Lake Wales Police Department

Under the chief's office, which handles planning, budgets, grants and policy, the Lake Wales Police Department in Florida is run by two commanders. One commander oversees patrol, investigations, community resources and school resource officers, and also manages asset forfeiture cases, case preparation, problem-oriented policing and special events. The administrative commander is responsible for evidence and property, records, training, internal affairs, fleet, information technology and volunteers. Since October 2007, dispatching has been contracted to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. The city has announced a school zone speed camera program, which Florida authorizes under section 316.1896 of the Florida Statutes, along with red light camera enforcement under section 316.0083. Free programs include child identification kits with a DNA sample kit and photo card, a 40-hour Citizen Police Academy, college internships, and a Public Safety Cadet Corps run with the fire department for youth ages 14 to 18. Members of VOICE, short for Volunteer Observers Impacting Community Effort, carry out preventive patrol, write incident reports, direct traffic, help at sobriety checkpoints and staff the city's Bike Fest and Mardi Gras weekends. Records and body-worn camera footage can be requested by email under Florida's public records law, chapter 119.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 2023), Lake Wales city, FL has an estimated population of 16,365.