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Main > LPD > LPD Admin
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LPD Executive Staff
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Roger Boatner
Chief of Police
Roger Boatner joined the Lakeland Police Department in September 1976. Prior to that time, he served two and a half years with the Jackson, Mississippi Police Department.
Roger has served as an Officer in the Uniform Patrol Division, as a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team and as a Detective in both the Special Investigation Unit and the Criminal Investigation Division.
Roger was promoted to Sergeant in 1987, Lieutenant in 1989 and to Captain in 1993. He served twice as Commander in the Uniform Patrol Division for a total of four and one-half years. He previously served two years as the Commanding Officer of the Investigative Services Bureau before being reassigned there in January, 2000. Roger was promoted to Assistant Chief of Police in October 2000 and to Chief of Police in 2003.
Throughout his career, Roger has served on various boards and committees to include the Department’s Chaplaincy Board of Directors, Program Director of the Victim Assistance Program, Director of the Domestic Violence Response Team and as an advisor to the Board of Directors of the Lighthouse Mission Ministries. Roger also directs the Lakeland Police Department’s Critical Incident Response Team. Roger is a graduate of the Leadership Lakeland Program, Class XIV and completed his Bachelor’s Degree Program from Saint Leo University in the spring of 2001. |
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Debra Henson
Assistant Chief of Police
Commanding Officer of the
Investigative Services Bureau
Debra Henson began her career with the Lakeland Police Department in 1976 as a dispatcher when women were not being hired as Police Officers in Lakeland. One year later, she was the first of two women hired to work in the Uniform Patrol Division. As an Officer, Debra served as a Field Training Officer, Staff Liaison, and Police Academy Instructor and co-founded the Lakeland Police Department’s first Explorer Post.
In 1983, Debra was assigned as a Detective where she served as a Homicide and Sex Crimes Detective in the Criminal Investigations Section. She was promoted to Sergeant in 1985 and served two more years in the Criminal Investigations Section until she was promoted to Lieutenant in 1987. As Lieutenant, Debra served as the Officer in Charge of the Special Investigations Section, Internal Affairs Unit and as the Administrative Lieutenant to the Chief of Police. She was promoted to Captain in 1990 and served as the Commanding Officer of General Services Division and the Special Operations Division, which included the SWAT Team. In 1996, Debra was promoted to the position of Deputy Chief of Police. She became the highest-ranking female Officer in the 10th Judicial Circuit, which encompasses three counties.
Debra obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from University of South Florida in 1976 and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Rollins College in 1980. She has attended the 174th Session of the FBI National Academy, 41st Session of FBI LEEDS, 3rd Session of the FBI F.E.D.S, 169th Session of the U.S. Secret Service Dignitary Protection Academy, FBI 43rd and 44th Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (serving as a counselor, as requested by the FBI Director), and the 13th Session of the Leadership Lakeland Program.
Debra co-chaired the National FBI LEEDA Training Conference in April 2003 and participated as a committee chair for Leadership Lakeland Classes XIX, XX, and XXI. Debra is a certified CJSTC Instructor, as well as holding membership on more than a dozen police associations. Debra currently serves on the board of several civic organizations within the community. |
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Bill LePere
Assistant Chief of Police
Commanding Officer of the
Neighborhood Services Bureau
Bill LePere began his service with the Lakeland Police Department in 1980 as a volunteer Auxiliary Officer. He was hired full-time in 1982 with Patrol assignments including Field Training Officer and Uniform Crime Scene Technician. He also served as a Detective assigned to Special Investigations Division prior to his promotion to Sergeant in 1990. He was project manager for the Department’s initial CALEA accreditation in 1994 as the Officer- in-Charge of the Operation Review Section.
Bill was promoted to Lieutenant in 1996 and assigned to the Community Policing Operations in the Patrol Division and helped develop the Neighborhood Liaison Officer program. He was promoted to Captain in 2000 and most recently served as Commander of the North Region and Community Services unit in the Uniform Patrol Division II. Bill was promoted to Assistant Chief of Police in 2003.
A graduate from Lakeland Senior High School, Bill has an Associate in Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Polk Community College, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology from Saint Leo University, and a Masters degree in Administration of Justice from the University of Louisville. He is a graduate of the 109th Administrative Officers Course at the Southern Police Institute and Leadership Lakeland Class XXII. He is also a graduate of the 10th session of the FBI's Florida Executive Development Seminar (FEDS), the 36th session of the Police Executive Research Forum Senior Management Institute for Police, and is enrolled in the Florida Certified Public Manager program through Florida State University.
Bill's community involvement includes well over 15 years of being an adult leader in the Boy Scouts of America and Campfire USA where he enjoys teaching outdoor skills to the youth of Lakeland.
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Charles Thompson
Assistant Chief of Police
Commanding Officer of the
Administrative Services Bureau
Charles L. Thompson joined the Lakeland Police Department in February 2004. Previously, he joined the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) in 1978, after working for the Florida Department of Corrections as a Probation Officer for three years. He was promoted through the ranks with the Police Department as Sergeant, Master Sergeant, Lieutenant, and First Lieutenant. In 1993 he was appointed to Police Bureau Commander for the Warrants Bureau.
In 1994 he was appointed to the position of Police Major from which he commanded the Northside, Cutler Ridge Districts, as well as the Police Operations and Police Administrative Bureaus.
During his career, he has worked in and commanded units in Police Services and Investigative Services, which includes administrative, investigative and police operation aspects of MDPD. His more notable achievements have been response to the 1980 Miami Civil Disturbance, participation in the Pope’s visit to Miami, planning and on scene commander of the Summit of the Americas. Emergency response and recovery after Hurricane Andrew, planning and participation in Y2K operations, planning in Miami-Dade County’s 2000 General Election, and most recently, joint command during the Free Trade of the Americas Ministerial.
Charles has a wide range of both line and staff experience. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminology from Florida State University and a Master of Arts Degree from the University of Phoenix in Organizational Management. He is a graduate of both the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute and the FBI National Academy.
His professional affiliations include the FBI National Academy, International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and the Florida Sheriff’s Association. He has received numerous awards during his career for his assistance and support of community, civil, and professional organizations as well as, for his professionalism and dedication to the Miami-Dade Police Department, including the Bronze Medal of Valor. |
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Lakeland Police Department
219 North Massachusetts Avenue
Lakeland, Florida 33801
863-834-6900
E-Mail The Lakeland Police Department
Report A Crime Or Suspicious Activity
Anonymous Tips Welcome
Always Dial 9-1-1 For Emergencies
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