U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida issued the following announcement on Dec. 16.
Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, today recognized the Leon County Sheriff’s Office as one of just two law enforcement agencies in the nation being honored for outstanding contributions to the Justice Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. U.S. Attorney Keefe made remarks before presenting Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil with a plaque and a letter from U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr, in the rotunda of the Leon County Courthouse.
“This community should know about the extraordinary work being done by Sheriff McNeil and the entire Leon County Sheriff’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Keefe. “There are over 15,000 local sheriff’s offices and police departments in the United States and to be one of only two in the entire country to receive this award this year speaks so much about the exceptional team serving the people of Leon County.”
This PSN award recognizes a police or sheriff’s department that has shown superior commitment to targeting and/or preventing violent crime at the local level. Typically, the award would be presented by the Attorney General at the annual Project Safe Neighborhoods Conference, but this year’s event, originally planned for mid-April in Dallas, TX, was postponed and ultimately cancelled due to COVID-19.
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) has played an integral role in furthering the goals and initiatives of the PSN Program through its ALLinLEON program, formally established in May 2019. Through collaborative efforts with law enforcement and community partners, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, ALLinLEON has consistently been effective at reducing violent crime and making Leon County a safer place to live.
During award presentation, Sheriff McNeil also recognized the following ALLinLEON law enforcement partners:
Chief Lawrence Revell, Tallahassee Police Department
Chief John Gourley, Florida Highway Patrol
Sheriff Jared Miller, Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office
U.S. Marshal Don Ladner, U.S. Marshals Service
The Project Safe Neighborhoods Program brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve, to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country work in partnership with federal, state, and local law enforcement and local communities to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Original source can be found here.