The Crimes Against Children / Sex Crime Unit is responsible for investigating all allegations of child abuse and neglect. They also investigate all sex crimes against children, as well as adults. Other types of investigations handled by this unit include; child homicides and unexpected child deaths, child abductions, physical abuse of the elderly, and missing persons.

In March of 2000, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office established the Sexual Predator & Offender Tracking Unit (SPOT). This unit consists of a Sergeant, three

Sworn Law Enforcement Detectives and two Coordinators. The unit is responsible for ensuring the 1,000+ registered sexual predators and offenders are in compliance with mandated registration requirements and conditions of probation within Palm Beach County.

The SPOT unit works in conjunction with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Department of Corrections, Local Police Municipalities, State and Federal Probation and the US Marshals Service. Members of the SPOT Unit are deputized as part of the United State Marshal’s Task Force. This partnership has been successful in tracking sexual predators and offenders who attempt to abscond from probation or their registration requirements.

In addition to ensuring registration and probation compliance, the SPOT Unit informs the public, daycare centers and schools via written notification, public meetings, social media, and our website of registered sexual predators.

For more information and resources, visit our S.P.O.T. Unit web page.

The Domestic Violence Unit (DVU) is responsible for following up on active Domestic, Repeat, and Dating Violence Injunctions where the victim is cooperative and in present fear of the offender. The Domestic Violence Detectives also investigate Domestic related sex crimes as well as teach Domestic Assault Response Team (D.A.R.T.) classes. In extreme and more difficult domestic-related cases, the detective will assist the lead road patrol deputy with their investigations. The DVU also tracks all domestic-related homicides that occur in the unincorporated areas of Palm Beach County as well as the contracted cities’ P.B.S.O. patrols.  The Domestic Violence/Victim Advocates assist victims of domestic violence by guiding them through court proceedings, obtaining “No Contact Orders” or Domestic Violence Injunctions. They also assist with setting up counseling services for victims, obtaining services from legal aid and guiding them to Domestic Violence Shelters. The Victim/Witness Advocates also assist all victims of crimes with Victim Compensation and Crisis Intervention.

In early 2016, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the PBC State Attorney’s Office (SAO), and the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) convened to develop a strategy to address human trafficking throughout Palm Beach County.  The team determined the best approach would include a victim-centered, trauma-informed, multi-disciplinary task force.  In January of 2017 Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, as the lead law enforcement agency, applied to the Department of Justice to acquire a grant which would provide funding and a formidable framework to establish an “Enhanced Collaborative Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force”; the grant was awarded in October of 2016, the Palm Beach Human Trafficking Task Force officially commenced in January of 2017.

The primary goals of the Palm Beach Human Trafficking Task Force include the identification of all types of human trafficking victims (foreign/domestic, male/female, adult/minor, labor/sex trafficking); data-driven decision making; proactive, long-term investigations; successful prosecutions; and the provision of a comprehensive array of victim services.  Through these established goals and the unparalleled dedication of Palm Beach Human Trafficking Task Force members, to date thousands of community stakeholders have been trained to recognize indicators of human trafficking; cases have been opened, arrests have been made, and victims have been identified and offered much-needed services.

The Missing Person Unit handles all cases related to missing juveniles and missing adults diagnosed with irreversible cognitive deterioration, such as Alzheimer’s. Our responsibilities include outreach, awareness, resource gathering, referrals, and response to any all missing person incidents throughout Palm Beach County. To better serve our community, the Missing Person Unit has created and maintains a state-of-the-art leads tracking system to ensure a collaborative well-organized response to Amber and Silver Alerts. We work closely with the Department of Children and Families, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to ensure a quick and accurate response to all missing person cases.

The Financial Crimes Unit is comprised of one sergeant, eight detectives and one criminal intelligence analyst. The unit’s professional affiliations include the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Certified Fraud Specialist, National White Collar Crimes Center, Associate Institute of Certified Public Accountants, International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators, International Association of Crime Analysts, and South Florida Counterfeit Check Task Force.

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The Computer Crimes Unit (CCU) investigates internet crimes against children that are reported directly to our agency or referred by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  The unit is also responsible for conducting digital forensic examinations on all types of electronic media in support of major crime investigations including, homicide, robbery, human trafficking, and child sexual exploitation.  CCU Detectives participate in the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, US Secret Service Miami Electronic Crimes Task Force, and the FBI Cyber Task Force.