Prepared by: Brittany Kershaw
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office unveiled a new Business Watch program in August. Business Watch is similar to Neighborhood Watch but for businesses. Due to COVID-19, the program is initially held virtually on Zoom by industry partners. The first industry partnering with FCSO’s Business Watch program is the hotel industry. In the future, Business Watch will include other business groups like retail and others.
Business Watch is a way to share crime prevention tips and best practices, especially those that are relevant to specific industries. The support from FCSO can range from registering security cameras through our Silent Guardians program, participating in the ‘Lock It Up!’ campaign, conducting individual business security assessments and offering simple adjustments to the facility or business procedures. Most of these suggestions can be implemented with little or no cost.
“Our Neighborhood Watch programs have been so successful that we’ve taken it to the next level with Business Watch,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “We have already had industry partners to take our suggestions and share ideas with each other. We are constantly looking for best practices or creating our own to engage the community and our businesses. These initiatives have already had a positive impact on crime. Communities work best when we work together in Guardianship policing and we are proud to be your trusted partners. With COVID-19 affecting all businesses, this is another way to keep Flagler County businesses safe.”
Any business that would like more information should email CommunityOutreach@flaglersheriff.com. “Businesses have so many challenges today, we’re excited that our chamber partners can count on the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to keep them safe,” said Palm Coast Area Chamber of Commerce CEO/President Greg Blosé. “Evaluating best practices is always good for business. There is so much cooperation in our community at all levels, it’s comforting to know that our businesses have a great relationship with law enforcement.”
