My 2020 car GPS pretends that the Villages doesn't exist on maps south of Brownwood. No update is available or likely will be ever available.

A cellphone is still needed for a variety of cases.

Divisions of law enforcement service
 

The Villages is a very unique animal for law enforcement services. If you live in the unincorporated section (which many or most do), you only have the county sheriff’s or state troopers at your disposal. If you live in Lady Lake, Fruitland Park, Wildwood or Leesburg, you have supposedly augmented law enforcement support.

What really seems to be going on for the most part (not always) is the county dispatches for any unincorporated calls, and local law enforcement only responds to the areas in their jurisdiction.

The great disparity is those who are in Wildwood or another municipality end up paying for the total law enforcement for the unincorporated while still paying for their own police departments as well.

Unincorporated villigaers get out of paying for local enforcement and are prioritized for sheriff respoce all the while municipal residents pay for both. What is even more disturbing is the county department has to be manned at such a level for being the only responder which isn’t typical in most areas of the country. Rural here, is village upon village with several thousand residents so yes, more than usual are needed for the “unincorporated “.

IF that is the case, I wonder how residents of the municipalities would feel about paying extra police to catch golf carts going 20.1 mph in the unincorporated areas, as suggested by some????? After all, all those people are "criminals"

Not a cash cow
 

It isn’t an if. Many think ticket proceeds go to the issuing authority, nothing could be further from the truth. There would be no windfalls of income from issuing tickets. 2 dollars for each ticket written go to the issuing authority in Florida. So the end game would offer little funds to pay for more police to catch bad golf cart drivers.

The end game:

Fewer collisions.
Fewer injuries.
Fewer deaths.
More people who drive under the influence removed from the streets.
Fewer car/health insurance claims.
Lower insurance premiums due to fewer claims.
Fewer parents who lose their children.
Fewer children who lose their parents.
More children growing up in an area where it's actually safe to walk on the road.

The purpose of the police department isn't to make money for a municipality. Contrary to unpopular belief, governments aren't supposed to profit. They're supposed to spend. Being a wealthy community means nothing if you're afraid to leave your house because there's chaos in the streets.

We don't have chaos in the streets here, but we definitely have a LOT more traffic accidents than I've ever experienced elsewhere. And I lived in Boston for 7 years, so I understand "traffic" just fine. Boston also has a robust Police Department including an entire traffic control division.

The Villages has grown into an enormous, densely-populated city, but the police departments assigned to its care have no grown to reflect the increase. Citizens demand that their taxes not go up, and every penny they have to pay is another fight against services that exist to keep them safe and alive.

We don't need to be tax-and-spend like Boston is - we're not that kind of city and we don't need the same kinds of services. But we do need a more "present and visible" police department.

And again if that means simply adding 12 more shifts in a week - which would be the equivalent of maybe 6 more officers to cover the traffic control of our three-county community - it'd be a huge start and make a significant impact.

Interested in what "12 more shifts in a week" means and how "6 more officers" would cover that. I see six more officers covering six more patrols for five days out of the week.

Yes, because we all "know" that all those bad things are caused by a golf cart going 20.1 as opposed to 20.0. Likewise, the "obvious" cause is cars going 35.1 in a 35 zone. Unbelievable.

The "obvious" cause is bad drivers, many of whom should have surrendered their license a long time ago. As far as speed goes, both law enforcement and insurance sites state slow drivers cause more accidents that "speeders". And as far as speeders go, I have no problem with a NASCAR champion driving whatever speed he sees fit, whereas there are "drivers" in The Villages that can't handle a car or golf cart 10 or 15 mph under the limit. I suppose they are both "criminals"

NASCAR champ can drive whatever speed he sees fit on the race track with other pros that play by racetrack rules. NOT on the public roads with families, school busses, trucks, etc! To believe otherwise is foolish, unrealistic and dangerous in the extreme.
As far as your accident theory goes, low speed accidents are more likely "fender benders", while it's the high speed race car wannabes that will be involved in major damage and death. The old line, "speed kills", is still true. Always remember, not every driver is as highly trained and skilled as you, and on public roads they don't have to be.

Well said.

Yes, they are. Glad we agree. How about add the cops and a 3 strikes rule that confiscates both license and car. Since we know they can't be trusted, they loose the privilege of ever being behind the wheel (or handle bars).

Yep----drive a golf cart 20.1 or your car 35.1 in a 35 zone and lose your license AND car. Is that what happened to Winston Smith???? I believe that was law enforcement in Oceania.

PS: Thank God the world isn't as some wish it would be.

PPS: Yesterday while I was driving, 37 cars made a left or right turn, only 11 used a turn signal. Are they "criminals" also??? Do they get 3 strikes and lose their license????

PPS: The 13 or 14 year who was driving 3 younger kids in a 4-seater coming off the MMP onto Heald should probably get life without parole???? Or summary execution????

Lake Sumter Landing needs a guillotine for dealing out justice. The square would be packed with revelers, drinking, dancing, musicians and jugglers. All sorts of entertainment while we wait for the heads to roll. Youth B4 age. Just like in the good Olde days. 😃🤯🥳🤡👹👺

There are quite a few officers up and down 441 between Lady Lake and Leesburg they are there all day every day
Between Lady Lake, Fruitland Park, Wildwood and Leesburg officers I see them all the time, what I don’t see is any of then patrolling The Villages

[QUOTE=Eg_cruz;2395829]There are quite a few officers up and down 441 between Lady Lake and Leesburg they are there all day every day
Between Lady Lake, Fruitland Park, Wildwood and Leesburg officers I see them all the time, what I don’t see is any of then patrolling The Villages[/QUOTE]

- Are the number of people speeding excessively (>10mph) as high in the Villages as on 441? Is the Villages the best place to spend patrol time if you want to make arrests?

- Are the speeders in the Villages likely to cause as much harm and damage as those on 441? Wrecking at 35mph when you can't handle the roundabout is not going to be as serious as crashing into traffic at 65mph on 441.

- I have seen traffic stops on Buena Vista, Morse, and Hillsborough. Not as many as on 441 but this area does get patrolled occasionally.

[QUOTE=Bill14564;2395841]But you forget, according to some on this thread, those Villagers driving 35.1 are CRIMINALS. Those driving golf carts at 20.1 are CRIMINALS. I suppose those who park over the line are CRIMINALS. The guillotine awaits.....

How about this for semantic nomenclature:

The term is not traffic crimes, it is traffic INFRACTIONS-----maybe we could designate those perpetrators as "infractors"

Likewise, the term is not parking crimes, but parking VIOLATIONS----we could call those people "violators", although that could have a much different connotation.:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl: