This week, we celebrated two years of increasing law enforcement participation in the Bigs in Blue mentorship program. In 2019, we launched an intra-agency partnership with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to encourage officers to mentor young people seeking guidance through the Bigs in Blue program with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The main mission of Bigs in Blue is to partner children facing adversity with professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships with officers that will have positive impacts on the youths’ lives. This program helps forge bonds between law enforcement officers and youth—in the communities where they serve.

The idea for this intra-agency partnership to increase participation in Bigs in Blue began when I presented a Back the Blue Award to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay in June 2019, where I saw firsthand the impact the Bigs in Blue program has on the lives of those who participate. Now, 400 officers statewide have taken the opportunity to become a local mentor for at-risk children and teens through the program.

Through Bigs in Blue, I know these children’s lives, as well as the officers’, have been changed for the better, forever.

To learn more about this important program, click here.

By mentoring youth, Florida law enforcement officers are making positive impacts on the lives of children and helping us build a Stronger, Safer Florida.