Tampa Police Department - Structure, Roles & Activities
The Tampa Police Department is in charge of combating crime and conducting law enforcement tasks in the city of Tampa, FL. The department consists of 1,000 sworn police officers and around 350 civilians who provide backup and assistance to the regular officers.
Tampa police force is composed of four specialized units; each has its own specific tasks and responsibilities.
- The Street Anti-Crime Squads (known as SAC) engage in crime prevention across all the districts. They are in charge of combating prostitution, robbery and burglary. They also deal with car thefts.
- The Quick Uniformed Attack on Drugs Squads (referred to as Q.U.A.D.) operate to stop street drug trade.
- The Crime Prevention Practitioners deal with community policing. They interact with the local population to rid the neighborhoods of criminal activity. They supervise neighborhood watch teams and function as a connecting factor between the city's residents and Tampa Police Department. They operate across all of the city's districts.
- The District Latent Investigation Squads are the department's detective force. They are attached to the city's districts and they are responsible for investigating property related crimes. They also investigate assault cases.
The District Units
Tampa's municipal area is divided into 3 districts assigned to patrol divisions. Each patrol division consists of 12 -14 squads. District one encompasses the areas of Davis Islands, west side and Tampa's peninsula. District two includes the city's northern areas, among which are Hunters Green, Tampa Palms and Busch Gardens while district three covers the eastern parts of the city – Ybor City, Downtown and also Port Tampa Bay.
Tampa crime rates
More than 387,000 people reside in Tampa. The total number of crimes committed in 2021 reached 8,438, of which 2,146 were violent crimes and 6,292 were property crimes. To be more precise, the city's police officers had to deal with 41 murders, 105 rapes, 329 robberies, 1,671 assault cases, 938 burglaries, 4,674 thefts and 680 motor vehicle thefts.
Statistically speaking, there were 0.11 murders, 0.27 rapes, 0.85 robberies and 4.34 assaults for every 1,000 residents. 71 crimes occurred per 1 square mile (in all of Florida, the figure is 45). A person's chances of becoming a victim of a violent crime were 1 in 170 (1 in 258 in Florida). A person's chances of becoming a victime of a property crime was 1 in 61 (1i n 56 in Florida) In terms of crime index, Tampa is considered safer than 25 per cent of all cities across the United States.
Conducting a Tampa criminal background check
To inquire about warrants and arrest records issued in Tampa, the best thing you can do is turn to City of Tampa Public Records Center and file a request to watch police records. You can do that online at https://cityoftampa.govqa.us/WEBAPP/_rs/(S(dutrfmw2fcn4svhywfrf2ept))/SupportHome.aspx?sSessionID=
It is also advisable to use broader county resources so as to garner information on a person's criminal history. To undertake a Hillsborough County warrant search turn to the sheriff office. You have two options:
- You can visit them and view their databases. They are located in Tampa at 2008 E. 8th Ave. Their phone number is 813-247-8000.
- You have the option of using their online warrant search tool (webapps.hcso.tampa.fl.us/WarrantInquiry). To initiate the inquiry you will have to fill in the person's name, race, sex or DOB.
There is another much more extensive tool you could utilize for your background check. The FDLE's wanted persons search shows outstanding warrants issued in all of Florida.
Lastly, the sheriff office also puts at your disposal an arrest search tool (https://webapps.hcso.tampa.fl.us/ArrestInquiry) to help you trace local arrest records. You can sort out results by a detaniee's name, booking date or booking number.