Fort Pierce Police present management responses to outside review; many recommendations accepted, some deferred to incoming chief

Acting Chief [Acting Chief Bridal] and Fort Pierce Police Department command staff presented the department’s management responses to the Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM) staffing and operations review at the Aug. 11 commission meeting. The CPSM delivered 84 recommendations; the department’s response listed concurrence, partial agreement or non‑concurrence and an implementation status for each recommendation.

Chief Bridal and bureau commanders said the department had already implemented or begun many of the CPSM recommendations, including a plan to complete the Commission for Florida Accreditation (CFA) assessment in November and ongoing policy reviews. The department partially concurred or deferred higher‑cost recommendations and large structural changes to a future permanent chief: for example, elevating majors to deputy chief positions and a full organizational reorganization were identified as topics that the next permanent chief should evaluate.

Highlights and implementation notes included: - Accreditation and policies: The department is pursuing CFA reaccreditation with a mock assessment completed; CALEA (national) accreditation was discussed but not adopted due to cost. - Training and succession: The department has implemented supervisor and executive training plans, captain positions to create promotional pathways, and is developing a succession plan and first‑line supervisor training modules (with target implementation in late 2025/2026 for several items). - Investigations and evidence: CPSM recommended more civilian analyst/support for digital forensics; the department said forensics work is a sworn‑officer function in many cases and disagreed with all‑civilian coverage of some investigative tasks, but agreed that analytic and evidence operations need upgrades and better inventory/purge processes. - Patrol and staffing: CPSM recommended minimum patrol staffing levels; management said staffing increases are desirable but implementation depends on achieving authorized department staffing levels (department remains actively recruiting). - Internal affairs and discipline: The department agreed to review professional standards policies annually and to pursue a progressive discipline matrix, education‑based discipline options and internal‑affairs training for supervisors.

Commissioners asked about which recommendations could be implemented immediately, which required budget increases, and how a new permanent police chief would be engaged. City staff said the incoming chief would review structural reorganization recommendations and that many training and policy steps are already scheduled or budgeted.

Why it matters: The management responses map CPSM’s findings to concrete implementation timelines and identify items that require additional funding or a permanent chief’s judgment. Commissioners asked for follow‑up reporting and a clear monitoring mechanism for implemented reforms.

What’s next: Department staff will proceed with CFA accreditation steps in November, continue policy reviews, and return to the commission with progress updates; the next permanent chief will receive the CPSM report and the department’s management responses for final decisions on structural changes.