Child safety, gun safety and crime prevention took center stage when Orange County Sheriff’s Jerry Demings addressed more than 40 kids, teachers and parents at the Children’s Safety Village of Central Florida on Thursday.
Citing the case of a 4-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself in the face in Pine Hills and the shooting of a 12-year-old boy, killed by his teen brother in the Lake Nona area, Demings said, these tragedies could have been prevented if the firearms used had been secured. Research shows that a child as young as 3-years-old has the finger strength to pull the trigger of a gun, he said.Â
“Access to loaded weapons increases a child’s chances of injury or death by three to five times,” Demings told the third through sixth graders from Victory Christian Academy. What we are trying to do is protect these young people by emphasizing the importance of gun safety.”
At least 17 children in Florida alone have been killed by guns since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, a little more than one year ago. And last week-end a 17-year-old Colonial High School student was killed by random gunfire at a house party.
In an effort to help keep children safe, Demings announced a gun lock giveaway aimed at reminding gun owners to keep weapons locked and secured, especially around young children. Beginning today, ChildSafe safety kits will be available free of charge at any of Orange County Sheriff’s Office substations.
“I know that some gun enthusiasts and licensed individuals carry their guns to protect themselves and they have a constitutional right to do so,” he said. “But if there’s a child nearby and that gun is not kept locked in a safe place, it’s an ingredient for tragedy and that’s what we are trying to prevent today.”
Addressing the media on crime more broadly, Demings said, in 2013 the number of property crimes in Orange County decreased significantly, although robberies had increased. Â “So far in 2014, the numbers are actually down year-to-date, but we are only a month into the year so we do have to stay focussed in our effort to keep those numbers down,” he said.
The OCSO Crime Prevention Unit implements a series of programs to help fight and deter crime. These include neighborhood and business watch programs, senior crime prevention programs as well as, personal safety education and training for adults and kids.
The safest communities are those where people who live there take an active role in helping to make their neighborhoods safe, Demings said.
Crime prevention is a hot topic these days, particularly in District 6, an area of concentrated poverty characterized by crime, unemployment and inadequate resources. With the race to be the next Orange County commissioner slowly heating up, the lead candidate Derrick “Shine” Wallace has been speaking an anti-crime message, as well.
“One of the strategies that I intend to pursue is the expansion of Neighborhood Watch groups in District 6, if I am elected,” said Wallace. “These groups help in building greater trust between local law enforcement and residents, for valuable information that could aid in preventing and solving crimes.”
Other initiatives mentioned by Wallace include, working with Code Enforcement to hold property owners accountable for managing their property to eliminate nearby drug activity, and partnering with Orange County Parks & Recreation to promote the legitimate use of open spaces in the district.
Demings said, overtime gains have been made in building better relations between law enforcement and communities across Orange County. “But, it’s a constant effort on all our parts to make certain that we continue to have positive relationships in our community,” he added.
Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies – OCSO, OPD and ATF – increased its reward to an unprecedented $15,000 for information connected to a spate of hotel robberies in Orange County, over the past several months.
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