Sheriff Paul Blackman has made community relations a focus of the Highlands County Sheriff's Office. 

The HCSO has launched several programs since Sheriff Blackman took office in January of 2017 and taken a more proactive approach to keeping residents informed. 

Some of the new initiatives begun since 2017 are:

• COPS ADAPT Unit
• Sheriff's App
• Explorers Post 2247
• Heel Together Academy
• Therapy Dog program
• Seniors vs. Crime
• Citizen's Academy
• Sheriff's Targeted Enforcement Programs (STEP)

Sheriff Blackman has also made keeping residents and visitors of Highlands County up to date on what their Sheriff's Office is doing. The HCSO uses social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Nextdoor), the Internet (this site, www.hcso-news.org and www.hcso-animalservices.org) and a free smart phone app to communicate with the public.