News Release: 14-324 Who: Participating Sheriff’s Offices: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Broward County Sheriff’s Office Hendry County Sheriff’s Office Hernando County Sheriff’s Office Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Indian River Sheriff’s Office Lee County Sheriff’s Office Leon County Sheriff’s Office Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Nassau County Sheriff’s Office Orange County Sheriff’s Office Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Pasco County Sheriff’s Office Polk County Sheriff’s Office Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office Volusia County Sheriff’s Office Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce Walkwise Tampa Bay What: Florida Sheriffs Task Force Chair, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri has announced the results of “Operation Safe Steps,” the Florida Sheriffs Task Force Fall operation. “Operation Safe Steps” focused on pedestrian safety with the goal of reducing pedestrian injuries and deaths from traffic crashes through an education campaign directed at both pedestrians and motorists. 18 Florida Sheriff’s Offices participated in the operation and the results are as follows: 6,847 Pedestrian Warnings were issued. 222 Pedestrian Citations were issued. 8,247 Motorist Warnings were issued. 6,763 Motorists Citations were issued. When: “Operation Safe Steps” was conducted over a four week period that took place from October 24 to November 20, 2014. Where: The news conference was held at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Administration Building located at 10750 Ulmerton Road. A total of 18 County Sheriff’s Offices participated in the operation. Why/How: In a joint news conference which included various Sheriffs/Sheriff’s designees as well as representatives from the business community and members of Walkwise Florida - Florida Sheriffs Task Force Chair, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, announced the results of the fall Sheriffs Task Force “Operation Safe Steps.” The four-week operation focused on pedestrian safety with the goal of reducing pedestrian injuries and deaths resulting from traffic crashes. The operation included proactive traffic enforcement in areas where pedestrian traffic is dense; and was also launched as an education campaign to raise awareness regarding pedestrian safety among pedestrians and motorists alike. Pedestrian safety is a serious concern for Floridians. According to data from the Florida Integrated Report Exchange System, during the four weeks of Operation Safe Steps there were over 750 pedestrian crashes and 33 pedestrians were killed. “Operation Safe Steps helped us take a big step forward in making Florida a safer place for pedestrians,” said Sheriff Bob Gualtieri. “It is our responsibility as Sheriffs to not only protect our citizens but also educate them and Operation Safe Steps was extremely successful in that regard.” The education aspect of the operation also included the dissemination of rack cards, which provided information about state laws as well as tips on pedestrian safety. Tips for pedestrians include: walking without distractions, obeying traffic signals, using crosswalks, looking both ways and walking defensively.