MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF It is my honor to provide leadership to the men and women of this outstanding police department. The agency consistently demonstrates extraordinary commitment to serving and protecting the citizens of our City, day and night. They work tirelessly to build strong partnerships with our residents, business owners, community leaders and visitors. My primary goal is to build bridges in the community, and to increase engagement particularly with the youth of our City who face the complicated challenges of today’s world. Community partnership is vital to our efforts to reduce and solve crime. We continue to engage community stakeholders and our law enforcement partners in our efforts to reduce crime and to bring justice to victims and their family members.
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We have come a long way since the agency was first established in Fort Myers in 1885. Before that, the closest law enforcement was the Sheriff stationed in Key West - not exactly around the corner! On August 12, 1885, the villagers (yes, Fort Myers was then a village with a population of 349!) gathered at "The Academy," a school on the corner of Second and Jackson Streets, to appoint Columbus L. Oliver to be the first Marshal of Fort Myers. His first assignment was to use police power to stop the cowboys from disturbing the peace with their boisterous celebrations.
Over the past 130+ years, under the leadership of the succession of 22 marshals and 22 chiefs, changes at the police department have reflected the tremendous growth of the City, resulting in a department today that has more than ____staff with officers and administration. In addition to personnel, the department has experienced an evolution in technology, training, vehicles and community engagement - moving forward every day to do their best to protect and serve the community.
