Robert Siemer of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office has moved up to the rank of lieutenant and is the official district commander for The Villages.
Sheriff Bill Farmer took advantage of his captive audience at a recent Sheriff’s Citizen’s Academy to surprise Siemer with his new gold star and lieutenant’s bars. The announcement was met with unanimous applause and approval from the residents in the class, many of whom know Siemer as a consummate professional as well as a personable lawman.
Born in Hollywood, Fla. Siemer graduated from Columbia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He began his law enforcement career in 1995 as a Corrections Officer, and spent 10 years with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, north of Palm Beach.
He moved to Bushnell in 2005, where he now resides with his wife, Katie, who is a sergeant with the Mount Dora Police Department. He joined the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office as a road patrol deputy, moving through the ranks to detective, then corporal, then sergeant — involved with the TAC (tactical) team.
Office Manager, Theresa Cooper, said Lt. Siemer has realized his dream, moving up to the Sheriff’s Annex.
“This is like heaven for him,” she said. “He enjoyed training with Lt. Nehemiah Wolfe, whom we will all miss greatly; and he enjoys working among the Villagers. Every day is different here, with all the happenings.”
Siemer said The Villages is “a neat” place.
“The residents come from all over — different states and countries — and have led such interesting lives. I like hearing about their careers and experiences — and seeing how so many retired people take a strong interest in their community — leading clubs and volunteering their time for worthy causes. We have a great group of volunteers helping us right here at the Sheriff’s Annex,” he said.
He succeeds Lt. Wolfe, who was beloved in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.
“As of now, I don’t see a lot I want to change,” Siemer said. “Lt. Wolfe ran a good operation , and I want to make as seamless a transition as possible.
The new lieutenant’s worst law enforcement experiences included an attempted suicide by gunshot during a traffic stop he made in Bushnell; and domestic violence incidents, especially one in Wildwood, where a man killed his female cousin with a hammer. On a more positive note, he enjoys trying to find peaceful solutions to problems he encounters in The Villages and nearby communities, where he finds the vast majority of people are friendly and helpful to one another.
“We try to help seniors, even if their problems are not of a criminal nature,” he said, citing people locking themselves out of their homes or cars; and a widow with arthritis in her hands who couldn’t affix her new license tag recently. “We grabbed a screw driver and helped her — anyone would do that,” he said.
On their 10-acre spread in Bushnell, Bob and Katie Siemer raise cows and chickens, and enjoy the country life. The gestation period for cows is nine months — and recently, one of their animals had a calf one month premature. Instead of leaving the calf to pass on of natural causes, they nursed it back to life.
“We had to squeeze milk from the bottle, before the calf was strong enough to stand or take the milk himself — but he’s fine now,” Siemersaid with a smile. “We’ve named him ‘Wobbles.'”
Lady Lake Police Chief Chris McKinstry was very happy to hear of this promotion.
“I personally congratulate Lieutenant Siemer and look forward to continuing our excellent working relationship,” Chief McKinstry said. “His success is just a confirmation of the fact that he excels in what he does.”
