Kissimmee Police Department Sergeant Kristy Strobl has been named the City of Kissimmee’s Employee of the Year for 2021. The Employee of the Year Award recognizes and rewards exemplary performance by City employees based on both performance of their responsibilities and their specific contributions to the mission, goals, and values of the city. Employees are nominated by and chosen solely by their fellow employees, not supervisors or managers.
Sgt. Strobl was the City’s Employee of the Month (EOM) for September 2021 and then competed with the other eleven EOMs in 2021 for the city-wide honor. As part of the September award nomination, she was recognized for her efforts in being a positive influence in the community.
“When six children were left without a father, and their aunt was arrested, Kristy worked the case, notified the grandmother, and assisted in providing school supplies for the children,” her nomination read.
This is not surprising, considering the 23-year veteran was studying nursing at Valencia College until she took an elective criminal justice course. She diverted to the Law Enforcement certification program at Technical Education Center Osceola (TECO), now Osceola Technical College.
“I saw a different side to law enforcement, and I was struck that this was the way I wanted to help people,” Strobl said. She joined the Kissimmee Police Department in 1998 and is currently the patrol sergeant for the west side of the city. She was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2017.
She said her current assignment is her favorite because it keeps her outdoors and in contact with people.
“Patrol is the best way to have the best day to day impact on residents, and each day is different.”
She has had a variety of assignments during her career, including working undercover with Osceola County’s joint Criminal Investigation Division, and the city’s Problem Orientated Policing (POPS) community policing effort. Her outstanding performance has also earned her many awards and citations.
Strobl was recognized as Detective of the Year in the early 2000s. On New Year’s Eve in 2010, her actions, along with two other officers, to stop the arterial bleeding of a man cut by broken glass earned her a Life-Saving award. She cites getting a child human trafficking victim out of harm’s way as one of her best days as a law enforcement officer.
She would like the community to know from her and her fellow officers that, “Without the help of the community, we cannot help the community by focusing on the criminal elements that are hurting the community” Strobel said.