Creating a nation of spies, your landscaper & trash collector are spying on you.
Deerfield Beach, FL- This city has a new way of fighting crime: Employees who are out and about, trimming trees or picking up litter on the beach, are officially on the lookout for signs of a crime.
The program is the first of its kind in South Florida, Sudler said, though there are similar programs in Illinois, Texas and in Central Florida. He's never heard of a city paying employees for good information, though.
Adding non-cops to law enforcement is a growing trend. Baltimore established iWatch last year, a program which encourages citizens to text or send videos and photos of suspicious behavior. Oakland and dozens of other municipalities around the county have established websites dedicated to reporting suspicious behavior.
Illinois and Texas have programs similar to the one launched by the BSO, although they have yet to pay workers for turning in tips.
A group of about 70 landscapers and garbage truck drivers got training from the Broward Sheriff's Office this week so they know what to look for. Another group of about 35 will train next week.
BSO calls the program Operation B.O.L.O. When an employee reports something suspicious, on-duty BSO deputies will drive to the scene. If the information leads to an arrest, the employee gets a reward of up to $100.
"We're targeting employees out and about throughout the day, who can be an extra set of eyes and ears," said BSO Deerfield Police Chief Pete Sudler. "There's no doubt while they're out there, things are going on around them they're not trained to spot yet."
The program is the first of its kind in South Florida, Sudler said, though there are similar programs in Illinois, Texas and in Central Florida. He's never heard of a city paying employees for good information, though.
The program is funded by BSO's Law Enforcement Trust Fund, which is made up of funds seized during investigations. By Florida law, the trust fund must be spent on special programs or crime prevention and can't be used to defray normal operating costs for a police department.http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-deerfield-employees-spot-crime-20120511,0,4489861.story
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http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Deerfield-Landscapers-Get-Training--to-Spot-Crimes-151112655.html