Sheriff's Office Promotions

NEWS RELEASE 20-150 - DECEMBER 17, 2020
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From left: Corrections Sergeants Stephanie Knapek and Jennifer Shaddix-Baker, Emergency Operations Manager Jared Winch, Emergency Operations Supervisor Cindy Bresse, and Sheriff Tom Knight.

Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight is pleased to announce four promotions.
 
Corrections Deputy Jennifer Shaddix-Barker is promoted to Corrections Sergeant. Shaddix-Barker was hired by the sheriff’s office as a booking technician in 2007. The following year, Shaddix-Baker was reassigned as a court technician, and in 2010, she transferred to the newly created Sheriff’s Offender Work Program, where she was responsible for transporting and supervising the cleaning of county parks, beaches, and roads. In 2013, Shaddix-Baker earned her Corrections certification. Over the course of her career, Shaddix-Baker has been nominated for Employee of the Month nine separate times. In 2017, she was also nominated for Courts and Corrections Deputy of the Year. On December 7th, only 10 ago, Shaddix-Baker passed her final exam and graduated with her associate degree from the State College of Florida.
 
Corrections Deputy Stephanie Knapek is promoted to the rank of Corrections Sergeant. She was hired by the sheriff’s office as a booking technician in 2010. Knapek completed the Corrections Academy and earned her certification in 2016. She was nominated for Courts and Corrections Employee of the Month in February 2019, and later that year graduated with her associate degree from Grantham University. Knapek is also an instructor at the Suncoast Technical College Criminal Justice Academy.
 
Communication Operator I Cindy Bresse is promoted to Emergency Operations Supervisor. Bresse joined the Sheriff’s Office in 2014 as a Communications Operator III. After successfully completing her training, Bresse moved on to become a Communications Operator II, and eventually a Communications Operator I. Bresse is a training officer and a member of the Incident Dispatch Team. Bresse earned her associate degree in from St. George’s College in Kingston, Jamaica, and her bachelor’s degree from the University of the West Indies, also in Kingston, Jamaica. Bresse has an additional degree in nursing from the State College of Florida.
 
Emergency Operations Supervisor Jared Winch is promoted to Emergency Operations Manager. Winch joined the sheriff’s office in 2004 as a Communications Operator III. After one year, he was upgraded to a Communications Operator II. In 2006, Jared completed the Law Enforcement Academy and in 2009, became a communications training officer. In 2010, he was promoted to Emergency Operations Shift Supervisor and in 2014, he transferred to the bureau’s Professional Development Section as a training coordinator. Most recently, Winch served as a supervisor in Teletype. 
 
“This is an exciting day for our agency, for our community, and on a personal note, special for me since these are my final promotions before I retire,” commented Sheriff Tom Knight. “I am so proud of these members who have shown leadership, professionalism and tenacity in all aspects. I wish them the very best in the rest of their career.”