Four other promotions announced
Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman has promoted Major Brian Woodring to colonel and named Woodring chief deputy, the Sheriff’s Office has reported.
Woodring joined the Sheriff’s Office in 1996, when he was hired as a deputy assigned to the Patrol Bureau, a news release says. Over the course of his career, Woodring has worked in the Criminal Investigations Section, the Community Policing Unit, Youth Services Section, the DUI Unit, the Intelligence Unit, and the Emergency Operations Bureau, the release adds.
In 2010, he joined the agency’s SWAT Team, and then, in 2017, he graduated from the National Tactical Officers Association’s SWAT Team Leader Development Course, the release notes.
Woodring received the Life Saving Award in 2014, “after rendering aid, while off-duty, to a man suffering a heart attack,” the release points out.
In 2018, Woodring graduated from the FBI-Law Enforcement Executive Development Association’s 306th Command Institute for Law Enforcement Executives, as well as the 241st Executive Leadership Institute, the release says. Additionally in 2018, he assumed the role of SWAT Team commander and was promoted to the rank of captain, the release notes.
Woodring is a graduate of both the FBI’s Florida Executive Development Seminar and the Southern Police Institute’s 77th Command Officer Development Course, which is offered through the University of Louisville, the release adds.
He serves on the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), as well as the board of directors of Teen Court of Sarasota, the release says.
Woodring earned his bachelor’s degree from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, where he was the captain of the Slippery Rock football team and became an All-American, the release points out.
He also holds a master’s degree from the University of South Florida.
Prior to his election as sheriff in November 2020, Hoffman served as chief deputy to Sheriff Tom Knight, who chose not to run for re-election in 2020.
Other Sheriff’s Office personnel changes were announced on Jan. 7:
- Detective Daniel Levanti was promoted to sergeant and assigned to the Patrol Bureau. Levanti joined the Sheriff’s Office in 2013, when he was hired as a Court Services deputy. He transferred to the Patrol Bureau in 2014 and joined the SWAT Team the following year; he has been serving as a sniper. He has received the Meritorious Achievement and Life Saving Awards and was named Law Enforcement Division Employee of the Month in 2016.
- Sgt. Adam Shaw was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and assigned to the Patrol Bureau. Shaw began his career in 2010, when he earned his law enforcement certification and joined the Sheriff’s Office as a patrol deputy. Over the course of his career, Shaw has worked in the agency’s Tactical Unit, Criminal Investigations Section, Special Investigations Section, and Intelligence Unit. He received the Congressional Law Enforcement Unit Citation Award in 2019 and the Life Saving Award in 2021. He has been nominated for Employee of the Month several times. Shaw is a member of the Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team and serves as the lead team trainer.
- Lt. Brigit Leonard was promoted to the rank of captain, assigned to the Patrol Bureau. Leonard began her career with the Sheriff’s Office in 1989 as a civilian clerk typist. She eventually served as a crime analyst and secretary for the Special Investigations Section. Following the completion of training at the Criminal Justice Academy in 1999, she transferred to the Law Enforcement Division as a patrol deputy. Leonard was promoted to sergeant in 2009 and then to lieutenant in 2015. She has worked in the Court Services, Emergency Operations, and Patrol bureaus. Leonard also has received a Meritorious Achievement Award and two Life Saving Awards. She is a graduate of the Women in Law Enforcement Leadership Institute, the Florida Leadership Academy, and the Southern Police Institute’s 75th Command Officer Development Course, offered through the University of Louisville.
- Capt. Ryan Brown was promoted to the rank of major and assigned to the Law Enforcement Division. Brown joined the Sheriff’s Office in 1997 as a corrections deputy recruit. He earned his associate’s degree as well as both his corrections and law enforcement certifications in 1998 and was nominated for Corrections Officer of the Year in 2001. The following year, Brown joined the Law Enforcement Division as a patrol deputy. In that capacity, he would become involved with the agency’s Emergency Response Team and the SWAT team. Altogether, as a member of the Sheriff’s Office, Brown has worked in the Criminal Investigations Section, Patrol Bureau, Civil Section, and Special Operations Bureau. In 2014, he began serving as the SWAT Team commander. In subsequent years, the team earned many awards during several regional SWAT competitions. Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology from the University of South Florida, and he is a graduate of the FBI-Law Enforcement Executive Development Association’s 306th Command Institute for Law Enforcement Executives, the Southern Police Institute’s 73rd Command Officer Development Course, the National Tactical Officers Association’s SWAT Command Leadership Course, and the 9th Florida Sheriffs Association Commanders Academy. He serves as the agency’s High Risk Incident Commander (HRIC).
“This is an outstanding day for our agency and community,” said Sheriff Hoffman in the release. “I am proud to promote five deserving members who have elevated through the ranks by leading with integrity and respect. They will undoubtedly do great things with their continued commitment to serving the citizens of Sarasota County.”