Palm Beach County sheriff launches a new violence-prevention unit aimed at preventing tragedies like those in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo.

If you live in Florida and have a gripe with the government, you may want to think twice before speaking your mind. In an unprecedented move, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw has been awarded $1 million for a new violence-prevention unit aimed at preventing tragedies like those in Newtown, Conn. and Aurora, Colo., reports The Palm Beach Post.

The money will go toward "prevention intervention," featuring trained professionals, a 24-hour hot line and public-service announcements to encourage local citizens to report their neighbors, friends or family members if they fear they could harm themselves or others.

"Every single incident, whether it's Newtown, that movie theater or the guy who spouts off at work and then goes home and kills his wife and two kids - in every single case, there were people who said they knew ahead of time that there was a problem," Bradshaw told the Post. "If the neighbor of the mom in Newtown had called somebody, this might have saved 25 kids' lives."

The goal won't be to arrest troubled people but to get them help before there's violence, Bradshaw told the Post.

The proposal still needs Gov. Rick Scott's approval.