FORT LAUDERDALE: Area Served by South Florida Criminal Defense Attorney
Fort Lauderdale is a city located on the southeast coast of Broward County, Florida, with a population of 182,827 people. Fort Lauderdale is the largest city in Broward County, and the 10th largest city in Florida.
Fort Lauderdale has an overall crime rate of 56 per 1,000 residents. The city averages 6 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, annually. Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery, and assault. With a yearly average of 1,031 violent crimes and 9,197 property crimes, the city sees a total of 10,228 crimes.
Learn about our Fort Lauderdale Office law office!
Why you need a Fort Lauderdale Criminal Attorney:
Fort Lauderdale is a huge city; with that, comes a higher crime rate than most small towns and cities in Florida.
Fort Lauderdale has its own local police department with specialty units such as the DUI task force.
Our office works closely and frequently with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department to get the best case scenario for our clients, and our team of criminal defense attorneys, led by Adam and Manny, are well-acquainted with many of its officers.
Rossen Law Firm is based in Fort Lauderdale & Broward County, so our attorneys are experienced with the judges and their tendencies in court, giving us the advantage of knowing which legal arguments to make based on your case.
For a free strategy session, call us today at 754-206-6200 or 754-999-2499 to schedule a meeting with our attorneys to see what we can do for you.
- Click here to see how we got a DUI Car Crash charge in Fort Lauderdale reduced to only a reckless driving charge.
- See how we got a Shipping Marijuana and THC Edibles charge in Fort Lauderdale dismissed, with no arrest for our client.
- Click here to see how Rossen Law Firm got a case dismissal on a Domestic Violence charge in Fort Lauderdale.
Fort Lauderdale Crime data from Florida Department of Law Enforcement:
Fort Lauderdale Average Annual Crime Rates
| Violent Crimes | Property Crimes |
|
|
The total crime index for Fort Lauderdale is 10,056. From 2017 to 2018, the crime index decreased about 9%. The crime rate was 5,500 per 100,000 people in 2018, which was an 11% decrease from 2017.
To see a crime map of Fort Lauderdale, click here.
Fort Lauderdale Law Enforcement
Fort Lauderdale Police Department
Charges pressed by FTLPD require solid criminal defense
Within the city limits of Fort Lauderdale, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department has jurisdiction.
The city has various divisions, departments, and bureaus that aim to reduce crime and enhance the overall quality of life to residents. The Operations Bureau is the body responsible for delivering police services throughout the city. With a total of 427 individuals, the bureau is overseen by the Chief of Police, the Assistant Chief, 1 Major, 5 Captains, 9 Shift Lieutenants, 39 Sergeants, 298 sworn officers, 35 public service aides and 39 support staff civilians. The department responds to around 200,000 calls for service, records over 17,000 arrests, and issues more than 60,000 traffic citations yearly.
There is also a Support Services Bureau that consists of four divisions: Facilities, Records, Administrative Support and Budget and Finance.
The Investigative Bureau has the Criminal Investigation Division, Special Investigation Division, and the Street Crimes Division. Fort Lauderdale Police Department has its own DUI Task Force, where all officers utilize in-car cameras and body-worn cameras.
FLPD DUI Task Force Members Rossen Law Firm has worked with:
- Sergeant Jonathan Bohm
- Jason Fithian
- Kayla Keating
- James Carter
- Nathan Stoner
If you are looking to search for sexual offender and predator information in Fort Lauderdale, or anywhere in South Florida, you can do so at the system created by Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Fort Lauderdale Police Department
1300 W. Broward Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Phone: 954-764-4357
Police Chief: Rick Maglione
Sheriff’s Office for Fort Lauderdale
Outside the city limits of Fort Lauderdale, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office handles incidents and offers support to the area.
Sheriff Gregory Tony oversees BSO. The Sheriff’s Office has 16 districts. BSO’s services include a Child Protective Investigations Section, a Civil Division and a Department of Law Enforcement. In addition to road patrol and other operations, special BSO units include a Bomb Squad, a K-9 (canine) unit, School resource deputy unit and more. Community programs including drug court, in-custody behavioral services, probation division, employment services programs, and more.
BSO also supports texting to 911 if calling is not an option.
Broward Sheriff’s Office – Headquarters
2601 West Broward Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Phone: (954) 831-8901
Sheriff: Gregory Tony
Broward Sheriff’s Office DUI Task Force
The Broward Sheriff’s office contains a DUI Unit that specializes in the control and prevention of driving under the influence of Alcohol and Drugs. This specialized unit possesses three separate divisions that include the DUI Task Force, DUI/Breath Alcohol Testing (also known as BAT), and BAT Video. Within each division there are specially trained deputies who work together to enforce DUI Laws, process individuals who are arrested for DUIs, and aim to increase the knowledge surrounding the issues that arise when one drives under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
BSO’s DUI Unit includes:
- Yvette Washington
- Joshua Sapp
- Brittany Armstrong
- Sean Strazalkowski
- Steven Serphos
To learn more about Broward’s sheriff’s special units, visit BSO’s website.
Fort Lauderdale Court System
Fort Lauderdale Courts are part of the 17th Judicial Circuit, which encompasses all of Broward County. Any cases that are appealed are handled in the 4th District Courts of Appeal in West Palm Beach.
There are four Broward County Courthouses. The Central Courthouse, North Regional Courthouse, South Regional Courthouse, and West Regional Courthouse are collectively referred to as “the “Broward County Courthouses.”
The Broward Court System has a total of 90 judges and 11 magistrates. The Chief Judge, Jack Tuter, was first elected in 2017.
Main Courthouse
201 S.E. 6th Street,
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301
North Regional Courthouse
1600 West Hillsboro Boulevard,
Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442
South Regional Courthouse
3550 Hollywood Boulevard,
Hollywood, Florida 33021
West Regional Courthouse
100 North Pine Island Road, Plantation, Florida 33324
Cases handled in Court from Fort Lauderdale
Broward’s Main Courthouse handles many types of cases, including: circuit civil, county appeal, felonies, county civil, county criminal, domestic violence, misdemeanor and felony mental health and drug court, unified family court, probate and guardianship, foreclosures, juvenile delinquency, dependency and traffic cases.
Rossen Law Firm defends misdemeanor and felony criminal cases including: DUI, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, petit and grand theft, fraud, trespassing, domestic violence injunctions, drug possession and trafficking, burglary, robbery, criminal mischief and sex crimes.
Fort Lauderdale Jails or Detention Centers
The Broward Sheriff’s Office manages 4 different jails:
Main Jail Bureau
555 SE 1st Ave,
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
The Joseph V. Conte Facility
1351 NW 27th Avenue,
Pompano Beach, FL 33069
North Broward Bureau
1550 NW 30th Avenue,
Pompano Beach, FL 33069
Paul Rein Detention Facility
2421 NW 16 Street,
Pompano Beach, FL 33069
Fort Lauderdale City Commission Information
Fort Lauderdale’s city government includes Mayor Dean Trantalis and 4 city commissioners: Heather Moraitis, Steven Glassman, Robert L. McKinzie and Ben Sorensen. Fort Lauderdale’s City manager is Chris Lagerbloom.
Fort Lauderdale City Hall
100 North Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
City Clerk: Jeffrey A. Modarelli
Phone: 954-828-5002
Email: [email protected]
Arrested in Fort Lauderdale, Florida? Schedule your FREE Criminal Defense Consultation today:
- Fort Lauderdale: 754-206-6200
- Sunrise: 754-999-2499
- Boca Raton: 561-880-8181
