It is with great sadness, respect and honor that inform everyone of the passing of former CCSO member Lt. Jack Gant ID # 198, who passed away suddenly on Monday, March 3, 2014. There will be a memorial service held in the near future. We will provide details when final arrangements are made. Jack is survived by his wife Kimm, son Trevor and daughters Terri, Tracy, Kelly and Dawn and his grandson Drayce.

Condolences can be sent to Julie Thompson in communications. She will gather them promptly and deliver to the family. Please keep Kimm and his entire family in your prayers.

Jack L. Gant, was the son of Mr. & Mrs. Elbert Gant of Bonita Springs. Elbert Gant’s family were Bonita pioneers, living in a one-room shack and living off the land in the 1930’s. 

Jack bore with him that same pioneer, “Florida Born and Florida Raised” attitude. He was a hard worker and dedicated to the CCSO. He was hired by Sheriff Doug Hendry in October 1966 as a dispatcher. It wasn’t long before his talents were recognized and he was being given additional duties. In October 1967, Jack completed a highly specialized course in fingerprint classification and Identification through the Florida Law Enforcement Academy in Tallahassee. He was then assigned as the agencies “Identification Officer” responsible for matching suspect prints and identifying inmates.

In June 1968, Jack attended a course at Edison Community College which graduated the county’s first “Breathalyzer” operators. This was one of the first such trainings in the state of Florida, 19 officers from around the state took part. Other CCSO Deputies certified were Deputy Jackie Whidden and Richard Robinson and Naples Officer Chester Keene and Walter Olson attended. As part of Jack’s office duties in Identification he would be the one running Breathalyzer tests at the jail, which in those days was right around the corner from his office.

In the early 1970’s Jack was sent by Sheriff Hendry to attend an in depth training program at St. Pete Junior College in Crime Scene. Following his return he was reassigned to be the lone Crime Scene Technician for the CCSO.

In 1971, Jack was again tasked for an added role. Drugs had begun to find their way into Collier County in large numbers. Jack Gant was soon to become one of only 138 graduates from a special 2 week long federal program presented by the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. After receiving this training Jack came back to spread the word about the dangers of drugs, often presenting with fellow Deputy Ray Barnett., while still managing a caseload in Crime Scene. 

By the 1974 Jack was tasked by Sheriff Hendry to officially form the ID Section, which has developed into one of the state’s premier ID Units. During the 1970’s and 80’s the Crime Scene and Identification unit, known as “ID” was so well respected it was called upon by surrounding law enforcement agencies to assist in many major crimes. Lt. Jack Gant was a profound evidence collector and testifier. He had such a breadth of knowledge in skillful techniques and taught many deputies how to collect and preserve evidence for prosecuting cases.

In 1988, Jack did a brief tour of duty in Marine Patrol before moving over to Bailiff. In 1992 Jack was transferred to supervise the Training Bureau. Lieutenant Jack L. Gant officially retired in March 2006.    

Please take a moment and remember our friend - Jack L. Gant