January 23, 2025

Lady Lake Police Department Honors Officers At Town Commision Meeting

1.3 min read| Published On: January 23rd, 2025|

By Kyle Coppola

Lady Lake Police Department Honors Officers At Town Commision Meeting

1.3 min read| Published On: January 23rd, 2025|

LADY LAKE, Fla. — The Lady Lake Police Department celebrated several milestones during Monday night’s Town Commission meeting, including annual recognition awards, the introduction of new officers, and the department’s near-full staffing achievement.

Several officers were honored for their outstanding service to the community, with Chief Steve Hunt reflecting on the department’s growth and success in overcoming recent challenges.

“The department was at a crossroads not long ago,” Chief Hunt said. “Thanks to the unwavering support of Mayor Freeman, the Town Commission, and Town Manager Lawrence, we’ve been able to not only retain our valued officers but also attract top talent from across the nation. This has ensured our ability to continue providing the high level of service our residents deserve.”

The evening’s highlight was the presentation of awards recognizing exceptional contributions by department members:

  • Officer Joshua Higgins and Sgt. Heather Couch: Awarded the Meritorious Service Award for actions that saved a life. The two de-escalated a situation involving a suicidal individual, convincing the caller to surrender a fully loaded handgun and preventing a tragedy.
  • Deputy Chief Jason Brough: Received the 2024 Chief’s Award for significant contributions to the police department.
  • Scott Kolb, Evidence Technician: Presented with a Certificate of Appreciation for improving evidence management systems.
  • Robert Chausse, Training Officer/Quartermaster: Honored with a Certificate of Appreciation for implementing new programs, including dash cameras, body-worn cameras, new Tasers, a firearm transition project, and an updated Field Training Officer management program, all while maintaining his regular duties.

“Our goal is to set the standard for what a great police department should look like—embodying integrity, respect, and dedication in all that we do,” Chief Hunt said.

Additionally, Chief Hunt introduced eight new officers who joined the department in 2024, leaving just one position vacant out of 30 sworn officer roles. Collectively, the new hires bring more than 130 years of experience to the department. The new officers are Kyle Lawrence, Jim Dunagan, Amanda Hayes, Brian Campbell, Hasheem Choudri, Jeff Burns, Gustavo Eloy, and Ronnie Williams.

The department is also in the process of hiring two new lieutenants to further enhance its leadership team.

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About the Author: Kyle Coppola

Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.

For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.

Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.

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