Sheriff Don Hunter
Sheriff Don Hunter was born in 1951 in Tallahassee, Florida
and has been a resident of Collier County since 1961. He graduated
from Naples High School in 1969 and received a Bachelor of Science
Degree in Criminology from Florida State University in 1974 and
a Master of Science Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice
Planning from Florida State University in 1983.
From October of 1976 to September of 1979 he was the Regional
Administrator for the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council
(Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration),
State Planning Region IX. In 1979 he became a Collier County Deputy
Sheriff and in 1981 was promoted to Deputy Chief of Administration
and Special Operations. He developed and commanded the Collier
County Sheriff's SWAT Team and commanded the Narcotics Unit for
the same period, as Major, until his election as Sheriff of Collier
County. As Deputy Chief he also commanded Training, Data Processing,
Finance, Budget, Planning, Development and other Administrative
tasks.
In 1988 Don Hunter was elected Sheriff of Collier County and re-elected
in 1992. He is presently a member of the National Sheriff's Association,
the Florida Sheriff's Association, the International Association
of Chiefs of Police and the Police Exec utive's Research Forum.
He participated in the Harvard University's Program for Senior
Executives in State and Local Government. He has been an instructor
at the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute, Center for
Executive Studies. In 1987 he was appointed to Congressman Tom
Lewis' Academy Selection Committee, United States Military Academies
and was also selected to receive the Outstanding Young Men of
America Award. In 1992 he was appointed to the Board of Directors
for the Florida Sheriff's Association. He was appointed to the
Naples Community Hospital Advisory Board in 1995.
His significant continuing education credits include the Southeastern
Criminal Justice Training Institute; National Institute of Justice,
Cutback Management Executive Institute; the Florida Department
of Law Enforcement, Organized Crime Institute, National Conference
on Violence/Extremist Terror; the Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Center of Executive Studies, Media Relations for Law Enforcement
Executives; and the Institute of Police Technology and Management
Hosted Narcotics Commander Training Course. He is a graduate of
the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia (1994).
Sheriff Hunter's numerous community activities have included membership
in Naples North Rotary; Membership in the Smithsonian Institute;
Membership in the Audubon Society; Leadership Collier; Collier
County Partners in Education; Project Graduation as Chairman;
Youth Haven; Conservancy of Naples; Naples Wilderness Alternative
Program (now the Naples Leadership School); Boy Scouts of America,
Southwest Florida Council; the March of Dimes, South Florida Chapter,
as Chairman; Leukemia Society and David Lawrence Mental Health
Center Board of Directors.