Chief of Police Albert A. Arenal
is a lifelong resident of Charlotte County who joined the Punta
Gorda Police Department in 1986 and was appointed Chief of Police on
December 1, 2008. In his career with the department, he has
supervised all facets of the agency including Uniform Patrol, the
Administrative/Support Services Division (Records & Communications),
and the Criminal Investigations Section. He has also served as the
agency's Accreditation Manager, coordinating the department’s effort
to achieve its first State law enforcement accreditation award in
1998.
Chief Arenal is a 1982 graduate of Charlotte High School and holds
an Associate in Arts degree from Edison College and a Bachelor of
Science degree in Management from International College where he was
graduated with honors. Chief Arenal is a 1998 graduate of the 193rd
Session of the FBI National Academy and he is also a graduate of the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s 41st Chief Executive
Seminar. He has served as an instructor for the Southwest
Florida Public Safety Academy and has served as an adjunct faculty
member at Edison Community College.
Chief Arenal is an ardent supporter of Florida law enforcement
accreditation and has served as a Team Leader for the Commission for
Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA) for more than 10 years;
assessing law enforcement agencies across the State of Florida for
standards compliance. He has also served as an instructor for CFA,
teaching Accreditation Management to criminal justice managers from
across the State of Florida. Chief Arenal was also the 2005
recipient of CFA's own “Sheriff Neil J. Perry Service Award. He
currently serves as the Immediate Past President for the Florida
Police Accreditation Coalition (FLA-PAC) and he also served as FLA-PAC’s
President (2003-2005) and Second Vice President (2001-2003).
In Charlotte County, Chief Arenal serves on the Board of Directors
of Drug-Free Charlotte County, the Charlotte Regional Medical Center
Civic Advisory Council, and he serves as Chairman of the Board for
Do the Right Thing of Charlotte County, Inc. He is also a member of
the Southwest Florida Police Chief’s Association, Florida Police
Chief’s Association, and the International Association of Chiefs of
Police.
