About the Police Department

Quality, Community, Professionalism

The mission of the Gulfport Police Department is to professionally prevent or resolve safety, crime, and quality of life issues in cooperation with the residents, visitors, and businesses of Gulfport.

This mission reflects the following key points

The primary focus of our mission is to prevent or resolve problems that create crime victims, affect safety, and reduce quality of life.
Input from residents and business owners is critical in identifying those problems, and we will actively seek that input.
We will conduct all of our operations in a manner that is fair and consistent, in-line with modern police practices

Divisions

Investigative Services Division

Patrol Division

The Gulfport Police Department provides comprehensive law enforcement services to the residents, businesses, and visitors of the City of Gulfport. Serving a waterfront community that includes nearly five miles of coastline along Boca Ciega Bay, the Department provides 24-hour police services on land and on the water.

Our mission is to professionally prevent or resolve safety, crime, and quality-of-life issues in cooperation with the residents, visitors, and businesses of Gulfport.

The Department’s responsibilities extend well beyond responding to emergency calls. Services include uniform patrol, criminal investigations, problem-oriented policing, marine patrol, traffic safety, crime prevention, community engagement, records, professional standards, accreditation, training, and support services.

In 2025, Gulfport Police officers were dispatched to 5,750 calls for service and proactively initiated an additional 17,109 calls and activities. Detectives conducted follow-up investigations on 333 offense reports, while officers investigated 112 traffic crashes and issued 639 traffic citations.

Gulfport’s waterfront is also an important part of the Department’s public safety responsibilities. Marine Patrol officers are responsible for nearly five miles of coastline and much of the open water between Gulfport, St. Pete Beach, and the Pinellas Bayway. During 2025, Marine Patrol officers conducted 711 hours of water patrol and issued 57 boating citations.

The Department is committed to maintaining high professional standards through accreditation, training, accountability, and continuous improvement. In 2025, Department members completed 2,530 hours of professional training. The Department’s next accreditation assessment is scheduled for April 2027.

Behind these visible services are the records, communications, evidence, technology, equipment, facilities, and administrative functions necessary to operate a modern law enforcement agency. In 2025 alone, the Records Unit processed 4,183 reports and responded to 1,317 public records requests.

Through proactive policing, professional standards, and partnerships with the community, the Gulfport Police Department remains focused on providing responsive and effective public safety services.