STILL BELIEVED TO BE HELD HOSTAGE BY HAMAS TONIGHT. MEANWHILE, THE ISRAEL HAMAS WAR HAS CAUSED AN INCREASE IN HATE CRIME ACROSS THE COUNTRY. TONIGHT, THE FLAGLER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS TAKING PROACTIVE STEPS TO FIGHT THOSE CRIMES. GAIL PASCHALL-BROWN JOINS US NOW IN STUDIO TO TELL US ABOUT A NEW FEDERAL GRANT THAT WILL HELP GAIL STEWART. THE FEDERAL GRANT WAS PROVIDED THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. THE FUNDS ARE AWARDED TO STATE, LOCAL AND TRIBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE HATE CRIMES. THE FLAGLER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE HAS LANDED A MORE THAN $350,000 FEDERAL GRANT TO FIGHT HATE CRIMES IN FLAGLER COUNTY. RECENTLY, FLAGLER HAS SEEN FOUR REPORTED HATE CRIMES INCLUDE SHOOTING A SWASTIKA AND WHITE POWER SPRAY PAINTED ON THIS BUILDING IN PALM COAST LAST YEAR. SO WHEN THIS GRANT CAME UP, WE KNEW THAT WE HAD A TOTAL OF FOUR FOR HATE CRIMES IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. ONE ONE YEAR AND THEN 3 IN 2022. SO WE WERE SEEING AN INCREASE, NOT A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE, BUT. ONE IS ONE TOO MANY. HOW WILL YOU USE THESE FUNDS, SHERIFF? SO SOME OF IT IS FOR SOFTWARE, SOME OF IT’S FOR OVERTIME AND EQUIPMENT STUFF LIKE THAT, HE SAYS. CONSIDERING WHAT’S GOING ON IN FLORIDA AND AROUND THE WORLD WITH THE ISRAELI HAMAS CONFLICT. THE FUNDS ARE VERY TIMELY. THE SHERIFF SAYS FLAGLER DOES HAVE A SMALL JEWISH COMMUNITY. WE HAVE DONE SECURITY ASSESSMENTS FOR THEM, HAD EXTRA DEPUTIES PATROLLING AND MAKING SURE NOT JUST AT THE TEMPLE, BUT BUT EVEN REALLY OUR OTHER OTHER RELIGIOUS FACILITIES, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, I’D RATHER PREVENT IT THAN HAVE TO REACT TO IT. AND SO THIS GRANT ALLOWS US TO DO ALL OF THAT FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. AND AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO THE FLAGLER COUNTY TAXPAYER LAYER. IT’S BRINGING THAT MONEY BACK TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITY SAFER. THIS FEDERAL GRANT IS NAMED AFTER MATTHEW SHEPARD AND JAMES BYRD JR. BYRD WAS A BLACK MAN WHO ACCEPTED A RIDE FROM THREE WHITE MEN IN JUNE OF 1998. IN TEXAS. THEY BEAT HIM, CHAINED HIM TO THE BACK OF A TRUCK AND DRAGGED HIM TO HIS DEATH. NOW, DURING THE SAME YEAR, 21 YEAR OLD MATTHEW SHEPARD, A GAY STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING, WAS KIDNAPED AND TAKEN TO A REMOTE AREA WHERE HE WAS TIED TO A FENCE, BEATEN AND SEVERELY BEATEN SEVERELY AND LEFT TO DIE IN T
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office receives grant to fight hate crimes
Updated: 10:59 PM EST Nov 8, 2023
The Israel-Hamas war has caused an increase in hate crimes across the country.The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is taking proactive steps to fight those crimes.The federal grant was provided through the Department of Justice.The funds are awarded to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to, among other things, investigate and prosecute hate crimes.The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has landed a more than $350,000 federal grant to fight hate crimes. Recently, Flagler has seen four reported hate crimes, including a swastika and white power spray painted on a building in Palm Coast last year. “So when this grant came up, we had a total of four hate crimes in the last few years one: one year in 2018, then three in 2022, so we were seeing an increase, not a significant increase, but one is one too many,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said.”How will you use the funds, sheriff?” WESH 2’s Gail Paschall-Brown asked. “Some of it for software, overtime and equipment, stuff like that,” Staly said. He says considering what’s going on in Florida and around the world with the Israeli-Hamas conflict, the funds are very timely. The sheriff says Flagler does have a small Jewish community. “We have done security assessments for them, extra deputies patrolling, not just at the temple but even really our other religious facilities. I would rather prevent it than have to react to it. So, this grant allows us to do all of that for the next four years at no additional costs to the Flagler County taxpayer. It’s bringing money back to make our community safer,” Staly said. The federal grant is named after Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.Byrd was a Black man who accepted a ride from three white men in June 1998 in Texas.They beat him, chained him to the back of a truck and dragged him to his death. During the same year, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, was kidnapped and taken to a remote area where he was tied to a fence, beaten severely and left to die in the cold. He died a few days later. Top headlines: All of the results for Election Day in Central Florida First Raising Cane’s in Orlando celebrates grand opening ‘I thought it was a stuffed animal’: 9-year-old boy has frightening encounter with rattlesnake in Longwood
The Israel-Hamas war has caused an increase in hate crimes across the country.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is taking proactive steps to fight those crimes.
The federal grant was provided through the Department of Justice.
The funds are awarded to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to, among other things, investigate and prosecute hate crimes.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has landed a more than $350,000 federal grant to fight hate crimes.
Recently, Flagler has seen four reported hate crimes, including a swastika and white power spray painted on a building in Palm Coast last year.
“So when this grant came up, we had a total of four hate crimes in the last few years one: one year in 2018, then three in 2022, so we were seeing an increase, not a significant increase, but one is one too many,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said.
“How will you use the funds, sheriff?” WESH 2’s Gail Paschall-Brown asked.
“Some of it for software, overtime and equipment, stuff like that,” Staly said.
He says considering what’s going on in Florida and around the world with the Israeli-Hamas conflict, the funds are very timely.
The sheriff says Flagler does have a small Jewish community.
“We have done security assessments for them, extra deputies patrolling, not just at the temple but even really our other religious facilities. I would rather prevent it than have to react to it. So, this grant allows us to do all of that for the next four years at no additional costs to the Flagler County taxpayer. It’s bringing money back to make our community safer,” Staly said.
The federal grant is named after Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.
Byrd was a Black man who accepted a ride from three white men in June 1998 in Texas.
They beat him, chained him to the back of a truck and dragged him to his death.
During the same year, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, was kidnapped and taken to a remote area where he was tied to a fence, beaten severely and left to die in the cold.
He died a few days later.
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