FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office received a federal grant of more than $350,000 to fight hate crimes across the county.
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The $354,896 grant was awarded the Federal Grant as part of the 2023 Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program.
“Flagler County was the last county in Florida to desegregate its schools. Today, there is no room for hate in our community,” stated Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. “Our deputies are already on alert for any biased-based criminals and threats and our agency works hard to prevent targeted violence against anyone in our community and will not be tolerated. With this grant, we will be even more equipped to effectively monitor and prevent hate crimes to protect everyone in Flagler County. Since FY2020-2021, FCSO has received over 3.7 million dollars in grants to enhance and improve services to our community and inmates in the jail.”
Since Sheriff Staly took office in 2017, there have only been four reported hate crime cases in Flagler County: one in 2018 and three in 2022, according to a news release.
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The sheriff’s office plans to utilize this award by expanding its existing Targeted Violence Prevention Program (TVPP) over a 4-year period.
The expansion will include supplies, overtime, software, training, and new technology to improve the agency’s monitoring and reporting capabilities of potential hate crimes and targeted violence before they occur.
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The grant is also meant to enhance victim reporting tools and fund the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes committed based on a victim’s perceived or actual race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.
If you or anyone you know is the victim of a hate crime, please call the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office at 386-313-4911 to report or call CrimeStoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS (8477).
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