On Thursday, May 5, 2022, the Sebastian Police Department had a graduation ceremony for its 2022 Citizens Police Academy graduates. The graduates spent the previous 12 weeks learning all about the interworkings of the Police Department.

I had the pleasure of attending this 12-week program, and I highly recommend it to our local citizens. The Sebastian Police Department does an excellent job of keeping our community safe and building relationships with its citizens to ensure a bright future ahead for Sebastian.

We learned about crime analysis, road patrol procedures, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the K-9 unit, the special response team (SRT), crime scene, evidence handling, criminal investigations, narcotics, Community Oriented Policing Endeavor (COPE Unit), and much more.

Fellow Graduate Rich Drescher couldn’t say enough about how impressed he was with the Citizens Academy.

“I can’t overstate how impressed I was with the Citizens’ Police Academy! The genuine enthusiasm of everyone involved in providing the presentations and demonstrations was infectious and kept the class fully engaged. Having a better understanding of the full scope of responsibilities and activities of the Sebastian Police Department reinforced my admiration for the incredible service these professionals provide our community on a daily basis,” Drescher told Sebastian Daily.

Congratulations Graduates:

Nicole Albano
Jeff Beaumont
Joseph Carotenuto
Abra Carotenuto
Richard Drescher
Thais Fox
Hunter Garrett Sr.
Tina Gregory-Hodges
Emma Hillyer
Charles Hiltz
Veronica Houghton
Eric Junker
Andrew Martin
Richard Paff
Beth Taylor

A special thank you to Sergeant Todd Finegan, who led the program, and everyone else who took the time to give us a better understanding of their departments:

Chief Daniel Acosta
Captain Timothy Wood – Command Staff
Brittany Lutz – Crime Analysis
Sergeant Jeff Bruckner – Road Patrol
The Task Force Agent – FBI
Agent Daniel Ruiz – Dept of Homeland Security
Detective Marc Maison – Criminal Investigations
CSI Supervisor Colleen Bruckner – Crime Scene & Evidence
IRC Sheriff Staff
Judge Stone
Assistant State Attorney Bill Long
Roxanne Huben – Dispatch (911 Communications Center)
Debbie McGruder – Records Management
Officer Rich Lachini – Code Enforcement
Janickie Smith – Alarm Permits
Rick Vidiri – Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers
Bob McPartlan – Department of Children & Families (DCF)
Officer Mike Brandes – Traffic Enforcement & Laws
Volunteer Captain Pieter Ketelaar – Community Volunteers
Corporal Ritchie Revis – K9 Unit
Sergeant Roy Cole – Special Response Team S.R.T.
A Detective – Special Investigations Unit (SIU)
The Special Agent – Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Sergeant Todd Finnegan & Officer Donald Hart – Community Oriented Policing Endeavor Unit (COPE)
Corporal Shawn Daley – School Resource Unit