VALORIE KNIGHT PROMOTED TO BPD CAPTAIN
Valorie Knight was recently promoted to Captain with the Bradenton Police Department. The appointment was effective May 24, 2020 but due to COVID-19, she was not officially sworn in until July 9th by Mayor and Police Commissioner Wayne Poston.
A 25-year veteran of the Bradenton Police Department, Captain Knight is assigned to the Administrative Services Division where she manages the department’s compliance with the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, edits and writes policies and procedures, and oversees agency inspections. She was the first African American female to be hired at the police department.
Captain Knight is a native of Manatee County and most recently served as the Acting Captain of Administrative Services. She has served the department in various roles since 1994, and was promoted through the ranks to her current position. She has served on several boards including the Child Abduction Response Team, Manatee Children Services, United Way, Manatee County Substance Abuse Coalition, and the Manatee County Sexual Assault Response Team, to name a few. Some of her achievements include being Officer of the Year, Commendation Bar, Trailblazer Award from the Department of Corrections, RHS Hero Award, and was a participant in the 55th Inauguration of the President of the United States. In addition to her accolades, Captain Knight was instrumental in the Bradenton Police Department achieving its current accredited status in 2018.
Just awesome, wish I had better words. But she is the American dream in action. Thank you to the person who sought and overcame issues and barricades to become the Captain of the BPD.