Collier County (Fla.) Sheriff Kevin Rambosk is walking the walk when it comes to technology helping the public share tips and communicate with crime fighters.
His office is the first in Florida to implement text-to-9-1-1 from cellular phones. For now, the text feature applies only to Verizon customers, with others to follow.
Meanwhile, Rambosk has unveiled Community Video Watch Partnership, a program that invites residents and business owners who have exterior video security cameras to register them with the Sheriff’s Office to pool images of criminals in the act.
“As technology has improved, the cost of video surveillance systems has come down, which means more and more people are employing this form of security,” Rambosk’s office said. “That increased use translates to additional opportunities for citizens and law enforcement to work together.”
The video-sharing takes traditional Neighborhood Watch programs to the next level, and reminds us of Collier County’s leadership on forming a network of privately owned defibrillators to help in emergencies.
The texting service, according to the Sheriff’s Office, is intended to be used in specific scenarios: only inside the county when the caller is hearing- or speech-impaired or in the event of a crime such as a home invasion or abduction.
It is to be used as a last resort, not a substitute for 9-1-1 phone calls which relay information such as locations and the nature of emergencies more quickly.
