Domestic Security Division
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 Division gathers criminal intelligence information for the purpose of tracking and identifying emerging crime patterns and developing enforcement and prevention strategies.
The Domestic Security Division is comprised of: the Offender Management Unit, the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Fugitive Apprehension, EMPACT & Sex Offender Team (F.A.S.T.), Felon Registrars, and Crime Analysis and Research.
The Offender Management Unit is responsible for the identification, monitoring, and suppression of criminal activity by the most prolific offenders in Seminole County. The Offender Management Unit works closely with the State Attorney's Office to ensure a successful prosecution of these offenders in order to reduce their negative impact on our citizens. Additionally, the unit investigates all gang-related activity occurring within Seminole County.
The CTU conducts domestic security investigations, gathers terrorism intelligence information and actively coordinates with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange (Fusion Center). The Domestic Security Division has a full time investigator dedicated to intelligence gathering and sharing of information relating to the security of our nation, and an investigator dedicated to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. SCSO’s Domestic Security Division heads up the Intelligence Liaison Officer program. Specially trained deputies from the Sheriff’s Office and all municipalities within Seminole County serve as a conduit of information between uniformed patrol deputy sheriffs and police officers and the intelligence community. They report suspicious activity to the Homeland Security Investigator and/or directly to the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange, which analyzes and distributes the information on a regional, state, or national level as appropriate.
Investigators assigned to F.A.S.T. execute arrest warrants and monitor registered sexual offenders/predators residing within Seminole County and work with county and state probation to conduct compliance checks on supervised offenders.
The Felon Registrars oversee offender management, in accordance with Florida State Statutes. The unit is responsible for the registration of all registered felons, which include: all convicted felons, sexual offenders, sexual predators and federal offenders. By law, any person convicted of a felony in Florida, in any federal court, in any court of a state other than Florida, or of any foreign state or country, for a crime if committed in Florida would be a felony, “shall, within 48 hours after entering any county in this state, register with the Sheriff of said county, be fingerprinted and photographed, and list the crime for which convicted, place of conviction, sentence imposed, if any, name, aliases, if any, address, and occupation.” The offender must report in person to the Sheriff. Or, in lieu of the Sheriff, the offender may report to FDLE.
Within the Division, intelligence analysts and crime analysts in the Crime Analysis and Research Unit share many responsibilities. During major case investigations they assist investigators by conducting background checks, developing charts that depict associations between individuals, and creating timelines, and photo lineups. Analysts are also responsible for crime mapping, identifying crime trends, and producing crime reports.