Meet our Officer of the Year

Detective Jesse Streeter named FPPD Officer of the Year

With 16 years on the job, Detective Jesse Streeter is one of the most experienced officers on the Fort Pierce Police Department. And while that certainly helps him solve crimes, it’s his experiences before he joined FPPD that influence him most and guide him daily as he works for the good of the community.

As a young man, Jesse was stopped by police while driving in a town outside Fort Pierce. Without provocation, an officer threatened Jesse with a shotgun, racking the slide while pointing the weapon at Jesse’s head. Fortunately, Jesse remained calm and the situation resolved, but the impact on the young man was profound and inspired him to go into law enforcement — specifically because he wanted to set an example for the way officers should treat people, with courtesy and respect.

“I wanted to make a change,” Jesse said, “because I am a human being first.”

He began working as a state corrections officer in Martin County, where he says he learned a lot about people, including criminals, and about the benefit of striving for mutual respect with everyone he encounters, no matter what their situation in life.

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“Whatever life someone comes from, it doesn’t dictate who they are,” Jesse says.

Now, because he has been respectful of the people he meets as an officer and detective, Jesse has built relationships that often help develop leads in difficult cases. People are willing to talk to Detective Jesse Streeter because they see his sincerity, and because they have come to know the honest and true person behind the badge. And they know that person cares.

He stays busy at FPPD with 150 cases pending on his desk. On a recent case, he worked tirelessly with the state attorney’s office during a difficult trial that ended with the guilty verdict of a gang member who had been involved in many shootings, but had always evaded conviction.

The attorney who prosecuted the case wrote to Chief Diane Hobley-Burney about Detective Streeter, saying, “His encouragement and assistance made it easier for us to do our jobs in prosecuting one of the most violent gang members in the county … Detective Streeter is an invaluable asset to your department in the pursuit of justice and in the ongoing desire of both of our agencies to protect this community.”

Detective Streeter’s successes even get noticed out of town: On a homicide case in Robertson County, Tennessee, there was a connection to Fort Pierce requiring Detective Streeter’s expertise. The Sheriff of Robertson County wrote to the detective, saying, “You jumped right in to help by drafting the search warrant for the storage unit, mobilizing the evidence collection unit, and helping to execute the search warrant. Your willingness to help another agency shows that your commitment to serve extends beyond the borders of Fort Pierce.”

Detective Jesse Streeter has indeed shown his willingness to help anyone, anywhere over the years, and has proved to be a great asset to the community of Fort Pierce time and again.

And the Fort Pierce Police Department is proud to call him our “Officer of the Year.”

Congratulations, and thank you Detective Jesse Streeter!