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‘It is my calling': Fla. deputy hand-picked for ‘Special Projects’ role at sheriff’s office

The deputy does everything from delivering furniture to struggling families to fixing broken fences

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Photo/YouTube via WKMG News

By Ashley Silver
Police1

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida “Special Projects” deputy is shedding light on how one Orange County police department is taking a 360-degree approach to servicing the overall needs of its community.

News 6 Orlando sat down with “Special Projects” deputy Jacob Snavely to detail how his duties entail much more than making arrests. Whether it’s picking up furniture and delivering it to struggling families, dropping off food, fixing fences or mailboxes, filling out court paperwork or coordinating the “Toys for Tots” giveaway, Snavely is there to get the job done.

“I really believe that people are born with a calling in life and mine is to be a servant,” Snavely told News 6. “So when a deputy goes out, they have calls that they’re responding to. And as soon as they get on scene with that call, they resolve the problem quickly so we can respond to the next call. We need to resolve the problem and move on. Well, some problems can’t be solved in a day. So when those things happen, the deputy or the sector commander will reach out to me and say, ‘Hey we’ve got this thing we need you to deal with.’ And it’s a wide range. Every day is different.”

The officer was hand-picked for the position and believes no project is too big or too small when it comes to helping the community the department serves.

“When something comes to me, that’s where it stops - our job in special projects is to complete that task, whatever it is,” Snavely told the news platform. “And if I can connect them to a humanitarian expert in that field, I’m going to do it. And if I can help them, I’m going to. That’s what we’re here to do ... to make a difference. We’re here to serve people as deputies.”

Snavely is one of five Special Projects deputies at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and is happy for the opportunity to show others a different perspective of law enforcement.

“Every day I wake up, there’s never a day I don’t want to go to work. I wake up and I’m excited,” Snavely said. “A car crashed into your fence? Well, we’re going to fix it. We’re going to rebuild it now. Whatever the need is.”

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