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Sheriff Rambosk’s

Academy Routes

Dozens of Students

into

Dispatching Careers

at CCSO

Brooke Sanchez, the CCSO Communications supervisor who leads the Soon after, CCSO Communications Captain Chris Gonzalez
Academy, shares a lighthearted moment with students during the summer and Communications Manager Amy Tuff met with Perez to propose
2025 session. Student enrollment has more than quadrupled since the a new initiative: preparing students for Florida’s 911 certification
Academy’s inception in 2021. process, which requires 232 hours of classroom and hands-on training.
“The goal wasn’t just certification—it was employment,” said
uzceleste Herrera never imagined herself seated behind a
Sheriff Rambosk. “We wanted these students to graduate and walk
bank of monitors, calmly directing emergency calls through
straight into a dispatching career at CCSO.”
Lmoments of crisis, let alone leading a team of dispatchers.
That vision quickly became reality and would change the course of
Growing up as a shy teenager in Immokalee and the daughter of
many young lives, including Herrera’s.
migrant farmworkers, Herrera once had no clear vision for her
“Since its inception, the Public Safety Career Academy has
future. But thanks to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office’s innovative
provided Immokalee Foundation students with another exceptional
partnership with The Immokalee Foundation, she found more than a
postsecondary option,” said Perez. “The program continues to ensure
career—she discovered her calling.
that our students will have a positive influence on the lives of countless
Today Herrera, 26, is an assistant shift supervisor in the CCSO
people in Southwest Florida for years to come, especially in their
Communications Center, guiding and mentoring the next generation
greatest time of need.”
of emergency dispatchers.
Brooke Sanchez, a CCSO Communications supervisor who
“Luzceleste’s rise from one of just 11 students in the first class
benefitted from a similar program when she was in high school,
of my Public Safety Career Academy to an assistant shift supervisor
was brought in to lead the academy. Sanchez said the academy has
in just a few years is truly remarkable,” said Sheriff Kevin Rambosk.
expanded rapidly. Forty students graduated from the course held over
“She’s a shining example of what a career in dispatching can lead to –
the summer -- a big leap from the inaugural class of 11. Students from
and exactly what this terrific program is all about.”
Lee, Charlotte, and Hendry counties have also reached out, drawn by
Launched in 2021, the Public Safety Career Academy began as
the fact that CCSO offers the training free of charge
a six-week summer program to train high school students from The
For Herrera, the academy arrived at the right time. She was
Immokalee Foundation to become certified 911 dispatchers and
attending Florida Gulf Coast University and still unsure about her
begin lasting careers with CCSO.
future when she learned about the academy through The Immokalee
Sheriff Rambosk envisioned the academy as a way to meet a
Foundation.
growing need for emergency telecommunicators while creating
“I just knew I wanted a career where I could help people,” she said.
meaningful career opportunities for young people in Immokalee.
Four years later, Herrera sits at a dispatch console surrounded by
Since its inception, the program has led to the hiring of 27
glowing monitors, computers and state-of-the-art technology. As an
students as CCSO dispatchers. It’s since expanded to five partner
assistant shift supervisor, she now trains and leads others, just as she
programs: The Immokalee Foundation, Lorenzo Walker Technical
was once mentored.
College, Lely High School, Immokalee Technical College (iTECH),
Herrera’s journey is more than a personal success. It’s a testament
and Immokalee High School. Law enforcement agencies from across
to Sheriff Rambosk’s vision for the Public Safety Career Academy and
Florida and beyond have taken note, sending representatives to
the partnership with The Immokalee Foundation.
Collier County to learn from its success.
“The critical thinking and communication skills obtained through
The idea was sparked when CCSO Chief of Administration
the Public Safety Career Academy pave the way for a future college
Greg Smith watched Noemi Y. Perez, president and CEO of The
education or additional training within the criminal justice industry,
Immokalee Foundation, present the Foundation’s Career Pathways
providing even more potential for future earnings,” Perez observed.
program at a Collier County Board of Commissioners meeting. The
“Most people will never know what it feels like to save another
program’s mission: Helping students earn trade certifications and
person’s life; however, thanks to the Public Safety Career Academy,
connect with long-term career opportunities, aligned with Sheriff
several Immokalee Foundation alumni have had that life-altering
Rambosk’s goals.
experience.”
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