The Support Services Bureau consists of three separate divisions: Administrative Support, Staff Support, and Information Services.
- Administrative Support Division oversees the Training Unit, Recruiting Unit, Background Unit, Police Finance, and Payroll/Personnel.
- Information Service Division handles the communications function; to include all radio, telephone and teletype services within the Department, as well as the Records and Crime Analysis sections. All information systems, network and computer support is handled by this division.
- Staff Support Division is responsible for units such as the Evidence Section, Police Supply, Fleet Services, Confiscations and Court Liaison
| Administrative Support Division |
The Recruiting Unit's mission is to actively seek the most qualified candidates for positions throughout the Police Department, while placing an emphasis on diversity. The Recruiting Unit is headed by Sergeant Alfred Lewers, Jr. and utilizes a team of over thirty sworn and civilian members to market the Fort Lauderdale Police Department to civilians, high school students, colleges, universities and members of the United States military.
The Recruiting Unit travels throughout the State of Florida and the nation, in search of the best and brightest candidates.
For information regarding employment, click here.
This unit is responsible for the testing, background investigation, and subsequent hiring of all personnel within the Police Department, both sworn and civilian. In just the past twelve months the Background Investigations Unit has hired more than one-hundred and twenty new employees, including; Police Officers, Public Safety Aides and Parking Enforcement Specialists. For information regarding employment with the City of Fort Lauderdale, including a list of available positions, click here
The Training Unit, with a staff of 10, provides a wide range of services including the overseeing of recruits attending the police academy and the Citizens Police Academy. The unit is responsible for the coordination of both the FDLE required mandatory re-training and training for salary incentive. It keeps records for all training received by department members both sworn and civilian. Further, the unit creates, tracks, and facilitates the printing of new and or revised department policies.
The division also produces videos used for training of the police department personnel, City Hall, and the public.
To learn more about the Training Unit, click here.
The Department Budget Coordinator supervises all overall functions of the Finance Office and reports directly to the Administrative Support Captain. The main functions of the office are to coordinate the Department's purchasing, including issuance of purchase order numbers and payment of invoices, and the issuance of petty cash. In addition, acceptance of department's receipts and coordination of bank deposits are a responsibility. Finally, preparation and monitoring of the Department's budget are a major responsibility. The budget for 2001/2002 is $64,037,767.
The Payroll/Personnel Office includes the following personnel: A Clerk III, (2) Service Clerks, .50 of a Clerk Typist I and .50 of a TE part-time clerk. The Clerk III reports directly to the Police Captain and the Service Clerks, Clerk Typist I and clerk report to the Clerk III. This office coordinates, hiring, dismissals, overtime and compensatory time entry, payroll review and corrections, attendance for the department.
| Staff Support Division |
The Records Division consists of 37 employees working round the clock to retrieve, distribute, and store reports consistent with internal policy and demands, as well as public records requests pursuant to Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes. The Records Division receives all police reports and accidents reports. The reports are indexed and vital information is entered in the computer, which is used for Uniform Crime Reporting by both the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI.
To learn more about Police Records, click here.
The Evidence Unit consists of four Police Aide Specialists and a supervisor. This division handles more than 16,000 evidence receipts a year. The unit maintains an on-site warehouse and an additional remote warehouse to handle the workload.
Bicycles are received and stored for 90 days and then become the property of the city. Part of a citywide program is the issuing of bicycles to those who have had one stolen. Once a month, by appointment, these bicycles are given to the public provided they have submitted an offense report as proof of their lost bike. Auctions are held twice a year to sell off any miscellaneous items, which have been confiscated and have become property of the city.
The Supply Unit consists of three separate areas: supply, property control and front reception desk, manned by a staff of 12 men and women. Their responsibility includes issuance of uniforms, duty gear and other equipment and supplies necessary for day-to-day operation of the sworn and civilian staff.
The accessibility of vehicles, weapons, radios and forms in the day-to-day operations of the police department is the responsibility of the Supply Unit. Equipment, acquisitions, storage, and distribution fall under this area with a staff of 16 women and men.
The 317 plus vehicles in the department's fleet require regular maintenance and repair from this unit. In addition to insuring that the fleet is in good repair and all damage has been documented, the unit also assists in preparing bids for future fleet purchases.
The Confiscation Unit is responsible for all property that is seized for forfeiture. This includes cash, vehicles, vessels, airplanes, and real estate. All property is held until claimed by the owner or the completion of a forfeiture case. Vehicles that are awarded to the City are either utilized by the police department or auctioned by the City.
The Court Liaison Unit is authorized to accept and serve all timely court subpoenas, deposition notices, and all court related documents on behalf of the department's members. Over the past year the Unit, working in conjunction with the State Attorneys Office, has successfully implemented an electronic subpoena process. We now receive our criminal subpoenas electronically resulting in officers being notified of upcoming court dates in a speedier manner. More than half of the nearly 73,000 subpoenas processed annually are received electronically from the State Attorneys office. Court Liaison is also currently working on receiving other legal documents electronically to achieve a more efficient means of processing paperwork. The Unit also works with representatives involved in the legal system and tracks and notifies members of changes to the hundreds of pending court cases.
| Information Management |
The Information Systems Unit supports 762 computer users in the police department in numerous locations. This unit maintains, coordinates, and interfaces mission critical applications such as the Records Management System, Computer Aided Dispatch System, CAI network, Special Investigations Division Systems, Jail Management System, AFIS, Mobile Reporting, Florida Crime Information Center Systems, and National Crime Information Center Systems.
The Crime Analysis Section is a resource center for the collection, maintenance, analysis and dissemination of pertinent crime information. By performing statistical and analytical research using a variety of computer applications, including mapping programs, the analysts work to identify trends and patterns in criminal activity. Staffing for this section is composed of four civilian analysts and a records clerk.
The Crime Analysis Section is a key component in the Department’s COMPSTAT program. Working in conjunction with the Operations Bureau and the Criminal Investigation Bureau, COMPSTAT allows for the early identification and location of crime trends. The information provided by COMPSTAT is used to identify trouble spots and emerging problems and to better target resources to combat crime.
Each police district is supported by an analyst and can produce mapping and crime statistics tailored to the local level, such as homeowners associations or police zones. This information is shared by the zone officer with residents at the monthly association meetings and can be obtained from the department’s web page.
Questions on crime data or requests for statistical information not available on the web pages can be directed to the Crime Analysis Unit at 954-828-5714 or e-mail the Crime Analysis unit at peterc@fortlauderdale.gov.
To learn more about the Crime Analysis Unit, click here.
The Communications Center has three specific functions, call taking, dispatching and teletype. Each year the Police Department receives and processes almost 220,000 9-1-1 calls and close to 300,000 non-emergency calls for assistance. Once the information is received in dispatch, the dispatcher will evaluate the call, match existing resources with service needs, and dispatch the appropriate unit. This could be the unit recommended by the computer (as determined by GPS in the police cars) or a unit selected via a manual process of the dispatcher. For “in-progress” calls, or calls of an emergency/life threatening nature, the dispatcher can also broadcast the information to all units simultaneously regardless of district assignment.
The teletype section handles inquiries on lost/wanted person, stolen vehicles and property. Employees in this function work with both the Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to enter vital information needed to conduct criminal investigations. Each year this Department processes approximately 206,000 requests to these agencies and receives more than 5,500 hit confirmations.
To learn more about the Communications Center, click here.
