Minutes for Police Community Advisory Committee - 4:30PM

C I T Y O F F O R T P I E R C E

POLICE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MINUTES

Regular Meeting - Thursday, November 13, 2025 - 3:30 p.m.
Fort Pierce City Hall, 2nd Floor Conference Room, 100 N US Highway 1, Fort Pierce, FL

Present:

Melvin Jones, Sr.; Betty Bradwell; Bob Burdge; Quincy Barr

Staff Present:

Acting Chief of Police, Robert Ridle
Acting Deputy Chief, Caleb Gillette
Deputy City Clerk, Lisa Gittens

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order at:4:33 P.M

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

ROLL CALL

COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC
Any person who wishes to comment on any subject on this Agenda may be heard at this time. Please sign the sign-up sheet in order to speak. Please limit your comments to no more than three (3) minutes, as this section of the Agenda is limited to thirty minutes. The Police Community Advisory Board will not be able to take any official action under “Comments from the Public” section.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Approval of the Minutes from September 18th, 2025 Police Community Advisory Committee Meeting.

View Agenda Item

Motion was made by Bob Burdge, seconded by Melvin Jones, Sr. to approve the Minutes of the September 18th, 2025 meeting.

AYE:: Betty Bradwell, Bob Burdge, Melvin Jones, Sr.
Other:: Quincy Barr (ABSENT)

Passed

OLD BUSINESS

Selection of members to fill the roles of Chair & Vice Chair

Motion was made by Melvin Jones, Sr., seconded by Betty Bradwell for Bob Burge to fill the role of Chair.

AYE:: Bob Burdge

Passed

Motion was made by Bob Burdge, seconded by Betty Bradwell for Melviin Jones, Sr. to fill the role of Vice-Chair.

AYE:: Betty Bradwell, Bob Burdge, Melvin Jones, Sr.
Other:: Quincy Barr (ABSENT)

Passed

NEW BUSINESS

Department update

Acting Deputy Chief Caleb Gillette reported several department updates: the department received the Crime Prevention Unit of the Year award for Florida; recent promotions included one lieutenant and two sergeants, and seven new officers were sworn in, with retention remaining a focus; the Trunk or Treat Halloween event was successful, drawing several hundred children; the Career Expo generated strong interest and produced applicants for positions including police officers, crime analysts, crossing guards, and victim advocates; the city announced seven finalists for police chief, with interviews scheduled for late November to early December and a decision expected in mid-December; and the recent election did not produce a majority, resulting in a runoff scheduled for January.

Acting Chief of Police Robert Ridle stated that he recently attended a wellness seminar at the International Police Chiefs Conference and learned that more officers die by suicide each year than any other cause. He noted that while extensive training exists for physical safety (traffic stops, building clearing, domestics, etc.), there is little training on officer wellness, despite suicide being the leading cause of officer loss. He plans to begin developing a comprehensive wellness program with the hope that future leadership will continue it. The vision includes mental, physical, financial health and other areas of wellness support for officers.

Upcoming Events

Acting Deputy Chief Caleb Gillette outlined the upcoming events:

December 5 – Shop With a Cop at Walmart. Annual holiday event; uplifting community engagement. Board members are invited to attend.
December 17 - Toy pick-up event
December 19 - Santa Cop Program

STAFF COMMENTS

Deputy Chief Caleb Gillett gave an update on the contract negotiations with officers and supervisors and stated that it is nearing completion, and it is expected to improve retention with better pay and benefits. He also mentioned that next week is a three-day on-site review for state accreditation.

COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS

10.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 4:53 P.M.