Sheriff's Message History

Working together to keep our community safe

June 01, 2007

Dear Citizens of Charlotte County,

You deserve the most effective and efficient public safety services possible. I take your trust seriously and as your Sheriff, I am committed to seeing these services are made available to you. My staff and I are dedicated to continuing to improve the quality of life and making Charlotte County one of the safest communities in the entire nation.

Since taking Office on January 4, 2005, I have worked with our County Commission, our community and my staff to establish a level of service that will effectively provide safety and security at a reasonable cost to you, the taxpayer.

I believe in a strong proactive approach to public safety services. My philosophy is one of having the vision to see a problem approaching on the horizon and investing resources at the front end to assure that the problem does not become entrenched within our community. A proactive approach is effective but requires your understanding that the investment made early may not produce immediate results but is the most effective way to produce a positive outcome in the years ahead.

Some of the proactive strategies I have implemented up to this point include:

  • Adding additional School Resources to our elementary schools. It is imperative to reach out to our most valuable asset, our children, and make a positive impact at the earliest of ages when they are the most impressionable. By the end of my term I will have a School Resource Officer in all ten of our elementary schools.

  • Implementation of the Drug Abuse Resistance and Education program (DARE) to educate our children in the elementary and middle schools on the ramifications of substance abuse and violence.

  • Adding additional officers to our County Wide Traffic Unit. Over the last two years we have been able to reduce overall traffic accidents and fatalities on our roads. Traffic issues will continue to remain a high priority under my administration.

  • Taking a very aggressive approach to curtail the drug problem in our community. Since taking Office I have added additional officers to our Narcotics Unit and they have aggressively pursued drug dealers and those who possess drugs on our streets and in our neighborhoods.

  • We continue to revise our five year strategic plan which was adopted in 2004 to ensure we keep our priorities in order and relevant to the community needs, feedback and resource availability.

  • Holding my staff accountable for their actions. Your trust in our profession is paramount and speaks to the very reason we exist.


    • I am extremely proud of the men and women who serve you at your Sheriff's Office. They work for me but are dedicated to you, the members of our community. Together with your help, support and understanding, we will continue to keep our community safe and one of the most enjoyable places to live.


    Sincerely,


    Sheriff John Davenport

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