ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The Orange County Citizens Safety Task Force met received a final update on Wednesday on strategies to reduce and prevent violent crime in the county, with the hope it will lead to improved safety throughout the community.
The task force heard recommendations from its prevention, intervention, enforcement and prosecution subcommittees.
One program that received a lot of attention is Credible Messengers, which allows people who have had run-ins with law enforcement in the past to use those experiences to mentor young people.
The task force called for the program’s expansion to some areas and retractions in others.
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The citizens safety task force, which is comprised of diverse community members trying to tackle longstanding problems, was formed in 2020 after a string of deadly shootings in Orange County.
Since then, the task force reconvened following a string of deadly shootings in Pine Hills in February that killed Nathacha Augustin, 38; T’yonna Major, 9; and Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons, 24. The shooter also injured the girl’s mother, Brandi Major, and Spectrum News 13 photographer Jesse Walden.
Going forward, the question is how will the county implement all of this in the form of funding allocation.
The co-chairs of the task force will present their recommendations to county commissioners at a future meeting.
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