Briefing Room

Community Support Gateway

History

In June 1995, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department set out to develop a Community Support Division, (formerly known as Community Policing Initiative – CPI), that would be used to guide the future of the entire agency in how it provides police services.

The CPI model formed was founded on the principles of an evolving program to:

• Meaningfully represent the community in the development of the community policing effort, whereby, the effectiveness of the CPI unit will be measured by the extent to which neighborhood problems are minimized or eliminated, and by the overall improvements in the quality of community life.
• Develop working relationships with all government and private entities that also assist in solving community problems.
• Select a primary area of geographic responsibility which is stable, but threatened, and have great overall strategic value to the entire City of Fort Lauderdale.
• Foster a conduct among personnel assigned to the CPI effort that would reflect a sense of ownership to the neighborhood as if they were full time residents of the community in which they serve.

A Community Policing Initiative Steering Committee worked hand-in- hand with the agency to develop a community problem/crime survey. Graduates of the Citizens Police Academy followed by volunteering to administer the survey to neighborhoods. A careful analysis of the survey responses established a priority list of problems within each community. Through the staff of nine police officers and one police sergeant, a partnership emerged dedicated to finding solutions to the crime problems in those communities.

Initially the CPI unit was assigned the primary geographic areas of Lake Ridge, Poinsettia heights, Middle River Terrace and portions of Victoria Park.

To continue efforts with the initiative, the City of Fort Lauderdale police Department expanded the Community Support Division in May of 1996 to include three components or CSD Teams.

Individual teams are responsible for identifying and solving problems of their geographic area in conjunction with community members, interdepartmental units, other agencies, and uniformed patrol division members. These units operate independently of the day-today operations, providing flexible coverage when required.

In June 1999, Component Four was added to the Community Policing Initiative. This unit is dedicated to Youth Services. Component Four is comprised of 1 Sergeant, 4 School resource Officers, 2 DARE Officers, Truancy Officers, and 1 Juvenile Alternative Motivation Officer. These officers work closely with students, parents, and teachers.

CSD initially began with 10 employees and has grown to 59. CSD includes five components comprised of Community Policing officers, Narcotics Detection Dogs, The Crime Analysis Unit, The Crime Prevention Unit, Code Enforcement, Youth Services, Motor Unit, Administration, and the Demonstration Center. In March 2000, Chief Michael Brasfield changed the Supervision of CSD from a Commander to a Major. The Community Policing Major leads the unit with 5 sergeants and a civilian project director, providing day-to-day supervision. In 2001, the name of the Community Policing Initiative was changed to the Community Support Division.

This unit is staffed by three detectives assigned to providing expertise in the area of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. They provide this service throughout the community in the form of crime prevention surveys, as well as offering assistance to the various operations units in the overall effort to achieve problem solutions.

Learn more about the Crime Prevention Unit.

Code Enforcement Officers:

Three officers (2 permanently, 1 TDY) are assigned to a code enforcement team. Their function is to provide inspections and subsequent enforcement of all City codes. Ultimately, they contribute to providing a clean and safe environment for all members of our community.

Learn more about the Code Enforcement Team.

There are 2 passive narcotics drug dog teams assigned to the Community Support Division. These dogs are utilized to rapidly and efficiently detect illegal drugs in a variety of situations. These teams are very effective, and have provided invaluable assistance to other officers. In addition, these dogs are used in educational efforts at schools to teach students to say no to drugs.

In August of 1998, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department opened the Community Policing Demonstration Center. This Center offers the community a multitude of training courses and workshops. The Center's mission is to improve the quality of life in the community through education, commitment and an active partnership. For more information call (954) 759-6428.

The Crime Analysis Unit is manned by four civilian analysts and data entry personnel who collectively provide a monthly report, which summarizes the month's crime picture in Fort Lauderdale. On a daily basis, the analysts geocode all burglary and robbery reports. This process provides investigators with a database that allows searches by property, suspect methods of operation and other criteria. Further, the analysts provide department members with data reports related to everything from simple crime statistics to in-depth reports on areas, crimes, arrests, etc. Each Month, C.A.U. coordinates a COMPSTAT (Computerized Statistics) process, in which the Command Staff reviews and analyzes specific crime data and trends with the goal to enhance overall management, response, and geographical accountability. Finally, the Crime Analysis Unit provides support for presentations using computer graphics. If you would like to review some crime analysis reports, click here.

Since its inception, the Community Policing Initiative has strived toward several major accomplishments. They include:

• Community Policing Initiative officers and residents of the Middle River Terrace neighborhood teamed up for neighborhood walks and clean ups. A community party in the Middle River Terrace neighborhood celebrated the success of these projects.
• The Initiative developed the Community Action Team or CAT, a partnership of police officers, crime prevention detectives, code enforcement officers, building inspectors, building department officials, fire marshals, city commission representatives, and planning and zoning officials to meet monthly and solve community problems.
• Officers assigned to CPI and Raiders teamed up to initiate nuisance abatement proceedings against a hotel that has been identified as the source of a number of community problems.
  Officers later monitored a Lake Ridge neighborhood demonstration against unlawful activities at the hotel.
• A CSD officer implemented a street level passive alert narcotics detection dog program. This valuable resource is now available to all police officers in the field.
• The Youth Services Sergeant is currently working with Broward County's Teen Court Program, with the intent of directing the appropriate juvenile offenses in the prevention of youth crime.
• In December 2000, the Community Policing Initiative (CPI) officially changed its name to the Community Support Division (CSD). CPI's objectives have developed and expanded throughout the entire Police Department. Therefore, the name "Initiative" no longer applies. This unit has been renamed to aptly reflect the Departmentwide community policing philosophy, long-term commitment to partnership with our community and support of the community.

The Community Support Division officers can be reached at the Community Support Division Hotline (954) 828-6400 or e-mail your comments to the Community Support Division..

For more information on the Community Support Division, a monthly newsletter is available on-line at http://ci.ftlaud.fl.us/police/cpigate.html and monthly crime analysis reports at http://ci.ftlaud.fl.us/police/stats.html.

Briefing Room