Former Brevard County Sheriff Rollin Zimmerman Passes Away At Age 101
By WAYNE IVEY, BREVARD SHERIFF // May 14, 2017
served as Brevard County Sheriff 1977-1981
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – On Saturday, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office lost an amazing member of our BCSO family when 101-year-old former Sheriff Rollin Zimmerman passed away peacefully with his family at his side.
Sheriff Zimmerman was born on July 28, 1915, and would have been 102-years-old this year.
Having lived such a full life, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and the citizens of Brevard were blessed to have him lead our agency. Sheriff Zimmerman began his career with the Sheriff’s Office in 1962 and served in various capacities to include Deputy Sheriff, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain and Sheriff.
He was elected to serve as Brevard County’s Sheriff from 1977 through 1981.
Dedicating his career to working closely with children, Sheriff Zimmerman’s vision and love of law enforcement directed his efforts to help establish the Hacienda Girls Ranch for homeless young girls, our agency’s first-ever junior deputy program, anti-drug programs, Aviation Unit and Motor Unit.
When he first started working with our agency, Brevard County was feeling tremendous growing pains and changes due to the new Space Program.
Sheriff Zimmerman witnessed a time when our county was experiencing a migration of new residents coming into our area in record numbers.
For the very first time, residents were complaining not just about speeding, but also about traffic congestion.
On September 4, 2013, I was honored to have been part of a historic moment when we brought together Brevard County’s six living Sheriffs at the American Police Hall of Fame and Kennedy Space Center.
I consider myself blessed to have stood alongside and followed in the footsteps of former Sheriffs Ralph Clark, Rollin Zimmerman, Jake Miller, Phil Williams and Jack Parker during this remarkable moment in time.
Last year, after having acquired a new K-9 Bloodhound donated to our agency from the Jimmy Ryce Foundation to search for missing and endangered children, persons with dementia and fugitives, it only seemed appropriate to name him after someone who, throughout his entire life, was truly committed to the needs and safety of our citizens.
On June 2, 2016, we were honored to swear in K-9 “Rollin” as part of our Brevard County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Team.
As we prepare to honor his legacy and say our final goodbyes to this amazing man, I ask that you please keep his son, Tom Zimmerman, daughter, Janet Buck, and their entire family in your thoughts and prayers.
Funeral arrangements are pending at this time, so as soon as details have been confirmed, I will let you know.
We will truly miss Sheriff Zimmerman, his infectious sense of humor and his incredible service to our agency and the citizens of Brevard County.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a law enforcement officer for over three decades. Sheriff Ivey is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Daytona State College in Management and Supervision. Sheriff Ivey’s background in law enforcement is inclusive of Management, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Patrol Services, Public Integrity Investigations, and Corrections.
Prior to being elected in 2012, Sheriff Ivey served the citizens of the State of Florida as a Resident Agent in Charge for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As a member of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sheriff Ivey developed and created the country’s first ever statewide Task Force on Identity Theft. That same year the Task Force was named one of the top five most innovative programs in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and investigated approximately 44 million dollars in fraud cases. Additionally, as a member of FDLE, Sheriff Ivey created the Child Abduction Response Team (C.A.R.T) that re-defined the way Child Abduction cases are conducted throughout the country today. The program was later selected as the most innovative program in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is now used as a nationwide model in the response and investigation of child abductions.
Sheriff Ivey has testified before the United States Congress on law enforcement related matters and has extensive experience in the area of Public Integrity Investigations. Sheriff Ivey was honored as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Special Agent of the Year (1996) and was also recognized by the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for his Outstanding Contributions to Criminal Justice. In August of 2011 Sheriff Ivey was honored by the National Organization of Victims Advocacy for his work at the national level as an advocate of victim’s rights and protection.
Sheriff Ivey speaks regularly on topics such as Identity Theft, Crime in America, Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Self Defense through Mental Preparedness. Sheriff Ivey firmly believes that Crime Prevention and Education are vital to reduce our crime rate and protect our community.
