City of Fort Walton Beach issued the following announcement.
Meet Grace Garavito, Accreditation Manager/Specialist for the Fort Walton Beach Police Department. Grace’s work in law enforcement began while she was in school at Florida International University studying criminal justice. Once she earned her master’s degree, she was recruited by the North Miami Police Department as a GIS crime analyst where she spent two years before joining the Fort Walton Beach team in 2019.
As the accreditation manager/specialist, she follows the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation Standards to develop departmental policies and makes sure they remain current. “It is vital that police departments establish standards and follow those standards,” she says. “We live in an everchanging environment and because of that, policies should be living, evolving documents. We must constantly adapt to meet the needs of the community.” When asked why it is so important for the police department to attain accreditation, Grace gets right to the point saying, “We are taking the steps to be a better agency by holding ourselves accountable. Through accreditation, the community can be assured that their police department is transparent and accountable. Implementing proper training and policy guarantees that our officers have the tools and resources they need to better serve our community.”
Since joining the City of Fort Walton Beach, Grace commissioned as an officer in the Air Force Reserve. Her hard work and dedication to her department, officers, staff and the City is seen every day in her great attitude and willingness to help, regardless of the task. She loves making a positive impact in the police department by bridging communication gaps and being a voice for the officers. Grace is looking forward to her department completing the state accreditation process and has her sights set on national accreditation standards in the future. Getting to know Grace Garavito:
- Hometown: Miami Lakes, Fla.
- Hobbies? Cooking and DIY Projects. Interesting project: pallet shelf for plants. “I like working with my hands.”
- Favorite place to visit? Home Goods
- Who do you admire the most? “My mom. She is a hard worker, a cancer survivor and has built a very successful business.”
- If you could learn anything, what would it be? Speak German.
- Favorite quote? “The moment you give up is the moment you let someone else win.” – Kobe Bryant
- If you could be anyone for a day, who would it be? Elon Musk
- Something about yourself that would surprise others. “I can deadlift 200 lbs.”
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