Chief's Corner

Robert C. Merchant, Jr.
Chief of Police
(407) 571-8192
Chief@altamonte.org

More than anything, being a law enforcement professional with the Altamonte Springs Police Department means commitment. Commitment to the mission, vision, and values of the organization.  Commitment to our core values – Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, and Excellence.  Commitment to the community-oriented philosophy developed with input from our citizens, our City Commission, our City Manager, and our partner City Departments.  Our professionals are not only committed to being intolerant of criminal activity, they are committed to the excellence in customer service mandated by our community partnerships.

One of the ways we measure of our commitment to excellence is through weekly customer satisfaction surveys of crime victims, traffic violators, and arrestees.  Implemented in 1987, the surveys help us gauge the level of service being provided by the organization.  While one might expect surveying the people we arrest or issue citations to, along with the victims of crimes, would produce relatively negative responses, over the last five years 83 percent of those who come in contact with employees of this agency are satisfied with the level of service they received.

Another key measure of our commitment to excellence is the amount of community involvement we generate.  Because we believe effective policing involves a partnership with the community, we have numerous active Neighborhood Watch groups, and use volunteers extensively throughout our agency.  In fact, our volunteers routinely contribute in excess of 7500 hours annually by working in various divisions, such as COPS, Records, Training, and Criminal Investigations.  Our business community also generates one of our most important partnerships, and we reach out to them with our Business Watch and eAlert system for crime notifications.

With a diverse workforce of 103 sworn officers and 20 civilian personnel serving approximately 42,000 residents, we are among the largest police agencies in Central Florida.  Because Altamonte Springs is known as a premier destination for shopping, dining, and entertainment in the Orlando area, the size, diversity, and deployment of our workforce is geared to accommodate an influx of visitors throughout the day.  In fact, the City hosts a variety of events at Cranes Roost Park, sometimes drawing in excess of 100,000 guests to a single event.  Whether you visit us to shop in our many retail establishments, celebrate a special occasion at one of our many fine restaurants, or enjoy a night of concert music in our beautiful park, we are committed to making your visit a safe and memorable occasion.

One more important measure of our commitment to excellence is our accreditation through The Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, meeting both state and national standards of recognition.  These standards ensure we not only meet minimum criteria as a law enforcement organization, they ensure we have systems in place to be accountable for our actions and responsive to our citizens.  Because the standards continue to evolve with the changing nature of our business, they also serve to ensure we continually assess our agency to meet whatever challenges come our way.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our website.  If you are in the Altamonte Springs area and would like more information about our services, I encourage you to visit our COPS Center in the Altamonte Mall.  Should you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at (407) 571-8192, or email me at chief@altamonte.org.

Respectfully,

Robert C. Merchant, Jr.

Chief of Police