The primary function of the Special Investigations Unit is the enforcement of all laws and ordinances pertaining to drugs, prostitution and other sex related crimes, gambling, money laundering, alcoholic beverages and tobacco. The secondary function of the Unit is gathering and disseminating of intelligence information relating to individuals or groups that are suspected of being involved with the crimes mentioned above; in particular those activities involving organized or syndicated groups. Unit detectives follow up on all suspected violations reported by citizens and uniformed patrol officers. They also initiate their own investigations from personal observations and from information provided to them by confidential sources.

A majority of the crimes investigated by the Special Investigations Unit originate outside of the city limits of Winter Park, but are carried into the City from many other cities, states and countries. Given this knowledge and understanding, the Department has assigned Unit personnel to tasks and duties that will be most effective in stemming the flow of such activity into the City. Two of the six detectives assigned to the Unit pursue illegal activities occurring within the City. A third detective is assigned to the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI), and is mainly concerned with illegal activity within the Central Florida area. A fourth detective works with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), whose major emphasis is the enforcement of the drug smuggling laws. A fifth detective is assigned to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force (HIDTA), which is a separate branch of the Drug Enforcement Administration. The HIDTA task force focuses on Heroin-related crimes, and its impact on the communities adjacent to the Interstate-4 corridor. A sixth detective is assigned to the recently funded Saint Cloud Internal Revenue Service - Secret Service (SCIRS-SS) task force, and is responsible for investigating suspected money laundering operations. A detective sergeant supervises all of the Unit’s detectives, and coordinates all of their efforts so that inter-agency cooperation remains smooth, efficient, and effective. Unit detectives obtain probable cause for search warrants, arrest warrants and for prosecution purposes by operating in an undercover or covert capacity including reverse sting operations and conducting court-sanctioned electronic surveillance.

The cooperation between the detectives and agents of these various law enforcement agencies is so comprehensive that each task force’s cases frequently interrelate with the others. The City, MBI, HIDTA, DEA and SCIRS-SS detectives and agents all enlist each other's assistance so that jurisdictional boundaries, are never limiting to an investigation, and additional resources are available to enhance the investigative process. Moreover, all of these agencies have a counterpart in other counties, states and countries to call upon for additional assistance. The agents and detectives assigned to these agencies do whatever is necessary to bring an offender before the appropriate court of jurisdiction, from street level interdiction to court ordered interception of telephone conversations.

If you have any questions about the Special Investigations Unit please contact  Sgt. Will McCurdy at 407-599-3667 or wmccurdy@cityofwinterpark.org.