Robert Mateo

Detective (Ret.) - Polk County Sheriff's Office

Detective Robert Mateo (retired) is a duly appointed law enforcement officer and a deputy sheriff employed by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. He has been employed in this capacity since 1995 and has worked as a detective for more than 23 years in the Strategic Investigations Analysis Section, Intelligence Unit. Detective Mateo has received more than 1,400 hours of general law enforcement training and more than 650 hours of specialized training in criminal street gangs. He has earned numerous (70+) commendations from the sheriff’s office and has been a three-time recipient of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Meritorious Service Medal. Detective Mateo was a member of the West-Central Florida Multiagency Gang Task Force during his time in the Intelligence and Gang Unit and previously served as co-chairman. He is currently the President of the Florida Gang Investigators Association and has served on the board since 2003. Detective Mateo also currently serves as the Immediate Past President of the National Alliance of Gang Investigators Associations. He was a member of the Advisory Board for the New York Gang Investigators Association. Detective Mateo is certified by the State of Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission as an instructor for the Law Enforcement Academy. He serves as an instructor for the Florida State Attorney General’s Office and was previously an instructor with the St. Petersburg College Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training. He has provided training on criminal street gangs to law enforcement officers in 27 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Cayman Islands. Detective Mateo has been recognized by the National Gang Crime Research Center in Chicago, Illinois, as one of the top experts in the United States on criminal street gangs. He has provided instruction for attendees of the National Gang Conference. Detective Mateo has been declared an expert on criminal gangs in the Tenth Judicial Circuit by the Honorable Judge Jones, the Honorable Judge McCarthy, the Honorable Judge Yancey, and others. In this capacity, he provides expert testimony regarding the composition, history, and practices of criminal gangs. Detective Mateo has also provided instruction to the State of Florida Judges’ College on current gang trends and methods of operation. He also provided opinion testimony regarding criminal gangs to the 18th Statewide Grand Jury. Detective Mateo was also a duly sworn federal agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation since 2009, operating under the auspices of the Safe Streets Violent Crime and Gang Task Force.

Sessions