Editorial
Captain Ron Bowling was put on paid administrative leave last Tuesday pending a criminal investigation. It’s linked to him harassing the dispatch center.
Lakeland Gazette has tried to reach out to the LPD PIO and no response by phone or text, why? Tried to reach out to the Chief office by phone no response, why?
Why was Captain Ron Bowling harassing the dispatch center? Why is he on paid administrative leave pending a criminal investigation?
Has Bowling ever been on paid administrative leave before?
Who is Captain Ronald Bowling, Jr.?
Captain Ronald Bowling, Jr. has been a resident of Lakeland for most of his life. After graduating from Mulberry Senior High School in 1993, he attended Florida State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminology in 1997. While attending Florida State, he joined the United States Marine Corps Reserves and was honorably discharged after ten years of service as an M1A1 tank commander. After a five-year break in military service, he joined the US Army Reserves and is currently a Special Agent in the Criminal Investigation Division. He has deployed to Djibouti Africa, Afghanistan, and most recently served on the Secretary of Defense’s protection team.
Captain Bowling was hired by the Lakeland Police Department in 1997 and assigned to the Uniform Patrol Division and Street Crimes Unit. He was promoted to Sergeant in 2007 and was a supervisor in the Uniform Patrol Division, the Neighborhood Liaison Unit, and the Street Crimes Unit. In 2014, he was promoted to Lieutenant, where he was the Officer in Charge of Uniform Patrol Squads Bravo and Delta. Later he supervised the Special Investigations Section and, most recently, the Criminal Investigations Section. Lieutenant Bowling served on the LPD honor guard and was a 15-year member of the SWAT team. He has competed with the LPD SWAT Round-Up team for 12 years and was able to help his team win the International SWAT Round-Up Competition four times. His awards at LPD include 10 Distinguished Performance Awards, The Meritorious Service Award, and the Medal of Valor.
Captain Bowling has a strong family heritage at the Lakeland Police Department. His father, Ronald Bowling, Sr. is a retired LPD police officer and Lakeland’s first K-9 handler. His brother Officer Cory Bowling currently serves as a K-9 handler at LPD.
Robin Tiller PIO – LPD sent the following at 5:22 pm:
All complaints are reviewed by our Office of Professional Standards in accordance with our agency’s policies and procedures. It is not the policy of the Lakeland Police Department to acknowledge the existence of or comment on any complaint that may be under review. (F.S.-112.533).
At this time, there are no closed complaints/investigations related to the information mentioned in your request.