Our Mission:

The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (AgLaw) encompasses a vast spectrum of responsibilities within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The main headquarters for the Administrative staff is located in Tallahassee, Florida. Director, Colonel Darrell Liford, and the Assistant Director, Lieutenant Colonel Lou Leinhauser, as well as three Bureau chiefs, are housed at this location, along with support staff needed for the day-to-day operations.

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 Bureau of Administrative Services.

The Bureau of Investigative Services handles 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 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 $62 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 four 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.

Additionally, this Bureau, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Detector Dog Training Center is deploying detection canines at various interdiction stations in an ongoing enhanced effort to protect the state’s fresh food supply. These specially trained canines detect various meat and plant material that may harbor infectious disease and/or plant diseases which could devastate Florida’s farming community, as well as public health.

In 2006, the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement created the Bureau of Administrative Services, designed to provide organizational support to the sworn and civilian personnel of AgLaw. The Bureau manages personnel, finances, records, property and evidence, supplies, the vehicle fleet, Department property, data services, computer support, training, hiring, and Accreditation.

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.doacs.state.fl.us/oig/.