Captain Sarah J. Mooney began her career with the West Palm Beach Police Department in 1995. Prior to her promotion to Captain in 2010, she was a Lieutenant in the Field Operations Bureau where she was assigned to both Division II and III. For the majority of her career she has been assigned to the Patrol Division with a one year stint on the HOPE team in 1997. While working as a road patrol officer, Captain Mooney served three years as a Field Training Officer and became a certified instructor in several areas including Defensive Tactics, Human Diversity and General Topics. She has been an adjunct instructor at the local police academy and she has assisted with training at the police department.

After being promoted to Sergeant in 2001, Captain Mooney remained in the Patrol Division where she was assigned as one of two Field Training Supervisors. In addition, she became a team leader on the Hostage Negotiation Team and she was designated as the Sergeant in charge of coordinating the development of a Departmental Recruiting Team. In 2007, Captain Mooney was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. She remained in Patrol and assumed primary responsibility for the training and coordinating of the Hostage Negotiation Team. As a Lieutenant she was responsible for developing standardized Briefing Training sessions which were presented throughout the Patrol division. Her current area of responsibility is the Internal Affairs Unit.

Captain Mooney is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia where she received her Bachelor of Social Work. Upon completing her bachelor’s degree, Captain Mooney attended Florida State University where she earned her Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work. She completed an internship at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee prior to returning to Palm Beach County and then attended the police academy. Captain Mooney is a graduate of the 58th Command Officers Development Course offered by the University of Louisville, Southern Police Institute. In addition, Captain Mooney is a member of the Florida Association of Hostage Negotiators (FAHN).