St. Lucie County Sheriff Mascara discusses the career of deceased Deputy Alan Ross
Sheriff Ken J. Mascara is spending the day with surviving family members of Deputy Alan Ross and members of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office family.
Deputy Ross was a veteran deputy of 20 years with the Florida Department of Corrections and two years with the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, lost his life Thursday night while driving to work at the St. Lucie County jail when his personal vehicle struck a utility pole on I-95 one mile north of State Road 70.
“We ask that you keep the surviving family members and former colleagues of Deputy Ross in your hearts and prayers,” Sheriff Mascara said. “Deputy Ross was an exemplary officer who earned two Unit Citations from the Sheriff’s Office and glowing personnel evaluations from his supervisors.”
St. Lucie County Deputy Sheriff Alan Ross was 50 years old when he lost his life in a single-vehicle crash on I-95 Thursday night on the way to the St. Lucie County jail to work his shift.
His wife, Joyce Ross, works at the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Warrants Unit. She is a civilian and joined the Sheriff’s Office in September 2012.
Deputy Ross was born in Miami.
He graduated from high school in Lake City, Florida, in 1982.
He graduated from Lake City Community College in 1996 with an Associate in Science in Criminal Justice Technology degree. In 2006, he earned an Associate of Arts degree from North Florida Community College in Madison, Florida.
He served his country as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and was honorably discharged.
Before joining the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, he worked for the Florida Department of Corrections from 1987 to 2007. He began as a Corrections Officer and eventually rose to the rank of Captain. From 2007 to 2010, he worked as a Corrections Officer for the Hamilton County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office. He worked as a Corrections Officer for the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2010.
Deputy Ross became a member of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office in May 2013
His evaluators at the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office rated him commendable in communications skills, creativity, decision making, teamwork, job knowledge and technical abilities. He was described as having “a strong personal commitment to excellence.”
In his two years of service with the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, he earned two Unit Citations. His Lieutenant described his squad in this way: “In my 25 years of experience in corrections, I have never seen a group of professionals get along and work together better than Night Two’s current roster.” In the award nomination, Deputy Ross’ Lieutenant said this: “He is extremely proactive in his duties and is always going above and beyond the call of duty to keep his fellow deputies, inmates and the institution safe. He has an extreme amount of knowledge and is always thinking about how something could run better, or be more productive or used in a better way.”
ABOUT THE SHERIFF:
The Florida Constitution establishes the Office of the elected County Sheriff who is responsible for preserving the peace, carrying out the orders of Florida courts and the Board of County Commissioners, and providing deputies at court sessions and meetings of the Board of County Commissioners. The Sheriff is the chief correctional officer of the county. Sheriff Ken J. Mascara is elected by the people of St. Lucie County and is accountable to them.
