Bias Policing Prohibited

Law enforcement officers are required to be observant, to identify unusual occurrences and law violations and to act upon them. It is this proactive enforcement that keeps our citizens free from crime, our streets and highway safe to drive upon and that detects and apprehends criminals.

It is the policy of the Pinecrest Police Department to patrol in a proactive manner, to aggressively investigate suspicious persons and circumstances and to actively enforce the motor vehicle laws, while insisting that citizens will only be stopped or detained when there exists reasonable suspicion and/or probable cause to believe they have committed, are committing or are about to commit an infraction of the law.

The detention, interdiction or other disparate treatment of any person on the basis of their racial or ethnic status or characteristics (bias based profiling) in traffic contacts, field contacts and in asset seizure and forfeiture efforts is prohibited and a cause for disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal; Traffic enforcement will be accompanied by consistent, ongoing supervision to ensure that officers do not go beyond the parameters of reasonableness in conducting such activities.

Any person may file a complaint with the Pinecrest Police Department if they feel they have been stopped or searched based on racial, ethnic or gender based profiling and no person shall be discouraged, intimidated or coerced from filing such a complaint or discriminated against because they have filed such a complaint. The supervisor receiving such a report shall forward it following the departments standard complaint procedures. The report and the reviewer’s conclusion shall be forwarded to the Chief of Police and filed in the department's Internal Affairs files, and shall contain findings and any suggestions for disciplinary action or changes in policy, training or tactics.

For further information about complaint and internal investigation procedures, or if you would like to commend one of our dedicated employees, please contact the department at 305.234.2100 or visit the Pinecrest Police Department at 12645 Pinecrest Parkway to speak with a shift supervisor.