Hanover, VA – The Hanover County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to announce SHIELD.
The Sheriff’s Office recognizes that events within the county, around this region, state, nation and even the world can affect our community. The SHIELD initiative is another way for us to be prepared and informed. SHIELD is designed to not only increase opportunities for our community to seamlessly share potential crime or suspicious information with the Sheriff’s Office, but also increase their awareness of crime trends that cross jurisdictional boundaries and the current condition of terrorism abroad.
In developing this program, the Sheriff’s Office has partnered with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in connecting to a larger SHIELD network and identifying best practices. NYPD developed a SHIELD program which expanded their community partnerships as well as connected them to communities across the country in their effort to combat the threat of terrorism.
Historically, the Sheriff’s Office’s largest community partnership initiatives revolved around our Neighborhood Watch, Business Watch and Worship Watch programs. The SHIELD initiative not only connects with these groups, but all citizens with an intentional focus of keeping ahead of those crimes that transcend jurisdictional boundaries and the emerging threat of terrorism. Outside of the community partnerships that our officers garner every day, SHIELD offers a formal mechanism to ensure long-lasting and informative partnerships.
To find out more, you are invited to attend a SHIELD program overview next Tuesday, June 7, 2016, in the Board of Supervisors conference room located at 7516 County Complex Road, Hanover, VA 23069. Registration starts at 6:30 p.m. and the program begins at 7 p.m. If you are able to attend please RSVP to Deputy Barry Bland at bwbland@hanovercounty.gov or (804) 365-7116.
Becoming a part of the SHIELD program is easy. Both individuals and groups can join. Simply contact the Sheriff’s Office at (804) 365-6110 for more information.
