Seminole County Sheriff's Office (Florida)
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| Seminole County Sheriff's Office | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | SCSO |
Patch of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office
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| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1913 |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | County (US) of Seminole in the state of Florida, USA |
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| Map of Seminole County Sheriff's Office's jurisdiction. | |
| Size | 345 square miles (890 km2) |
| Population | 436,041 (2013) |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Sanford, Florida |
| Agency executive | Donald F. Eslinger, Sheriff |
| Facilities | |
| Stations | 4 |
| Website | |
| [1] | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Seminole County Sheriff's Office is the chief law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas of Seminole County, Florida, USA. The current sheriff is Donald F. Eslinger who was appointed following the death of Sheriff John E. Polk in 1991. Eslinger has been reelected by a wide majority ever since and is credited with modernizing the agency of over 1,250 sworn and civilian employees and keeping the county's crime rate among the lowest in Central Florida.
Contents
Organization
The Sheriff’s Office is organized into five major departments: the Department of Law Enforcement, the Department of Youth Services, the Department of Support Services, the Department of Administrative Services and the Department of Corrections.
The Office of the Sheriff provides the overall leadership, strategic direction and management for the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It includes the Sheriff, Undersheriff, and Chief Deputy. The Undersheriff assists with the day-to-day administration of the Sheriff’s Office and serves as acting Sheriff in the Sheriff’s absence. The Chief Deputy reports directly to the Sheriff and is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the five departments and the Public Affairs Division.
The Public Affairs Division spearheads the agency’s external communication and public outreach programs and delivers a variety of resources and support to the community. Public Affairs personnel are responsible for implementing educational and awareness campaigns, working in conjunction with patrol and enforcement personnel to prevent and disrupt crime, and coordinating media and public relations. The Division administers the agency’s volunteer program and houses the Public Information Unit, Code Enforcement Team, School Crossing Guard Program, and Neighborhood Services Unit.
Department of Law Enforcement
The Department of Law Enforcement includes Seminole Neighborhood Policing (SNP) East and West Division, Diversified Investigative Services Division, Domestic Security Division, Forensic Services Division, and City County Investigative Bureau (CCIB).
Seminole Neighborhood Policing provides all uniformed patrol activities, conducts general investigations, and delivers a variety of safety and prevention services. SNP is sectioned into two divisions, SNP East Division (comprising the Geneva/Oviedo and Casselberry communities) and SNP West Division (comprising Sanford, Lake Mary, and Altamonte Springs communities). The Special Operations Division provides specialized equipment and personnel to support the enforcement, investigative, and crime prevention objectives of the Sheriff's Office, including: Air Operations, K-9, Emergency Management, Range and Water, the Dive Team, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, and Special Weapons and Tactics.
The Diversified Investigative Services Division is responsible for the investigation of complex, specialized crimes and augmenting law enforcement services with advanced technologies and support.
The Domestic Security Division is responsible for investigating, collecting, analyzing and disseminating intelligence information concerning criminal activity, international and domestic terrorism, pawn, street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, warrants, inmate telephone monitoring, registered felons and sexual offenders/predators.
The SCSO maintains a forensic laboratory to provide timely, expert and professional examination of evidentiary materials to aid in the investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses.
The City County Investigative Bureau's (CCIB) mission is to identify, arrest, and vigorously prosecute drug traffickers, their couriers and members of their organizations engaged in the illegal transportation and distribution of drugs. CCIB is a full-time, multi-agency task force composed of agents from SCSO, all seven police departments within Seminole County, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Amtrak/Auto Train.
Department of Youth Services
The Department of Youth Services includes Child Protective Services Division and the Juvenile Justice Division.
The Seminole County Sheriff's Office is one of six Florida Sheriffs’ Offices to contract with the Department of Children and Families to assume the responsibility for conducting child protective investigations. Child Protective Services investigates reports of abuse and neglect of minors.
The Juvenile Justice Division offers a broad-based spectrum of services to target and address the unique issues that perpetuate juvenile crime. The Juvenile Justice Division also delivers youth education, intervention and monitoring programs. The Division includes the Juvenile Assessment Center, the Juvenile Detention Center, and the Youth Services Prevention and Enforcement Center.
Department of Support Services
The Department of Support Services includes Professional Standards, Professional Development, Court Services, and the Civil Division.
The Professional Standards Division is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Sheriff’s Office written directives by processing and investigating administrative complaints made against Sheriff’s Office employees.
The Professional Development Division ensures SCSO’s workforce receives the training and instruction necessary to effectively carry out duties and maintain compliance with state training standards.
The Court Services Division provides full law enforcement services for the three judicial facilities within Seminole County: the Criminal Justice Center, Judicial Justice Center and Civil Courthouse.
Civil Division carries out the sheriff’s statutory responsibility for the service of process and execution of writs.
Department of Administrative Services
The Department of Administrative Services supports the human, fiscal, and business functions of the agency. Financial Services handles budget preparation and payroll, accounts payable, contracts maintenance, facilities, fleet and purchasing. Human Resources coordinate employee hiring, records and benefits. Grant Management evaluates, applies for and maintains all grant accounts within the Sheriff’s Office. The Information Technology Division provides computer and technology support to members of the Sheriff’s Office, as well as outside agencies. The Communications Center handles all incoming calls for service for law enforcement within unincorporated Seminole County. Dispatchers and call-takers answer emergency and non-emergency calls, and monitor 12 primary radio channels 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
Department of Corrections
The Department of Corrections is responsible for detention services and is responsible for the care, custody and control of inmates incarcerated at the county jail which is known as the John E. Polk Correctional Facility. The Intake Division is responsible for booking and classification, as well as breath testing and pre-trial release. The Operations Services Division includes facility security, food services and inmate laundry. The Inmate Health Services Division provides medical screening and treatment and mental health programs. The Support Services Division is responsible for work release programs, GPS monitoring programs, and transportation.
Accreditation
The Seminole County Sheriff's Office is currently accredited by seven independent, accrediting bodies:
- Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA)
- Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA)
- American Correctional Association (ACA)
- Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission (FCAC)
- National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC)
- Public Safety Communications Accreditation
- American Society of Crime Lab Directors Lab Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB)
Accreditation is a voluntary process that affirms an agency’s commitment to the highest standards of professionalism and service. Each accrediting body has fixed standards that an agency must initially demonstrate compliance with, and then demonstrate continuing adherence to, in order to achieve re-accreditation.
Accreditation standards address key areas such as: organization management and administration, personnel administration, law enforcement operations, training, forensic examination, and inmate and court-related services. Accreditation typically includes an extensive review of an agency’s policies, procedures and protocols as well as an on-site inspection and interviews with key personnel.
Honor Roll
- Deputy Sheriff Cleveland V. Jacobs - End of Watch: September 14, 1922
- Deputy Sheriff Robert O. Moore - End of Watch: June 9, 1975
- Reserve Deputy George A. Pfeil - End of Watch: December 29, 1977
- Deputy Sheriff Hugh Ellis Thomas Jr. - End of Watch: March 28, 1989
- Deputy Sheriff Eugene Andrew Gregory - End of Watch: July 8, 1998
- Deputy Sheriff Matt Miller – End of Watch: December 26, 2011
