Sheriff`s Corner

Hello, this weeks Sheriff's Corner will talk about a new program here at the Levy County Sheriff's Office and also a number of other counties here in Florida. The program is called VINE, or, Victim Information and Notification Everyday.

VINE is a toll free, anonymous and automated telephone service that allows victims of crime and the public a way of gaining information about whether an offender is still in custody, along with the name and location of the facility where the offender is in custody. This number is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. You can even choose to register for automated notification of changes that occur in an offender's custody status. You can call the toll free number for this option also. When you do this, you'll choose a personal identification number to use during notification to confirm that your message was received.

To actually get your information, you'll need the offenders name, offender booking number and for Florida Department of Corrections, the offender DC number. Also, remember, only offenders in the Florida Department of Corrections (State Prison System), the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, and Florida county jails will be involved in the VINE service.

Please know also that VINE cannot and does not guarantee your safety. It's simply not designed to do this. However, it is a quick and easy way to know what's going on with your offender. Also your offender will not know you are registered with VINE.

VINE is up and running right now. However, the process of making sure our victims get the booking number of the offender is being fine-tuned. If you have any questions or for more information on VINE, give our victim service people a call or call the VINE Toll Free number at 1-877-VINE-4-FL or 1-877-846-3435. Take care and be safe.