment. SMA created the partnership with Halifax Health a year ago as opioid overdoses and deaths soared in Volusia County. SMA said in 2019, 1,169 people overdosed and 145 people died, according to the Volusia County sheriff. The move will put peer recovery specialists in those hospitals to meet with overdose patients as they come in.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Within weeks of former Daytona Beach Deputy Chief Jakari Young’s appointment to Chief of Police, shooting violence exploded across his city. The newly-promoted Chief decided immediately to recommit to connecting with the community: :Jakari Young had only been the newly-appointed Daytona Beach Police Chief for a few weeks when shooting violence exploded in his city last November. [RELATED: ‘I’m not accepting that:’ Daytona Beach police chief begins tackling recent homicides]He brought back a staple of community policing: Park, Walk and Talk. “To me it’s a very simple concept because we already have something that’s recognized by dispatch called the Park and Walk,” Young said. “My philosophy and belief is community policing is everybody’s responsibility,” Young said.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jakari Young had only been the newly appointed Daytona Beach Police Chief for a few weeks when shooting violence exploded in his city last November. Young, the former Deputy Chief at the Daytona Beach PD and a Daytona Beach officer since 2001, said he knew what he had to do - reach out to his community immediately. “I signed on to be the police chief of Daytona Beach, I didn’t think I was signing on to be the police chief in Chicago or Compton California or Baltimore Maryland,” Young said. And Chief Young said many in the community accepted shared responsibility for the violence. “I make sure I’m consistent in how I’m treating people, I think that’s the key,” Young said.

Last year when school started, Titusville police spent months trying to get drivers to slow down in school zones. [RELATED: ‘Enough is enough:’ Speeders won’t slow down in school zones]This year, the problem is back. “Basically education and awareness for five straight weeks.”But Titusville police are also reinforcing good choices in school zones - like slow driving and seatbelt wearing. Every school zone in Titusville is staffed by officers every morning and every afternoon. Driving 20+ mph over the speed limit - so that’s just 35 mph in a school zone during school hours - carries at $459 fine.

TITUSVILLE, Fla. – Titusville Police K-9 “Chase” is the top dog. Chase won the Space Coast’s Hardest-Hitting K-9 competition. “Having the K-9, people can see past the uniform or the car, they can see, oh, I have a dog,” Glenn said. “Then petting the dog and seeing how friendly and sociable he is kind of breaks down a lot of barriers. “The message to kids, especially at a young age, is that we’re not anything to be scared of, or the dogs,” Glenn said.

But I know that underneath all that he really wanted to head in the right direction.”Justiniano said 14-year-old J.W. “So when I made contact with him, I really wanted from the bottom of my heart to help him out.”And that’s why Orlando PD’s Youth Liaisons exist. “I’m not looking for recognition or to be on the news, I just want to help, that’s all,” Justiniano said. I mean police officers, yes, do we chase after bad guys and take them to jail yes, yes but we do love reaching out to the community.”Justiniano said as the Outreach Officers got to know J.W., they discovered his passion to become a paramedic. “And we’re here to help you go down that road and make better decisions.”To find out more about the Orlando Police Department’s Youth Outreach program, email them: youthconnect@orlando.govCurrently, there are 23 OPD Youth Outreach Liaisons.

Many businesses across Ocoee have surveillance cameras in place but right now, the police department cannot see any of the video feeds. Likewise, cameras are perched at intersections and above highways but the department doesn’t have access to those either. | News 6 anchors share drama stories]Using the Real Time Crime Video system would give police access to those public and private feeds, if the owner approves. But this kind of hones you in a little bit more on that individual.”Typically when a crime is committed, police have to hunt down surveillance video. But this platform will be able to get it right then and there.”Tuesday night, Ocoee city commissioners are expected to approve a 30-day trial period of the Real Time Crime Video system.

“They mentioned they would like to have the buffer go from 30 seconds to 60 Seconds,” Metzger said. Or at least it did.”Metzger said he agreed to the request after checking and discovering the pre-recording buffer can be changed from 30 to 60 seconds. So we know everything that went into an event and led up to it.”Metzger said the UCF Police Department was one of the first in Central Florida to get body cameras. The department has upgraded its body cameras regularly as part of its contract with the camera manufacturer and is now due for another upgrade. All 81 UCF police officers will get new, higher-resolution body cameras within the next two weeks, according to UCF PD body camera manager Sgt.

And Jones, who is black, said he learned early on how traffic stops can shape opinions of police. They walked away knowing that we do have that professionalism and training here.”Since then, he’s ensured that professionalism and training are front and center at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Jones and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office were among the first in Central Florida to participate in the “R.I.T.E.” Academy - Racial Intelligence Training and Engagement. “There are a lot of people out there in pain and we don’t always understand their pain,” Jomes said. Just to be blatantly honest, being a black man I understand a lot of pain.

(Internet Crimes Against Children) task force at the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office announced it had arrested 76-year-old Raymond Woodrow Egan of Kissimmee for Promotion/Production of Child Pornography. “Sometimes we can have a day where we have maybe 20 tips,” Shah said. task force. task force includes several full and part-time detectives examining tips and hunting down leads, including the arrest of Egan. Shah said task force members must follow strict rules when they’re online so as not to entrap a suspect.

The State Attorney’s Office regularly recommends first-time youth offenders who are accused of committing minor crimes to Teen Court, a teenager-run mock courtroom with real rules and real penalties. The recidivism rate in Teen Court is much lower than a child who goes through juvenile probation.”Egan said teenagers who complete Teen Court re-offend less than 10% of the time, much lower than the traditional juvenile justice system. Last year, 202 Teen Court cases were completed and more than $5,400 was paid in restitution to victims, according to Egan. What we can control is what goes on inside this courthouse especially with respect to Teen Court. Teens volunteered more than 4,100 hours in 2019 in Teen Court and adults volunteered more than 924 hours, according to Egan.

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office now has access to hundreds of cameras around the county, all feeding live into the new Real Time Crime Center at the sheriff’s office headquarters. Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Services Division Chief Paul Bovino said the video feeds come from schools, intersections, beaches, parks, license plate readers, doorbell cameras and even home and business surveillance systems. “The analyst can get them updated information,” Bovino said. Some homeowners and businesses with surveillance camera systems have volunteered to stream their video feeds directly to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. “I can promise the citizens of Flagler County we don’t have the time or resources to watch everyone in Flagler County,” Bovino said.

Cornelius Blue rose through the ranks of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office over the last three decades after making a promise to his grandmother in 1990. “How can I not be in Ministry and law enforcement,” Blue said. “We pay for their Academy, and they’re essentially working full-time receiving a salary while they’re in school or the academy and is being paid for by the Sheriff’s Office,” Blue said. “We wanted do a better job of recruiting minorities and people with the level of diversity to help police and provide service to our community.”The Sheriff’s Office now also recruits at historically black college and universities. Blue said already the Sheriff’s Office is looking to hiring several minority recruits as deputies or corrections officers.