Gary Mitchell

Executive Director – Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation

Mr. Mitchell began his law enforcement career with the St. Petersburg Police Department in 1975.  He worked in all areas of the Department which included: uniformed patrol, the detective division, the administration bureau and retired as the Assistant Police Chief after more than twenty-four years of service.  As Assistant Police Chief, Mr. Mitchell was responsible for all administrative operations of the St. Petersburg Police Department which included training, communications, records, computer resources, fiscal services, personnel, crime analysis and research.

Since 1993, Mr. Mitchell has been a national and state assessor/team leader for on-site inspections of police agencies seeking law enforcement accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) and the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA).  He was also a member of CALEA’s task force which developed the Third Edition of CALEA accreditation standards.  While with the St. Petersburg Police Department, Mr. Mitchell led the agency through a successful re-accreditation with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. in 1995.  During 2003, he led the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office through successful combined on-site assessment with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. and with the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation.

While with the St. Petersburg Police Department, he was also the commander of the department’s Training Division which provided a complete cadre of training programs from cultural/human diversity to the use of force.  Mr. Mitchell was awarded the St. Petersburg Police Department’s “Ned March” award for police innovation in the use of computers in the Department’s detective division.

After leaving the St. Petersburg Police Department, Mr. Mitchell became a full-time volunteer for a large church in St. Petersburg, Florida.  Later, he became the services manager with responsibility for the facility, risk management, policy development and property security.

Prior to coming to FLETA, Mr. Mitchell was the manager of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office’s, Law Enforcement Policy Development and Accreditation Division (LEPDA).  As the Sheriff’s Office prepared for its 2006 on-site assessment, Mr. Mitchell developed a completely “paperless” process which allows the assessment teams to view accreditation materials on-line from any location.

Mr. Mitchell has a Masters degree in Business Administration and completed the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP) leadership program, along with the Cambridge Program in Risk Management for Churches and Schools.