Shawn Backer

Shawn Backer is a retired Deputy Chief of Police for the Coral Springs Police Department with more than 26 years of law enforcement experience. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy's 266th session, the country’s preeminent leadership school for police executives. As a member of the Coral Springs Police Department, Mr. Backer served as a patrol officer, field training officer, burglary detective, crimes against persons detective and was a sniper on the SWAT team. He held a variety of progressively higher supervisory roles, including serving as one of the Department’s two Deputy Chiefs for more than nine years. Mr. Backer was also a first responder at the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas (MSD) tragedy in 2018. He testified before the MSD Commission and has presented on the events and lessons learned multiple times. Mr. Backer has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Florida State University (1994) and a Master of Science in Criminology & Criminal Justice from Florida Atlantic University (2017). He teaches Crime Analysis - a Quality Matters (QM) certified course - and Criminal Justice Systems.