The FSDB Police Department provides 24/7 law enforcement, security, and access control for the campus. The sworn law enforcement officers are also all trained and certified as School Resource Officers (SROs). The Department’s mission is to provide a safe, crime free and drug free environment for the education of sensory impaired students and to help equip students with the tools and responsibilities needed to live productive, law abiding, and rewarding lives.

The Department was created by the Florida state legislature, and established operations in 1994 with three officers. Today, the campus police department has 20 employees; 11 are sworn police officers and 9 are nonsworn support staff members. The officers are each officers of the state, meeting all of the requirements for certification by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Criminal Justice & Standards Training Commission, and have the full authority of police officers.

Among the services provided by the Department are: law enforcement; security; access control procedures; visitor ID management; security video surveillance monitoring; fire alarm monitoring; severe weather monitoring; emergency alert notifications on campus; emergency preparedness response and management; fingerprinting and level 2 background screening for employment; SRO program, bicycle safety programs; bullying prevention efforts; DARE (drug abuse prevention education); crime prevention programs; conducting security assessments; parking and traffic enforcement; special event and crowd control management; and public relations.

All parents, visitors, contractors and delivery drivers are required to display a valid photo identification (preferably a state issued ID card or driver license) when requesting access into the campus so that searches can be conducted on the national and state sexual offender/predator registries.

Visitors should enter the campus through the Genoply Street entrance that intersects with San Marco Avenue, and then proceed to the guardhouse to check in with Campus Police.

Visitors, contractors and delivery drivers should be prepared to inform Campus Police with the name of the school staff they are on campus to meet with, the purpose of their visit and the location on campus they are requesting to access. Visitors should also have their visits and appointments with school staff prescheduled before arriving to campus to prevent unnecessary delays.

During July 2013, FSDB received school safety awards of significance at two separate events. The School Safety Advocacy Council presented FSDB with the 2013 National Exemplary School Safety Award. Florida State Attorney General Bondi and the Florida Association of School Resource Officers gave recognition to FSDB Police Officer Kelly Thomas as the 2013 School Resource Officer of the Year. See links below for more specifics.