Sarasota deputies invite county on 'virtual ride along'

Fascinated by real-life police work but consider hours of watching Cops or LivePD on a holiday weekend something your friends and family just won’t understand?

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has you covered with its Tweet from the Beat virtual ride along, beginning at 7 a.m.. Friday. And here’s the best part: you can watch on the small-screen of your smartphone.

The sheriff’s office launched this social-media program over the Labor Day weekend in 2016 and is designed to show the community some of what its deputies face on a daily basis.

A member of the department’s Community Affairs Office accompanies a deputy, taking photos and videos, then posting to the SCSO Twitter account.

“What people are often most surprised to learn is that there is no ‘routine’ shift in law enforcement,’’ said Community Affairs Director Kaitlyn Perez in a prepared statement. “What might start out as a slow morning assisting with traffic enforcement can quickly evolve into a response to a major, large-scale incident. What we hope people can get out of this experience is a more robust understanding of the challenges law enforcement face on a daily basis and how so much of the work they do comes back to solving social issues, not just fighting crime’’

To look in on the event, follow the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Twitter account: @SarasotaSheriff.