SEBRING -- Keith Starling, captain of the Criminal Investigations Division of the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, recently graduated the Florida Certified Public Manager curriculum through the Askew School of Public Administration at Florida State University.

Starling joins Sheriff Paul Blackman, Major Darin Hood, Captain Kenny Johnson, Captain John Barcinas and Lieutenant Jack Bailey as holders of the prestigious Certified Public Manager designation among the HCSO staff.

The Certified Public Manager program is a nationally recognized leadership development program for public managers and supervisors. It is currently offered in 38 states and by the federal government. The primary goals are to professionalize public management and improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Florida has one of the largest, and most successful, CPM Programs in the country, with nearly 5,500 graduates from more than 100 agencies.

The CPM program consists of 32 days of classroom instruction, supplemented by homework assignments and exams.

Starling graduated from Avon Park High School in 1987, before beginning his career with the agency as a detention deputy in 1988. 

Starling transferred to the Law Enforcement Bureau in 1990 as a patrol deputy.  In 1992, he became a Field Training Deputy, and in 2004 was promoted to corporal. He was promoted to Uniform Patrol Sergeant in 2005, the same year, he became the supervisor of the agency’s dive team and marine patrol unit. 

Upon his promotion to Uniform Patrol Lieutenant in 2007, Starling served as a Uniform Patrol Watch Commander and supervisor of the Field Training Program for eight years, before being transferred to Criminal Investigations Unit as a Lieutenant.  In 2018, Keith was promoted to Captain of the Criminal Investigations Division.

Captain Starling has over 1,600 hours of advanced and specialized law enforcement training to include, leadership, management, and Intelligence-led policing.  He is a FDLE certified general instructor, as well as firearms instructor.