The Fort Lauderdale Police Department serves the City of Fort Lauderdale, which is a diverse city, located in the heart of Broward County. Situated on the Atlantic Coast between Palm Beach and Miami, Fort Lauderdale encompasses an area of more than 33 square miles, has seven miles of beach, 165 miles of waterways and 3000 hours of sunshine. With a year round population of approximately 165,000, Fort Lauderdale is Florida’s seventh most populous city.
On March 27, 1911, Fort Lauderdale was incorporated as a town with a population of 250. One of the first actions taken by the newly formed town council was the appointment of Kossie A. Goodbread as the first City Marshall at a salary of $40.00 per month and $1.00 for each arrest.
Ensuring a safe and secure environment remains the City’s highest priority. Through Community Policing and a number of innovative crime prevention programs, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department has reduced Part I Crimes by 54% since 1994. In addition, the Department developed a Police Homeless Outreach Team to assist the homeless.
Now, more than ever, both sworn and civilian personnel are increasingly active in their community. Police officers participate in youth activities, attend neighborhood association meetings and coordinate child identification and fingerprinting programs. As part of the City’s Haitian Community Partnership Program, the Police Department hired a Haitian Community Liaison, who will help build relationships with the Haitian community by working directly with residents to address mutual problems and concerns.
State-of-the-art technology keeps the Fort Lauderdale Police Department at the forefront of the “police world.” Innovative tools like the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) have allowed the Police Department to efficiently identify criminals within minutes by matching prints with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s database of more than 5 million fingerprints. The size and content of the Police Department’s award-winning web site has increased by more than 25 percent. The automated pawnshop monitoring system has identified parole and probation violations, and recovered a significant amount of stolen property.
The Police Department continues to enhance several crime control initiatives including the Bicycle Registration Program; Project Homesafe, which provides gunlocks; and the Auto Theft Prevention Program, which distributes steering wheel locking devices to the owners of the top ten most commonly stolen vehicles. The implementation of the Police Homeless Outreach Team, a proactive approach to dealing with homelessness in Fort Lauderdale, has resulted in the placement of more than 1000 homeless individuals in social service programs. The team has received numerous awards and recognition including feature stories in Police Chief Magazine and American City & County. The Florida Coalition for the Homeless recognized Officer Scott Russell for his outstanding service to the homeless in Fort Lauderdale.
The Department’s Community Policing philosophy is a long-term commitment to reduce criminal activity and strengthen partnerships with residents. The Community Support Division, formerly called the Community Policing Initiative, plays an integral role in this partnership. The Division coordinates a variety of free workshops and classes for residents and business owners, administers the Citizen’s Police Academy, and has reestablished the Crime Watch Program to promote community involvement in combating crime by focusing on issues that directly impact quality of life. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department is dedicated to promoting and ensuring the safety, education, and welfare of the City’s youth. The Department accomplishes this goal by coordinating programs such as COP JAM and D.A.R.E., which encourage young people to avoid drugs and gangs, stay in school, and contribute positively to society.
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department has evolved into one of the most dynamic law enforcement agencies in the state of Florida. With over 495 sworn and 240 civilian employees, the Department serves three police districts, which include residents and visitors of all socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. The Department is structured into three bureaus: Operations, Investigative Services, and Support Services. The department provides patrol, canine, mounted, bicycle, marine and many other forms of uniform services. In addition to other traditional services such as investigations and crime prevention, the Department provides a variety of special programs designed to encourage our partnership with our community.
The Department handles nearly 200,000 calls for service annually. In 2000, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department investigated over 14,000 Part I Crimes, issued more than 60,000 traffic citations and made nearly 14,000 arrests.
Our mission statement: Provide a safe and orderly environment in our city through professionalism, dedication, an active partnership with the community and a concern for individual dignity.
During 2000, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department:
- Graduated 65 students from two Citizen Police Academy classes;
- Established Project Homesafe, which distributed more than 5,000 gunlocks;
- The Department received, for the fourth consecutive year, a high satisfaction rating of nearly 90 percent on its annual “City Survey of City Operations”.
- Received over $9 million in grants and matching funds from the federal, state and local level. Sixty-seven percent of the funds were earmarked to support family-based community prevention and intervention programs.
- Continued to eradicate graffiti in the community through the Anti-Graffiti Hotline.
Every year the City of Fort Lauderdale hosts many world class art and cultural events.
Finally, the City of Fort Lauderdale is the cultural center of South Florida. We have the Performing Arts Center, Museum of Discovery and Science, Parker Playhouse, Vinnette Carroll Theater, Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art, and many other sites that draw thousands of people every year.
You may also read A History of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
