Seminole County, Florida Sheriff's Office

Infobox Police Department
name = Seminole County Sheriff's Office

motto =
established = 1913
jurisdiction = County
sworn =
non-sworn =
CSO =
stations = 7 (incl.HQ)
jails = John E. Polk Correctional Facility
helicopters =
policeboats =
chief =
sheriff = Donald F. Eslinger
commissioner =
supervisor =

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 1,000 sworn and civilian employees and keeping the county's crime rate among the lowest in Central Florida.

Organization

The Sheriff's Office is organized into two major groups, Operations and Administrative Services, each headed by a Chief. Operations is headed by Chief Deputy Steve Harriett who is also the Chief Deputy Sheriff and second in command. Administrative Services is headed by Chief Penny Fleming.

Operations consists of law enforcement and law enforcement investigative services which includes the Departments of Neighborhood Policing and Diversified Investigative Services. Administrative Services consists of administrative support to include staff and financial services, information services, and the Department of Corrections.

Department of Neighborhood Policing

Headed by Chief Deputy Steve Harriett, it provides county wide law enforcement and community support services in support of neighborhood policing; provides support service to the community with the intent of developing a functional community/law enforcement relationship; conducts all uniform patrol activities, general criminal investigations, and other related law enforcement and community support functions.

The patrol function of the Department is referred to as Seminole Neighborhood Policing (SNP) and is organized into 6 districts.

* District 2 - Sanford and part of Lake Mary
* District 3 - Lake Mary and part of Longwood
* District 4 - Oviedo, Chuluota, Geneva, Black Hammock, Jamestown, Slavia
* District 5 - Winter Springs, Casselberry, Longwood (32750)
* District 6 - Altamonte Springs, Casselberry
* District 7 - Western Seminole County to include Longwood (32779)

The Special Operations Division provides specialized equipment and personnel to support the enforcement, investigative, and crime prevention objectives of the Sheriff's Office, including canine, range and water, and tactical air.

Department of Metro Services

Headed by Director William Kennedy, Metro Services provides county-wide law enforcement and community support services essential to the fulfillment of the Sheriff's Office neighborhood policing mission. City-County Investigative Bureau is responsible for multi-jurisdictional investigations of criminal activity relating to narcotics, vice, and organized crime. Diversified Investigative Services conducts investigations into major crimes that require protracted or in-depth specialized investigations; and it provides agency wide support functions in crime analysis, crime prevention, and evidence management. The Emergency Services Division addresses law enforcement needs that cannot be met by other elements of the Sheriff's Office. The Juvenile Assessment Center operates in conjunction with allied and legal social service providers and serves as a central incarceration facility for criminal and non-criminal juvenile offenders. The Division of Juvenile Crime Enforcement and Intervention provides a concentrated agency-wide focus on juvenile crime prevention and intervention in areas such as Drug abuse and resistance education, gang suppression, School Resource Deputies, and Youth Deputies. Professional Standards Division administers the functions of accreditation management, the Wellness Program, and investigates allegation of employee misconduct.

Administrative Services

Headed by Chief Penny Fleming, it provides support, direction, and management for specific operations of the Sheriff's Office. The Employee Relations Division oversees employment recruitment, hiring, employee support assistance, performance evaluation, promotional examinations, and employment separations. Financial Services oversees budget requests, prepares the annual budget, and monitors and approves day to day expenditures. Information Services Division provides telecommunications and electronic information processing support. The Training and Career Development Division addresses the training needs of the Sheriff's Office.

:Communications Center:Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week processing approximately 2,000 calls for service daily the communications center is equipped with state-of-the-art E911 and cellular GPS locating technology. In addition to unincorporated Seminole County service calls are also handled for the cities of Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Longwood, and Sanford Police Departments.

Department of Corrections

Headed by Director David Diggs, the county DOC provides correction and detention services for all of Seminole County (sheriff and all 7 municipal agencies), including the care, custody, and control of inmates incarcerated at the county jail (John E. Polk Correctional Facility).

Accreditation

The Seminole County Sheriff's Office became the first accredited law enforcement agency in Seminole County in 1995. The John E. Polk Correctional Facility also holds accredited status, having received accreditation from the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission in 2003 and comparative compliance accreditation with the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation. In January 2007 the jail received accreditation from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care within 9 months of application despite the national average of over 2 years.

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

External links

* [http://www.seminolesheriff.org/ Seminole County Sheriff's Office (Official Site)]
* [http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/links/FlaSheriff.html FDLE List of Sheriffs]
* [http://www.odmp.org/agency.php?agencyid=3524 The Officer Down Memorial Page]