GET INVOLVED

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office has more than 100 volunteers – and offers many opportunities throughout the agency.  All volunteers must be at least 18 years of age and pass a criminal background investigation.  To discuss current volunteer openings, call Crime Prevention at 941.861.4084 or complete the Volunteer Application and fax it to 941.861.4018.

Citizens Law Enforcement Academy (Click here for application) 

Community members are invited to participate in the Citizens Law Enforcement Academy (CLEA), conducted by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office twice each year. The 10-week program is held one night a week for about three hours and includes classroom instruction, ride-a-longs, and hands-on activities including firearms training. 

Sheriff’s Office employees work with students to help illustrate the pressures and limitations facing law enforcement personnel in today’s society. Each session is taught by a subject matter expert and includes Patrol Procedures, Criminal Investigations, DUI Enforcement, Narcotics, SWAT, Forensics and Felony Traffic Stops. Students are also placed in scenarios that test their decision making skills. 

Volunteers are encouraged, but not required, to attend the Citizen's Law Enforcement Academy (CLEA).  CLEA graduates have more options when choosing where to volunteer due to the training they receive in the academy.

Partnership with the community is a key component to crime prevention. For residents who want to work with others to protect their homes, there are two distinct options: Citizens Patrol and Neighborhood Watch.

Citizens Patrol

The Citizens Patrol program was first organized by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office in 1976. The original nucleus of five patrols and 500 volunteers has grown to its present impressive strength of significant involvement by the majority of subdivisions throughout Sarasota County.

With the Citizens Patrol, resident members of a community must assist law enforcement officials in the fight against crime. Each Citizens Patrol is supervised by a liaison deputy of the Sheriff’s Office who monitors the performances of patrols, conducts orientation of new volunteers and provides refresher training for veteran patrol members.

The Sheriff's Office will furnish a cell phone to each Citizens Patrol group for use in connection with the program.

Neighborhood Watch

The goal of the Neighborhood Watch program is to enhance neighborhood security, heighten the community's power of observation and to encourage mutual assistance and concern among neighbors. The main objective is to improve citizen awareness of burglaries and provide information to reduce their occurrence.

The Neighborhood Watch program trains citizens in regard to better property security, develops a neighborhood action program where neighbors help watch each other's properties and report suspicious persons and activities to law enforcement agencies, and enlists each residence in the Operation Identification program.

The main way these programs differ is one organizes active patrols while the other is a formal process of vigilance and communication. To learn more about any of these volunteer opportunities, contact Crime Prevention at 941.861.4084.