University Police Department officers have to jump through a couple of hoops before they are allowed to patrol the campus.
Part of the hiring process includes allowing prospective officers to admit to committing any illegal acts that were not reported to the police.
The applicants are encouraged to honestly answer a list of questions related to their past conduct because they are expected to answer those questions again during a lie detector test.
One question asks whether they have ever stolen anything from an employer.
According to UPD public information officer Jeff Holcomb, officers are instructed to own up to stealing anything at all — even pens and pencils — because any discrepancy with the lie detector test could indicate deception.
UPD’s personnel file for Keith Smith, the officer who shot Kofi Adu-Brempong last month, indicates he admitted to inhaling whippets, a method of getting high by inhaling gases from whipped cream dispensers, several times in the past.
Another officer who entered Kofi’s apartment, William Sasser, admitted to driving under the influence sometime between the ages of 16 and 20.
In addition to answering the questions, applicants for UPD must complete a basic recruit training program at a certified school, after which they must pass the State Officer Certification Examination.
Every four years, police officers are required to go through a mandatory re-training to maintain their certification.
Holcomb said all officers go through basic training in areas such as firearms and defensive tactics.
“Beyond that, it can go a hundred different ways,” Holcomb said.
After basic training, officers can choose to become certified in areas such as administering a breathalyzer test, working as a school resource officer or working with a canine unit.
Holcomb said the UPD officers do not all have the same specializations, but the department has officers with a broad spectrum of certifications on duty at all times.
“We don’t necessarily need all 90 officers certified to operate the breathalyzer,” Holcomb said.
Holcomb said UPD has officers certified to be members of a Critical Incident Response Team to ensure they do not have to wait for someone from another crisis agency to respond to an event on campus.
“We want to have someone trained to be able to respond,” Holcomb said.
Holcomb said UPD looks to hire officers who have achieved all of the required certifications and have some sort of secondary education degree.
The five officers involved in the shooting have varying educational backgrounds.
Officer Keith Smith graduated with a degree in criminology from UF, Detective James Mabry graduated with a degree in criminology from Florida State University and Lt. Stacy Ettel graduated with a degree in criminology from Saint Leo University.
Officer William Sasser completed the corrections academy program at Lake City Community College and received a law enforcement certificate from Santa Fe Community College, while Sgt. William Ledger did not receive a college degree.
“Experience is great if they’ve got it, but again, it’s not necessarily required,” Holcomb said.
Holcomb said all officers are prepared and trained to identify when the Baker Act needs to be enforced, or when a person can be involuntarily hospitalized after becoming a danger to themselves or others.
