- Leon County Sheriff's Office introduces a dedicated forestry patrol deputy.
- The designated area includes Apalachicola National Forest, popular for various outdoor activities.
- The initiative aims to enhance safety in the isolated forest area, where crimes have previously occurred.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It's a new way to keep neighbors safe in Silver Lake. The Leon County Sheriff's Office announced a dedicated forestry patrol deputy.
The deputy's assigned area will include the Apalachicola National Forest which covers more than 574,000 acres. It's a popular area for hiking, off-roading, and hunting. But it's also very isolated.
Sheriff Walt McNeil, "
And this isolation sometimes people commit crimes in that space."
"I'll tell anybody who is out here thinking about taking advantage like they may have in the past, that probably won't be as available to them as it was before."
The deputy will have access to equipment to make patrolling the forest possible. They will be backed up by deputies from the surrounding communities, as well as federal partners.
