Field Operations

The District is mandated to have a minimum of one (1) officer per campus while instruction is occurring.
The SSO’s are responsible for all basic law enforcement services on their assigned campuses.

SSO’s also provide law enforcement services after classes have been dismissed for the day. SSO’s are in
operation county wide for any law enforcement matters reported which may have occurred during the
school day, but are reported after hours. SSO’s staff Adult Education programs and extracurricular
events held on campuses.

Detectives assigned to CID are responsible for conducting in depth investigations which occur within
School Police’s jurisdiction. These investigations can include but are not limited to crimes against
persons, crimes against property, missing persons and social media threat cases.

The Evidence Unit is part of CID and is responsible for maintaining all evidence and property recovered
by SSO’s. Citizens who need to make appointments to recover evidence should call 561-969-5871 or
email schoolpoliceevidence@palmbeachschools.org. The Evidence Unit will need a case number to
review the case and make an appointment. Case numbers can be obtained from the School Police
Records Unit.

Youth Court is the Department’s Diversion program for first time offenders. If the offender meets
certain criteria, they are eligible to participate in the program. Officers in Youth Court arbitrate the
offense with the student and parent, establish sanctions and work with the student to successfully
complete the program. If student successfully completes the program, the criminal charges are diverted
and the charge does not appear on the student’s arrest record.

The Field Operations Bureau also has a variety of specialty units which include:

• K9 Unit which is comprised of article search dogs and therapy dogs.
• Emergency Field Force (EFF)
• Emergency Services Unit (ESU)
• Honor Guard