Sworn Statement

Since the tragic school shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, law enforcement agencies around the country are responding to online school threats almost daily. When it comes to keeping our schools safe, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office takes every precaution and investigates every single threat. Since 2018, CCSO has partnered with Collier County Public Schools to form our Threat Management Team, an innovative, multi-faceted approach to school safety. In this episode, we’ll hear from Sheriff Kevin Rambosk and Collier Schools superintendent Dr. Leslie Ricciardelli about how they are raising awareness in order to put an end to online threats. We’ll also talk to two members of our Threat Management Team who are on the frontlines every day keeping students safe.

Follow along as we show you how the Collier County Sheriff’s Office prepares for an incoming hurricane. Although Collier County was fortunate to avoid the worst of Hurricane Helene’s wrath, Sheriff Rambosk ensured that his agency was ready in case of a major disaster. In this episode we take you inside CCSO’s storm response. Listen as we sit in on emergency briefings, dispatch help to other counties, ride along with deputies on flooded roadways, and monitor the storm in real time.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is on the street protecting our community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. But what do our deputies deal with in the dark of night, when most people are asleep? What kinds of calls and crimes occur before sunrise? And who are the deputies who work from dusk to dawn? In this episode, listen as we ride along with patrol for an entire 12-hour nightshift and learn what goes on overnight in Collier County.

They are the underwater experts. They are the specialists we turn to when it comes to retrieving anything from the murky, mucky, often dangerous water ways of Collier County. And with 307 square miles water, CCSO’s Dive Team plays a vital role in protecting our community. On this episode dive team members share stories of rescues, recoveries and alligator encounters. Lots and lots of alligator encounters.

Hurricane season is just a few days away, and we want you to be ready. In this episode we tell you what you can do to prepare and ways to stay safe during a storm. We also tell you how the Collier County Sheriff’s Office gets ready for hurricane season, and what our deputies do before, during, and after a storm. This week’s guests are Lt. Laura Lopez of our Emergency Management Division, and Lt. Stephen Macera, from our Real-Time Operations Center.

When people see a law enforcement helicopter overhead, they often assume there’s a crime in progress, but that’s not always the case. The CCSO Aviation Unit performs a diverse variety of tasks to protect Collier County. In this episode, Lieutenant Dennis De Rienzo and Chief Pilot Ed Henderson explain how they do much more than locate bad guys – they battle fires, they find and save people, and they support and protect deputies on the ground. They also tell us how the speed and reach of our helicopters are essential to patrolling a county that is bigger than two U.S. states.

In a large-scale emergency, like a hurricane or wildfire, first responders need all the help they can get. That’s why Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk is introducing the Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT. In this episode we look at how these citizen volunteers will be trained to protect themselves and their communities in the event of a disaster, and how that benefits everyone in Collier County.

For the past 45 years, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office has given students an inside look at law enforcement through its Explorers program. This program gives hands-on training with CCSO deputies and offers valuable lessons, even for students who aren’t interested in a career in law enforcement. In this episode, we talk to two deputies who run the program, and two students who currently are Explorers explain how the program prepares them for life after graduation.

A nationwide shortage of 9-1-1 dispatchers could mean longer wait times in an emergency. To solve this problem in Collier County, Sheriff Kevin Rambosk is thinking outside the box. In this episode, we’ll explore the creative ways Sheriff Rambosk is working to find the next generation of 9-1-1 telecommunicators through CCSO’s Public Safety Career Academy.

Why do people get pulled over? Why do speeding tickets cost so much? Why is safety on the roadways so important? Do cops have monthly ticket quotas? In this episode, Sergeant Anna Horowitz and Corporal Scott Harle from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office Safety & Traffic Enforcement Bureau answer everything you’ve ever wanted to know about traffic enforcement.

What happens to victims once a crime is over? They can be scared and confused. That’s where CCSO’s Victim Advocates step in. In this episode CCSO Victim Advocates Angela Larson and Jackie Borchers tell us how they help people get through trauma by supporting them and connecting them to the resources they need. Our advocates also share how difficult their job can be, especially when it comes to delivering death notices.

This season we’re exploring the lesser-known aspects of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, starting with our K9 Unit. Our deputies – both the dogs and their human handlers – do more than catch bad guys. They find missing people, they sniff out dangerous items, and they’re the first ones to enter the most volatile scenes. In this episode our Cpl. Diaz and Cpl. Walker explain the unique challenges and the joys of living and working with their K9 partners.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office turned 100 this year. Sheriff Kevin Rambosk spent 2023 honoring our past, but also looking ahead with innovative public safety initiatives. In this episode, we look back on CCSO’s Centennial year and all that the agency has accomplished in the past 12 months. NOTE: This is the final episode of our fall season. Sworn Statement will return after the new year with all new episodes for our spring season. Subscribe wherever you get podcasts to get notified when we return.

The holiday season means more people shopping, spending more money than usual. That means more opportunities for criminals to come after your hard-earned cash. In this episode, we talk to Collier County Sheriff’s Office crime prevention deputies about the holiday-themed scams and frauds they’ve seen, and how you can protect your pocketbook when you shop.

It’s International Fraud Awareness Week, but the Collier County Sheriff’s Office works year-round to stop scammers. In this episode members of CCSO’s Financial Crimes Bureau break down three of the most common scams, tell you the techniques criminals use to defraud victims, plus how to avoid them.

Margaret Gallaway, 80, spent six days trapped inside a garage with no food and little water. Thanks to the efforts of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, with help from other agencies and the public, Margaret is alive and well. This episode takes you inside the search and rescue mission. Detectives describe the exhaustive efforts to find Margaret, while her family tells us about the relief and joy it brought them.

A brand new task force is targeting criminals who prey on the most vulnerable. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is part of the Southwest Florida Intercept Task Force, which is fighting child exploitation and trafficking. In this episode we explain how the task force is saving children and provide tips on how to protect your kids from online predators.

With drug overdoses at an all-time high, Sheriff Kevin Rambosk has created an extensive and innovative plan to fight it in Collier County. This episode explores how the Laced & Lethal campaign brings awareness and prevention to all areas of the community with the most thorough fentanyl-fighting program in the country.

When Collier County opened its first new public high school in 19 years, the school district needed a name that signified service to students. The new school would be named for one of the seven men who have served as Sheriff of Collier County, and someone who dedicated his life to helping local children. In this episode we look at the namesake of Aubrey Rogers High School and explore the programs Sheriff Rogers created that are still protecting and serving the youth of today.

How can you avoid being a victim? In our season finale, we look at how the Collier County Sheriff's Office works to prevent crimes before they happen. We also give valuable tips to help you avoid some of the most common crimes of opportunity.