Nov. 19 - November 2012 Newsletter - Okaloosa County Sheriff's ...

TAKE A LOOKCATCH A CROOK!The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office launched a newprogram designed to let the public view surveillance photostypically seen only by investigators in crimes ranging fromshoplifting to scams. The photos on the Sheriff’s Officewebsite under the new “Take a Look, Catch a Crook” programshows people of interest, witnesses, or potential suspectsconnected to various crimes around Okaloosa County.“All crimes, including misdemeanors, deserve attentionand this increases the odds that suspects will be identifiedand charged accordingly when they have victimized anindividual or business,” said Sheriff Larry Ashley.“The best crime-solving methods involve a partnershipbetween law enforcement and the public. This newinformation-sharing initiative gives the public a chance toview images that, for the most part, only law enforcementwould have viewed in the past. This in turn gives us thepotential for thousands of people to help identify theindividuals shown,” added Captain Arnold Brown, head of theOCSO Investigation Services Division.The web page allows residents to link in to Emerald CoastCrime Stoppers to leave their information. They can then beeligible for a cash reward if their information leads to anarrest.With some exceptions, most crimes profiled on EmeraldCoast Crime Stoppers are high-profile felonies. “Take a Look– Catch a Crook” will showcase any crime that has an imagethat could be used to develop leads.“The two programs in fact complement each other,” saidEmerald Coast Crime Stoppers Coordinator Nicole Wagner.“We have used citizen input successfully for many years and“Take a Look – Catch a Crook” will capitalize on the samemethodology to expand the number of crimes available for thepublic to help solve.”The page will be updated weekly.http://www.sheriff-okaloosa.org/talcac/