Meet the candidates: Sheriff plans to continue training up the next generation of law enforcement

OKEECHOBEE — With nearly 40 years of experience with the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office, Noel Stephen believes he is in a unique position to prepare the next generation to take the reins.

In good health and with the support of his loving wife and family, Stephen has decided to run for his third term as sheriff. “I want to work on succession over the next four years. I want to get the crew that is here ready for the future.”

Likening his career to being a parent, the sheriff said he is at a time in his life where he enjoys watching the younger generation grow and learn. “I have watched a lot of men and women grow to become future leaders of our agency to better serve our community. This is being accomplished by continued education, training, mentoring, and just hard dedicated work. We, as an agency, have enhanced existing programs and established new programs to better provide the law enforcement function within Okeechobee County. These programs educate our youth, provide citizens with crime prevention tools, and assist us in identifying and arresting criminal violators on our streets and in our neighborhoods.”

When asked about some of the programs, projects and advancements implemented while he has been in office, Stephen said they have worked diligently to seek grant funds and were able to equip each deputy with a camera. The holdup for years has been the difficulty of storing the data from cameras, he explained. “The cost of the cameras was minuscule compared to the cost of the retention and the public records fulfillment.”

Traffic has been another serious problem in the county. “We wrote 33,000 complaints last year, many of those regarding traffic,” said Stephen. One of the grants pays for overtime they can use for traffic enforcement. “We can target and concentrate on traffic, especially on the outskirts of the county.” This is where the most serious crashes, with fatalities, seem to occur. “This is happening everywhere. I could have two Adriens (Adrien Rogers/motorcycle traffic enforcement)  on Berman Road 24/7 and we’re still going to have traffic problems out there just because of the hustle and bustle of the society we are in.”

In keeping with the sheriff’s determination to grow and develop new leaders, the sheriff’s office started a cadet program for teens age 14-17. The program teaches them responsibility, structure and life skills such as CPR training. It aims to create leadership qualities in youth even if they don't want to go into law enforcement or public safety. It gives cadets the opportunity to learn what law enforcement and public safety workers do. The program includes the corrections side, fire rescue and even dispatch. They will learn how to deescalate a situation, handcuffing procedures, searching procedures for the jail, CPR and first aid. Stephen said the program would open doors for these children that they might not otherwise have available.

In addition to the cadet program, OCSO also offers a LEAP (Law Enforcement Apprenticeship Program) for teens up through age 21. This program was established to focus on local talent in the hopes of finding young men and women with the drive and desire to become a member of the OCSO team.

The sheriff’s office began another new program at the Okeechobee High School this year as well. This program involves communications and teaches students how to handle 911 calls. A grant from the Education Foundation of Okeechobee even allowed for the purchase of a 911 simulator. Once the students graduate, they need only apply for a job and will not have to head off to an academy first.

Project Lifesaver is a program that is near and dear to Stephen’s heart as he has a special bond with those in the Okeechobee community with special needs. Project Lifesaver is geared towards those with autism or Alzheimer’s and provides a free tracker to be worn on the wrist or ankle. If the child or adult wanders from home, he or she can be traced quickly and easily.

The sheriff’s office also acquired stickers to place on car or home windows to let emergency responders know there is someone in the home or car with special needs and that this person might not respond in the expected way.

For many years, the OCSO has participated in an annual Torch Run for Special Olympics. This run is used to raise money for Special Olympics and ends at Publix Supermarket where Special Olympic athletes can join in the finish as well as enjoy a BBQ lunch provided by the sheriff’s office.

The Ride to Work Program is another new program instituted since Stephen took office. With this program, those who are actively seeking work or already working can obtain a bike, free of charge, to help with their transportation needs. Most of the bikes are donated by the public and repaired by volunteers.

In Okeechobee County, it is rare to have a day go by without a drug arrest, and often there are calls due to overdose. Thanks to the efforts of the sheriff’s office and the Hanley Foundation, NARCAN is available to anyone in the community who needs it. NARCAN reverses opioid effects through a nasal-style spray. In the past two years in Okeechobee, NARCAN has saved the lives of countless people (including law enforcement) and animals, even a child under three years of age last year due to accidental exposure. At the OCSO administrative office, 504 NW Fourth St., Okeechobee, Florida, 34972 between the public restrooms, there is a NARCAN cabinet that is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is maintained by the Hanley Foundation.

One of the biggest projects going on is the new jail, and Stephen said he wants to see it through to completion which is scheduled for fall of 2025.

Of course, one of the most significant milestones for the sheriff’s office was just last month when the sheriff’s office received accreditation from the Commission of Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA).  Almost three years of work has gone into the process of complying with the standards set by the Commission, which are considered best practices in the law enforcement industry. Based on the standards of policing, the accreditation serves to highlight the professionalism of the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office and deliver continual improvement to services for the community. “We wanted to have some oversight. There are always bad apples tainting the barrel. I feel transparency is key.”

“There are probably other programs I forgot to mention,” said Stephen, “but these are some of the highlights of the last seven and a half years.”

Saying a lot for the community’s faith in the sheriff, Stephen made history in 2020 by becoming the first sheriff of Okeechobee County to ever run unopposed.

Famous for his ribs, when Stephen is not hard at work for the sheriff’s office, he can almost always be found behind a BBQ grill, cooking for some community function or other.

“I love our community, and I want to continue to do the job that I have been honored to do with you, grow the men and women of the sheriff’s office to carry on the legacy of treating people the way they need to be treated. I hope that is what I am remembered for when I leave here.”