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Dear Friend,
If you watch the news at all you know the first two items at the top of every hour are the weather and traffic. We know that you're concerned about traffic in Polk County, especially in residential areas and school zones.
We want to help make our roadways a safer place, too. That's why we're offering free "Drive Like Your Kids Live Here" signs for you to place in your neighborhoods.
Please find the article below that talks about how you can get your very own yard sign, and the proper way to display it.
Thank you for everything you do to help us keep our community a great place to live, work, and play.
Sincerely,
Grady Judd, Sheriff
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2019 Bustin' Clays busted our goal!
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The
11th annual Bustin' Clays
with Sheriff Grady Judd which was held on
March 16, 2019 at Tenoroc Sporting Clays in Lakeland
was our best year ever!
Last year's event attracted over 360 shooters! This year we had even more shooters, and the event raised over $65,000 for our charity, Polk Sheriff's Charities, Inc.
We'd like to thank all our sponsors for helping us once again offer a great event for a great cause.
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Register now for the Judd Jog!
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Run, do not walk, to our website & register for the 7th Annual Judd Jog 5K. It's a paved course right here at the PCSO Operation Center at 1891 Jim Keene Boulevard near Winter Haven. Good fun, good cause.
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We still have FREE signs available
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Get your
FREE
yard sign! C
ertain rules must be followed, so please check those out:
* Limit- One per household, please
* Available for homeowners and renters in Polk County
* Must comply with Polk County's sign ordinance
* The sign is classified as a "Short-Term Temporary Sign"
* It can be displayed up to 90 consecutive days (similar to a campaign sign)
* Up to twice per calendar year
* Sign permit is not required
* Minimum 10 foot setback from a roadway
* Please respect homeowner's association rules
* Please review and comply with local sign ordinance rules if you live inside a city.
* Please do not place signs adjacent to major roadways, on public rights-of-way, near intersections that might affect visibility, or placing signs in "every yard in the neighborhood."
* Make sure signs do not interfere with visibility for backing out of driveways.
To request a sign email us at crimeprevention@polksheriff.org or call us at 863-298-6677, and give us your name, address, and phone number.
We will deliver a sign to your residence but if you don't want to wait, s
igns may also be picked up (one only, please - not multiple signs) at the Polk County Sheriff's Office Operations Center at 1891 Jim Keene Blvd., Winter Haven.
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New faces at PCSO ready to serve you!
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Here are the newest members of the Polk County Sheriff's Office who were hired in March. They look forward to serving you.
From left to right: Stephanie Schultz, Erandhy Uribe, Kayla Stover, Shernae Williams, Jessica McKenzie, Daniela DeGroff, and Jessica Waldrup!
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Do you know some good people?
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Good News! Would you like to become a member of the Polk County Sheriff's Office and help make a difference in our community?
PCSO is now offering a Sign-On b
onus for new hires. Start your rewarding career today!
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Motorcycle fatalities on the rise
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Our deputies patrol over 2,000 square miles every day, and as you can imagine, that means we work a lot of traffic crashes. Tragically, we see people killed in crashes on a weekly basis, and recently we've seen an uptick in motorcycle-related crashes, so we wanted to take this opportunity to talk about those.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, Florida continually ranks in the top three states in the nation for motorcycle-related fatalities.
In 2018, the PCSO Traffic Unit handled 189 motorcycle crashes, and 7 of those crashes involved motorcyclists who were killed. In just three months into 2019, the PCSO traffic unit has already handled 38 motorcycle crashes and 6 motorcyclists have died on Polk County roadways. Other law enforcement agencies and FHP also work traffic crashes in our county, so it's likely that number is even higher.
The two main causes of these recent fatalities: speed and impairment. Several of those motorcyclists died as a result of weaving in and out of traffic before slamming into other vehicles
But motorcyclists are also killed because of careless driving by others. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 40% of two-vehicle crashes involving motorcycles occur when a vehicle turns left while the motorcycle is going straight, passing, or overtaking the vehicle.
There are key things to remember while on the road. It's very important for motorists to "share the roadway." When vehicles are at-fault in motorcycle crashes, it's typically because drivers don't see the motorcyclist. All drivers need to be careful when changing lanes and don't follow too closely.
Motorcyclists should make sure they can be seen in a crowd, because riders who are visible are less likely to have their right-of-way violated.
Most importantly, reduce speed, don't drive under the influence of alcohol and drugs and don't text behind the wheel. We all need to work together to keep the roadways safer.
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Here, fishy fishy.....
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We are very excited to partner with the K9s for Cops foundation to present this inaugural bass fishing tournament in Winter Haven next month!
The first ever "Poles for Paws" kicks off at daybreak on Saturday, May 4, 2019, at Tanners Lakeside on the chain of lakes in Winter Haven. Weigh-in begins at 2:00 p.m.
While the participants are fishing, we'll have games, demos, and "meet the K-9s" at Tanners - fun for the whole family!
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Sheriff
Grady Judd
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