Fla. Police Chief Rises to Top Amid Tragedies

Nov. 12, 2012
The Auburndale Police Department has been hit with sad and trying events during the past year.

Nov. 12--AUBURNDALE -- The Auburndale Police Department has been hit with sad and trying events during the past year.

On the weekend of Sept. 3, 2011, then-Deputy Chief Chris Nelson faced two emergencies. Police Chief Nolan McLeod had started chemotherapy and was not reacting well to the treatment.

Then one of his officers, Stacy Booth, was critically injured when she was shot while responding to a domestic violence call.

Nelson, 39, spent most of that weekend in the hospital with Booth's family.

"Sometimes in a smaller agency, you could have the perception that it can't happen to us," he said. "It's someone else that has to deal with it. No one is immune."

Less than a year later, McLeod died from stomach cancer. Nelson and McLeod had worked together at three different agencies.

"You never expect for your friend, boss to pass away," he said.

Although becoming police chief was always a goal for Nelson, the day he was sworn in as Auburndale's police chief felt bittersweet.

INTEREST IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

Nelson was born in Bartow in 1972 and he graduated from Bartow High School.

His family owned a local jewelry business and none of his relatives had worked in law enforcement. But he felt an allure to the profession.

While in high school, he began going on ride-alongs with officers and worked for the Bartow Police Department part time after high school.

"I just thought it was an interesting profession," he said. "One that you're constantly learning, constantly changing."

One of the things that also attracted Nelson to law enforcement is helping the community, and it's still one of the things he lists as an important part of being the police chief.

Bartow Sgt. David Wyant attended the police academy with Nelson, and said he knew back then that Nelson would one day work in an administrative position.

"Chris always had the drive and discipline to be the chief," he said. "Working with him, I knew that Chris would one day rise to the top."

Nelson graduated from Bartow High School in 1991 and then worked for the Bartow Police Department in the traffic unit and as an identification technician.

In 1996, Nelson followed Nolan McLeod from Bartow to the Live Oak Police Department. He initially worked as a lieutenant and then as a captain.

At the time, policing in the city was handled by the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office. In 1995, the city council voted to reorganize the police department with McLeod as the police chief.

The newly hired police department had four months to restructure and organize the newly formed police department.

"A lot of people said that it could not be done in the time period," Nelson said. "It taught me that you can do anything you put your mind to, if you have good people around you."

After eight years, Nelson went to work for the State Attorney's Office in Live Oak and focused on homicide and special victim cases. In his role at the State Attorney's Office, Nelson said he was able to see cases until the end.

"You really got to see it through and were able to make a bigger impact on people's lives," he said.

One case that has stuck with Nelson through the years is that of a 4-year-old girl who was beaten to death by her mother and mother's boyfriend. He was still working at the Live Oak Police Department when the initial call came in and was at the State Attorney's Office when it eventually went to trial.

"No one deserves to be a victim but especially a child who has not done anything to deserve that," he said.

In 2007, after McLeod was chosen as the chief of the Auburndale Police Department, Nelson moved back to Polk County and began working as deputy chief.

One of his main tasks was to make sure the department gained accreditation, which can be a tedious process.

MOVING FORWARD

Nelson starts his day by going through paperwork and reviewing the calls for service. The transition to police chief has not been without challenges.

Nelson said he felt prepared for the role, but the biggest hurdle has been more of an emotional one.

McLeod had been the Auburndale police chief since 2007 and the two had worked together at three different agencies.

He said he sometimes still misses McLeod.

"Just not having Chief McLeod to run things by," he said.

"It's hard to explain."

He said he reaches out for advice to police chiefs such as Winter Haven Chief Gary Hester and Haines City Chief Rick Sloan.

Hester said he speaks to Nelson at least once a week. The two serve on the Florida Police Chiefs Association where they stay in the loop on legislation that affects police agencies.

"He's a really good guy," Hester said.

"McLeod was his mentor and really developed him. He and McLeod have a lot of the same leadership traits."

Nelson said the most important thing he learned from McLeod was not to give in to political pressure and follow his gut on what he thinks is the correct decision.

The city of Auburndale has not had a homicide this year. Nelson said the most prevalent crimes are burglaries and retail theft.

He oversees 35 sworn officers and said his goal as chief is to help them professionally develop.

He does that by trying to get to know each officer and know what are his or her needs.

Another goal Nelson has for the department is to get it reaccredited.

The department is expected to have an on-site inspection by the end of the year.

He is also working with the countywide database project to have all law enforcement agencies on the same reporting system.

The new system will allow agencies to see information about crimes from other cities to see whether there is a trend of similar crimes.

Nelson said he doesn't have any plans to leave Auburndale any time soon.

"I'm extremely happy here," he said. "It's the perfect size agency."

Copyright 2012 - The Ledger, Lakeland, Fla.

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