Briefing Room

Operations Support

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department Dive Team is comprised of nine Officers and one Sergeant. Members are responsible for Search and Recovery operations for 7 miles of the Atlantic Ocean and 185 miles of local waterways. Members of the Dive Team are selected from all bureaus of the Police Department. Members assigned to the team work their normal duties and respond on an “On-call” basis to any water incidents. The Dive Team is assigned to the Operations Bureau/Operations Support Division.

Each member applying to the team is required to have a minimum of an Open Water Certification from a nationally recognized dive organization. Once appointed to the team, each member attends Dive Rescue 1 training from Dive Rescue International. Additionally team members attend advance training as it becomes available. Currently most team members are certified Dive Rescue 1 and PADI Dive Masters. The Dive Team trains once a month and are activated for call outs and major events such as the Air & Sea Show or the Winter fest Boat Parade.

The Dive Team was established in 1978. At that time it was comprised of 4 team members, who supplied their own equipment. Over the years the team had evolved into the current 10-member team. Each Team Member is currently issued their own personally assigned dive gear, which they carry with them. Along with the personally assigned gear, the team is also equipped with an assortment of support gear. This gear includes underwater still and video equipment, underwater communications equipment, metal detectors, and numerous other tools to assist in Search and Recovery Operation and the collection of evidence and court presentation. The Team also works closely with the Fort Lauderdale Fire Departments Dive Rescue Team and the Fort Lauderdale Police Marine Unit.

The team has been involved in numerous high profile cases such as the ValuJet crash and a 1998 boating fatality in the Fort Lauderdale Intracoastal Waterway. This accident, with six fatalities, was the worst boating accident in Florida history. Along with theses investigations, numerous other investigations have been successfully concluded leading to the successful prosecution and conviction of many criminals.

For more information concerning the Dive Team, click here to contact Sgt. Andy Pallen.

Return to the Briefing Room