The Bartow Police Department is comprised of more than 40 sworn officers, approximately 25 civilian personnel and two police reservists. The Polk County Sheriffs Department, headquartered in Bartow, is responsible for providing protection in the Bartow area located outside the city limits.

The Bartow Fire Department consists of 21 full-time firefighters and eight volunteer firefighters who have received extensive firefighting, rescue and emergency medical training. The fire department is responsible for 98 square miles within and surrounding Bartow.

Polk County's 9-1-1 system answers all emergency phone calls from its 13 centers throughout the county and immediately forwards the calls to the appropriate agency.


The Polk County Sheriff's Office, located at 1170 E Van Fleet Dr in Bartow, is a full-service law enforcement agency servicing Polk County Florida. Polk County is the fourth largest county in the state with 2,010.2 total square miles, 1,874.9 square miles of which is land area. The agency provides related law enforcement services to the entire county, including: civil and criminal process, limited service response, assistance to municipal agencies, crime prevention and education programs, victim assistance services, and providing school crossing guards for the Polk County School System.

The Sheriff is presently given the responsibility for the administration and every day operation of the Central County Jail, South County Jail Facilities, Animal Control and Sheriff's Training and Respect Program to include prisoner transportation throughout the state.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office employs 1,578 full-time (623 sworn, 382 certified, 573 civilians), 256 part-time, and 1,000 volunteer members. The Polk County Sheriff's Office primary service response area consists of the unincorporated areas of Polk County.