History of our Police Department

Police Officer with police dog

Experiencing rapid population growth followings its official charter as a city, Coral Springs saw the need to establish its own police department. In 1965, Richard Vedilago was named the city’s first police chief. To start, he had his own patrol car and, interestingly, he owned a police dog named “Sergeant Satan.” When they were off duty, the Margate Police Department was on standby to handle any calls for service within the city.

Police officers in front of station circa 1968 By 1971, the police department had grown from one officer and one dog to five officers with three patrol cars. In the 1980s and 90s, as the city’s population grew, so did the city’s police department. The city invested millions of dollars during this time to grow and train the department and invested in a permanent public safety facility.

From the early days, the Coral Springs police Department has always been a premier agency. In 2007, the City of Coral Springs was the first state or local government agency in the nation to receive the Malcolm Bridge National Quality Award. During this time, the city experienced the lowest crime rate in the state and the fourth lowest crime rate in the nation. Today, The City of Coral Springs Police Department serves approximately 134,000 residents with 225 police officers and 99 civilian members. The department is dedicated to providing the highest level of professional service to our citizens, businesses and the visitors we serve.

For more information on the Coral Springs Police Department, visit: CoralSprings.gov/Police

Police Chiefs Through the History

1963-1974
Richard “Vic” Vedilago

1974-1989
Warren S. Gilbert

Roy A. Arigo
1989-2005

2005-2012
Duncan Foster

2012-2018
Tony Pustizzi

2018-2022
Clyde Parry

2022- Present
Bradley McKeone

Historical Photos Gallery

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