Blog Post

Horizon West Residents Organize Safety Talk with OCSO

Sep 01, 2022

Residents Organize Information Session with Law Enforcement

Several Horizon West residents recently organized an in-person safety discussion with members of Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO). Horizon Westers Jeff Loeffert and David Terry were among those involved in planning the event, which took place in the evening on Tuesday, Aug. 23 at the Summerport HOA Clubhouse. All Horizon West residents were invited to attend the free event.

Since the event was held in Summerport, presenters largely focused on crime data for Sector III —the OCSO sector servicing that area— but the discussion included various topics relevant to all residents of Horizon West.

Topics discussed included:

OCSO Initiative to Redefine the Boundaries of Service Sectors
Horizon West population growth from 18K in 2012 vs 70K in 2022
School safety
Transportation safety
Consideration of a OCSO Substation in HW
Use of Golf Carts and Low Speed Vehicles
Citizens On Patrol Program and other Crime Prevention tactics

Orange County Sheriff’s Office Sector III Commander Captain Dennis Ela was on hand to present crime data as well as field questions from the event organizers and attendees.

One of the talking points residents were most interest in was the OCSO initiative to redefine the boundaries of existing service sectors. Currently, service for Horizon West is split across two defined coverage areas known as “Sectors” – Sector III and Sector VI. These sectors do not correspond with any particular set of Horizon West villages, but Sector III largely covers HW Town Center, Bridgewater Village and the northern parts of Lakeside Village, while Sector VI includes southern Lakeside Village, Seidel area, Hickory Nut Village and Ovation. (See Village Maps) Both Sectors III and VI also include coverage areas extending far outside of Horizon West, spreading deputies across a large geographic area.

OCSO’s future plans will have Horizon West serviced by only one sector, which would allow more dedicated resources to be focused on Horizon West. The initiative to redefine the sectors and roll out services accordingly has been in progress for several years. This change has experienced numerous delays related to the the enormous amount of data that must be transferred in the supporting IT system as well as ramifications of the pandemic and other factors. While a specific date was not provided, it is expected that the new sectors will be operational in the upcoming year.

Master Deputy Sherrie Lewis from the Crime Prevention Unit was in attendance to provide attendees with Crime Prevention materials and safety recommendations. In particular, she encouraged residents to learn more about how they can take a more active role in helping their

neighborhood through the Citizens on Patrol Program and other crime prevention strategies.

Residents interested in setting up a similar event with Orange County Sheriff’s Office may reach out to M.D. Lewis for assistance by email or phone 321-263-6117.

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