Todd Hand has been appointed Assistant Professor of Conservation Law Enforcement at Unity College, starting Aug. 22.

“Professor Hand has deep field experience in environmental police work,” Unity College President Melik Peter Khoury said. “He’s an expert in his field who will be able to translate the daily demands of this important work to our students and continue the excellence of Unity College’s renowned Conservation Law Enforcement degree program on day one.”

Hand, of Sarasota, Fla., is currently a lieutenant in the Criminal Investigation Division of the State of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, where he oversees criminal investigations in a 13-county area. He also supervises, directs, and approves all undercover investigations and operations; supervises all death investigations; coordinates tracking, electronic, and surveillance devices; manages informants and confidential files; supervises search warrant executions; and other duties. As a fully sworn state police officer and federally deputized United States Fish and Wildlife officer, Hand supervises seven investigators.

In roles spanning four decades, Hand has served as a lieutenant in the Patrol Division in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and a special agent in its Bureau of Investigations; on the City of Pittsburgh Police Review Board, where as senior investigator he supervised and investigated allegations of civil rights violations mandated by a Federal Consent Decree; as deputy sheriff in the Santa Rosa County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office, where he was assigned several homicide cases he cleared with arrests while working closely with state and federal prosecutors, forensics staff, and the Medical Examiner’s Office; and as a detective, sergeant, and field training officer in the Pasco County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office, one of the largest such departments in Florida, with more than 800 sworn officers.

In addition, Hand gained extensive experience in operational planning and budgeting while employed with the State of Florida. He organized and deployed large teams of responders to natural disasters, specifically hurricanes, including Hurricane Katrina; and he is a firearms and defensive tactics instructor.

“After working in Florida for 25 years, I have learned the value and importance of safety for visitors and the mindset to deal with multicultural citizenry,” he wrote.

Hand possesses a Master of Criminal Justice in Forensic Psychology from Saint Leo University (Fla.), where he was a member of the Lambda Theta Honor Society and Alpha Phi Sigma National Honor Society; and a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology from Penn State University.

“Todd Hand is a seasoned conservation officer who brings a wealth of leadership experience to the classroom,” said Zach Falcon, Assistant Professor of Conservation Law and Environmental Policy. “He is a strong advocate of ‘learning by doing,’ and I’m certain Unity students will benefit from his professional expertise and demonstrated passion for protecting public trust resources.”

“We are delighted that Lt. Hand has joined Unity’s faculty,” said Conservation Law Enforcement Professor Lori Perez. “Todd’s wealth of knowledge and cutting-edge field expertise will further strengthen Unity’s outstanding tradition of conservation law enforcement education.  He will be a great asset to our team, and an invaluable resource for our students.”

Monday, May 23, 2016