Our Mission:
The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement is dedicated to protecting Florida's agriculture and its consumers through professional law enforcement.
The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (AgLaw) encompasses a vast spectrum of responsibilities within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Office locations include Headquarters in Tallahassee, with various regional and field offices located throughout Florida. AgLaw and the Office of Inspector General are the only two areas within the Department with sworn law enforcement personnel. There is a wide diversity of responsibilities delegated within AgLaw’s Bureau of Investigative Services, Bureau of Uniform Services, and Headquarters Administration.
The Director, Colonel Jerry Bryan, Major Allen R. Johnson, Chief of the Bureau of Investigative Services, as well as Administration staff are located at Headquarters; Major Tim Rutherford, Chief of the Bureau Chief of Uniform Services is located in White Springs, FL.
The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement’s Administration provides organizational support to all personnel of AgLaw. Staff responsibilities include management of budget, financial and grant management, personnel, records, supplies, the vehicle fleet, Department property, data services, computer support, training, hiring, and Accreditation.
The Bureau of Investigative Services is comprised of two sections, the Criminal Investigative Section and the Regulatory Investigative Section. The Criminal Investigative Section handles criminal cases involving unfair and deceptive trade practices against consumers, theft and related crimes against the state’s agricultural industry, food safety, wildland arson investigations and protection of the state’s natural resources. It enforces both criminal and civil violations. The Regulatory Investigations Section handles regulatory cases involving consumer fraud and related regulatory violations.
The Department’s Bureau of Uniform Services is the first line of defense at Florida’s borders in protecting agriculture. The Bureau operates 23 agricultural interdiction stations located on every paved highway, crossing the natural boundary of the Suwannee and St. Mary’s rivers. Agricultural vehicle inspections are conducted at each location around the clock, 365 days a year, by 224 law enforcement personnel.
These Department officers support and supplement all of the Department’s regulatory and law enforcement programs by conducting inspections of highway shipments of agricultural, horticultural, aquacultural and livestock commodities. These regulations and programs ensure compliance with Federal and State Marketing Agreements and various laws, rules and regulations implemented to provide the consuming public a quality food product and/or prevent, control and eradicate specific plant and animal pests and diseases which could economically devastate segments of Florida’s agricultural industry. As Florida’s second largest state industry, agriculture has an economic impact of $100 billion annually.
The Uniform Services Special Operations Section has been instrumental in the deployment of new and aggressive technologies at the interdiction stations. In the past several years, Special Operations has deployed Gamma-Ray equipment vehicles, which are the next generation in protection of Florida’s agricultural industries, and which also supplement border protection for Domestic Homeland Security. These mobile Vehicle And Cargo Inspection System (VACIS) scan live images of commercial vehicles and containers to allow department officers to determine anomalies that may warrant a physical inspection of the load.
It is recognized that law enforcement personnel occupy a special place in American society. Therefore, it is understood that the Agency has the right to expect that a professional standard of conduct be adhered to by all law enforcement personnel regardless of rank or assignment. It is the policy of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to provide excellent service to all of its customers. Complaints against the Department or Department employees are taken seriously. Any complaints against the Department or Department employees shall be handled in an expeditious manner. There are a variety of methods available for an individual to file a complaint of employee misconduct. A complainant may contact the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement’s main office at 1-800-342-5869, or speak with any AgLaw employee to report concerns. Complaints may also be filed electronically with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Office of Inspector General at http://www.freshfromflorida.com/oig/.
