Christopher Lyons Email & Phone Number

Deputy Chris Lyons is currently a member of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. He began his career at the Clearwater Police Department where he served as a Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, Robbery Unit Detective and then Homicide Unit Detective. He was part of a team of investigators that organized and reexamined all agency cold cases at the Clearwater Police Department. Their efforts produced the closure of seven (7) cold cases between 2012-2016. He retired in 2016 from the Clearwater Police Department and began a second career at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. He was selected as a detective for the second time in 2017 when the agency created a full-time unit to investigate cold cases. He created a completely new file room for all case files. He reviewed each case, creating a summary of events, persons, items of evidence and action taken in the investigation. That included approximately (40) homicides, (30) long-term missing persons, (10) cold case sexual batteries, and (5) John/Jane Doe cases. He remained in cold case for several years, with several solved cases, including one of the first genetic genealogy cases in the Tampa Bay area. He also was requested to assist several local agencies with both specific case review and the initial set-up of their own cold case unit. He was selected to serve as an investigator on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Commission by Sheriff Gualtieri. Deputy Lyons interviewed witnesses, gathered information, and testified before the panel in both private and public work sessions. Deputy Lyons was able to shift his skill developed from years of violent crime investigations to assist some of our most vulnerable citizens. Sheriff Gualtieri expanded the Mental Health Unit in late 2022 to extend to southern Pinellas County. Deputy Lyons is currently assigned with a specially trained civilian titled a Crisis Response Specialist. They respond in tandem to active calls for citizens experiencing a mental health crisis. Deputy Lyons has been involved with the following investigative organizations during his career, in addition to his regular assigned duties: * Florida Investigators Network (FIN), Co-Founder and Treasurer * Florida Sheriffs Association, Cold Case Advisory Commission, Investigator * International Homicide Investigators Association, Member * National Homicide Investigators Association, Cold Case Director * Marjory Stoneman Douglas Commission, Investigator * Pinellas County Deadly Force Task Force, Investigator

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  Pasco-Hernando State College

  Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration