Fort Myers Police prepare for 2024

Fort Myers Police Chief Jason Fields spoke to WINK News about how the department is preparing to tackle 2024.

Fields was sworn into his position in August and has worn his badge for 23 years.

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“The words honor, ethics, accountability, respect and teamwork sit right at the front of the headquarters. What do those words mean to you?” asked WINK News Reporter Nicole Gabe.

“I have to bring that every day to work along with a host of other values and disciplines in order to do this job, in order for any officer to do this job or anybody in law enforcement. We have to value those,” said Fields. “We have to carry those out every single day with every interaction we make with the community.”

The city promoted Fields as the permanent replacement of the late Chief Derrick Diggs. Fields said he is already building upon Diggs’ legacy.

Fields’ top priorities going into the new year are violent crime, property crime and community engagement.

“One of the biggest divisions that we got is that community engagement, which encompasses many specialized units, like our housing officers, our homeless outreach team, the SROs, our community engagement, team, crime prevention, doing as much as we can and working as much as we can with the community,” said Fields.

The new chief also wants to hire more officers and detectives. The goal, however, isn’t just to recruit, but also retain.

“I think morale is a lot better all around, morale is very high right now I feel getting a lot of positive feedback. We’re seeing our retention rate, kind of stay steady. We’re holding on to people, which is good,” said Fields.

The police department is striving to stay on top of technology. Fields said the people of Fort Myers should expect upgraded body cameras in the new year.

A new police headquarters is also underway over the next couple of years. Fields believes a new headquarters will well serve the department and the people they protect.

Fields looks forward to new beginnings at the Fort Myers Police Department.

“I believe strongly in partnerships. I want to work with you. It’s your agency, so if there’s something you’d like to see, something you’d like to discuss, come on down. This is your agency,” said Fields.