Sheriff Donates Vehicle to Youth Program

NEWS RELEASE #: 16-120

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Students gather for a group photo with Assistant Program Director Dee Webber, Director Alice Jones, Sarasota County Commissioner Carolyn Mason and Sheriff Knight. 

Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight today handed over the keys to a 15 passenger van to Brothers and Sisters Doing the Right Thing, a Sarasota non-profit group that provides tutorial services and summer camps for local children.

The surplus vehicle was formerly assigned to the Sheriff's Activities League (SAL), a youth program aimed at developing positive rapport between youth and law enforcement through experiential education. Inmate labor was utilized to strip the van of sheriff's office logos and refurbish it for use by Brothers and Sisters Doing the Right Thing. The group is based at the Robert L. Taylor Community Center and is dedicated to keeping neighborhood children in school by "keeping them actively engaged in new experiences and offering them opportunities that will lead them far beyond their present 10 block boundaries."

"Law enforcement has become so much more dynamic over the years," said Sheriff Knight. "Not only do we deter crime, but we also look for opportunities to practice rightful policing by promoting positive programs that keep our local youth on the right track."