As reported in the Cape Coral Daily Breeze
On Thursday, June 17, members of the Southwest Florida Police Chiefs Association honored retiring Cape Coral Police Chief Robert S. Petrovich at a general membership meeting as he approaches his formal retirement on June 25.
Petrovich was presented with an Eagle Statue recognizing 26 years of distinguished service to the citizens of Cape Coral and the law enforcement community as a whole.
Petrovich began his service with the Cape Coral Police Department on June 25, 1984, and he was promoted to lieutenant in 1994. He was promoted to major in February 2003 and then deputy chief of police in October 2003. He was formally appointed to the position of chief of police for the city of Cape Coral Sept. 26, 2006.
Among his many accomplishments, Petrovich is a graduate of the 199th Session of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy as well as the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police. As chief, he led the Cape Coral Police Department through the process of Law Enforcement Accreditation with Flagship Honors through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc., he created the COPSTAR program which has been instrumental in maintaining a low crime rate, and he moved the agency into a new state-of-the-art facility in 2009. Petrovich is also a past president of the SWFPCA.
Members of the SWFPCA had the following to say about Chief Petrovich:
“It has been a great honor to have worked with Chief Petrovich for the past 20-plus years,” said Fort Myers Police Chief Doug Baker, who is also the SWFPCA vice president. “Rob’s leadership and community-minded approach to law enforcement has not only enhanced the quality of life for Cape Coral, but has set the bar for other agencies to follow in Southwest Florida and throughout the State of Florida.”
“We have enjoyed a healthy working and personal relationship over many years and at different ranks within our respective agencies,” said Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott. “During these years, we both rose to the top of our ranks and continued working side by side in a mutually beneficial and cooperative fashion. It has been a distinct pleasure serving alongside Rob Petrovich and I wish him all the best as he enters the next chapter of his life.”
The SWFPCA is a coalition of Southwest Florida law enforcement chief executives and command officers dedicated to promoting efficient law enforcement services to citizens through a coordinated and cooperative law enforcement effort. SWFPCA has served Southwest Florida for more than 25 years.