Pictured: From left to right: John Letteny, IACP Immediate Past President; Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman; Colonel Matthew Packard, General Chair of State & Provincial Police Division; and Jason LaRue, Associate Vice President, LexisNexis Coplogic Solutions.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) presented the J. Stannard Baker Lifetime Achievement in Highway Safety Award to Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman during a ceremony at their annual conference in San Diego in October. Sheriff Hoffman has a long and distinguished career in law enforcement and service to the residents of Florida, starting in 1989 with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). He spent several years working in patrol and marine operations, as well as interstate drug interdiction. However, his most significant accomplishments at CCSO were during his assignment to the traffic unit, where he served as the first full-time DUI enforcement deputy. Impelled to make a difference after seeing the criminal justice system fail victims of drunk drivers, he pursued his Juris Doctor at Nova Southeastern University and, upon graduation, began his career at the 12th Judicial Circuit’s State Attorney’s Office in Sarasota. In 2005, he began his career with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), serving as the agency’s general counsel and later promoted through the ranks as captain, major, and colonel before being elected as sheriff.

Pictured: From left to right: John Letteny, IACP Immediate Past President; Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman; Colonel Matthew Packard, General Chair of State & Provincial Police Division; and Jason LaRue, Associate Vice President, LexisNexis Coplogic Solutions.