The SCSO (Shelby County Sheriff’s Office) Community Outreach office will open a satellite office in The Lake District (TLD) in the fall of 2020, to coincide with the opening of the 161-acre mixed use community at I-40 and Canada Road in Lakeland.
Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr. made the announcement along with Yehuda Netanel, developer of the project. TLD will include water features and five districts: inline retail, main street, hotels, pad sites, offices and residential. Phase 1 opening of The Lake District is scheduled for fall 2020.
Mr. Netanel said, “Projects with the size and scope of The Lake District tend to attract businesses with visionary founders and leaders. To work alongside them is another visionary – Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner. His willingness to partner with us at this developmental phase is unprecedented.”
“The site of the Lake District, Canada Road at Interstate 40, is a main thoroughfare from the east into Shelby County,” said Sheriff Bonner. “Safe communities and outreach to the rural parts of the County are an integral part of the work we do. Partnering with local communities is a critical element of fulfilling our duties in law enforcement.”
Lakeland is one of seven municipalities within Shelby County, said Sheriff Bonner. Lakeland, along with the town of Arlington and the unincorporated parts of the county, are the communities where the SCSO patrols.
Capt. Anthony Buckner, SCSO chief public information officer, said this will be a community outreach unit and work exclusively out of The Lake District. It is in the initial phase of design and planning, he said.
Community resource deputies at the new location will provide educational materials and programs and keep people and businesses safe, said Capt. Buckner. Their visibility will make visitors at TLD feel safe.
The office will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays but deputies will work outside those hours providing educational programs like Neighborhood Watch.
Visitors will be welcomed to the office for questions or information, he said. How deputies will engage with visitors to TLD is still being developed.
A substation, like the one in Arlington, is a full service location with multiple units, said Capt. Buckner. The community outreach division from Arlington will move to TLD. They won’t be doing security, but they are deputies and can do intervention if necessary, said Capt. Buckner.
