Flashy new car helps police, children focus

Filtering Out Crime United with Students, or FOCUS, is designed to address problems the county's youth face.

[Times photo: Ron Thompson] Citrus sheriff's Deputy Tim Langer shows off his new patrol vehicle, a customized Chrysler PT Cruiser, outside the Sheriff's Command Center in Inverness.

By PATRICK COOPER

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 24, 2001

INVERNESS -- The Citrus County Sheriff's Office wanted its new police car to help deliver a message. With a car as tricked out as what they got, deputies said Friday that the message is hitting its mark.

A flashy blue and green Chrysler PT Cruiser has joined the Sheriff's Office's new FOCUS program aimed at elementary and middle school students. Officials hope FOCUS, which stands for Filtering Out Crime United with Students, will teach children as well as give them important connections with law enforcement officers. The PT Cruiser shown off at the sheriff's operations center will be one way to reach out.

"We're excited about this program," Sheriff Jeff Dawsy said, noting he had received an "overwhelming" number of positive responses to FOCUS.

The 2001 PT Cruiser was purchased from Crystal Chrysler Dodge Jeep for about $28,000, which Dawsy said was nearly the same as a regular police cruiser would have cost.

Deputy Tim Langer, who drives the new car, said the vehicle catches everyone's eye, but the young students get the most out of it.

When he gives presentations at schools, he said, the police car's lights and booming sound system are a great start to his talk. "I have their attention," he said. "They already want to do good things."

Dawsy said FOCUS, created by the Sheriff's Office, was "designed for our community with our needs." The county had been a participant in the national Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program but switched to FOCUS to better address the problems faced by Citrus County youth.

"I think it's a good program," Dawsy said about DARE. "(But) the men and women here realized we needed to go a step further."

FOCUS can be changed easily as problems arise in the area or as goals shift within the department, he said. The 10 weeks of FOCUS also place less of a burden on teachers than the 18 weeks DARE required.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright