Fort Lauderdale chief proposes fourth police district to concentrate downtown patrols

Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Bill Schultz proposed creating a fourth police district to cover a condensed downtown area — roughly from East Sunrise Boulevard south to the river, west to Flagler Village near the train tracks and east to include Lauderdale Isles — in response to high call volumes in entertainment and tourist areas.

Schultz said the idea is to "condense the area" rather than add net new officers: "It's the same amount of officers that are working in there, will be then redistributed in the new District 4," he said, adding that the smaller geography would reduce travel time, increase visibility and allow officers to spend more time on calls that require customer service or proactive patrols. He described the target area as approximately a three square‑mile entertainment district.

Commissioners asked whether the proposal would remove coverage from barrier islands or other districts; Schultz repeatedly said the plan would rebalance geography, not reduce overall staffing, and noted contractual limits on staffing changes until January 2027 when annual staffing adjustments occur.

Commissioners expressed general support for the concept and asked staff to explore detailed staffing allocations and timing, including how the change would interact with planned increases in total staffing and existing community‑support functions.