Sheriff’s Office gives FWC dive trailer

 Sheriff Rick Ramsay on Thursday presented the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission with a brand new 18-foot trailer for its Dive Team using funds gathered from criminal investigations.

The FWC Dive Team has long been in need of a trailer and this large, air conditioned unit will give them ample space to store and protect gear, work on gear, change clothes and also serve as a planning and resting area before and after dives, said Sheriff Ramsay and FWC Capt. David Dipre. Dipre added both the FWC and Sheriff’s Office Dive Teams often train, work and deploy together so both agency’s would benefit from the trailer.

Sheriff Ramsay often uses forfeiture funds to help or purchase items in need by other law enforcement agencies, non-profits and community-minded organizations in the Florida Keys. This $15,000 trailer came from the use of those funds, which are gathered from criminal investigations and at no cost to taxpayers. The practice is one the legs of Sheriff Ramsay’s central view that strong community partnerships improve neighborhoods and lower crime.

“No one law enforcement agency can operate in a vacuum and that’s particularly true in small communities such as ours,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “The FWC has been and will always be one of our strongest partners, both on and off the water. I know this trailer will be put to good use and that means safer waters and better service for all the residents and visitors of the Florida Keys.”