On October 1, the South Lake Chamber of Commerce announced that Clermont Police Chief Charles Broadway was chosen as the 2020 Citizen of the Year.
Police Chief Charles Broadway, Citizen of the Year
The Citizen of the Year Award is an annual award presented to a South Lake resident who has displayed extraordinary dedication to the community through being actively involved in at least two community organizations, performs community service, and continually goes above and beyond what may be required as part of their employment.
This year the South Lake Chamber of Commerce recognized Chief Charles Broadway of the Clermont Police Department.
Under the leadership of Clermont Police Chief Charles Broadway the Clermont Police department has developed a strong relationship with the community. They serve as mentors at the Boys and Girls Club, Police Explorer Program and with the Clermont Battalion Naval Sea Cadet Corps. His department hosts the largest National Night Out event in Lake County, Coffee with a Cop, Operation Good Behavior and a Lights and Ladders event. The Chief hosts a Law Enforcement Torch Run and can be seen alongside his officers serving food and beverages during multiple “Tip a Cop” held throughout the city.
Chief Broadway’s initiatives to reduce crime include intelligence-led policing and community policing efforts. Their efforts were recognized by receiving the prestigious Rocky Pomerance Award from the Florida Police Chiefs Association. He also partnered with LifeStream Behavioral Center to fund a Mental Health therapist to be assigned to the Clermont Police Department to provides services and ensure everyone receives assistance and therapeutic care.
Chief Broadway’s commitment to the profession of Law Enforcement reaches beyond the city limits of Clermont. He is the Past President of the West Central Florida Police Chiefs Association and Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute Associates. He serves on the boards for UCF South Lake Advisory Council, Live Well Foundation, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and First Step Inc of the 5th Judicial Circuit and is an alumnus of Leadership Lake. He serves as the liaison for District 14 and on the legislative committee for the Florida Police Chiefs Association. He has been the commencement speaker for several high school, college and police academy graduations.
During his tenure, there has been a focus on hiring military veterans and officers who reflect a diverse community. He embraces the agency’s core values of Integrity, Honor, Courage, Professionalism and Service Above Self. This includes being only one of a few agencies within Lake County that is accredited through the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, hiring outside consultants to conduct promotional testing and increasing standards within the agency while removing officers not upholding the ethics of Law Enforcement.
Realizing the importance of providing advanced training to the members of the agency, Chief sought out partnerships with other organizations. As a result, The City of Clermont hosts training specifically geared to leaders in law enforcement like Southern Police Institute’s Command Officers Development Course and National Tactical Officers Leadership Development which brought together Law Enforcement Professionals from around the country. He promotes numerous health and fitness initiatives for his staff and the community. Among his personal accolades, Chief Broadway received the Life Saving Award for performing the Heimlich maneuver on a person while at a community breakfast meeting.
The Chief is a member of Kiwanis of Clermont and, in his spare time, he and his family donate their time helping those in the community.
Congratulations to an awesome Chief, Leader, and Representative of the south Lake Community. The well-deserved award was presented the day before his birthday. Happy Birthday to the Chief and Citizen of the Year.
