Captain Renee Peterson has served as a criminal justice professional for the past 23 years. She began her career in 1998 with the Florida Department of Corrections as a corrections officer, later earning a promotion to the rank of sergeant. She joined the Broward Sheriff’s Office in 2002, first working in the Department of Detention, and then transferring to the Department of Law Enforcement. While working her first patrol assignment in Oakland Park, Renee quickly learned the importance of grass-roots civic engagement. She developed relationships with community leaders and business owners, proving to be an influential problem solver.
In 2008, Renee was promoted to detective, where she served with the Pompano Beach District, the largest and busiest command in the Broward Sheriff’s Office. For the next five years, she honed her skills as an intuitive investigator and effective interviewer, developing progressively more responsible special investigative experience. She demonstrated a passion for working with community stakeholders to solve problems and improve the quality of life in the neighborhoods where she worked. In 2013, Renee earned a position as a detective with the Gang Investigations Unit. As a state certified gang investigator, Renee worked with local, state, and federal agencies on a variety of long-term investigations, which culminated in the seizure of illegal narcotics, guns, and stolen vehicles as well as the incarceration and conviction of many violent felons and documented gang members.
Renee was promoted to the rank of sergeant in the spring of 2016, returning to the Pompano Beach District to lead a squad of 18 uniform patrol deputies. In the summer of 2017, Renee was selected to serve as the sergeant supervising the Operations Management Unit. In that role, Renee was responsible for facility security at the Broward Sheriff’s Office countywide headquarters building, large and small-scale special events planning and logistics, planned/organized protests, crime scene management, as well as coordinating with non-profit organizations for fundraising events. A year later, in the summer of 2018, Renee was selected to lead the Community Outreach Unit. Serving as a bridge between the Broward Sheriff’s Office and communities throughout Broward County, her duties include coordinating special projects as identified by the sheriff, planning and execution of important community activities like back-to-school events, holiday food drives and toy distribution, the planning and coordination of major agency-wide events such as National Night Out, award and promotion ceremonies, and organized community dialogue events. Additional duties included serving on the Sheriff’s Disaster Response Team with special training from EMI on emergency management. In her final assignment as a sergeant before being promoted, Renee supervised the Tamarac District Criminal Investigations Unit, where she led a team of detectives responsible for investigating property crimes as well as supporting elected officials in the education of city residents about crime prevention.
Renee was promoted to the rank of captain in November of 2019 and was entrusted with the implementation of Sheriff Gregory Tony’s visionary initiative the Neighborhood Support Team. The Neighborhood Support Team works with community stakeholders, unifying efforts to meet community needs beyond routine calls for service. The goal of the Neighborhood Support Team is to supplement traditional law enforcement resources to ensure community needs are effectively communicated, and then successfully addressed. In this model, community feedback drives modification to service and service delivery to more closely align with community needs and expectations. The Neighborhood Support Team is designed to make law enforcement more visible, approachable, relatable, and effective, thereby reducing fear of crime, and encourage interaction between the public and law enforcement.
Over a lifetime of service, Renee has proven to be an influential team member, with experience developing productive and effective relationships with colleagues to accomplish any desired objective. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice Management from Union Institute & University and earned her master’s degree from Florida International University in May of 2020. In September of 2018, Captain Peterson was selected to participate in the prestigious Leadership Fort Lauderdale, Class 25. Captain Peterson is a member of NOBLE, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement, and she serves on boards and advisory committees for several local non-profit organizations. Captain Peterson is a state certified law enforcement instructor, specializing in several law enforcement and corrections disciplines. She is currently serving as an adjunct instructor for police and corrections cadets at Broward College Institute of Public Safety. Renee currently speaks on various platforms in the private sector as well as Law Enforcement. Renee volunteers her time with religious institutions locally and abroad, as well as with several charitable organizations and foundations. Renee’s most important role is the proud mother of three, her son Corey and twin daughters Noa & Ava.