Florida Law Enforcement Property Recovery Unit (FLEPRU) jobs and careers

About Florida Law Enforcement Property Recovery Unit (FLEPRU)

In May of 1987, a group of property recovery detectives within the Tampa Bay area, formed the first property recovery unit in the United States. They gathered to answer an age-old problem plaguing law enforcement, “How can law enforcement increase the recovery of stolen property and place the guilty in jail?” The detectives realized that property crimes were continually increasing, and the resources needed for these investigations focused on the suspect(s) and the stolen property. This group of detectives realized the need to utilize the “Dynamic” approach which focuses on property rather than relying on the arrest of the criminal. The detectives realized that a “Fence” was a major part of the problem and by using a “Fence” the criminals were able to convert the stolen property to cash. The “Fence” would bear the burden of selling the property to new property owners. Sometimes the new owners were unsuspecting of the property’s origin, due to the reputation of the seller. This group recognized that information exchange on a statewide level was necessary to effectively track stolen goods, match recovered goods to victims, and apprehend criminals. The group decided to formally organize the “Florida Law Enforcement Property Recovery Unit” (FLEPRU), as the group is known, has divided the state into five regions, each having a District Director. Over the last thirty (30) plus years FLEPRU has evolved and broadened the type of investigations we focus on as an organization. These topics include, Organized Retail Crime (ORC) investigations, auto/marine investigations, social media investigations, economic/cybercrimes investigations, robbery investigations, interviewing & interrogation methods, and topics dealing with the mental health and wellbeing of those within our professions. FLEPRU holds statewide training seminars and conferences annually. FLEPRU seminars/conferences utilizes guest instructors such as state legislators, judges, private sector executives and subject m