FHP names two troop commanders

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Florida Highway Patrol Director, Col. John Czernis, announced on Thursday, that Capt. Cindy Williams of Orlando has been promoted to Major and will take the reigns as the new troop commander of Troop D on July 10. Major Williams will oversee the troop that covers Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties. Williams will fill a position vacated upon the promotion of her predecessor, Chief Cyrus Brown, when he became FHPs Central Region Commander.

Major Williams has spent more than half of her 23-year Patrol career in Troop D. She knows the area and has demonstrated that she is ready for the next step in her career, which requires a great amount of responsibility, said Czernis. I have full confidence in her abilities to lead the troop in central Florida.

Williams was assigned to Troop C in Lakeland, where she had been district commander since November 2006. As district commander, she was in charge of field operations for Hillsborough and Polk counties. Williams began her career with the Florida Highway Patrol in Orlando, where she spent 15 years after graduating from the 76th recruit class in 1986. She then supervised the traffic homicide program in Brevard County. She was promoted to Lieutenant in investigations before commanding the Lakeland District. Her return to Troop D will be both a homecoming and a milestone, as Williams will be the first woman to command Troop D.

Williams grew up in Orlando. She is a graduate of Winter Park High School. She holds an associate degree in criminal justice from Valencia Community College, and is currently pursuing a bachelors degree in criminal justice from the University of Central Florida. She graduated from the 224th session of the FBI National Academy in 2006, and she has spent a great amount of her career in the investigations arena.

In 1990, Williams received the Division Directors award for apprehending 227 motorists for Driving Under the Influence. The Florida Highway Patrol also recognized Williams for her efforts to remove impaired drivers from the roadways by making more than 100 DUI arrests four years in a row.

Her extensive law enforcement training and first hand knowledge of the streets of Central Florida will give her the edge to command the largest Florida Highway Patrol Troop in the state.

Col. Czernis also announced, on Thursday, that Capt. Joseph Saucedo has been promoted to Major and will take the reigns as the new troop commander of Troop K on July 10. As he assumes his new position within the Patrol, Saucedo will trade in his captains bars for the gold oak leaf cluster worn by majors, and he will oversee the troop that covers the entire Florida Turnpike.

During his 15-year career with the Patrol, Major Saucedo has demonstrated tremendous leadership skills. He is ready for the next step in his career, which requires a great amount of responsibility, said Czernis. I have full confidence in his abilities to lead the troop that enforces our traffic laws on the turnpike.

Saucedo is currently assigned to Troop D in Orlando, Fla., where he has been district commander since 2005. As district commander, he was in charge of field operations for the busiest district in the state, Orange and Osceola counties. Saucedo began his career with the Florida Highway Patrol in Fort Myers, Fla., after graduating from the 88th recruit class in 1995. Since then, he has moved up through the ranks spending most of his career in Orlando.

Saucedo holds an associate degree in engineering science from Nassau Community College in Garden City, N.Y., and a bachelors degree in applied mathematics from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He is a member of FHPs Subject Matter Expert Committee, which creates the promotional exams and assessment topics for the ranks of corporal, sergeant, lieutenant and captain.