Sheriff Israel: Continuing Our Tradition of Excellence

by Guest Contributer January 2, 2017

by Guest Contributer January 2, 2017 14 views

Sheriff Israel: Continuing Our Tradition of Excellence 4

Scott Israel being sworn-in in as Broward County Sheriff in 2013. His swearing-in ceremony for his second term will be held on Tuesday, January 3rd at 2 p.m. 5555 N.W. 95th Ave. at the Faith Center in Sunrise.

A Message from Sheriff Israel

Thank you, Broward! I am extremely humbled and grateful for your support and overwhelming vote of confidence. On Tuesday, January 3, I will take the oath of office for my second term as Sheriff. This distinct honor is more than a personal victory for me — it’s a victory for all the amazing men and women of the Broward Sheriff’s Office, and for those in our community who support our public safety mission.

When I first took office four years ago, I promised to bring fresh ideas to BSO. The ways of the past – where our young sons and daughters were sent to jail for minor infractions, and produced soaring crime rates – was not acceptable. As head of the nation’s largest fully-accredited Sheriff’s agency, BSO is expected to set an example for other law enforcement agencies around the country to follow.

Through effective and innovative programs, BSO delivered on these promises—and I’m extremely proud that our dedicated sworn and civilian personnel are a shining example of everything law enforcement should strive to be. Each day, BSO makes a real difference in all of our diverse communities. Crime is at historic lows, our children are given every opportunity to succeed and Broward is safer and more united than ever before.

But we cannot be content to rest upon our current successes. As we move forward into the new year and my second term as Sheriff, we also begin writing a new chapter. The successes of the past four years laid a solid foundation and serve as a launching pad for bigger and better things to come. In the coming months, BSO will roll out numerous initiatives and programs focused on both ensuring the safety of all Broward’s residents, while also taking steps to improve their quality of life. These initiatives will tackle pressing problems with common-sense solutions.

As you may know, helping children mature into successful adults is my highest priority. The civil citation and P.R.O.M.I.S.E. programs are huge successes, and I believe an expansion of these programs can produce even more significant results.

We must also continue to help those suffering from mental health issues. These are not problem people, but people with problems. We are working on multiple programs to provide them with the assistance they need and deserve. Addressing this issue is a great way we can reduce the growing number of incidents of violence and prevent them from happening here. Mental illness isn’t a crime, and incarceration shouldn’t be the solution.

Changes within BSO will also continue to progress. Our proactive body-worn camera initiative will expand so that all uniformed law enforcement deputies will be equipped with body cameras by the end of 2017. The program is our most visible commitment to providing transparency and enhancing community trust. And, finally, BSO will continue to become more reflective of our multicultural county.

Thanks again for your continued support, and I look forward to unveiling more exciting programs to make Broward an even better place to live. From all of us at BSO, my best wishes for a happy, healthy and blessed new year.

Sheriff Scott Israel

Certain Broward cities like Pembroke Pines, Sunrise, Plantation, Davie, Miramar, Lauderhill and Coral Springs maintain their own police departments, however, BSO does provide communications and dispatch services to the following cities: Central Broward, Cooper City, Dania Beach, Deerfield Beach, Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood Int’l Airport, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Lauderdale Lakes, North Lauderdale. Oakland Park, Parkland, Pembroke Park, West Park, Pompano Beach, Port Everglades, Tamarac, Weston and unincorporated West Broward.