Groundbreaking law enforcement program graduates first cohort

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody stopped in St. Petersburg to celebrate a “seminal moment” in state law enforcement history Monday.

She joined police chiefs from Gulfport to Tampa, Rep. Linda Chaney, Rep. Berny Jacques and St. Petersburg College (SPC) officials at the institution’s Allstate Center to welcome the Applied Mental Health Advanced Technical program’s first graduating class of 14 officers. The unique certification is Florida’s first.

More police officers die from suicides than all on-duty incidents combined. Myriad local stakeholders came together to create a program that helps them overcome internal and external mental health issues.

“What we’re really good at, within this state and nation, is recognizing when someone signs up for these jobs, we need to train them – very specifically – on how to meet the physical challenges,” Moody said. “What we’re not so great at, yet, is trying to train, prepare and help them guard against the mental toll and challenges that come with the job.”

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody credited local lawmakers for ensuring the program received state funding.

The need became more apparent following a summer of social unrest in 2020. Sasha Lohn, executive director of the Suncoast Police Benevolent Association (PBA), and Jonathan Vasquez, president, began brainstorming solutions for local law enforcers and the communities they serve.

St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway, known for innovative policing, embraced the initiative. Moody noted SPC was the first and only state college to “step up” and facilitate certification.

Participants must have an associate’s degree and complete prerequisites before enrolling in the year-long advanced program. It encompasses six courses over three semesters and provides 18 college credits.

Donations from the Pepin Family Foundation and the Tampa Bay Area Chiefs of Police Foundation cover tuition costs. Chaney presented a ceremonial check for $386,940 to establish the program in August 2023.

Key components cover assessment, diagnosis, intervention and prevention. Stakeholders believe the program can serve as a launchpad for officers to become uniquely qualified licensed therapists once they retire from the force.

Graduates will immediately serve a valuable role within their agency. Moody, a Tampa Bay native from a law enforcement family, noted that most officers will not seek help from someone if “they don’t think they understand what they’re going through.”

The 14 graduates, including eight from the SPPD, can now assist their fellow officers, other first responders and the many people they encounter who are experiencing a mental health crisis. Vazquez believes the program will also aid spouses, who often serve as de facto therapists.

“We expect great things of our officers,” Moody said. “We want them to … courageously charge into sometimes very dangerous and violent situations without thinking. And then, on a moment’s notice, want them to turn around and console a child who may have been victimized or someone who may have lost a family member.

“This is going to help us better serve our community, not just our fellow officers. I love that this started right here in the Tampa Bay area.”

Stakeholders believe the program can serve as a statewide model. Vazquez, an active-duty officer with the SPPD, stressed the importance of expanding “county by county” to meet unique community needs.

After the ceremony, he called it “awesome” to see the Suncoast PBA’s idea come to fruition. Another cohort will begin in August.

“There’s a lot of training officers receive on mental health – this is different than anything in the current mandate,” Vazquez said. “Truly, it’s peer-to-peer; that’s the essence of the program. Chiefs recognize the value of this program, and they’re already asking students to put on a training.”

St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway (second from back left) joined leadership from the Gulfport, Tampa Airport, Clearwater and Tampa Police Departments in celebrating their officers’ achievement.

The program provides officers with emotional intelligence, counseling and interview skills to effectively support people experiencing a mental health crisis. They also learn how to identify issues that require a higher level of care and how to access those resources.

Graduating officers act as mental health liaisons within their agencies. Participants commit to serve in that role for at least three years.

Holloway was the only chief that allowed officers to attend classes while on duty. After the event, he said the goal is ensuring they leave work the way they arrived – “whole.”

Holloway believes his investment will pay dividends inside headquarters, the community and officers’ homes. Internal and external stakeholders often ask, “What can we do to make ourselves better.” He said it “feels good” to discern solutions.

“Everybody expects us to go out there and solve all these problems,” Holloway added. “But we’re human, just like everyone else.”

Here is the inaugural graduating class of Florida’s first Applied Mental Health Advanced Technical Certificate for law enforcement:

St. Petersburg Police Department

• Officer Mariela Bakieva
• Officer Jeffery Cornelisse
• Sergeant Leonard Hasson
• Officer Dianeka Jones
• Officer Kaitly Larson
• Detective Sidney VanTuyl
• Officer Jonathan Schweiger

Gulfport Police Department

• Commander Mary Farrand
• Officer Arion Nieves

Tampa Airport Police Department

• Officer Angeliesse Nesterwitz
• Officer Stephanie Pascalli

Clearwater Police Department

• Detective Jonathan Vangelli

Tampa Police Department

• Corporal Randi Whitney