Seminole County Sheriff's Office (Florida)

Seminole County Sheriff's Office
Abbreviation SCSO

Patch of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office
Agency overview
Formed 1913
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction* County (US) of Seminole in the state of Florida, USA
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 Dennis M. Lemma, Sheriff
Facilities
Stations 4
Website
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 Dennis M. Lemma who took office on January 3, 2017.


Office of the Sheriff

The Sheriff provides the overall leadership, strategic direction and management for the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff is charged with the responsibility of maintaining the public peace and protecting the lives and property of all citizens in Seminole County. The Sheriff serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the county and his four main responsibilities while serving the public are: conservator of the peace, chief correctional officer, chief bailiff, and executive officer of circuit and county courts.The Office of the Sheriff includes the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of the Chief of Staff.

The Office of the General Counsel, which manages all legal issues associated with the agency’s patrol, investigations, jail, juvenile and child protective services functions. The Office of General Counsel is responsible for agency representation, preparing legal opinions and legislative proposals, training, contract review, and monitoring civil litigation.

The Office of the Chief of Staff is an extension of the Office of the Sheriff and is responsible for leading agency-wide strategic initiatives, serving as a liaison to external stakeholders, and steering employee engagement and community outreach efforts. This office also oversees the Public Affairs and Professional Standards Divisions as well as manages the agency’s non-profit organization and two community advisory boards.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 public relations. The Division administers the agency’s volunteer program and houses the Public Information Unit, Code Enforcement Team, School Crossing Guard Program, Volunteer Services and the Neighborhood Services Unit. 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. It also houses the Professional Development Section which ensures SCSO’s workforce receives the training and instruction necessary to effectively carry out duties and maintain compliance with state training standards.

Department of Law Enforcement

The Department of Law Enforcement includes the Seminole Neighborhood Policing Division, Diversified Investigative Services Division, Domestic Security Division, City-County Investigative Bureau, Special Operations Division and the Forensic Laboratory Services Division. The Seminole Neighborhood Policing Division which provides all uniformed patrol activities, conducts general investigations, and delivers a variety of safety and prevention services. 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 City County Investigative Bureau is a full-time, multi-agency task force composed of agents from the SCSO, seven of the police departments within Seminole County, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the U.S Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Amtrak/Auto train and is headed by a Captain. The Forensic Laboratory Division provides timely, expert and professional examination of evidentiary materials to aid in the investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses

Department of Youth Services

The Department of Youth Services includes the Child Protective Services Division, the Juvenile Justice Division and the School Safety Division. Child Protective Services conducts child protective investigations (SCSO is one of six Florida Sheriffs Offices to contract with the Department of Children and Families to assume this responsibility). The Division also houses the Crimes Against Children Unit. The Juvenile Justice Division offers a broad-based spectrum of services to target and address the unique issues that perpetuate juvenile crime. This division includes the Juvenile Assessment Center, the Juvenile Detention Center, and the Youth Services Prevention and Enforcement Center. The School Safety Division leads the safety and security initiatives for all schools throughout Seminole County, regardless of jurisdiction. It also houses all of our school resource deputies.

Department of Administrative Services

The Department of Administrative Services supports the human, fiscal, and business functions of the agency. Fiscal Services handles budget preparation and payroll, accounts payable, contracts maintenance, facilities, fleet and purchasing. Human Resources coordinates employee hiring, records, benefits, recruitment and health and wellness. Grant Management evaluates, applies for and maintains all grant accounts within the Sheriff’s Office. The Technology Solutions 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 and five municipalities within the county.

Department of Corrections and Judicial Services

The Department of Corrections and Judicial Services is divided into six divisions: Court Services and Transportation, Administrative Services/Intake, Security Operations Services, Inmate Healthcare Services, Probation and Probation Certificates. The Court Services and Transportation Division includes full law enforcement services for the three judicial facilities within Seminole County: the Criminal Justice Center, Juvenile Justice Center and Civil Courthouse as well as prisoner transport. The Division is charged with ensuring these facilities are secure and able to conduct court-related functions for the 18th Judicial Circuit of Florida. The division also houses the The Civil Section who carry out the sheriff’s statutory responsibility for the service of process and execution of writs. This department is responsible for detention services and manages the care, custody and control of inmates incarcerated at the county jail which is known as the John E. Polk Correctional Facility (JEPCF). The mission of JEPCF is to provide a secure facility that ensures the safety of the public, provides a safe working climate for employees, and offers humane and safe living conditions for inmates. Within the JEPCF is the Administrative Services/Intake Division which includes inmate classification, inmate programs and reentry, and intake/release, the Security Operations division which includes security, special management, food services, and laundry, as well as the Inmate Healthcare Services Division which includes all inmate medical and mental health services. The Probation Division includes county probation, EMPACT monitoring and other probation functions. The Probation Certifications Division oversees probation accreditation and certification, correctional volunteers, civilian training, and special projects.

Accreditation

The Seminole County Sheriff's Office is currently accredited by eight independent, accrediting bodies:


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 (line of duty deaths)

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