Introductions

January 08, 2013

I have waited and worked my entire career toward being able to write this, my first message to you as the Sheriff of Charlotte County. So let me start by saying, “Thank You” for this opportunity to further serve the citizens of this great county.

I have worked my entire law enforcement career here at the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office. I started here as a Reserve Deputy in March of 1992 and was hired full-time later that December as a road patrol deputy. Shortly after I began work, I knew I wanted to one day be the Sheriff. But it was going to take hard work.

I earned my undergraduate and two graduate degrees while working in a variety of positions, ranks and locations in the agency. Because of the different positions I have filled and areas I have worked, I developed what I hope is a greater knowledge of those areas involved in law enforcement and what it takes to be in charge of an agency like the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.

I have always thought that community involvement was important for members of the law enforcement community. I have served on the boards of directors for both CARE and for the Sheriff's Office's PAL program. I also attended Leadership Charlotte. So here I am as the 19th Sheriff of this county. What can you expect of me and this agency? In the past year, the Sheriff's Office went through two different re-accreditation processes and scored a remarkable 100% on both. Our Traffic Unit has been the recipient of numerous awards each year. The number of Narcotics related arrests and related drug seizures by our agency has increased steadily. The crime rate in Charlotte County has been steadily decreasing. I certainly intend to continue to maintain these high levels of accomplishment.

Because the Sheriff's race was decided in the August primary, I have been in a unique position of being the Sheriff-Elect while this fiscal year's budget was still being ironed out. I had the opportunity to have input into the budget process and to begin my part of continuing an open line of communication with county staff. Effective today, the Sheriff's Office has been restructured slightly. We have eliminated some command staff positions and shifted some others around so that we have more people at “street level.” We want to continue our emphasis on Narcotic activity, so we have created a new Special Investigations Section that includes the Narcotics Unit, Street Crimes Unit and Fugitive Apprehension Unit. By grouping these units together under a separate supervisor, we hope to better concentrate our resources to fight the drug activity that is a major source of other crimes in this county.

This is an excellent agency that I am fortunate enough to now head. But we will always continue to strive to make it even better.

Thank you again for this opportunity,

Bill Prummell

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