The Leon County Sheriff's Office is spearheading a community-wide effort to reduce the number of illegal guns on local streets. The effort offers rewards for anonymous tips that lead to weapon seizures by law officers.
Sheriff Walt McNeil said a similar "Cease Fire" initiative worked great in another town with a gun violence problem, namely Jacksonville, Florida.
"They were able to take some 400 weapons off the streets of that community," he explained during the program kickoff at the Sheriff's Office.
Locally, private and public sector sponsors have already kicked in some $20,000. That will allow the CrimeStoppers tip line, headed by Sharon Ofuani, to offer $1,000 for every seized weapon.
"Crime doesn't pay, but we do!" she exclaimed.
And Tori Hannah, whose 17 year old son, Godby honors student Nikolas Doss was shot to death on New Year's Eve, 2014, hoped this new effort will spare other parents the grief she feels every day.
"I'm asking the community, let's not wait until it hits home, let's not wait until it hits our neighbor's child or the child down the road. Let's get involved right now!"
