Police chief appointed to training commission

Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Campus Police Department (CPD) Chief of Police Michael A. Kessie to the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission.

Since 2013, Kessie has led the CPD, which serves New College, the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee and the surrounding local communities.

“I want to thank Gov. DeSantis for entrusting me with this very important responsibility,” Kessie said. “I also appreciate the governor’s consistent support of law enforcement and all first responders.”

Kessie is one of two recent appointees, including James Sewell of St. Petersburg (a former assistant commissioner for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement).

Members of the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission help ensure that Florida’s citizens are served by a qualified, well-trained and ethical law enforcement community. The Commission is responsible for creating entry-level curricula and certification testing for criminal justice officers, establishing minimum standards for employment and certification, and revoking the certification of officers who fail to maintain these minimum standards of conduct.

“It is an honor to serve the citizens of the state of Florida,” Kessie said. “I am proud to represent NCF and the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, along with the men and women of the CPD who work every day to keep our community safe.”

Kessie—a native of Chicago, Illinois—began his police career in 1979 at the Schererville Police Department in Indiana. He served as a patrol officer, sergeant, detective lieutenant and assistant chief before retiring as the deputy chief of operations after 22 years.

Upon moving to Florida, Kessie worked as a deputy sheriff for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office; and he was a patrol officer and lieutenant at the CPD before becoming the chief of police.

Kessie graduated from Indiana University, and studied at the Southern Police Institute and the Institute of Police Technology and Management.

He joined the Florida Police Chiefs Association (FPCA) in 2013 and represented the organization in the Florida Department of Health’s first 911 Telecommunications test-making group.

Before becoming the second vice president of the FPCA, Kessie served as the District One director and chaired the University/Education Chiefs Committee. He is currently the chairperson of the Suncoast Technical College Florida Law Enforcement Academy advisory board.

For more information on the CPD, call 941-487-4210 or visit ncf.edu/police.

Abby Weingarten is the senior editor in the Office of Communications & Marketing.