Recruiting and Polygraph Section Officer Russell Cullum, who oversees this Section, continually reaches out to community leaders, police academies, police associations, and colleges to recruit the best officers and civilian personnel for the City of Port St. Lucie. Officer Cullum is responsible for conducting complete background investigations for every candidate hired for this agency. These background investigations are quite extensive. An active polygraph program is effectively used for both recruiting purposes and criminal investigations.
Polygraph examinations can also reveal suspects to be involved in major felony crimes.
The polygraph process was instrumental in eliminating approximately half of the police applicants, even after they passed a full background check. This Section, under the command of Sergeant Vince Stassi, oversees all training efforts put forth by the police department. Innovative training opportunities for specialized units, sworn, and civilian personnel are also offered. The Training Section also assists Department personnel to locate, register, and attend career development, incentive, and college degree courses. This has contributed to making the Port St. Lucie Police Department an agency with the highest percentage of personnel possessing college degrees on the Treasure Coast.