Local

After-school, work programs, curfew: Which tactic will curb Pine Hills crime?

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies and community leaders are working to fight the rise in violent crime in Orange County.

Retired Orange County deputy, Dan Sells, spoke with Channel 9 Tuesday.

“One or two or three deputies per shift in Pine Hills doesn't cut it,” said Sells.

Sells was an Orange County deputy for 38 years, and did two stints in the Pine Hills area.

He said the Orange County Sheriff’s Office needs to re-evaluate the location.

“Sometimes to just minimize it, you need to shift some of your unit's power over to that target area, and stay on it and target it,” said Sells.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said gangs might be to blame for recent violence in Pine Hills.

Demings said he’s concerned that some of the suspects in the recent cases are teenagers.

The concern comes as police investigate a shooting in Pine Hills on North Lane Parkway that sent five people to the hospital late Sunday.

“Some of what we’re seeing may very well be gang related,” Demings said.

“When we look at the teenagers who are involved in violent crimes, who are involved in homicide, oftentimes they are involved in gang activity.”

Demings did not say whether he will increase the number of deputies in the gang unit or how many deputies currently patrol Pine Hills.

Commissioner Regina Hill posted on Facebook about a call for a curfew for children.

"I'm starting to believe we do need a curfew for kids under 18," Hills said in the post.

But Sells said deputies must be more involved in the community.

“It's the greatest thing the sheriff's department or police department could do would be more foot patrols more neighborhood bike patrol, more business patrol on foot,” Sells said.

Commissioner Bryan Nelson said he agrees.

Within four days, two people were killed in his district, including an innocent mother who had been sitting in her car across from Evans High School.

“It goes back to they've got to be comfortable with the police officer,” said Nelson.

Nelson said he wants additional after-school programs that connect children with deputies, and that he wants more career-prep programs at Evans High School.

Channel 9 asked about the youth who dropped out of school.

“That's the hard part. Yeah, I know. Even if you can reach them, you're not going to be as successful as maybe you do a kid coming right out of high school,” said Nelson.

Demings said he will look into Hill's idea of a curfew.

For now, it remains to be seen which tactics will be used and what combination of tactics will be brought together to solve the crime problem in Pine Hills.

More stories on WFTV.com: