Sergeant Kristin Shiner

Collier County (FL) Sheriff’s Office

Washington, DC—The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has announced the selection of Sergeant Kristin Shiner of the Collier County (FL) Sheriff’s Office as its Officer of the Month for December 2012.
On the afternoon of July 25, 2012, Sergeant Shiner was spending her day off at home engrossed in a book when she heard what sounded like gunfire. When she stepped outside, a frantic man running toward her confirmed her suspicion that shots had, indeed, been fired. The man said his friend had just been gunned down and someone needed to call 911.
Sergeant Shiner ran back inside her house and retrieved her service weapon and badge. She sped in the direction the gunshots were fired and found a man facedown, bleeding in a driveway. While she checked his vital signs, she heard a gun re-loading from inside a nearby garage. Looking up, she saw a man standing on the passenger side of a pickup truck in the driveway. He pointed his weapon directly at her, yelling that he would kill anyone on his property.
Sergeant Shiner identified herself as a law enforcement officer and ordered the man to drop his weapon. Initially the suspect ignored her commands; however, he eventually dropped his gun. Sergeant Shiner ordered him to exit the garage with his hands in the air and told him to drop to the ground. She held him there at gunpoint until back-up arrived and placed him under arrest. The suspect was subsequently charged with second degree homicide. The murder victim was an innocent door-to-door salesman.
Gene Snyder, a retired firefighter and neighbor of the shooter, was the man that initially heard the gunfire and reported it to Sergeant Shiner. He saw his neighbor in the garage waving a handgun threatening to kill anyone in the vicinity. Mr. Snyder commended Sergeant Shiner for her courageous response. If she had not arrived and taken control of the situation, he believed others would have been injured or killed.
Collier County (FL) Sheriff Kevin Rambosk also praised Sergeant Shiner following her heroic actions, citing her unfailing professionalism and selfless dedication to the department and community.
Sergeant Shiner is a nine-year law enforcement veteran. She supervises admissions and releases at the Collier County Jail and is certified as both a corrections deputy and a law enforcement officer. For her actions that summer afternoon, Sergeant Shiner received the Collier County (FL) Sheriff’s Office Medal of Valor.
Located in the nation’s capital, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of America’s law enforcement officers. The Memorial Fund’s Officer of the Month Program began in 1996 and recognizes federal, state, and local officers who distinguish themselves through exemplary law enforcement service and devotion to duty.
Sergeant Shiner, along with the other Officers of the Month for 2012, will be honored at a special awards luncheon in Washington, DC in May 2013 during National Police Week. In addition, their stories of heroism and service will be featured in the Memorial Fund’s annual calendar.

The Police Unity Tour is the official sponsor of the Memorial Fund’s Officer of the Month Program.