Sergeant Bruce Baker has twenty four years of law enforcement experience, the last thirteen with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. He has held the position of a correctional officer, correctional probation officer and a law enforcement officer. Sergeant Baker served on the Special Response Team for the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office while working as a Correctional Officer and participated in the SWAT Round-up held annually in Orlando, Florida.
Since joining the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Sergeant Baker has worked in patrol and as a detective in the burglary, auto theft, aggravated battery and homicide units. Sergeant Baker currently serves as a supervisor on a task force. Additionally he is a member of an All Hazard Incident Management Team with the Sheriff’s Office.
Sergeant Baker is a member of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Hostage Negotiation Team and has responded to numerous hostage, barricade suspect and potential suicide incidents. Sergeant Baker has attended numerous crisis/hostage negotiation courses including a 120-hour program with the Institute of Police Technology and Management and numerous state training conferences. Sergeant Baker has received specialized training in the areas of negotiating in a school environment and police suicide awareness. He is a member of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators and is a staff instructor for Crisis/Hostage Negotiator Programs at the Institute of Police Technology and Management in Jacksonville, FL, Crisis Systems Management, LLC, and the Midwest Counterdrug Training Program in Des Moines Iowa.
Sergeant Baker has presented crisis negotiation case studies for numerous state-level Crisis/Hostage Negotiation conferences including the Texas Association of Hostage Negotiators, the California Association of Hostage Negotiators, the Louisiana Association of Hostage Negotiators, and the Annual Baltimore County Hostage Negotiation Seminar.
Sergeant Baker has developed and trained specialized topics related to crisis communication for emergency dispatchers.
Sergeant Baker has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Eastern Kentucky University and currently resides in Jacksonville, FL.
