In 1998, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office reorganized the Special Investigations Division in an effort to aggressively suppress illegal narcotics trafficking being conducted in Manatee County. In addition to narcotics investigations, the Division has been compassionate to the concerns of the community and actively seeks to restore the quality of life that has been jeopardized by the criminal element in these communities.
The Special Investigations Division is composed of four units, the Tactical Investigations Unit, the Strategic Investigations Unit, the Intelligence Unit and the Corrections Investigation and Intelligence Unit. The Division is also responsible for the Cannabis Eradication operation that reports directly to the Commander.
In addition to these units, several detectives are assigned to the Federal Bureau of Investigations Joint Terrorism Task Force ( JTTF), Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Regional Domestic Security Task Force (RDSTF), Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Gulf Coast Investigative Strike Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations Task Force. These partnerships and the development of these task forces are demonstrative of the agency’s commitment to continue to form partnerships that will positively impact crime in Manatee County.