Candidate: Keith Monroe Touchberry

https://votetouchberryforsheriff.com/Chief Keith M. Touchberry

Keith Touchberry knew from an early age that he wanted to be a soldier. At age 17, and with parental consent, he enlisted in the Army Reserve and attended recruit training at Ft. Dix N.J. during the summer between his junior and senior year in high school. While there, he served as the recruit in charge of his platoon and received his company’s “Soldier of the Cycle Award” upon graduation. After finishing high school, Keith was sent to Ft. Sill Oklahoma to attend tactical radio operator/mechanics school. While there, he served as the student soldier in charge of his class.

After serving for 18 months in the Army Reserve and achieving the rank of Specialist Forth Class, Keith received approval for his request to be released from his commitment to the Army so he could enlist in the active duty ranks of the United States Marine Corps. He was ordered to Marine Corp Recruit Depot San Diego California and served as one of four squad leaders for his recruit platoon.

He was meritoriously promoted to the rank of private first class upon graduation and sent to Infantry Training School at Camp Pendleton California. While there, he served as his training platoon’s class leader. Upon graduation, Keith remained at Camp Pendleton and became a member of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, and 7th Marine Regiment. His unit deployed to Japan and South Korea for six months and while in Okinawa, Keith attended Combat Squad Leaders School where he served as class leader.

Keith spent two and one half years with Fox 2/7 before re-enlisting for the newly formed Light Armored Vehicle Battalion. Keith spent the next three years deploying with his unit until he received orders to the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton to serve as an instructor at the Light Armored Vehicle Crewman School. Keith was honorably discharged as a sergeant in 1989 and moved to Florida to pursue a career in law enforcement.

He was hired by the Vero Beach Police Department in May of that year and attended the police academy in Ft. Pierce Florida where he once again served as class leader for his fellow recruits. He received the “Outstanding Graduate” award for his leadership in the academy.

During his career at VBPD, Keith served as a patrol officer, K-9 officer and K-9 team trainer, SWAT officer, patrol corporal, patrol sergeant, detective sergeant, patrol lieutenant, administrative lieutenant, patrol captain, and administrative captain until he left the Vero Beach Police Department as the second in command to become the Police Chief of the Fellsmere Police Department in 2013.

Keith Touchberry has had a parallel career in the classroom as an adjunct instructor with Indian River State College and the Florida Institute of Technology.

At IRSC, Keith taught in the basic recruit academy but specialized in teaching advanced coursed to law enforcement officers throughout the Treasure Coast. He was the primary breath test and standardized field sobriety test instructor for seven years teaching those two advanced coursed to law enforcement officers throughout the Treasure Coast. He currently teaches an ethics course to officers enrolled in the Criminal Justice Leadership Program.

At the Florida Institute of Technology, Keith has taught several general undergraduate level criminal justice courses since 2008, and has been the primary Ethics Instructor for that institutions online criminal justice program since 2010. Keith received the FIT Online Teacher of the Year Award in 2010.

Chief Touchberry has the following professional affiliations:

·         Chairman, FDLE Region XI Training Council (Indian River State College)

·         Member, Florida Police Chiefs Association

·         Member and past Chairman, Professional Standards Committee, Florida Police Chiefs Association

·         Member, Legislative Committee, Florida Police Chief’s Association

·         Member and past President, Treasure Coast Police Chief’s and Sheriff’s Association

·         Past Chairman, Public Safety sub-committee, Treasure Coast Opioid Task Force

·         Member and past Chairman, Executive Roundtable of Indian River County

·         Member, Fellsmere Exchange Club

·         Member and co-founder, Fellsmere Action Community Team (F.A.C.T.)

·         Member, Moonshot Community Action Network of the Learning Alliance “Moonshot Moment” (Indian River County).

·         Mentor, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America