⭐ 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐘 ⭐
𝚂𝙲𝙷𝙾𝙾𝙻 𝚃𝙷𝚁𝙴𝙰𝚃 𝙴𝙽𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙲𝙴𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝚃𝙴𝙰𝙼 𝙳𝙴𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙴 : 𝙴𝚅𝙰𝙽 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙻𝙸𝙽

Watching the television show COPS had a profound impact on a young Evan Conlin. It’s why he decided on a career in law enforcement.

“It was their professionalism along with the way they handled themselves when it was time for a pursuit or chase,” Conlin said. “I wanted to do that when I was old enough.”

Born in Orlando, Evan’s family moved to Lehigh Acres when he was three years old. He was homeschooled while also taking supplemental courses at Edison College (now called Florida SouthWestern State College).

Following a ride along with the Fort Myers Police Department, Conlin, then 19 years old, sponsored himself through the public service academy in 2014. He was hired by the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office in Arcadia and began working road patrol for the next couple of years.

“It was good experience but there were only four of five of us on patrol in the whole county each night,” he said. “It’s mostly rural so we served as our own Agricultural Unit. There were a lot of well-being checks on horses and cows, as well as rounding up livestock that had gotten loose.”

In 2017, Conlin joined the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on road patrol in the 2nd Precinct. “Coming to LCSO was much better for my family and obviously a much busier agency,” he said.
“Because I grew up in Lehigh Acres, it was like coming home and was an opportunity to help out in the community.”

A memorable story from his road patrol days is when his partner, Det. Christopher James, was “kidnapped.” What began as a call from the Narcs Unit about stopping a suspect as he drove away from a drug house near Alabama Road in Lehigh, turned into an adventure.

“When we pulled him over, we found he was driving on a suspended license,” Det. Conlin recalled. “The guy tried to drive away but James jumped into the passenger side, and they wrestled for control of the car before James pulled the key out more than a half mile down the road.” The Honda Pilot hit several mailboxes as the driver accelerated and tried to steer into oncoming traffic.

After five years on the road, Conlin was promoted to Detective in the 2nd Precinct CID and worked investigating property crimes. He enjoyed that role but when an opportunity to join LCSO’s School Threat Enforcement Team came about three weeks ago, Det. Conlin was ready.

“STET prioritizes keeping kids and schools safe. That’s clearly one of Sheriff Carmine Marceno’s top initiatives so it’s great to be a part of that team,” Det. Conlin said. “The biggest challenge is talking to families and getting them to understand the seriousness of threats made by kids. The best tip we can give to parents is to monitor their children’s social media and keep an eye on all of their activities.”

Away from work, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife, Shelby, a nurse at Golisano Children’s Hospital, and the couple’s two children ages 6 and 4. He’s also an avid long-distance runner and will run in his first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC at the end of this month.

Det. Conlin and his family also love to travel. Another of Evan’s hobbies is studying maps and geography. He says his hidden talent is knowing the capitals of every country, and welcomes anyone trying to stump him. ... See MoreSee Less

Today, Sheriff Carmine Marceno visited ECS and spoke to a large group of high school students, sharing an encouraging message about leadership, making good choices, and the importance of believing in yourself and your future.

We also brought some of our LCSO family along for the visit! Students got an up-close look at several of our specialized assets, including the Bomb Squad, ATSU, and everyone’s favorite four-legged member of the team, Robbie the Robo Dog! 🐕‍🦺🤖

It was a great day of connecting with students, building relationships, and showing them the many ways our deputies and specialized teams serve and protect our community.

Thank you to ECS for welcoming us. We’re proud to be part of the next generation! ♥️🌟 ... See MoreSee Less