• LCSO started an initiative called the Discharge Tracking Project…tracking interactions with neighbors and officers.
• Over 97% of citizen interactions were characterized as calm and cooperative.
• See how this initiative works and how neighbors in our area feel about it.

TRANSCRIPT

What does a typical interaction between neighbors and law enforcement look like? And how often are situations de-escalated?

I’m Terry Gilliam, your Southwest Tallahassee neighborhood reporter.

We asked the Leon County Sheriff’s Office about their new report… which tracked their encounters with neighbors over the past year.

“We all have to be together. We need them and they are helping us.”

Ora Coleman lives on the south side of Tallahassee.

She believes people in her community should trust law enforcement.

Now, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office is trying to build that trust.

They started an initiative called the Discharge Tracking Project…tracking interactions with neighbors and officers.

The study was commissioned by Sheriff Walt McNeil.

And on Friday… His office released the results.

The project has documented more than 109,000 citizen interactions with LCSO deputies.

And the report says more than 97 percent of citizen interactions were characterized as calm and cooperative.

Only 2% of interactions were classified as agitated or uncooperative…the majority of which ended in a successful de-escalation.

And only 1 percent of incidents resulted in an arrest.

Coleman says this report is a good sign for her community.

“Morale rises between three neighbors and officers.”

Sheriff McNeil tells me this report allows his office to be more transparent with the community.

“We do a lot of service to our community. As far as these interactions go, I’ve never measured that, just service calls. But from the citizens’ perspective, they would like to know how effective we are.”

He also says the results highlight the good work his MPs do every day.

“It lets our deputies see that their jobs are appreciated and it sends a message to the community that you have a pretty good sheriff’s office. They can be sure that our deputies will be professional.”

Professionalism, trust and safety… Words Coleman hopes neighbors will remember… When they think of law enforcement in Leon County.

“These are people who need to know that our officers are there for us.”

You can read the full 2023-2024 de-escalation report for yourself right now. I will include a link to it in this story at WTXL.com. In southwest Tallahassee, Terry Gilliam, ABC27.