🌟𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐘🌟
𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝚂𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝙳𝚎𝚙𝚞𝚝𝚢: 𝙹𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚎 𝙷𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚗

As proof of the power of social media, Jenae Heflin saw Sheriff Carmine Marceno’s TikTok videos and decided the Lee County Sheriff’s Office is where she wanted to continue her law enforcement career.

A native of Ballston Spa, New York, Heflin was working as a School Resource Officer with the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office when she determined a change was needed.

“It was the political environment, the way law enforcement is viewed in upstate New York, and things like that that made me want to change,” said Dep. Heflin. “My sister lived in Lee County for a year plus I had a friend in Bonita Springs that I had visited and loved it there. And those TikTok videos with Sheriff Marceno convinced me LCSO would be a great place to work.”

Jenae recalls always wanting a law enforcement career. “On Halloween, I was always a cop,” she says. One physical impediment stood in her way after graduating from Ballston Spa High in 2014, her weight.

“I had gotten up to around 275 pounds through poor eating,” Dep. Heflin explained. “I knew I could not go through the academy like that, so I worked hard for about six months to drop 100 pounds. Then I was able to lose another 40 pounds while at the academy.”

In 2018 she began working road patrol for the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office. After about four years on the road, Dep. Heflin became an SRO at her alma mater, Ballston Spa High.

With her dog and possessions loaded into a U-Haul, Jenae drove to Fort Myers in August of 2024 to begin training with LCSO. During the 2024-25 school year she worked in Youth Services as a Rover. The position requires filling in for SROs who are on vacation or otherwise unavailable on certain days.

“It’s spur of the moment and you’re kind of on call to go wherever needed,” she said, “but I loved it. It can be going to any school for a few hours to a week or longer. I think I’ve been to 90 percent of the schools in Lee County and really enjoyed the experience.”

This academic year, Dep. Heflin has a permanent assignment at Estero High.

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said. “Throughout my years as an SRO I’ve always preferred working with the older kids. It’s rewarding to build a relationship with them along with staff. Kids can sometimes have a bad impression of police based on interactions their parents or someone else has had. In the schools we get to know them and reverse that impression.”

While Dep. Heflin enjoys her role with Youth Services, she’s also eyeing the future after working this summer in LCSO’s Intel Unit. Plans include taking the Detective test, then keeping an eye out for openings in STET (School Threat Enforcement Team), Intelligence, or other investigative units.

Away from work, Jenae is an avid pickleball player, enjoys video games like Fortnite, golf and caring for her two dogs: Myla, a Husky, and Nole, an Australian Shepherd. ... See MoreSee Less