“It was a lifelong goal to become a chief of police,” he said, adding that St. Cloud’s pride and independence as a community played a part in his decision to apply for the top job. “St. Cloud fiercely wants to keep their identity as to who they are: the small-town feel, but yet having a progressive government in order to manage and build the community. That was a huge attraction to me.”

He shies away from drawing too many comparisons between his former department of employment in Orlando, where he spent 28 years before retiring, and the much smaller police force he’s charged with managing now.

“I came from a different police agency. While it was bigger, it was no better. It was just different. In many cases, agencies the size of St. Cloud Police Department can be more efficient and responsive because they’re able to respond to the community’s needs,” he said.

Gauntlett emphasized that a good police department – beyond having enough officers, resources and specialized units as St. Cloud’s does – is an “open and aggressive listener” that stays tuned to each neighborhood’s individual needs.

“When it comes right down to it, it’s old-fashioned police work. It’s getting out there in the community and not only working it, but knowing your community,” he said. “Progressive policing in a professional manner is truly the foundation for any good police agency.”

The new chief took over the department just before the Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced a record low state crime rate for 2009, a trend that was mirrored by a 12 percent drop in total major crimes within the city of St. Cloud. Gauntlett said the department’s biggest concerns involve juvenile crime.

“So go our children, so goes the community,” he said, emphasizing the importance of extracurricular activities for youth and referencing the idea for a youth center being tossed around by city leaders.

“There is no perfect solution as to how to keep kids occupied, but I think I’m a firm believer that the busier they are, the less likely they are to get in trouble,” Gauntlett said. “The school administration has done an excellent job trying to fill that void as much as possible. We’re going to do everything we can to try to support that.”

Less than a month into the job, Gauntlett talks about local issues with easy familiarity. In actuality, the new police chief is no stranger to the St. Cloud Police Department or local issues. Aside from claiming friendships with Osceola County Sheriff Bob Hansell and Kissimmee Police Chief Fran Iwanski, Gauntlett worked within the St. Cloud Internal Revenue Service-Social Security, or SCIRS-SS, task force while with the Orlando Police Department.

Gauntlett grew up in southeast Orange County and has been a resident of Central Florida his whole life, with the exception of the few years he spent in the Marine Corps before joining the Orlando Police Department in 1983. In Orlando, he worked his way up through the ranks, filling a variety of roles from traffic patrol and investigative work to the operational and administrative aspects of the city police department.

“I was very blessed over the years to have an opportunity to work in just about every operational and investigative capacity that I could possibly ever want to,” he said.

He retired as a deputy chief and executive commander of special and investigative services bureaus in 2008, after 28 years with the department. He took a consultant position with the local Regional Domestic Security Task Force, an effort within the FDLE’s Homeland Security Task Force. Gauntlett worked for a little more than a year with the eight-county task force, which pooled federal funding, intelligence and resources among the numerous law enforcement, fire and private entities to provide greater security for the whole region.

In May, he took some time off to spend with family.

“I recharged my batteries a little bit after nearly 30 years, and it made me more energized than ever when this opportunity came along,” he said.

He expressed gratitude to city leaders for selecting him for the job. The staff at the St. Cloud Police Department has welcomed him with open arms, he said.

“I think there’s a strong level of enthusiasm as we move forward,” he said. “With my background and vision, I think we can do some very, very progressive things for the future to make this agency stronger.”

Gauntlett was sworn in April 2.