It is the policy of the Levy County Sheriff’s Office to patrol in a pro-active manner, to aggressively investigate suspicious persons and circumstances, and to actively enforce the motor vehicle laws. Citizens shall only be stopped or detained when there exists reasonable suspicion to believe they have committed, are committing, or are about to commit a violation of law.
Sworn members must be able to articulate specific facts and circumstances that support reasonable suspicion or probable cause for investigative detentions, traffic stops, arrests, nonconsensual searches, and property seizures. Persons having contact with members of this agency shall be treated in a fair, impartial, equitable and objective manner. The Constitution of the United States guarantees the fundamental right to all who live in the nation to receive equal protection under the law to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures by government agents. The Levy County Sheriff’s Office is charged with protecting these rights, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical handicap or religion.
Definition of Bias Based Policing – Occurs when, a law enforcement officer applies his or her own personal, societal, or organizational biases or stereotypes when making decisions or taking police action and the ONLY reason for that decision or action is due to the specified characteristics of an individual. Specified characteristics include but are not limited to, race, ethnic background, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, age, disability, political status, or any other legally protected characteristics. This does not preclude relying on a listed characteristic in a specific suspect description.
It is against LCSO policy for members of our agency to practice bias based policing. The Levy County Sheriff’s Office is committed to the fair and equal treatment of our citizens and those who pass through our county.