Specialized Units

The Criminal Investigation Division is comprised of Persons Crimes, Property Crimes, Computer Crimes, and Economic Crimes. In addition, Crime Scene Investigators, and Victim’s Advocates are specialized civilian positions that support this division. The primary responsibility of this division is to investigate all reported criminal activities that occur within the City of Port St. Lucie. All criminal cases are reviewed by the Criminal Investigations Division for analysis and comparison with existing crime trends and establishing new crime trend data. The initial investigation is initiated by road patrol and reviewed by CID. Then the case is either closed, assigned for follow-up, or assigned as information. Cases from an identified hot spot, series, or spree are assigned to the same detective.

This is a full-time specialized assignment that encompasses Detectives who receive advanced investigative training, conduct interviews, and investigate criminal activity.

The Bike Patrol Unit is a police bicycle unit which is a collateral assignment. The Unit consists of eight specially trained officers certified in police bicycling operations. By using bicycles, they have the advantage of being able to traverse any area in the city as well as those areas where vehicles cannot. Bicycles are capable of maneuvering swiftly and safely through congested vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and therefore, are a proactive tool. Bicycles are often silent and difficult to see, providing the bike patrol officer with an advantage when attempting to apprehend offenders who are in the process of committing crimes.

PSLPD bike officers have repeatedly demonstrated their value as a rapid response resource at parades, concerts, and numerous other special events. The community gains many of the advantages of a "beat officer" without the loss of mobility that dedicating an officer to foot patrol causes, and the officers can interact with and learn from the community. The Unit also focuses on bicycle safety programs and bicycle registrations.

The K-9 Unit is comprised of specially trained police dogs and their police officer handlers. The use of canines is imperative in the fight against crime and protects officers and the community. The K-9s utilize their indispensable abilities of smell, sight, speed, and agility in tracking and apprehending felony suspects, locating missing persons and conducting area/building searches.

The K-9 Unit is a full-time assignment consisting of five K-9 Teams, four of which are trained for Patrol and Narcotics Detection and one that is trained for Patrol and Explosives Detection. The K-9 Unit trains every Wednesday and they work on various patrol shifts.

The Marine Unit is tasked with the responsibility of patrolling Port St. Lucie’s navigable waterways. The City of Port St. Lucie is home to early 20 miles of the St. Lucie River which leads to the Atlantic Ocean about 70 miles from Grand Bahama Island. This is accomplished with the use of a patrol boat that is kept on a lift for rapid deployment and a small, trailered skiff for operations conducted in shallow water or landlocked bodies of water.

The Unit’s primary focus is boating safety, as well as the protection of waterfront properties and the numerous environmentally sensitive areas located within the City’s boundaries.

This is a collateral assignment that consists of nine officers who are specially trained to conduct marine law enforcement as well as search and rescue.

The Traffic Unit Officers are responsible for enforcing Florida's Uniform Traffic Laws, investigating vehicle crashes, providing traffic control and escorts for VIP motorcades, community activities such as parades, funeral escorts, and other assignments that may arise. Its main purpose is to reduce traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities related to crashes and facilitate the safe and expeditious flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic through education and enforcement of State and local traffic regulations.

The members of this Unit are tasked with patrolling in marked and unmarked vehicles, and motorcycles, specifically targeting drivers violating traffic laws, and who may be under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and aggressive driving offenders. These officers receive specialized training in the investigation of serious injury crashes and may receive additional training in the investigation and reconstruction of traffic fatalities. These officers also undertake directed assignments that target high-frequency crash locations (which results in a reduction of crashes), speed enforcement and intensified D.U.I. enforcement.

This unit is a full-time assignment that includes Traffic Homicide Investigations, Traffic Enforcement, and Police Motorcycles.

The Port St. Lucie Police Department maintains the highest standards of professionalism with its training unit. Primarily, the officers are to ensure that all personnel receive the proper training and certification for each person’s job assignment and rank. The Training Staff works closely with outside agencies and academies in the development of training programs for basic recruits and experienced officers.

The Training Unit consists of three full-time Training Coordinators and a collateral assignment for 20 Department Instructors. The Training Coordinators are tasked with researching, developing, and coordinating training for the PSLPD employees including sworn, civilians, and 160 volunteers. The Training Coordinators are responsible for maintaining training records per the criteria and standards set forth by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission. The Training Coordinators must also ensure the training follows all departmental guidelines that are governed by accreditation standards, and state and local laws.

The Special Investigations Division is comprised of Vice, Intelligence, Narcotic, and Gang investigations. This includes the activities of organized crime, prostitution, gambling, sale and distribution of controlled substances, gang activity and weapons violations. The Division utilizes proactive policing techniques to reduce part one crime, eradicates all levels of drug/vice activity and is responsive to support community concerns and needs. The Division also works in partnership with federal, state and local agencies in a variety of criminal investigations including money laundering, organized crime, drug trafficking and smuggling, and homeland security.

The Special Investigations Unit operates under the philosophy that residents should demand a safe, non-violent, drug-free neighborhood in which to live, work and raise their families. Members of the S.I.D. are dedicated to proactive strategies targeting street-level dealers and users that negatively impact your neighborhood and deprive you of a feeling of safety and security. They work closely with members of the District Attorney’s Office.

This is a full-time assignment that is responsible for the investigation and enforcement of all vice-related laws of the State of Florida and applicable federal laws of the United States.

The mission of the School Resource Officer (SRO) is to provide a safe and secure learning environment for students and staff at public schools within the City and to act as a liaison between the school administration and the Police Department. They provide security at their respective school, handle criminal complaints and routine calls for service on campus, teach classes, provide security at after-school events, mentor at-risk youth, and develop intelligence.

This is a full-time assignment consisting of five school resource officers assigned to three public high schools, one charter high school, and one charter elementary school.

The Special Weapons and Tactics Team is a specialized unit within the PSLPD comprised of highly trained members. Since its implementation, the S.W.A.T. Team’s goal has been to provide for the safe execution of search warrants, dignitary protection and hostage negotiation situations. The S.W.A.T. Team provides a tactical response to barricaded subjects, active shooter incidents, terrorism and the handling of any critical incident which would require extensive tactical skills. S.W.A.T. provides the City of Port St. Lucie with a self-sufficient tactical team, utilizing special skills and tools.

SWAT Duties & Responsibilities:

The SWAT Team is a collateral assignment which consists of 39 members and five elements:

1. The Entry Team is the largest of the five elements and is comprised of 21 members who are specially trained with weapons and tactics.
2. The Breaching Team is comprised of four members who are responsible for forcibly opening secured doors and clearing blocked avenues of entrance for the SWAT team to make their safe entry. They are trained in ballistic, mechanical, explosive, and thermal breaching.
3. The Sniper Team is comprised of four members who specialize in precision long-rifle marksmanship. Their main objective is to obtain real-time intelligence and relay this information back to SWAT Team Leadership.
4. The Crisis Negotiations Team is comprised of five members who are considered a valuable link in saving the life of the person in crisis through the science of talking tactics.
5. The Technical Team consists of five members who are specially trained in the use of drones, robots and other technical tools.