Sergeant
Kent State Police Department
Kent, Ohio
Sgt. Knoles started her career as a 911 dispatcher in 1998 for Cuyahoga Falls Police and Fire. During her 7 years as a dispatcher, she received the Gold Star Dispatcher of the Year Award for the state of Ohio.
2005 (to present) she became a sworn police officer with Kent State University Police Department and has also served as a Crisis/Hostage Negotiator with Metro SWAT, a multi-jurisdictional team serving two counties. During her time on Metro SWAT she has negotiated over a hundred barricaded subjects and two 9+ hour hostage situations. She has also completed both basic and advanced crisis negotiation courses with the FBI. She is also certified instructor for Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy and has trained first responders throughout Ohio (to include Ohio APCO) on de-escalation skills and techniques, self-care, and resiliency.
She is a peer support for the Ohio Assist Program, the Portage County police liaison for the CISM team and oversees the peer support program for Kent State Police Department.
She has a husband, five daughters, and a 150lb. German Shepherd (yes, self-care is important!)
Disclosure information not submitted.
The Real First Responders: PTSD, Trauma & Self-Care
Monday, August 7, 2023
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM